《Weapons of Mass Destruction》 Chapter 1 chapter 1 i let out a small yawn, my cheek pressed against the cool bus window. for a brief moment, a street light blinds me, forcing me to close my eyes. when the light fades, another yawn escapes me. shifting my gym bag, i wriggle into a more comfortable position and sneak a peek toward the front of the half-full bus. a standing boy mutters something, and his friends erupt in laughter. one of them, in particular, lets out a laugh that''s... well, it''s unique. he continues to cackle without a care in the world. honestly, it''s beginning to freak me out a bit. seriously, what''s the deal with that laugh? as i tear my gaze away from them, i catch the eye of a girl around my age sitting a few seats behind the noisy bunch. annoyance is etched on her face. our eyes lock for a moment, and then we both nod. just like that, an eternal bond is forged between us, united in our annoyance by the gaggle of kids but too lazy to do anything about it. i return my attention to the window and notice a small, nearly imperceptible grin on my reflection. definitely not because someone else is suffering with me. nope. through my closed eyelids, i see the rhythmic flashes of streetlights as we pass by them. the hum of the bus and the muted conversations blend into a soothing white noise, lulling me toward sleep. and then, suddenly, chaos erupts. blinding light. a sensation of falling. terrified screams. the flash of light is far more intense than any streetlight. the sensation is akin to the bus being hoisted into the air and dropped down. screams fill the air again, some quivering with fear, others laced with shock. the cacophony of shattering glass and groaning metal assaults my ears. i open my eyes, only to squint as the overpowering light blinds me. my pupils dilate in surprise as they adjust to the brightness. daylight? what the heck? i gape out the window at the blue sky and the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. "what the fuck?" i hear, and when i glance to my left, i see the annoyed girl from before gawking at the second maybe-sun with her mouth agape. welcome to the club. no refunds. please send help. "sophie." a cute little girl holds the annoyed girl''s hand. "...i''m sorry." my gaze lands on the bus driver as i survey the area. he''s still trying to calm down others. must be some weird sense of responsibility or something. about ten people huddle around him. then some kids, likely from the same school, stand near the bus. a few men, already forming a group, stand off to the side. a girl and her mini version to my left and two women nearby. i even hear barking and spot a small corgi''s head peeking out from a woman''s arms. "i have no idea what happened!" i hear the bus driver exclaim. "i don''t know where we are," he continues. poor guy. "hey... hey!" i hear behind me as i move away from the bus, checking the signal on my phone. it''s the annoyed girl, and she stops when i turn toward her. i don''t say anything, just wait for her to continue. she looks lost for words and simply asks, "where are you going?" while nervously glancing at the bus as if it''s her lifeboat in the middle of the ocean. "just checking the signal," i show her the display on my phone before continuing. i also dim the brightness to its lowest setting. she doesn''t look like she has more to say, so i move on. after wandering for a while, but always keeping the bus in sight, i give up and turn off my phone. better to conserve my battery. thankfully, my battery is around 80%, but it''s smarter to let others use their phones and save mine. i glance at the second maybe-sun... yeah. houston, we have a problem. a little, orange problem. well, if it''s a sun, it isn''t exactly small. it''s probably larger than the planet, moon, or whatever we''re on, but... i sigh and force myself to calm down. if i pretend it''s not there, it might vanish on its own. i can hope, right? Chapter 2 chapter 2 deciding not to stray too far from the bus, i take a good look at the people surrounding me. there are 24 of us. 23 if i''m not counting myself. there are 15 males and 9 females of all ages. the youngest one is a little girl next to the girl who looks like she''s perpetually annoyed. "does it look like earth to you!?" i overhear from the crowd as a 50-year-old man points towards the second, rather questionable sun. i can see spit flying out of his mouth and veins popping up on his forehead. "we can''t just bloody sit here and wait for the police." when he starts shouting, no one tries to calm him down, and it even appears that some of them agree with him. "we should look around first, maybe climb on some trees or something." i can''t help but roll my eyes as i stop listening to him. we''re surrounded by trees in all directions. they look ordinary. like the trees you''d find on earth... i stop my thoughts. earth. i think about it. did i already determine that we aren''t on earth anymore? it appears so. after pondering for a bit longer, i come up with a few options, each more ludicrous than the last: first, someone kidnapped us. put us to sleep, perhaps with the help of some gas sedative filling up the bus. afterward, they waited until morning and then let us wake up in the middle of the forest while somehow faking the second sun. i find this option highly improbable as i don''t remember falling asleep. sure, i was sleepy but i didn''t fall asleep. the only thing i recall is a flash, us falling down together with the bus, and then just being here. there are no empty spots in my memory, and i don''t feel as if anything is missing. second, i am dead. the flash i saw is either us crashing into something, maybe an explosion. perhaps i got shot through the window. it would mean that this is some weird kind of afterlife. i also find this option improbable, not to mention utterly depressing. third, i fell asleep, and this is a dream. i pinch my forearm with my nails as hard as i can until blood starts flowing out of the wound i created. the pain feels way too real, and i''m now mildly annoyed at myself. fourth, some kind of convoluted prank. i think about it for a minute and, after i can''t come up with a way they would pull it off or why they would even bother, i nearly dismiss it. it still lingers, though, because honestly, who knows what people are capable of these days? i once again look towards the passengers. they''re still "discussing." i slowly glance over every one of them, but no one looks high profile, important enough, or rich enough for such a waste of resources. i don''t completely scratch out this option, but it''s also highly improbable. fifth, we really are on another planet. the main reason is this bloody orange thing in the sky. the probably-sun. i just can''t find anything fake about it. not a single thing. of course, you would expect higher temperatures, but with the first sun looking slightly smaller and the second one looking weaker, it might balance out. i don''t know to be honest. my knowledge about this kind of stuff is pretty much just the basics. i sigh. then i hear one of the schoolgirls screaming and pointing towards the forest. i follow the direction she is pointing towards and notice a wolf standing on the edge of the forest. well... the beast''s brown fur is matted with dried blood. missing an ear and bearing a gruesome scar on its snout. it fixes its unnerving gaze on the terrified girl, eyes glowing with an eerie light. this massive creature is tall enough for its eyes to be at the same height as mine. it growls and takes a menacing step towards us. a huge, car-sized wolf, with a strange text hovering above its head. [wolf - lvl 2] yeah, nope. i am out. thank you and fuck you, whoever is responsible for this monstrosity. i am already on my way back inside the bus even before the wolf takes the first step. "appraise," i say. nothing. "shut the fuck up with your mumbling!" one of the men yells at me. "shut the..." i start, but then i realize that a few people are watching me like i''ve gone crazy. for a second i look around. some of the passengers already have some kind of "weapon" in their hands, like a glass bottle, a piece of glass from the window, a purse, a messenger bag, or another piece of iron pipe from the bus. the wolf is already two meters away from us. we can hear it sniffing and i can see drool dropping from its massive maw. i go back to my thing, ignoring the other passengers. "skill window," i say. nothing. "skill," i say. nothing. "skills," i say. nothing. "status window," i say. nothing. i hear screams and see a wolf''s massive head behind one of the unbroken windows. everyone is trying to get as far away as they can, shaking, screaming, and crying while waving their makeshift weapons and trying to look as dangerous as they can. "status," i say. before i have a chance to say another word, a golden see-through window pops up in front of my face. [name: nathaniel gwyn] difficulty:hell floor: 1 time left until forced return: 4y 364d 23h 36m 12s lvl 0 strength: 6 dexterity: 7 constitution: 3 mana: 1 [primary class: unavailable] [sub-class: unavailable] skills: focus - lvl 1 mana manipulation - lvl 1 [skill points: 0] [stat points: 0] it''s interesting, but useless at the moment. the window disappears when it decides to do so and then the window breaks and the wolf sticks its head inside, ignoring the broken glass and trying to bite an older woman nearby. fortunately, it only bites off part of her sweater and the fabric tears as the wolf tries to pull her outside. the woman falls down while screaming. Chapter 3 chapter 3 the window breaks and the wolf sticks its head inside, ignoring the broken glass, and tries to bite the older woman nearby. fortunately, he only bites the hem of her sweater, and the fabric tears as he tries to pull her outside. the woman falls down while screaming. i move slightly to the side, holding an iron pipe and a piece of glass in my hand. then, i notice a man on the opposite side of the wolf, reaching under his jacket and towards his armpit. don''t tell me... i step a bit closer to the wolf, and its eyes turn towards me. it shifts its head slightly, totally ignoring the broken glass. its eyes are almost as if glowing. as i get its attention, the man pulls out a pistol, and for a second, our gazes meet. i give him a little nod and step a bit closer to the wolf. i am standing just a meter or two away from the wolf, and i feel my heartbeat speeding up. my muscles feel warmed up, and my heart aggressively circulates blood in my veins, and my mind clears. there is only me, the wolf, and the man with the gun. i don''t hear screams anymore, nor do i feel pain from my scratched forearm or cut palm of my left hand. i squeeze the piece of glass. how long has it been since i felt so alive? did i ever feel so alive? [focus - lvl 1 > focus - lvl 2] i feel the corner of my lips lifting up slightly as i lower, calculating how far the wolf can reach and how fast it was before. just to be sure, i add some amount to its reach and double its speed. i can feel my muscles squeezing and exploding as i dash towards the wolf. it looks almost as if it is smiling as it opens its big mouth with teeth as big as the palm of my hand. i stop just in time, and its mouth claps just a few centimeters away from me. realizing my terrible miscalculation, i add more to its speed and reach in my mind. i move my right hand and try to stab the blunt piece of iron pipe into its ear while predicting the wolf''s dodge. the pipe hits its eyebrow, and the wolf lets out a deep growl and instantly attacks again. but i am not there anymore. its maw claps this time a bit further from me, and i slash with my left hand, scratching its upper lip slightly. i jump back, and the wolf keeps trying to push its head towards me. the iron plates of the bus creaking and groaning. finally, i hear five quick and loud explosions. inside the bus, they are deafening, and for the first time, the wolf lets out a loud cry and quickly pulls its head outside. i hear two more shots, and the wolf jumps backward. i notice a slight limping as it does so, and it cries once again, following it with a loud growl and deepening its stance. it looks wounded but not fatally. it starts slowly walking backwards with its attention turned towards the guy with the handgun. i can see blood dripping down the wolf''s face. it looks like a few bullets hit the right side of its face and some of its leg as it is limping. my gaze once again moves towards the text above its head. [wolf - lvl 2] the monstrous wolf is slowly moving towards the forest when... "fuck." i put the glass and pole on the seat next to me and quickly pull down my shirt. "fuck me. i tie the shirt around my left hand and grab the piece of glass once again. this time, my grip is stronger and without the glass cutting into my palm. i lodge the tip of the pipe under the seat and try pulling and pushing it. when i get it out, i step on it a few times with my full force, trying to sharpen the tip of it at least a little bit. my breathing is heavy, and i can hear my blood pumping in my ears. i don''t think i am going to lose. the wolf is stronger, faster, and much more resilient. but i don''t think i will lose. i dash, but this time towards its right side. the wolf attacks to the opposite side, probably expecting me to attack its blinded eye once again, but instead of that, i lift the pipe over my head, and with all the strength i can muster, i hit its left eye. it''s not blinded, but there is blood flowing from a deep wound over the eye, partially blocking its vision. the hit connects, and as a few times before, the wolf cries and jumps back. expecting that, i am already dashing towards its right side and hitting it once again, finally blinding even its other eye. i stop. while the wolf thrashes around, biting towards all sides, i take a deep breath. calm down. i breathe in. focus. i breathe out. focus. [focus - lvl 2 > focus - lvl 3] i take a deep, slow breath, calming down my rapidly beating heart. my body feels like it''s burning, and my muscles hurt. i feel lightheaded, and there is a deep scratch on the left side of my chest. i didn''t even notice it. i look at the wound, slightly surprised. the wolf stops attacking and starts letting out quiet cries while shifting and baring its teeth. while untying the shirt from my left hand, i move towards its right side. i make a ball from my bloodied shirt and throw it to the right. after waiting one second, i dash towards the left side while grabbing the pipe with both hands and pointing the slightly sharpened side towards the ground. the monster jumps towards the shirt, its mouth letting out a horrifying noise as it bites with its massive mouth. while trying to stay as quiet as i can, i lift my hands high in the air and thrust downward with a pipe in my hands, aiming for the wolf''s left eye. the monster wolf let out a horrifying noise as i push the pipe as deep as i could before letting it go and jumping away from it. i watch the wolf thrashing around while growling, biting, and dashing towards random directions. i grab my shirt from the ground and start walking back to the bus while not letting my eyes off the wolf monster. it sniffs and then starts running towards the forest while growling and limping. the monster hits one tree but ignores it and enters deeper into the forest with the steel pipe still lodged in its eye. the world slowly comes back into focus as the wolf disappears, and i can hear the people from inside of the bus. pain hits me in waves. my wounds. my burning muscles. my head feels like it''s about to explode. out of nowhere, i don''t have any more strength in my legs, and i almost fall to my knees, only my will keeping me standing. my heartbeat slows down, and the world... the world feels ordinary again, once more Chapter 4 chapter 4 when i turn around, i see a few people getting out of the bus. the man with a handgun is one of them. i''ve never seen such a dumbass in my life, he shook his head unbelievingly. i just nod, totally agreeing with him. i try to force a smile on my face, but it doesn''t work. i just keep nodding instead of talking. not like there are a lot of people who want to talk to the bloodied guy who chased a wolf as big as a small car. i can''t see why. "no, i am not suicidal," i answer one guy. isn''t it kind of rude to ask something like that? "yes, it was dumb," i answer an older lady. what are you, my mom? "yes, it hurts a lot. no shit. "i just thought i had to. let''s act like a good little boy. blah, blah. i just try to force out answers people want to hear and look as normal and harmless as possible. i am guessing we won''t be coming back to earth anytime soon, so it isn''t bad to try to make some "friends". i just can''t sleep with my eyes open, and there might be things other people are better at than me.no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. after a few minutes of questioning, i start feeling uncomfortable because of people surrounding me and asking questions. my energy drops even more than after a fight with a wolf. i know i am not particularly social, but i try to not let it be too obvious, so i answer a few more questions, give a few pieces of advice, and then tell them about "status." that finally makes them shut up, and they just stare into the air a few centimeters in front of their face. as i thought, their windows are invisible to me. i sneak away to the opposite side of the bus and sit down on the grass, resting my back against the tire. sigh. who knew that even in another world, surrounded by monsters, the most dangerous beings are extroverts. ... could it be some kind of mind manipulation? is someone controlling my feelings or at least giving me impulses to charge at the wolf? i already noticed two new skills in my status, and i am more than sure that there are many more. i look at the people around the bus. one of them? i did get two skills at the start, so what if... i try to replay the whole fight in my head, from the start to the end. at first, i just wanted to get the wolf''s attention so the guy could shoot it. that feels like something i would do as it''s helpful for my survival and not too risky. not for me. during that part of the fight, i started feeling strength filling my body as i increased my focus. i felt as if i could control my body to an unusual degree and even gain more strength from it than usual. i bet that''s the skill called focus. more testing is needed, but i am pretty sure of that. it''s possible that someone manipulated me during the fight. i have no way of knowing if it was just something like sending me some impulse to fight longer in hopes of killing the wolf or someone unable to control their skill. some scared passenger sent me to my death. another option is for them to realize the skills they have and use them on me while not caring if i die or live. that sounds also plausible. then there is also a chance that''s something the wolf did, but looking at how he ended up... i sigh and open my eyes to look at the sky. i need more information, more testing, more time. for now, it will be best to watch my feelings and impulses. one mistake can lead to my death, so i would rather think twice and analyze everything i do. i will find the responsible person, and if i can''t use them, i will have to kill them. yes, let''s do that. my mind is mine and mine only. i feel anger rising up deep from inside me, the anger i pushed to the back of my mind. this time, i didn''t even bother to think if this impulse is me or someone manipulating my feelings. Chapter 5 chapter 5 [you have defeated a wolf - lvl 2] [lvl 0 >lvl 1] after resting against the tire of the bus for a few minutes, i receive a message indicating that the wolf had finally died. either it succumbed to its wounds or another animal finished it off. well, at least i got enough experience to level up. [name: nathaniel gwyn] difficulty: hell floor: 1 time left until forced return: 4y 364d 23h 12m 3s lvl 1 strength: 6 dexterity: 8 constitution: 3 mana: 2 [primary class: unavailable] [sub-class: unavailable] skills: focus - lvl 3 mana manipulation - lvl 1 [skill points: 0]witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through n?o?vl--b1n. [stat points: 3] i got three stat points, and my level changed. also, somehow my mana and dexterity went up by 1 point each. one hour. i can''t believe we have been here for that short time. somehow it feels much longer. i try touching the holographic window with my finger, but nothing happens. my finger just passes through. "stat explanation." also, i already decided on using them - well, at least from the start and until i collect more data or become stronger, so let''s not go this way. sounds good. good. i take the shirt off my chest, and i don''t know if it''s just me, but the wound already looks better. another thing from the status is the word "forced" return. if i had to say, it means that there is a way to return to earth without waiting for 5 years. not a forced way of returning. but... do i even want to? well, probably yes, as it''s much safer that way, however... ... later... i will reflect on that later. the floor 1 part in the status is interesting as well. it means there are more floors, and if i think about it as a game, we will have to fill out some requirements to move to a lower or upper floor, or we will be moved there after some time. maybe after 5 years? that doesn''t sound right - we never went to another floor, so we don''t have any place to return to. the only fitting place to return to is earth. let''s collect more info first and then think about it again. the level number in my status is probably only showing how many times i got 3 stat points. but it can be useful in another way as well. maybe i will need to be at a certain level to be able to do something, or it''s just some kind of strength measurement. the difficulty is pretty disturbing - hell. in games, the difficulties are usually categorized as easy, normal, and hard, with "hell" representing the most challenging level. therefore, i must be extremely cautious. when facing an enemy, i need to make sure to not underestimate them, even if they appear weaker. i am also curious why i got this difficulty, which may be the hardest one, but at the moment, i have no way of finding out. there is also the possibility that there is an even harder difficulty, but no way of confirming it at the moment, or at least i don''t know about any. classes sound interesting, but i don''t have the option to pick one. there may be special requirements or i need to level up more. it is already clear that the system knows a lot about me, and it''s highly possible that i am being watched by it even at the moment. it doesn''t even have to be someone personally watching over me, just some kind of program writing down my actions and thoughts. now when i think about it, even the process of leveling up is kind of weird. i have an idea of how it works in games, but being stuck in this situation makes me want to think about it a bit more logically. there is a possibility that leveling up is just a reward from the entity/system for killing the monster. meaning that i got granted stat points by it after fulfilling the requirements of leveling up. another option is that i got stat points by killing the wolf - the wolf died, and its life force or something similar to it got transferred to me and probably to the guy with the gun. possibilities are that its life force got split between the two of us. another one is that we humans need more life force than the wolf to get to lvl 2. the third possibility i can think of is waste during the transfer of its life or the system taking a "cut." i like the possibilities with life force more. they sound a bit more logical, and i always liked to think of magic as science we don''t understand. taking a deep breath, i slowly stand up, but fortunately, my head doesn''t spin, and i feel pretty good all things taken. it''s time to socialize and find someone useful. Chapter 6 chapter 6 what welcomes me inside the bus is a bunch of people absentmindedly staring into the air. well, some of them are discussing. fuck you, i will not go into that goddamn forest! you go there if you want to die that much! calmly discussing the situation we are in. it looks like the wolf scared them as all of them are inside, using the bus as shelter. it''s easy to understand why, but i already know that we can''t stay here for too long. the main problem is water and food. it''s only been around an hour since we arrived, but i already feel thirsty and hungry, most likely because of the energy i used. even if they are not hungry at the moment and have a bottle of water with them or a little bit of food, soon they will need to look for more. so you''re back, the man with the gun comes towards me and falls silent for a moment, watching the bus driver conversing with two adult men. he then looks at me, you good? i nod. i have already put my white shirt on. ehm, my formerly white shirt. i guess it''s red now. we will need some water and maybe food and it would be best if we look for it before sunset," he says directly. he seems to be on the calm side, and from the way he watches other people, i can say that he is in a better state than most others. anyway, he should have a good impression of me as well. hopefully. well, maybe not that good. in his eyes, i might be a suicidal lunatic. he looks at me for a whole minute, with a deep discerning stare as if he''s trying to see inside my head. his stare makes me slightly nervous, especially knowing that he should have leveled up as well. who knows what skills did he get or how did he use his stat points. soo, how many bullets do you have left? i break the silence. ... he once again falls silent and looks at me, a slight smile slowly appears on his face. not too many. there is a hint of amusement and warmth in his voice. "i see." so careful and not too trusting type. he is slightly shorter than me. his figure is pretty robust and muscular, with a sense of authority around him. it might be caused by his gun, but i don''t believe that''s just it. a cop? maybe. "nathaniel." i reach out my hand towards him, and he accepts. his grip is strong, and he looks into my eyes while shaking my hand. i bet it is because of the gun. obviously, some of them seem dissatisfied with the guy with a gun leaving them to go into the forest, but no one says anything. most likely, they are scared that he will ask them to go with him. i am not too surprised at their lack of initiative. it''s weirder that hadwin and i plan to go there without being pressured to do so. hadwin grabs his backpack and two iron pipes, clearly inspired by me. he gives me one, and i take it. some of the passengers see it and start talking amongst themselves, and i see some of them trying to pry out their own pipes. what''s with that reaction time? as we are about to leave the bus someone stops us. "do you have a spot?" on the bus, there are a few 30-40-year-old men, and the one asking is one of them. he is close to 2m in height and slim, but his shoulders are surprisingly wide. his face is on the handsome side, and he is smoothly shaven. "maybe..." hadwin stops next to me "damon," he reaches his hand towards hadwin and then towards me. his grip is even stronger than hadwin''s. hadwin''s shake was just a greeting, but damon''s is clearly some sort of test as he squeezes my hand as strongly as he can. as he lets go of my hand, his gaze stays on me a bit longer than on hadwin. "i would like to join you. i grew up in the countryside, so i shouldn''t be baggage inside the forest." a laugh almost escapes my mouth, but i keep my face neutral. well, in the worst case, we can use him as bait. something tells me that hadwin wouldn''t like it, but i can work around it. "sounds good," says hadwin, and i just nod. damon once again looks into my eyes. look at him. i feel amused as his look isn''t too friendly, more like the opposite. as we exit the bus, no one else joins us. no one is brave or desperate enough to come with us. not yet. well, almost no one. i saw one of the school kids wanting to join us, but others stopped him. well, i call them kids but all of them are around 18 years old, not that much younger than me. bless you, kid. maybe next time? after something eats damon. Chapter 7 chapter 7 outside, we find the annoyed girl leaning against the bus. she is clearly keeping watch, looking towards the place where the wolf came from. it''s a good idea. she is around my height, slim, and has an athletic figure. the most striking thing about her is her deep green eyes, which are even more noticeable against her tanned skin and brown hair. "i want to join you," she says without holding back. her voice shakes almost unnoticeably as she says so, yet she seems determined. "i also want to level up. i need to level up." oh? did they have a group talk inside the bus while i was thinking outside? they seem fairly used to the idea of leveling up. "i need to become stronger as soon as possible. wolves usually don''t move alone, and... we don''t know what else is here. i swear i won ?t slow you down." everyone should be level 0, with only me and hadwin being higher level so she also might be worried to lag behind us. or does she just want to protect the little girl next to her? did hadwin share the results with others? did he put all three points into strength and test it out while they were watching? how much of a difference would three points make? "i don''t think we have to worry about that," says hadwin, to my surprise. he continues, "the wolf from before did look starved and wounded, and he didn''t even try to call for other wolves before attacking us." he looks at us. "so it''s either the last surviving wolf from the pack or they chased him away from it." i like the sound of that. i really do but... "i think we should expect the worst option," i say as their eyes turn toward me. i shrug my shoulders and don''t say more. "i partly agree with you," hadwin says carefully, caressing his short beard as he speaks. "but we shouldn''t let it scare us too much. doing nothing because we are too worried could cost us." i''m slightly disappointed. he seems too confident. whatever. if it seems like he''s too careless, i can leave them. don''t worry, izzie. she gently caresses her head, and there is a lot of gentleness and love in her action. however hard this might be, i am glad i ended up here alone. how about you leave her with jacob? he seems like a good guy, hadwin finally says. she will be safer with others. he pauses. you can stay too... with your... sister... sophie says slowly. sister. hadwin kneels in front of the girl, and a big soft smile appears on his face. god knows i would do the same. the little girl proceeds to avoid his gaze and looks back up at sophie. i think it''s already taking too long. she is most likely scared of being left behind, and probably not trusting us that much too. who knows what would happen if we come back much stronger? for now, it looks like nothing much has changed, but the moment some of us obtain strength way beyond others, things will become... difficult. you should come, i say as she turns towards me with a surprised look on her face. her sister starts peeking again. we most likely won''t go too far at first. not far enough to not hear if something happens. it ?s obvious that she already decided to go with us, so why is she struggling that much? just trust your own decisions and then take responsibility if something happens. one or two hours should be enough to scan our closest surroundings. after that, we will come back with some wood which we can use for weapons and fire, i suggest. "if something happens they can use the bus horn and we can rush back as quickly as possible." after a little while, she finally accepts the plan and disappears inside the bus with her sister. i can see her talking to the bus guy, jacob, apparently. her sister starts crying. "for fuck''s sake," damon complains. when sophie comes back, we finally start walking toward the forest. not coincidentally, we walk on the opposite side of where the wolf came from. everyone stops talking as we come closer to the trees, and the atmosphere instantly changes. it''s as if the closer we get to the trees, the more nervous everyone becomes. interestingly enough, the trees seem normal. i don''t know what i expected. shining leaves? faces on trunks? whispers in the wind? tree branches wave slightly in the wind, as the suns shine through the crowns of the trees. it looks like a normal forest... Chapter 8 chapter 8 i keep my guard up as we enter the forest. i squeeze the iron pipe in my hand. for a start, let''s not touch anything. who knows if it''s poisonous? hadwin enters first, closely followed by us. his iron pipe is behind his belt, and there is the gun in his hands. i am not an expert, but the way he holds it seems like someone used to weapons. maybe he really is a policeman. judging from the way he talks and acts, i wouldn''t be surprised. "focus and listen to our surroundings," he says as he slowly walks between the trees. "nathaniel, you will take my left, damon you focus on your right, and sophie you will have our back." i slightly change my position. obviously, i don''t focus only on the left, but i give it a bit more focus than other directions. don''t forget to check the tops of the trees as well. "talk only in a whisper, and if you hear flowing water, see wet places, puddles, or anything suspicious, let us know." we slowly continue. it''s almost funny. a bunch of adults led by a crazy man armed with a handgun sneaking through a normal-looking forest. fortunately, the forest isn''t too dense, so we move without a problem. thirty minutes later, i can hear damon silently cursing under his breath. something about the mother and the forest? "motherfucking alien forest," i hear. oh. that makes much more sense. i don''t blame him. every one of us twitches every time we hear the slightest noise. after a while, it''s really tiring. we continue as hadwin leads us in a circle around the clearing with a bus. the clearing is on our right side, and we didn''t walk too deep inside the forest. i also noted that damon touched the trees a few times, and he looks fine, so they most likely aren''t poisonous. "we are getting to the place where the wolf came from," hadwin says. just this sentence is enough to bring us to the tips of our toes. damon instantly shuts up, and i can almost hear him squeezing his weapon. somehow i feel calmer than before. "movement to our left," i whisper, and i hear hadwin''s gun click as he turns it towards his left. "a bit more to your right," i quickly add, and he points it there. i squeeze the pipe in my hand as two human-like beings rush at us at once while holding primitive weapons in their hands. i step to the left and avoid a stab with a spear. they don''t seem to be too tall, almost like kids or young adults, so i hesitate for a second. then i hear a gunshot, just one, followed by a weird scream. i dodge another stab and swing with the pipe, it connects and i hit the creature on its head its head is harder than expected, so i hit once more while using as much strength as i can while dodging its aggressive but clumsy stab. the creature falls down when i look around, hadwin is already running after another one. [goblin - lvl 3] the goblin is shot, and hadwin is holding the pipe in his hands, closely behind the monster. then i notice my wildly shaking hand, tense muscles, and rough breathing. the world comes back into focus, and i feel like someone turned off the noise canceling. hadwin is breathing heavily and cursing under his nose. i hear sophie and damon not far away from us. "one goblin is only unconscious. can you keep a watch?" hadwin nods with a tired imitation of a smile, and i can see the sweat running down his forehead. before running back, i grab the knife and pull it out of the goblin''s eye. it makes a disgusting noise i am sure i will remember for a while. when i get back to sophie and damon, i can see them repeatedly hitting the goblin they were fighting against. it seems to be dead, but they don ?t stop. they have furious looks on their faces, and i can see some wounds on their bodies. the wounds don''t seem to be serious. the goblin i stunned is still lying on the ground. i kick its leg while standing as far as possible, and when it doesn''t react, i calm down slightly. i still can feel the adrenaline flowing through me and probably mana as well, and just now, i am slowly realizing what happened as if i am coming back to reality. my heart is beating wildly and multiple feelings wash over my body. fear, relief... desperation calm down. think logically. calm down. calm down. calm down. my breathing slows, and i finally catch my breath, and my focus comes back to normal. i am such a mess. i hear quiet sobs from sophie behind me, but she quickly stops, almost choking on them. while clenching my teeth i slowly lower my body, carefully, while watching the unconscious goblin. and then, without hesitation, i stab a dagger deep into its eye. [you have defeated a goblin - lvl 2] [lvl 1 > lvl 2] Chapter 9 chapter 9 i decide to ignore stat points for now as i want to test their effects a bit more so i pull the dagger out of the goblin ?s eyes. damon and sophie seem to be shaken, but their wounds aren''t that serious. damon is naturally athletic and strong, with long limbs, meaning his reach is pretty big. sophie seems to be well-versed in martial arts, but even so, this creature, around a meter and a half tall, managed to hurt them in a 2v1 fight. (meter and half - 150cm - 4'' 11) motherfucker... damon kicks the corpse of the goblin. for me, it just seems like a way of hiding his fear. i can even see his shaking hands and hear a slight tremble in his voice. can you carry its corpse? when i ask, he looks at me like i''m crazy. there might be more of them, and we don''t want them to find their friend ?s corpses, i add before he says anything. he just nods solemnly after a short pause. sophie. when i call her name, she looks up. oh. i like the look in her eyes. i will carry the other one, and you can help hadwin, she says. she catches on pretty fast. carry only the corpses; i or hadwin will take care of the rest. i pause. don''t bring them too close to other passengers for now, i add. she nods. i go deeper into the forest. the dagger is once again in my hand. it''s made out of some kind of obsidian-like stone, but it''s surprisingly sharp and hard.witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through n?o?vl--b1n. hadwin is looking at the corpse of the goblin, and i step next to him. we find damon and sophie lying on the ground, breathing heavily and covered in sweat, while their baggage is a few meters away from them with other passengers surrounding the dead goblins. once again, i realize how much better state i''m in as i throw the green creature on the ground. damon has an angry look on his face as he turns to me. i don ?t say anything, just look back at him. "fuck off," he breathes out and turns towards hadwin. "what the hell was that? what are these green little fuckers?" "goblins." "no shit. i asked..." before he can continue, the older man interrupts him. "i don''t know, damon. as you know, i''ve been here as long as you have." there is a slight frown on his face. "what i know is that we should be thankful that we are still alive. these... creatures are far stronger than they should be." "and much heavier," sophie says quietly, and there is a questioning look on hadwin''s face. "the one i carried must have weighed around 50 kilos, and it''s the smallest and slimmest one." (50kg - 110 lb) "fucking hell, mine is for sure over 100 kilos," damon adds. (100kg - 220 lb) from the corner of my vision, i see sophie rolling her eyes. hadwin slowly walks towards my goblin and tries to lift him. surprise appears on his face, but with a groan, he lifts him up. "for sure close to 100," he puts him back on the ground. everyone falls silent. "we should dissect them," i say after a while. their gaze instantly turns back to me. ... uhm? why are you looking at me like that? Chapter 10 chapter 10 i had hoped that hadwin would suggest it first, but i can see that he is holding back a little bit, still not fully realizing the situation we are in. still not prepared to do everything it takes for his survival. when they look at me with shocked looks in their eyes, i just shrug my shoulders. i notice that only hadwin looks somewhat relieved. "you don''t have to be there." "i will help you," he says. "but we should do it far away from the clearing." i stop to think about it for a second. doing it here doesn''t sound like a good idea. we don''t know if blood won''t lure more monsters to us, and i don''t know how the other passengers will react to it. well, i am sure that they will get used to it fairly soon. "we have to get rid of them anyway. so let''s just throw them out, and while doing so i will quickly check a few things." "there is no fucking way i am going to carry that green little shit again," i hear damon say, but everyone ignores him. "are you sure it''s worth it?" hadwin is still worried. "we will be taking a big risk." while in deep thought i look at the dead goblin. the words over his head are gone. knowing that the text disappears when a monster dies helps. the goblin is around 150 cm (4''11) tall with a short torso but long legs and hands. even though his limbs are slim, i remember their weight. it was also illogically strong, unfitting its figure. i lean over him and poke him with the tip of my finger. his skin feels thick, somewhat firmer than mine. i pinch him, and i once again notice the firmness of his skin. could it be his thicker skin adding to its weight? the green creature is wearing some sort of primitive leather clothes covering parts where reproductive organs on humans would be. there are also light blue markings all over its body. when i glance at the other two goblins, i notice that they have similar markings. i try to rub them, but nothing stays on my finger. when i spit a little bit on it and try again, the result is the same. tattoo? some kind of group, clan, or village marking? i pause for a second, done thinking over things okay, no dissecting, let''s just test a few things. where are its heart and other vital organs located? what makes it so strong? can it use mana, and if so, how does it affect its physiology? is it particularly vulnerable to fire? what are its weak points? and where is its skin thinnest? most of them would create quite a mess. maybe next time. after stretching a little bit, i focus and put two stat points into the constitution and one into mana. at the moment, i''m not sure if changes in investing stat points show up instantly or gradually. i''m more inclined to the second option, so investing them sooner sounds like a good idea. as for why the constitution and mana. my survivability is most important at the moment. i believe that constitution increases my endurance, vitality, and affects my regeneration. at the moment, i don''t have access to food, so a stronger body sounds like a good idea. i just hope it doesn''t mean increased consumption of calories to keep me going. it probably does. i am sure it does. we can''t have things too easy, can we? i don''t need much strength as i can use weapons and attack weak points. unfortunately, i''m not in a situation where i can test my stat points as i need to find water, food, shelter, and fight against these monsters. one point in mana is a risk and i justify it as something that potentially can make me stronger. but i can''t lie to myself. it''s simple curiosity, and i am willing to risk a little bit to satisfy it. ever since i felt it for the first time, i keep trying to manually use it with no success so far. i was only able to use focus and mana during fights. it happened subconsciously. when we found the goblins, i was able to control it a little bit. i can''t wait to test it out a bit more, but unfortunately, i have other priorities at the moment. "i have a place in mind where we can get rid of them," hadwin says. "i noticed it when we were scouting. it''s a deep hole near a few big rocks, probably caused by a landslide. we can just throw them down there. it should be around 15 minutes there and back," he then looks at the goblin, "maybe 20." Chapter 11 chapter 11 it makes damon start grumbling, but he surprisingly stands up and says, "let''s make it quick." he lifts up his goblin, and a surprised look appears on his face. did he invest his stat points? he should have leveled up, and sophie as well. i am pretty sure he put it all into strength, so i decide to watch him carefully to compare his increased strength to my constitution. my theory is that my increased constitution means i can use my peak strength for longer, and i will need shorter rest to be back at my peak form. i also have a suspicion that i will heal faster and have tougher skin and stronger bones. just like the goblin. increased strength should increase the density of muscles and their strength, but it also comes up with a potential problem.witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through n?o?vl--b1n. what if you invest too much into strength, but you don''t have a body strong enough to handle it? once again, i become annoyed for not knowing and not being able to test it out as much as i want. i also put the goblin on my shoulder, but i make sure to have my right hand free and be ready to throw the body on the ground. at worst, i can also use the goblin as a shield against an attack. sophie also picks up the goblin, she does it quite easily. hmm. i guess that means that stat increase manifests fairly quickly. few minutes maybe? hadwin puts the gun into his right hand and the goblin''s spear in his left, and starts leading us into the forest. as we enter, i don''t feel as pressured as before, but i am still careful. the wind is now stronger, so we can hear the rustling of leaves and creaking branches as they bend in the wind. the sun seems to be right over us. i still twitch every time i hear an unexpected noise. as before, hadwin walks first, me to his left, and damon to his right. sophie follows behind us, and i notice that she moved the goblin slightly lower to cover more of her back. at this point, i am sure that the results of my increased constitution are showing, as i don''t feel myself getting tired from carrying the creature. the only thing i notice is my empty stomach. food. i need lots of food. i glance at the goblin, but i instantly decide that i am not that hungry. yet. when we finally throw the goblins into the hole, i notice damon''s rugged breathing. he seems better than before, but it''s easy to notice how tired he is. i am now also 100% sure that he didn ?t put much into constitution. sophie seems to be better than him, so i guess that she put at least something into it. i move the knife to my left hand and pull out the pipe into my right hand. on our way back, we are even more careful than before, but we move much quicker. not being able to see what''s behind the trees makes us all nervous. when we get back to the bus, i feel relieved, even though there isn''t too big a difference in our safety. as i move away from people, i take a peek at my stats. [name: nathaniel gwyn] difficulty: hell floor: 1 time left until forced return: 4y 364d 20h 52m 59s lvl 2 strength: 6 dexterity: 8 constitution: 8 mana: 3 [primary class: unavailable] one minute. two minutes. five. she is leaning in silence while looking towards the forest. "do you also think that we are in deep shit, nat?" her voice is quiet, and she still doesn''t look at me. isn ?t that obvious? one minute of silence. "it all looks so normal... trees, grass, sky..." she falls silent after glancing at the sky. "you know, before we ended up here, i had a fight with my mom," she said, her voice even quieter now. "i called her..." she pauses for a moment and a self-deprecating chuckle echoes in the surrounding silence. she then continues to talk, and i don ?t say anything but listen. i can do that much for her. i feel like i owe her at least that much. "do you think i''m an asshole?" she looked at me. i didn''t get it. isn''t what she thinks more important than my opinion? i shrug my shoulders, and there is a slight disappointment in her eyes. then she chuckles. "i should have expected such an answer from you. anyway, kevin found out something. just say ''quest window''," before she disappears back inside, she asks, "nat, will you help me if you can?" i look up from the ground and our eyes meet. obviously, my life is a priority. but if it doesn''t put me in danger... my answer is just a short nod. before she disappears from my sight, i see hint of relief on her face. "quest window," i say out loud. [floor quest] stay alive for 30 days rewards: - entrance to the second floor - access to community - 1 skill point - 5 stat points [side quest] stay alive for 24 hours. rewards: - gear of your choice Chapter 12 chapter 12 ok. okay. fine. i am not a person who tends to get angry easily, but even i have my limits. if i ever meet an asshole who designed this thing, i will fuck him up. well, let''s not think too much about it. my mind is most likely being read even at the moment, so it''s better if i make some plans after i come up with a way to counter it. now then, mana.witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through n?o?vl--b1n. i lie on the ground and roll under the bus. let''s try it here. i need to focus, and i don''t want to get hit by a ranged attack from the forest. we are pretty far from it, but i wouldn''t be surprised. i close my eyes and try to use focus. i have already used it a few times, so i know the feeling i should have. it''s hard to activate it at will, but after 10 minutes, i am finally able to do it. it isn''t as deep a focus as i was able to gain during fights, but it should be enough. as i try to keep it activated, i start remembering the feeling of what i think is mana flowing through my body and strengthening it. i start with my hand. while slowly breathing in and out, my focus deepens. what is it even? what needs to be done to turn something into a skill? i quickly shake my head to get rid of useless thoughts and focus a bit more. sounds slowly fade out, and i can hear my heart beating slowly. then i feel a slight tingling in my hand. it starts with my fingers and continues up to my wrist. it''s the same feeling as before. by force, i calm down my now-faster heartbeat. i focus on the feeling and try to understand it. it''s hard to explain. it really is. more than relying on my mind, i let my body do it. maybe it''s something like when you catch something falling down from a table, and at the end it''s just your body that reacts by itself. just a simple reflex. and only when you hold falling item in your hands, then you realize what happened. so here i am, trying not to think about it too much. don''t tell me. i try it again, and now i focus on my heart right from the start. i barely feel it, but mana forms there and then slowly flows through my veins, reaching my hand. it''s not using only one vein but multiple of them. so that''s how it is. i spend another 30 minutes trying to feel my mana, and when i hear hadwin calling my name, i find a new skill between my existing ones and one of my skills leveled up. [mana perception lvl 1] [mana manipulation lvl 1 > mana manipulation lvl 2] i guess it''s something. under hadwin''s amused gaze, i roll out from under the bus and stand up. other than that, he doesn''t react to it, which makes it even worse. asshole. "do you want to join us for another expedition? damon and sophie are coming as well, and i have one place i want to check out a bit more." i grab my stuff and follow him after i nod. "i noticed a spot where it appears to slope downwards. if we''re fortunate, it could be a valley, and there may be a stream in the vicinity." we come near the other two already waiting for us. both of them hold short spears in their hands, the ones goblins used. i guess it''s better than nothing. "of course, we have to be careful. if there is water, then there is a high chance we will end up running into more animals or... other creatures." "anyone else joining us?" my answer is damon''s derogatory laugh. "they are busy shitting their pants every time they hear some noise." well, it''s not unexpected. "a few kids wanted to join but i turned them down," hadwin adds in between damon''s trashtalk. i ignore damon''s mumbling as he continues complaining. will i get a skill from it? damon''s trash talk resistance lvl 1? hmm, maybe if i try hard enough? while i am trying to acquire a new skill with damon''s help, sophie is saying goodbye to her sister. it''s easy to see how worried she is. somehow, i can''t help feeling a tiny bit of jealousy. Chapter 13 chapter 13 almost as if by habit, i am once again on the left, damon on the right, and sophie in the back as we follow hadwin. after just a few minutes of us clumsily sneaking, we stop at hadwin''s gesture. he just points in front of us, slightly to the left. i frown. i didn''t notice anything. i don ?t like it. leaves around a stone''s throw in front of us start rustling, and i hear sophie screaming in warning as the enemy also appears from behind. green creatures surround us while growling and showing their teeth. two level 2, two level 3, and one level 5 goblin shaman. not good. actually, it''s pretty bad. really bad. i get ready to run away when it becomes even worse. a car sized wolf appears from behind the goblin shaman. [reanimated wolf, lvl 2] he''s big, brown, and bloodied, but the most eye-catching thing is the iron pipe sticking out of its blinded eye. i enter the deepest focus i ever have. the world around me quiets, colors lose some of their vibrancy, and my mind filters out useless information. my and the goblin shaman''s eyes meet, and i swear he looks like he is laughing. the goblins don''t seem to be surprised to meet us at all. fuck. someone screams. we don''t even get time to run as the animated wolf rushes at us. hadwin makes the first move, and i can hear gunshots. one. two. three. all of them hit, but the wolf keeps charging and only slightly staggers after every gunshot. there is no blood. boom. another shockwave throws me to the ground. the world around me starts spinning, and i feel blood in my mouth. not good. i let mana flow through my body and crawl back on my legs. they are not broken, but one of my arms is, uselessly hanging along my side. that leaves my iron pipe uselessly on the ground. the spear i picked up is broken, and i am just holding its upper half. as expected, the level 3 goblin is already next to me, and this time, i am unable to fully dodge it''s swift stab. the spear grazes my side, and the goblin grabs my broken arm, sending a painful impulse through me and making me scream in pain. but i stay focused. i keep mana flowing through my body. even battered like this, i feel confident. he will die. my heart is beating like crazy, pumping mana and blood through my veins. my breathing is ragged but steady. it hurts. it hurts so much. but. even in such a state, there is not a single speck of doubt in my mind. i will win. then i kick the goblin between his legs. he lets out a painful groan and bends slightly. i swing with my hand holding a broken spear and stab into the goblin''s neck. my spear doesn''t enter too deeply, but with a loud scream, i pull back and thrust again and give him another kick between his legs. he lets out a suffocating noise as blood starts flowing from his neck and mouth. he bends more while trying to cover his lower parts, and as he does so, i kick his lower chin with my knee. even in such a state, my kick is powerful enough, and i see consciousness disappear from his eyes. as he falls down, i fall on him and stab his neck a few more times. in the back of my mind, i hear a notification. while holding a bloodied, broken spear in my hand, i stand up. one more. Chapter 14 chapter 14 it''s painful. it''s tiring. but i get up and squeeze the bloodied half-spear in my right hand. the rusty smell of blood hits my nose. my other arm is uselessly hanging along my body. broken somewhere under my shoulder. i can''t even move it without pain making my vision spin. the goblin shaman is standing there with one of his hands pointing towards me and mumbling something under his nose.witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through n?o?vl--b1n. i let go of the broken spear and grab a stone from the ground, instantly throwing it at the goblin. surprisingly, his chanting pauses and he frowns. instead of hitting him, the stone slows down as it approaches him and then falls down about a meter away from him. i do it again and get the same result. his mumbling stops, and the stone slows down around 3 meters away from him and then just falls down, again. he screams something, and i quickly jump behind a tree, but there is no terrible noise, and the tree doesn''t explode. instead, i can hear him chanting something once again. then i hear a gunshot. all of us freeze for a second, and unnatural silence fills the surroundings. another gunshot. hadwin is pointing his gun at the shaman. surprisingly, the green creature isn''t dead. not even wounded. the same thing happens to the bullet as to stones. as it enters an area close to the goblin it slows down and we can see it slowly traveling through the air. then it stops and falls down. "damn..." hadwin''s voice is tired, and he is slowly limping. yet he seems to be in the best state out of the three of us. sophie is holding a piece of cloth on her wounded hand while glaring at the goblin shaman. damon is sitting on the ground and leaning against a tree. i''m not even sure if he is conscious or even alive. the goblin looks at us, and his gaze is full of hate. he bares his sharp teeth, and a deep hissy growl escapes his mouth. i move my tired body toward him, and the only thing i can think about is killing him. i throw a few things at him as i walk closer, a stone, a branch, a piece of hardened dirt. every time, they just slow in the air and fall down near him. but every time i do it, his chant pauses, and his face becomes angrier and angrier. "you don ?t like that, do you?" i smirk and i can feel the blood in my mouth. i spit it out while continuing to walk closer and throwing stuff at him. "fucking piece of shit." he keeps letting out terrible noises, maybe even words. he doesn''t seem worried at all as i stop just a few meters away from him. is that a smile on his face? fucker. is it not fun anymore? smile for me. he is trying to move as much as he can and change the direction of his stab. then he tries to quickly pull his attack back. there is panic in his movements. but he can''t. he is also restricted by the unnatural field around his body. as he starts pulling back his dagger for another stab, i grab his throat with my fingers. i focus most of my remaining mana into my hand and try to bury the tips of my fingers into the front of his neck. the monster tries to escape, but i follow him at the same speed, and he keeps panicking more and more. he keeps trying to move faster than he can and keeps getting restricted while i just slowly follow his movement at the speed the field allows me to. there is another stab coming. from the way he moves, i know that if i dodge it, he will continue and try to stab the hand holding his neck. i should dodge. it''s smart to dodge. but i just shift my body, and his dagger enters my broken hand instead. the pain is terrible, much worse than i expected. the dagger is slowly penetrating my skin, tearing my muscles, and scratching my bone. but i don''t let go. instead of that, i squeeze his neck harder and harder. he is already scratching my right hand with his remaining hand, leaving deep bloody grooves on my forearm. i am almost worried that i will break my teeth from how much i am clenching them. it''s easily the most pain i ever felt in my life. he then twists the dagger inside my hand, and i feel tears running down my cheeks. i can''t help it, but a painful groan escapes my mouth. but i don''t let go. i squeeze even harder and harder. i feel the blood from his neck on my fingers, and then i finally penetrate his softer skin of the neck. it feels disgusting, and i am sure i will never forget this feeling. blood flows down his neck and on my hands as i grab his adam''s apple and start pulling it out of his neck. in the process, i lose the last drops of my mana. then i hear soft noise, as if something is breaking, the necklace on his neck falls apart. the feeling of my body being deep underwater instantly disappears. the goblin shaman falls down on the ground while putting his hands against the hole in his neck. there is blood flowing through his fingers, and he is letting out noises i already want to forget about. after a few seconds of struggling, the light disappears from his eyes. only a terrible, hateful, expression stays on his face, as until the last moment, he kept staring at me. Chapter 15 chapter 15 [you have defeated the goblin lvl 3] [you have defeated the goblin lvl 2] [you have defeated the goblin lvl 3] [you have defeated the reanimated wolf lvl 2] [you have defeated the goblin shaman lvl 5] [lvl 2 > lvl 3] i instantly put two points into constitution and one into mana. my body feels terrible. every muscle feels as if it''s about to tear and i feel weak. i''m also so terribly hungry. "are you fine? do you need..." just leave me alone. "nathaniel." the voice becomes louder. fuck off. i slowly calm down by breathing. calm down. focus on breathing in and out. filter out the pain. a little bit is fine. good. now put more strength into your legs. good. now fall down and scratch your knees and palms, adding to your wounds. goo...what? ... fuck. i clench my teeth. deep breath and again. yes, like this. a bit more strength into the left leg. good. more strength in the right leg.??vl?1n. nice. now turn to hadwin and try to look a bit more friendly, and not like someone who tore off the neck of a living being. do it slowly so that your head won''t spin. when i turn around, i see a worried look on his face. i notice the fact that he''s still holding a gun in his hand. i''m sure that it''s just a coincidence that he''s pointing it slightly in my direction. just in case, i try to predict the way he would lift it up if he wanted to shoot, and slightly shift my body. if he moves that way, i can rush him. forget about using my hands, i will hit his nose with my forehead. he might be able to shoot me, but before he does so, i can slightly move his hand so it won''t kill me. probably. "god damn, nat. you look terrible." no shit hmm. let''s think about it logically since i can''t trust my feelings at the moment. "..." i think what she did is something that would make me angry. really angry. like really really angry. my freedom is one of the most important things to me ever since i was young. to be honest, i am surprised i am not angrier. is she influencing me even now? her chest moves up and down as she keeps her wet green eyes on me, almost pleading. in the end, she is just a young girl. "let''s talk later. please?" her voice is shaking, and there is a drop of blood on her bottom lip from how hard she is biting it. "let''s just go..." "did you...are you using skill on me?" "..." "answer." "... we need to go." for a moment i don''t say anything. she avoids my gaze, and i can feel her muscles tensing. her mouth opens slightly, but no sound escapes her. shock? guilt? i stay quiet. "i don''t know... i don''t know what you mean." a scream of pain, more tears in her eyes. "you need to calm down and listen to me..." she puts her free hand on my shoulder, pleading. "we really need to go. it''s not safe here." my anger weakens even more. is her skill stronger with skin contact? "we can talk when we get back." "..." "nathaniel?" "..." my feelings are one big mess. "one more chance, sophie. no more lies, okay?" she tries to open her mouth, but i gesture for her to stop. "think about your sister before you say something." then it hits me. terrible, terrible fear i never felt in my life. i barely stop myself from shaking, and i feel cold sweat running down my back. i almost want to scream, let go of everything, and just run away. my heartbeat speeds up, and my limbs become cold. Chapter 16 chapter 16 so terrifying. so amazing. i am clenching my teeth so hard they feel like they are about to break. goosebumps are all over my body. i feel cold. i am shaking. it ?s hard to even think and [focus] is only thing stopping me from running away. really, amazing. how does it work? how did she get the skill? is she using mana? how many emotions can she affect? how many people can she affect? is it a level 1 skill? if yes, how strong can it get? and probably the most important question, can i use her to survive? also, can she use it on monsters? did she use it only on me during the fight, or on the goblins as well? did she use it on the goblins to make them attack me instead of hadwin and damon, leaving three of them to deal only with the wolf and one goblin? maybe? interesting... i whisper, and i mean it. the feelings i''m experiencing at the moment feel so real. it''s not hard to imagine how dangerous she will be if she gets time to develop her skills. she could slowly manipulate someone instead of using raw power like she is now, her target wouldn''t even have to realize it. do. not. dare. she hisses through her teeth. how scary. i will fucking kill you if you dare to touch her! good. ... think about it this way. for me, my mind is the same as for you is your sister. ...witness the debut of this chapter, unveiled through n?o?vl--b1n. i hope you understand what i mean. i... will kill you..." i interrupt her, i think we might have started in the wrong way, i let her lean onto me, and we start walking towards our camp. well, i am almost pulling her as she resists a lot. let''s risk it. sure, i almost died because of her, but i am alive. in future her skill can become amazingly useful. hell, it''s super useful even now. i pause and terrifying though flashes through my mind. is she manipulating me now? did i switch from killing her to using her because of her mind manipulation? i will have to think about it later. i know i am playing with fire, but i think i can now recognize when she is trying to manipulate my feelings, and her usefulness can outweigh all the risks. obviously, in a perfect world, i wouldn''t have to be worried about all of that. now i will have to become stronger faster than she is. that way, she won''t be able to control me. i believe i can do it. i trust in my decisions and my skill. i trust in myself. just like that. how? how are they that weak? should i bother staying with them? "nat..." i might be better on my own. "nat." i am stronger than all of them. "nathaniel." should i even waste my time by helping them to develop? it might be better to invest all of that time into myself. i feel someone touching my shoulder, and i feel as if i woke up. what happened? i notice my palm bleeding from my fingernails digging into it as i did squeeze my fist hard. oh. seems like sophie isn''t the only one shaken. i glance at the blonde girl holding my shoulder. she is and always was taller than me, even though she is younger. her steel gray eyes are calm, and for a moment, we just look at each other. she smells of cigarettes. focus on breathing. i let out a little bit of mana and feel myself entering [focus]. just a little bit. one heartbeat. my heart pushes mana through my veins. it is flowing in the same pathway as my blood, just slightly faster. two heartbeats. all unused mana is circulating back to my heart and then is sent back to my body. three. tension slowly escapes my body. four. slow and deep breath in. yes, good. five. i exit [focus], and i feel as if the haze covering my mind and eyes disappeared. "can you hear me now?" i nod. "good, let me help you with your wound." she pulls me towards the bus, and i follow her without words. my head hurts. Chapter 17 chapter 17 she is quiet the entire time. no questions, no bothering me. she just slowly cleans my wound as best as she can without water and with just a small piece of cloth. she always knew me too well. i guess that''s why i always felt comfortable around her. the wound looks terrible even after some healing thanks to my constitution. while she does her stuff, i drink the last few drops of water remaining in my bottle. i store the empty bottle inside my bag. "i don''t know what else i should do. pour alcohol over it? i don''t have any. burn it? i''ve only seen that in movies, so it might not work. and someone already took the first aid kit from the bus." her face remains calm throughout, and i noticed she put her long hair into a pigtail resting on her back. she is also not wearing her skirt anymore and is wearing leggings instead. i look up from the ground. she is looking at me with an indescribable expression on her face. i pause. why is it so easy to understand her? "you can come with me next time i go into the forest." i don''t have to say more. slow nod. [name: nathaniel gwyn] difficulty: hell floor: 1 time left until forced return: 4y 364d 20h 9m 59s lvl 3 strength: 6 dexterity: 8 constitution: 10 mana: 4 [primary class: unavailable] [sub-class: unavailable] skills: - focus lvl 3 - mana manipulation lvl 2 - mana perception lvl 1 [skill points: 0] to be honest i did expect each skill to be unique to a person so this surprised me a little bit. some people even started with 3 points in mana. weird. mana is usually a resource used to cast magic, enchant items, create spells, and is used as some sort of fuel for magic items. and it fascinates me. a lot. if i could, i would most likely spend hours just experimenting with it. it just feels like i''m a kid once again, and i got something amazing to play with. something very few have. mysterious and so full of opportunities. unfortunately, i have no such luxury. tess is almost done smoking a cigarette when hadwin appears. he is followed by two men who both seem to be around 30-40 years old. i noticed them before, and they seem to be fairly close to each other, probably two friends or coworkers. still limping hadwin opens his mouth and closes it after taking a look at my wound. i can see that he is fighting inside, and in the end, he decides to be shameless. "nat, i will need you," he shrugs his shoulders and moves awkwardly. at least he knows how shameless he is. but it''s not like i can blame him. i''m sure i''m more useful than most people, even in the state i''m in. and it''s not like i didn''t expect him to come. "when i was walking back with damon..." he pauses for a second and continues after taking a deep breath "i saw the river down the valley. probably 5 minutes of walking away from the place where we met them..." at the moment, i am not sure if it''s all just an act, or if he really feels bad for asking me. how many bullets does he have left? it can''t be many. one magazine? two? or is he already at the last one? "cassian and dominic are going to join us." cassian is a shorter man with black hair, while dominic has dark skin and curly hair. both of them are in good shape, having figures that come from doing hard manual work. i find it weird that they would want to join, even after seeing damon''s dead body. i think it''s better to go, but people rarely use logic in such situations. maybe... i look at sophie, who is standing nearby with her sister. whatever. i slowly stand up. i try to calculate cassian and dominic''s reach by looking at their arm lengths, and i assess their mobility by observing the way they move. let''s see how you''ll do. "i''ll be taking tess with us, but i''ll need a bit longer to rest. one hour should be okay. oh, and give her one of the spears." as i enter the bus, i hear cassian and dominic complaining. i can''t trust anyone. not sophie, not hadwin. so i have to push, forget about my wounds, and get the last bit of energy from my body. because i am sure i will die the moment they become stronger than i am. Chapter 18 chapter 18 right after i reach the back seat, i take out my phone. even before it turns on, i put the earbuds into my ears and turn on noise-canceling. the world instantly quiets down. i connect the earbuds to the phone and scroll down through my playlist. randomly, i pick one song and set it to play on repeat. when i close my eyes, everything disappears. the voices of people around me, the lady sitting a few seats in front of me with her dog, a bunch of students, and twins. the song starts playing. i let it play two times before i start feeling better and let myself think a little bit. ... i''m a wreck. my hand hurts more than i''m letting them know. i feel weak, lightheaded, and my muscles hurt, most likely from using mana. i am thirsty and hungry. my clothes are dirty. my shirt is more red and black than white at this point. i glance at my phone. it''s at 78%. earbuds are at 70%, and the case should have one more charge left. i keep digging the nails of my fingers into my palm, and the wound keeps healing a little bit every time i do so. my arm heals much slower, but there is some progress. i increase the volume and close my eyes again. [focus] the song keeps playing in the background as i try to manipulate my mana and send it toward my wound. i keep imagining the wound closing. i am trying to "feel" it. while i do so, i keep wounding my palm. obviously, it doesn''t work, but it calms me down as i focus on the mana flowing through my body. it feels weird as if i got a new sense that''s just for feeling the mana. there are some losses as i circulate mana through my veins, in and out of my heart, but at this point, i can''t even feel where little bits of mana disappear. i don''t even feel how mana comes into existence. i just know it starts at the heart. but why does it travels through my veins, through the blood? is it just using my veins as a road through my body, or does it need to be mixed with blood? is my heart some kind of generator creating mana, or is it getting it from somewhere else and sending it through my body? at this point, i don''t even hear the music and don''t realize that i am draining my phone''s and earbuds'' batteries. fascinated by mana, i keep feeling it as it travels through my body and sometimes i slightly poke it. my hand starts shaking, and my finger hurts as if it got stuck in the closing door. but it''s there. a deep graze in the side panel of the bus. when i finally turn to the side and look at cassian knocking on the window, i feel much better, even though my head is hurting. pov - tess hansen he disappears inside the bus as cassian and dominic start complaining, but hadwin quickly calms them down. then, without any hesitation, he gives me one of the spears they were able to acquire. i also notice that he is much less nice and patient while dealing with the duo than when he talked with nathaniel. his voice is also much more commanding and firm. two men leave at the end, not forgetting to give me a few nasty looks as they go. hadwin gives me a short look and then also leaves. he doesn''t even bother talking to me. his eyes just scan me up and down while checking how i hold the spear, and then he leaves while limping a little bit. i watch him as he slowly strips dead damon of his clothes and shoes and then pulls his body close to the edge of the forest. the pale body of a tall muscular man just lays there in his underwear. there is a lot of loose skin over his body, as someone who lost a lot of weight. so that''s it for you, damon beck. i feel a bit of sadness while looking at his body. i didn''t know him that much, and i am sure nathaniel didn''t even recognize him as he looked so different after losing so much weight. but i know for sure that damon did recognize nathaniel. how could he not? you can''t forget such a beating. he once visited the gym nathaniel liked to use and got beaten to a pulp after attacking him. i didn''t see it, but from what i heard, he got both of his hands broken, and since then, he hated the younger boy. surprisingly, one more memory flashed to my mind. that of a few years younger damon smiling brightly while lifting up his little sister. both of them laughed at some stupid joke. the memory disappears, and there is only a dead body. i sigh, then i hold my spear tighter and start practicing stabbing movements. i do it for half an hour to get used to the spear and the movement. then i try to use my skills by following nathaniel''s guidance. even though he said it feels awkward, i try to let my body handle it instead of trying to imagine it in my head. at one point, a stone in the palm of my hand jumps slightly, but that''s it. one hour passes, and cassian comes closer and knocks on the window. he knocks louder and louder until the young man inside finally starts moving toward the exit. "...prick." i hear cassian say. he says it quietly, almost whispering. nathaniel finally exits the bus. he is twenty one years old, with black hair and a face that could be called handsome if it weren''t for his permanently expressionless look. because of that, he just looks unapproachable and unfriendly, and people rarely bother to talk to him. the most striking part of him is his eyes. one eye is a deep rich brown, while the other is soft gray, heterochromia. he stops in front of cassian. nathaniel is slightly taller, but his figure is slimmer, and the man looks much more muscular. yet, he doesn''t say anything, and after a bit, he just avoids his gaze, and nathaniel passes by him. i notice that cassian is clenching his hands as he does so. "any results?" nathaniel asks as he stops in front of me. his eyes briefly scan my face then he looks into my eyes for a split second and averts his gaze. he keeps looking at different things such as the weapon in my arm, my shoulders, the side of the bus, and our feet. he never liked making eye contact. i share the results of my training without trying to exaggerate or lie and he simply nods in response. surprisingly, he looks back into my eyes again, for a second time in a few minutes. that''s unusual for him. it seems like something made him happy, but i don''t even bother asking him about it. i know he wouldn''t like it. at the moment, he''s the only one i can rely on, so i have to stay on his good side and follow his orders. he''s fair, so in exchange, he''ll help me too. i don''t have many options. it''s either this or... my eyes stop at the body at the edge of the clearing. Chapter 19 chapter 19 cassian is already with hadwin and dominic when i reach them. only hadwin greets me, while the other two mostly ignore me.??vl?1n. i also notice damon''s body at the edge of the clearing. he is only in his underwear and there is a massive wound on his chest. i guess there is at least someone thinking a little bit. even clothes can be useful, and it''s not like we can go and buy some. what i don''t like is that they didn''t even bother to pull him a few meters further in between trees. anyway, not my problem. "what do we have for water?" i ask. "a few bottles, a few plastic bags, and we also found this pretty big canister," he points at the iron canister near his legs. it''s pretty big, probably for spare fuel or some other liquid. i am not washing it for sure. sounds like a job for our newbies! yes? yes. i just nod while pulling a knife from behind my waistband to hold it in my unwounded hand. it feels nice and heavy, much better than the knife i broke. yet, it''s still made from some kind of stone, crystal, or something. i would much prefer a spear so i can keep some distance from enemies we might meet, but it would be pretty difficult to use one with only one hand. and i think i prefer a sharp blade over a blunt iron pipe. sure, the reach is shorter, but if i aim right, i can do more damage. "let''s go then," hadwin says and starts leading us toward the forest. as we enter, i glance back and notice sophie staring at me while holding her sister''s hand. her face is hard to read. tess, cassian, and dominic become really quiet as we start walking under the trees. they twitch every time we hear some noise, unsurprisingly. they saw us coming back wounded multiple times already, and someone even died so it ?s not much of a surprise. but this time there is no attack, not even as we start walking down the hill, near the place hadwin talked about. i like it. i really do. let''s keep it up. everyone perks up when we hear the sound of flowing water after a few more minutes. cassian and dominic instantly start excitedly whispering something, and even hadwin speeds up his tempo. after a few more meters, we exit the treeline and see a small stream of water flowing through the forest. "finally, we found it!" cassian screams and rushes ahead of hadwin. "shut up, cassian!" hadwin hisses and grabs his hand, pulling him back. "remember where we are!" unfortunately, cassian doesn''t seem to be taking it seriously. he smirks and nods, nearly ignoring hadwin, not aware of the danger he might put us in. "hey," i keep my voice soft, almost whispering, and when he turns to me i bury my knee into his belly. air escapes his mouth, and there is no cry because of that. eyes wide open. face grimacing from the pain. before he gets back to his senses, i squeeze his neck. in the corner of my vision, i notice dominic wanting to charge at me, but tess steps into his way and points the spear at him. silence. no movement. "stay quiet, okay?" cassian hesitates for a bit and then opens his mouth to say something, so i squeeze harder. after a few more seconds, he realizes it and just nods quickly. i glance at the dead animal, and i could swear i can hear my stomach growling. ok, buddy, calm down. soon! food, finally, about time! i once again look at tess, and she still has that cheeky look in her eyes. better be careful so i won''t fall for her. yup. everyone knows that love goes through the stomach. anyway, let''s grab the deer quickly. i grab one leg and gesture tess to grab the other, and we quickly pull it back to the others. hadwin is keeping watch while cassian and dominic are waiting there, already done with their job. water and food. man. what more do you need? fewer goblins would be nice, but i can''t get too greedy! "cassian, grab the deer," i continue using my quiet voice. "fuck," he whispers really quietly, but i can hear him. well, well, well, if it isn''t the consequences of his behavior. tess takes the stuff from cassian, and with hadwin''s help, cassian hoists the deer onto his shoulders. the deer isn''t that big, right? he groans and bends his knees a little bit. there''s a hint of anger in his eyes as he looks toward me. great, now use all this energy to carry the deer! oh, the joy of seeing cassian struggle with the deer. i can''t help but feel a bit smug watching him squirm under the weight of that animal. our way back is fairly uneventful, and when we get back to the clearing, cassian is covered in sweat and breathing heavily. he drops the deer as soon as he can and then falls on the ground right next to the animal. his chest is moving up and down, and he is breathing with his mouth wide open. our "camp" seems fine, and people quickly surround us. they''re excited, and i even see some smiles. once again, i hear the dog barking, and this time i look at him properly. it ?s a fairly small, sandy-colored corgi causing a ruckus, barking away as his owner - a woman around 50 - pets him soothingly. "it''s okay, biscuit. calm down. mommy is here." i can''t help but roll my eyes internally. dude... at least there is some wood close to the bus, so i guess they did do something. unfortunately, damon''s body is still at the end of the clearing. we will have to do something about it pretty soon, i guess. "oh no," the way hadwin says it makes me grab the dagger, and i enter focus while mana starts flowing through my body. i hear a scream. tess gasps. everyone is looking in one direction. towards damon''s lifeless body. my heart races with fear as i catch sight of the massive, hulking bear standing over him. its thick, gray fur ripples with each heavy breath, and its piercing orange eyes glow like embers. [cinderbear, lvl 19] Chapter 20 chapter 20 no one dares to move, not even a little bit. we just stand there and stare at the bear, just like a deer staring at car lights. unable to move, unable to run. we stand there and wait to get hit. what makes it even worse is the fact that the bear is staring directly at me. i don''t dare to move. the cinderbear sniffs in my direction once again and then turns his attention towards the body at his feet, then back at me. after a few more seconds, the monster growls once. vibrations can be felt in my chest, and the few unbroken windows of the bus rumble. some of them even break. but no one screams. total silence. the monster then lowers his massive head and takes a bite of damon''s stomach. as it pulls, it lifts up damon''s body, so it uses its paw to hold him down. then it starts chewing while looking around. a little bit of blood wets its maw, and then it bites once again, pulling one hand apart from damon''s body. crunch, crunch. it eats slowly while looking around. at us, at the forest. for a second, it pauses and sniffs a few times. again, towards us and towards the forest. another bite. crunch, crunch. we just watch. we are next, aren''t we? splat damon''s head bursts open under the force of the bear''s bite, creating a messy, wet sound. the monster licks its teeth, and using both of its paws, it finishes the rest of the body. a few people start crying as the bear stands up. but that''s just it. its eyes land on me for a second, and then it turns around and leaves. a few more seconds. then. screams, panic, crying. everyone rushes back inside the bus. people push each other and scream as they rush in. i am one of the first inside. my hand trembles uncontrollably. each breath i take is ragged and uneven, as if i''m gasping for air in a vacuum. my heart pounds in my chest, a constant reminder of the terror i''m experiencing. my mind races with thoughts of what could happen next. will i survive? is this the end? every noise, every movement, sends my nerves into overdrive. my senses are on high alert, and i keep mana flowing through my body. the same feeling of helplessness and vulnerability washes over me like a wave. i try to calm myself, to steady my shaking hand and regulate my breathing, but it feels impossible. fuck. fuck! "they seem to be fine; the water should be safe." i look at dominic and cassian. they really seem okay at the moment. "how long will it take to cook a deer?" "one to three hours." i am hungry, but i''d rather be safe. "let''s cook it for three hours, and if they are fine when food is done, we can give it a try and drink some." "sure, for now, let''s also put away some boiled water. we can let them eat a bit when the meat is done and wait a few more hours." hadwin says. great, more waiting. "let''s do that," i agree in the end. i look at the duo for a second. they seem to be disturbed by our conversation. ungrateful pricks. we put away a few bottles of boiled water, and the older man throws a lot of the meat into the canister and puts it on the fire. we also place a few pieces of clothing over the opening of the canister in hopes of filtering out the smell. hopefully, it will help, this and boiling it in water instead of preparing it over the fire. i also notice that hadwin''s fire isn''t smoking that much, just a little bit of pale white smoke. that''s good. we wait, and as we do, i continue to practice my [mana perception], but i can''t get fully into it as my eyes keep glancing at the spot where the bear came from. yet, after three hours, i get at least something. i feel something from where tess is. she is practicing her skills too, so maybe i can feel her using mana? it''s as if for a split second, as if i noticed something in the corner of my vision, but when i look there, i see nothing. a feeling like that. yet it''s something. i also get the same feeling from sophie and hadwin. hadwin is keeping watch while watching the fire, and sophie... well, sophie is talking to other people while keeping her sister close. it''s not that hard to guess what she is doing as my [mana perception] keeps getting a "feeling" from her. at the start, i want to go there and stop her. to not allow her to slowly manipulate people to get on her side, but then i decide not to. most of the passengers are useless at the moment, and if she manipulates them, we might get at least something out of them. the same way she manipulated cassian and dominic. now i am sure of it. but. isn''t her skill too powerful? i am sure i can counter it somewhat because of my [focus], and i have a theory that having higher mana helps too, so i decide to invest all three points into it the next time i level up. as for now, sophie is avoiding tess and hadwin. tess most likely because of me and hadwin because he''s probably at a higher level than her. yet i am not naive enough to believe that she won''t try to control them if given an opportunity. once again, i think about stopping her, maybe even killing her, but quickly change my mind, and my suspicion grows. to test it i try something. i think about hurting cassian, and it''s easy to imagine myself fighting him, hurting him. yet when i try to do the same with sophie, my mind wanders, and something makes me change my mind while looking for excuses to do so. ... this can''t be good, can it? Chapter 21 chapter 21 i am sure that there are some lingering effects of sophie''s skill. unfortunately, i am unable to detect them at the moment. they seem to prevent me from hurting sophie. they don''t seem to affect me when i think about hurting someone else, so in the worst case, i can just blackmail sophie. that makes me reaffirm my decision to invest my next stat points into mana. i just don''t know what else i can do, and my mind becomes a mess every time i think about it. sure, i can go and hurt her sister even now, but then what? sophie will surely hate me, and i might be unable to fight back properly. should i ask tess or hadwin to do it? it could work, but it might end up with her using them, or she may have already done so, and they won''t be able to do anything about that. so even though it deeply disgusts me, i need to give it a bit more time and learn more about how the skill works and what i can do to counter her. leveling up [mana perception] and [mana manipulation] should help me find what she did to me and counter it somehow. for now, it would be better to avoid her as much as i can. after a few hours, cassian and dominic seem to be fine, so i drink plenty of water. it smells and tastes slightly like gasoline. that''s another thing cassian will have to pay for. i know it''s probably hard to wash it out properly, but he could try harder, right? still, i drink plenty and get some for tess. after that, i grab one bottle and save it for later. obviously, there are a lot of people screaming and complaining, but i let hadwin take care of that and move slightly away. no one bothers me, and i just filter out all the screaming and complaining. with the corner of my vision, i notice a corgi named biscuit eating small pieces of raw deer meat that fell from its carcass while hadwin skinned it. the dog is trying to chew it, but the meat seems to be too firm for the small dog to eat, so he just gulps it and runs towards the circle of complaining people while barking. it looks like we have another tester besides our duo. after a bit of complaining and worrying, they eat a few pieces of meat, so now we are waiting. if they are fine after a few hours, i will take some too. i am sure that will start another round of complaining, but that''s what hadwin is for! yup. i will shamelessly eat some, save some for later, and disappear into the background. yup, again. tess will get a lot of it as well since it''s her kill, and the rest isn''t my problem. most likely, hadwin will share some. it''s not like we can put it into the fridge or plan to smoke it, so it''s better if they eat it rather than throwing it away. i take a gulp of water, and biscuit comes running to me. his owner, the older lady, is still complaining with other people. biscuit sniffs and barks softly while poking my leg with his snout. his short tail swings wildly, but the tail is so short it looks more as if he is shaking his butt. like every corgi, he seems to be smiling cheekily. sigh... i pour some water into the cupped palm of my hand and let him drink it. i repeat this a few times. biscuit drinks everything and keeps licking my hand to get the last bits of water. then, for a moment, he waits, and when he sees i am not pouring more, he barks, turns around, and runs back to his owner while barking at the people surrounding her. he wobbles from side to side as he runs because of his short legs. we will have to go for water soon enough. sigh... what if that bear is there? somehow, dying due to a lack of water doesn''t sound that bad of an option. after a few more hours, everything seems fine, so i eat plenty of meat. because of our lack of seasoning, it tastes very bland, but it''s food, so i eat as much as i think i can without making myself sick. tess gets her portion, and she shares some with a few kids. then another round of complaining starts. as i sit by the bus and eat a few more pieces of meat, the corgi comes running to me and starts poking my leg with his snout. shameless little bugger. with a sigh, i feed him a few small pieces of meat, and when he sees he won''t get more, he runs back to his owner while barking. it looks so similar to the last time that i wouldn''t be surprised if i were in some kind of time loop. tess is still on the roof of the bus, keeping watch, and i keep feeling pulses of mana from her. my [mana perception] is now easier to use than before, so the pulses are more clear. i am sure she is training her [psychokinesis]. relying on her just a little bit, i practice my mana manipulation. focusing on my legs, i keep sending mana into them. it''s much more difficult than with my hands for some reason. maybe because of the distance from my heart? i need to spend more mana to be able to reach my feet, but i keep pushing it. my intention is to use it to strengthen my legs. maybe to be able to kick stronger or make me run faster? praise me more, bring me some offerings; sweets would be nice. darn, i would love some chocolate. and sure, i may have done it all for myself, but they don''t have to know. so i nod. "at least introduce the others, kevin." tess shakes her head and starts pointing at people while introducing them. kevin wilson, 18 years old, brown messy hair, the kid with a weird laugh. lily chen, petite 17-year-old girl, she seems to be shy. black hair tied in a ponytail. kim min-jae, 15-year-old boy with big glasses. he is really thin. "others are keeping watch." kevin smiles once again. he seems to be really bright and optimistic. i don''t like him already and his seemingly endless energy. my worst enemy, an extrovert. i already feel as if he is sucking the life out of me. is it a skill? it must be, right? tess probably notices my growing annoyance and stops kevin, who is already talking about the class he would like to get. why necromancer, and why does he think it will be op? what happened to the hero class? whatever. "i wanted to show you something." once again, he smiles. "try throwing a stone at me," he challenges me. so i grab a stone from the ground and throw it at him. i aim between his eyes. that surprises him a bit, but the stone comes close to hitting him and then just deflects, flying back at me. the speed at which it flies back is much slower and even the force seems to be weaker. a cocky smile appears on his face, and then a second stone hits him right in his forehead. "fuuuuc..." he staggers back and starts rubbing his forehead while reproachfully staring at me. another stone hits his nether region. "what the heck!" he screams in pain. deflect that, dipshit! hahaha. look, he deserved that, and i am the last person to deny that i can be really petty sometimes. "what was that for?" he asks, covering his crotch and looking at me like a sad puppy. "i would recommend you to practice a bit more." the skill seems to be fairly useful, but it doesn''t matter if the person controlling it is just a clown. he sighs. "you sound just like my dad. practice more, kevin. use your brain, kevin. why are you so dumb, kevin," he gestures wildly and looks straight at me. "i will, i will, don''t worry." something tells me that he isn''t taking this whole situation too seriously. kim and lily seem to be fairly scared. it''s easy to see from the way they twitch sometimes and keep nervously glancing towards the forest, yet kevin is... well, i guess it must be slightly calming for other kids to be around him. it''s his life, so you do you, kevin. "see ya later," he waves, and the others follow him. kim nods towards me, and lily gives me a small smile. "i will go back to watch," i nod back at tess as she says so. "buuurito, buuurito, come here, boy," kevin calls as they walk away from us. "it''s biscuit. miss samantha won''t like it if you..." i hear lily say. then they exit my hearing zone, and i get back to practicing. Chapter 22 chapter 22 in the end, hadwin decides to smoke the rest of the meat. his reasoning is that the smell of meat wouldn''t attract much more attention than a group of more than 20 people. the bus and the clearing have become our base, and it looks like we can''t go anywhere if we want to take the bus with us, as the clearing is surrounded by dense forest that''s too thick for the bus to move through. so we all wait for the end of the [side quest]. during that time, i drink some water, eat some meat, take a short nap on the floor inside the bus, and practice handling my skills and mana. the sun, or whatever it is in the sky, does not move at all. for a whole 24 hours, not even a little bit. the weather is the same. the clouds look mostly the same. the wind is the same. there is something deeply disturbing about that. then, a few minutes before the completion of the [side quest], a man stops in front of me. ethan lee, he introduces himself. he is 10 or so years older than me, and his clothes are as neat as they can be in our situation. i notice a few luxury brands and even his watch seems to be expensive. greetings, nathaniel, right? i couldn''t help but notice your impressive skills. i''ll be direct. i''m pretty affluent in the real world. i''m willing to compensate you for your assistance in keeping me safe. of course, i understand if you have other priorities, but i think you''d be missing out on a valuable opportunity if you passed this up." uh? okay? is he for real? just out of curiosity, i ask, how much? excuse me? i am asking how much you are going to pay me. oh, i see, straight to the point. he gives me a sly smile and fixes his clothes. one million dollars, he says, as if it''s something amazing. i give him a moment, but he doesn''t say anything else. dumbass. what do you think will happen when we get back to earth? you''ve lost me there... one million dollars? what does he think will happen if we get back to earth? even right now, someone like sophie would be worth tens of millions with her skill. in 5 years? just a handful of people could be enough to fuck up entire nations. one million. that''s funny. really. "i am not interested." the conversation ends for me at this point, and i don''t even listen to what he says. after a minute, he just leaves, and i get back to counting down until the completion of the quest. [side quest completed] please choose one of the following rewards: - flint and steel fire starter - crossbow - short sword - pouch of dried rations - portable leather flask - small hand shovel - cloak - mace - longbow - light armor - leather bracers - chainmail hauberk - full plate armor - shield - spear - dagger - halberd - greataxe - greatsword axe. ethan is one of the people giving hadwin their gear. huh? did he make some deal with all of them? and they agreed? how dumb are they? hadwin is more ruthless than i thought. to be honest i might be disappointed i didn''t come up with that by myself. tess and sophie both got a spear. kevin is already putting on some sort of armor. so what now? if things go the way the last 12 hours went, surviving one month doesn''t seem that impossible. we already have a source of water, and we should be able to hunt a few more animals. that''s option one. option two is going into the forest with the purpose of leveling up. the second option is much more dangerous, but there is also a chance that something will attack us even when we''re not trying to level up. so just sitting here and trying to survive feels naive to me. the safety we''re feeling now is super unreliable and feels more like luck than something that is expected. soon after, i notice hadwin and sophie grouping up. cassian and dominic join them, and they slowly enter the forest. hadwin even looks towards me, and a small, apologetic smile appears on his lips. then, they''re gone. well, there goes the neighborhood watch. i don ?t want to sound too cocky but they better be careful, going there without me if this were a video game, i''d be mashing the quicksave button right now. also, did i just get ditched? ... what the hell hadwin?! did sophie get him as well, or was it his decision? does he think he doesn''t need me now when he''s more geared up? is his target becoming stronger than me? i don''t like it, not even a little bit. and what annoys me probably the most is that i somehow did expect hadwin to organize everything and then come to ask me. sure, i did want to rely on him while dealing with other people, but this? since when did i become so indecisive and come to rely on others to take a lead? "tess," i stop in front of a bunch of kids. "are you going with me?" i''m not in a good mood, so if she declines, i''m done with her. that will be it, and i''ll start a solo career as the world''s least social adventurer. sure, it will become more dangerous, but i can do it. if sophie and hadwin become stronger, i''ll be at disadvantage. tess just nods shortly and stands up. "i''d like to take kevin as well; i already gave him my old spear." kevin is standing there, wearing armor and holding her old spear. there''s excitement visible on his face. it seems like they already talked about it. "he''ll have to listen to me. did you explain it to him?" "he will; we did talk about that, right?" kevin nods. this time, he seems to be a bit more serious. we take a little bit of time to get ready. "let''s go." i lead them towards the opposite side of the clearing where the others disappeared. i put my knife away, and i hold the mace in my right hand as we enter. my left hand is almost fully healed, so i feel confident. me at the front, tess behind me, with kevin at the last back; his main job this time is to leave marks for us so we won''t get lost. at the start, i don''t forget to control him a little bit, but he''s doing it properly. as always i am surprised by how normal this forest looks, sounds, and smell as we enter deeper and deeper. "right side," tess whispers after what feels like around 30 minutes of walking. we all instantly slow down. "it looks like the deer we found last time," she continues, so i nod. "deer level 3," she adds after a moment. "you can kill it." i don''t have enough range to hunt it, but tess should be able to kill it from what i saw before, and some experience is good for her. with my [mana perception] activated, i watch as she throws her new spear. it flies much faster than it should. it also changes its trajectory a little bit as it leaves her hand. with a scream the deer falls to the ground. dead. nice, get fucked hadwin. "wait," her voice is louder than before. rustling. stomping. a tall figure moves away branches of trees and stops in front of the deer; it sniffs the deer and then looks right towards us. [troll, lvl 6] it''s a hulking mass of muscle standing 3 to 4 meters tall (9.8 to 13.1 feet). its long arms hang down, easily reaching the ground as it slouches menacingly. dark, mottled skin stretches tightly over its massive frame, a grotesque display of raw power. its monstrous face is a horrifying sight, with rows of massive teeth protruding from its twisted, gaping maw. the troll''s eyes, filled with a predatory hunger, staring right at us. Chapter 23 chapter 23 my first instinct is to run away. the monster is easily more than twice my height, and its arms are abnormally long, reaching the ground. its legs are a bit shorter, and it''s slouching. its mouth is full of long, sharp-looking teeth. as i turn around, something makes me stop. both kevin and tess are holding their spears, pointing them in the direction of the monster. their stances are wide, and they are clearly ready to fight, even when the tips of their weapons are shaking slightly, especially kevin''s. i clench my teeth. since when? since when have i become like this? i squeeze the weapon in my hand. i kept thinking about running away; i did start relying on hadwin, and i even waited for him to make the first move and take me with him. what bullshit. i hear another roar and stomping behind me. it''s fine if i am realistic and run away from fights i can''t win, but why did i stop believing in myself and didn''t even think about fighting the monster? [focus] [mana manipulation] [mana perception] i activate all of my skills, and the world loses some of its colors as the mace in my hand creaks. i am angry. i am so pissed off, but up until now, i tried to hold it back. hadwin? piece of shit. i will fuck him up for even thinking about messing with me. sophie? just wait, there is a lot you have to pay for. cinderbear? fuck you, you overgrown asshole. i bury my leg into the soil, and the ground under my feet cracks slightly as i dash right against the attacking monster. i focus more, and the world loses even more of its colors. everything other than the troll seems blurry, and the sounds the troll makes sound louder. pain hits me as i use both of my hands to grab the mace. the troll swings its right hand, and without any hesitation, i move to the right, closer to its body and duck under its hand. more mana. my muscles complain from stress as i don''t even try to save mana and let it wildly flow through my body. crunch. i hit its knee with the mace. together with a loud crack, a roar escapes its mouth, and saliva flies out of its mouth. the troll supports its weight by putting its hand on the ground, but i instantly lift the mace high into the air. crack. the mace hits its arm. another roar, and the monster''s bloodshot eyes look at me. i duck under its swinging left hand and hit its wounded knee once again. it lets out a louder roar full of pain. at the same time, a spear hits the side of its face, but it only scratches him slightly. i grab the falling spear from the air and throw it back where it came from. another swing, and i dodge again. then the monster puts more weight onto its wounded knee and tries to charge me. they are too close to our base, and their tattoos are different. "level three is mine. you and kevin take care of the other one," i say. it''s good for them to get as much practice as they can. kevin slowly puts his deer on the ground, and then we sneak closer to the goblins. tess leads us right into their path, and then we crouch behind the trees and bushes and wait for them to walk into us. lets see how you like it. i still remember them doing a similar thing to us while being led by the goblin shaman and that goddamn wolf. they slow down as they come closer, and i can hear them sniffing. without waiting any longer, i rush at them as a surprised scream escapes their mouths. the level three goblin stabs at me, but i dodge it and hit its head while strengthening my body. its head explodes like a watermelon hit by a sledgehammer. pieces of bone and brain fly everywhere, and its headless body falls to the ground. heads up! oh, wait... well, that''s one way to blow someone''s mind. not having anything else to do, i watch as tess and kevin fight against the other goblin that is also armed with a spear. tess is holding back a little bit and letting kevin fight the goblin, but every time it tries to charge him, she stabs at its leg. at some point, kevin uses his skill, and the goblin''s attack bounces off while he pushes closer, and his spear goes through the goblin''s chest. after a while, the green monster dies. we then grab both spears, and kevin once again puts the dead deer on his back. "ugh, why did i have to end up with bambi on my back?!" the 18-year-old schoolkid complains, struggling to maintain his balance as he carries the dead deer through the forest. "seriously, though, can someone remind me why i''m the one doing this? i mean, i''m not even a certified deer-carrying expert!" he continues to grumble playfully, trying to lighten the mood despite his obvious discomfort. i mostly ignore his rumbling, and tess is focused on keeping watch. her [farsight] has proven itself really useful this time. as we walk through the forest, i circulate mana through my body. not a massive amount, just a little bit to get more used to it. i also keep using [mana perception] once in a while, but the only reaction i am getting is weak pulses of mana from tess. in the end, we safely get back to the clearing. before we enter, i stop them. "starting from now, try to avoid sophie as much as you can. she has some skill that can influence people''s feelings or make them feel what she wants." sure, i wanted to ignore what she does as she could make other people stand up and do something that isn''t hiding inside the bus.. that would also increase my chances of survival. but now that they kicked me out of their club? fuck them. i want to see them dealing with a bunch of angry people if it gets out. "tell others to be careful and don''t let her touch you. it makes her skill stronger." i am sure tess will be careful, and i have a suspicion that kevin''s skill might counter hers if he levels it up. [reflection] what would happen if he used it while she is trying to influence or manipulate him? "if sophie talks to you, try using your skill," i say to the kevin. "who knew being a human mirror could come in handy, huh? so, no worries, my brain is staying off-limits!" he chuckles. we enter the clearing. as we get closer, we find people once again huddled closer to the bus. there is a bunch of people surrounding someone. as we get closer, i spot a haggard hadwin, sophie, and dominic. and cassian? he is sitting, his back against the wall while they push a piece of cloth against a terrible wound. his entire right hand is gone. Chapter 24 chapter 24 cassian''s breathing is rough. he inhales sharply and quickly exhales as if trying to take in as much air as he can. his pupils are dilated, and he is shaking. blood keeps flowing out of the terrible wound, and his skin is getting paler by the second. the one most shocked by all of this is dominic. the man is trying to squeeze the wound, tie something around it, doing everything he can to stop the bleeding. his hands are shaking almost as much as cassian himself. "damn it, not like this..." he keeps pressing a piece of cloth against the wound. "someone...do something!" he screams. the only answer to his pleas is quiet mumbling and then silence. after a while, cassian loses consciousness. "no, no, no, wake up, wake up," dominic keeps shaking him. "hadwin, help me for god''s sake. sophie, you too." he turns to them, but his answer is only silence. no one knows what to do. "he''s like this because he tried to protect you!" the rage is clearly visible on his face as he turns towards sophie. "so at least, freaking say something!" no answer, and she quietly averts her face away from him. "you motherfucking bitch!" he rushes at her but quickly comes to a stop when hadwin enters his way. "dominic, you have to calm down. acting like this won''t help anyone." his voice is soft but firm. "you... you..." dominic clenches his fists, and i can almost hear his teeth grinding. then he swings his fist at hadwin. unfortunately, it doesn''t land.no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. hadwin easily dodges it and hits his chest. even i can see that he is not using his full force, yet dominic flies back and falls to the ground. "i''m sorry... but there''s nothing any of us can do for him." "damn it..." dominic just covers his eyes and stays lying on the ground. "damn it..." he adds again. so they just stand there, and in a few minutes, cassian''s breathing stops. this time, his friend doesn''t say anything, just stares at him. after a while, his gaze turns to sophie. it''s full of resentment. he just asks hadwin and the others to help him bury his friend in a quiet voice. but at this point, i''m done listening. i poke kevin to make him come back to reality and with his help, i hang the deer by its hind legs in the same place where hadwin skinned the first one. i stand there for a second and just stare at the deer while playing with the knife in my hand. i still remember hadwin doing it, so i should be able to do it somehow, but damn, i''m not happy about that. sigh. let''s not waste more time. i am about to make the first cut but then i change my mind and decide to try something else. i use my new skill, [oscillation], and a sharp, pointy shape of mana comes to existence on top of my finger. not waiting any longer, i make two cuts - one on the deer''s neck to get rid of as much blood as i can, and the other one on its belly from its hind legs towards its front ones. "you have two hours to get your psychokinesis to level three." "ehm?!" i leave her like that. after around an hour, hadwin comes to me while i am munching on some dried meat from the first deer and drinking some water. he waits until i finish and only then starts talking. "hey, i noticed you could use a few pointers when it comes to butchering a deer." fuck. you. look, it was my first try. i will do much better next time. okay? okay. "i wanted to talk with you about what happened." he finally gets to the reason he is talking to me. "we got attacked by a bunch of goblins. this time they had red tattoos, and they had a goblin warrior with them. we didn''t have a chance and had to run away." interesting. why didn''t they follow them? but after looking at him it seems like he wants to keep it to himself. "we might have to go around to get to water or find another spot for it." i just sit there and wait. there is no way i am going to make it easier for him. it feels so good. go for it. ask me what you wanted to ask. come onnnnn. "we should create a bigger group and try it again. we are almost out of water," he says. here. just like that. "we found plenty of trash bags, so we can transfer water in them," he continues, then looks at me. "i need your help." silence. i take my time, actually enjoying torturing him like that. i know that he is a proud man, so asking someone less than half of his age for help must be painful. after one minute, i finally give him my answer. "i will help, but i want your handgun in exchange." Chapter 25 chapter 25 "are you serious?" "yes." "..." am i enjoying it too much? who knows. heheh. but hadwin is the one at fault here. who asked him to pick mindblender missy over me? he sighs. "can you even use it? it''s not as easy as it looks." "yes, yes, no problem." just give it to me already; it''s not like you have a choice. his brain is almost smoking as he tries to come up with a way around it. he doesn''t like it at all, not even a little bit. but in the end, he sighs and slowly pulls out the weapon, offering it to me. i shamelessly grab it. it''s the first time i''m holding a handgun, and it''s heavier than i thought it would be. it has a nice density to it and feels cold to the touch. "so we have a deal?" "yes, we do," i nod in agreement. then i use [oscillation] and cut the handgun apart. i make two swipes, and my mana cuts through the iron from the earth as if it''s no denser than butter. after ensuring it''s destroyed, i throw it into the forest as far as i can while strengthening myself with mana. hadwin''s face is the funniest mix of shock and anger. he opens and closes his mouth as if he''s a goldfish, and i swear i can see a vein popping up on his forehead. damn. he might attack me. wait. he might attack me? please do so! you want to hit me, right? just do it. if he does, i can mess him up, and later he would have to come back to me again, asking for forgiveness and for me to join him again. please, do it! just one swing. unfortunately, he doesn''t do it in the end. "why..." he barely manages to say. "so, in one hour, yes? i will be taking tess and kevin; you can pick the others." i leave without even answering, feeling much better than before our conversation. it ?s finally gone! gun control on floor 1 is truly excellent. i feel as if a sword threatening to cut off my head has disappeared. the gun was the weapon i was most worried about. other than that, i am sure no weapon any passenger has threatens me, and i am sure no one can beat me in a fight, not even if a few of them group up. now i just have to deal with sophie, and the only danger will be monsters. i can''t even count how many times i shuddered when i heard hadwin shooting his weapon. every time, it could be a bullet going to the back of my head, and i wouldn''t even be able to do anything about it, not at my current level. i don ?t trust the man. he is too suspicious. as for the gun''s usefulness... who cares? my safety is the most important, and i am sure i can survive or run away even without the gun, even if i have to sacrifice a few people to do so. sophie is holding a small shield and a short sword. "tess will go first, and i will go right behind her." she glances at me; i can see that she''s somewhat nervous, but she agrees in the end. hadwin doesn''t complain at all, only lifts one of his eyebrows and nods. kevin ends up to my left, while leon is to my right. the rest follow closely behind. we get to the water. we collect the water. the forest is quiet. we are on our way back when the forest grows even quieter, and i realize that the wind has stopped. my breathing becomes ragged, and my body feels tense. a minute passes. we walk in total silence. two minutes pass. our steps and breathing sound so terribly loud. a few more minutes. my hand hurts from squeezing my mace''s handle so hard. a few more minutes. i feel like vomiting. more time passes. the air feels so dry. all of us are breathing in loudly. it feels as if there isn''t enough oxygen in the air. two minutes away from the clearing near the bus, one of the suns disappears. all of us start running as if we planned it. a minute or so later, another sun disappears. total darkness. not even a speck of light. someone starts screaming, and then scratching sounds come from all around us. i recognize goblins growling, and plenty of wolves start howling. i hear a lot of trolls and some noises i don''t even want to know what makes them. someone begs for it to stop, and i can hear sobbing. the cries of animals and monsters become louder and louder. i hit something and fall down. mana is flowing through my veins, but i don''t see anything as if someone gouged out my eyes. i just feel the mana all around me. from the ground, the sky. i throw up. such a monstrous amount of mana. then there is light. the black sky is suddenly pierced by a bright light, which unfolds into multicolored bands reminiscent of polar lights. the greens, pinks, and blues move rhythmically, casting a dim glow that transforms the darkness into a scene resembling a muted morning. then we hear a bus horn and the screams of goblins and people from the clearing. Chapter 26 chapter 26 "izzie!" sophie screams and runs first towards the bus. we follow behind her, just not as enthusiastically. the bus horn keeps sounding, and the screams of goblins become louder and louder. we exit the trees and see other passengers inside the bus. most of them... there are two bodies outside, and a few goblins keep stabbing their bodies while screaming. some of them are even taking a bite out of them. then there is another group surrounding the bus. they laugh and growl, still outside as people inside keep poking out with sharpened sticks and weapons they got from the quest. sophie staggers onto the clearing. "n-no..." she stops, seeing around thirty goblins in the clearing. most of them are level two or three, but some are level five goblin warriors. "izzy..." she calls quietly, but some of the goblins already turn to her. a pulse of mana extends to the surrounding from her body, and the goblins that turned to her look confused and turn back to the bus. another pulse of mana washes over the entire clearing. even i feel something telling me to run away. some goblins even start to leave, but others poke them, growl at them, and they start looking around while sniffing. in between screaming voices, i hear that of a little girl and sophie''s face is deathly pale. "please..." she turns towards us. another pulse of mana from sophie, and i stop tess and kevin, who are taking a step towards the clearing. they shake their heads, confused. hadwin seems to resist, but maya and leon slowly move a step closer and then stop. even sophie''s skill is not yet strong enough to make them risk their lives. the girl''s eyes then turn to me. not to hadwin. to me. "please, nathaniel, please..." her voice breaks at the end. now, i don''t feel any mana from her. is it doable? i look at the clearing. hmm. i think it is. i can do it. "use your skill to make a few goblins come here. around five." i squeeze my mace and step closer to her. i see her biting her lips, but she nods. she most likely wants us to rush straight to the bus, but that''s too risky. it''s harder to run that way in case something happens. "tess, save your mana as much as possible. only throw your main spear at level 5 goblins and if needed." not wasting my mana anymore on [mana perception] or any other skill, i step a bit back, just far enough into the forest so not all goblins will spot us. sophie most likely uses her skill as six goblins turn towards us and rush while screeching. i breathe out. four level two and two level three. i breathe in. sophie holds her spear and stabs the first goblin that rushes at us. the monster dodges it slightly and rushes closer to her, where it''s hit with hadwin''s axe. tess attacks another one with much greater success as her spear stabs its neck. i step towards the goblin that rushes me to surprise him, and my mace aims for his face, but he is able to lift up his hand to block it. it breaks, and the goblin falls down with a scream. another one rushes me while stabbing, and i step back, grab its spear, and pull it to make him lose balance. while he is staggering, my mace smashes his head. another loud roar, and he rushes me again, this time moving faster and using even his hands to move while still holding the axe. his face is a bloodied mask of rage. [focus] the world becomes quieter, and under the light of polar lights, i focus on the goblin only. he puts more strength into his left, and i already move to the side by the time he jumps quickly, rushing through the air while letting go of his axe. i feel mana from his hands as he reaches them at me. but i am not there. more mana flows through my veins, and the mace''s handle creaks in my hands. as he passes in the air next to me, i wait until he misses me with his hands, and then my mace lands with its full power right on the goblin''s back. crack. the green monster lands and tries to turn to me but instantly falls, losing all power in its legs. he roars and growls, but his legs do not move at all. with a hateful look in his eyes, he starts crawling towards me with surprising speed, but i leap a few steps back to the place where he jumped from. before he gets to me, i hold his axe in my hand and throw it at him, using some mana. he covers his face, and the axe just wounds him a little bit. what a terrible throw. but when he stops covering his face, i am already in front of him, and my mace hits his head with full power. his hands desperately trying to cover it don''t help at all. crack. crack. splat. he finally stops moving. [you have defeated the goblin warrior, lvl 5] [lvl 4 > lvl 5] i instantly put all three stat points into mana, making it my highest stat. [name: nathaniel gwyn] difficulty: hell floor: 1 time left until forced return: 4y 363d 18h 9m 59s lvl 5 strength: 7 dexterity: 9 constitution: 10 mana: 11 [primary class: unavailable] [sub-class: unavailable] skills: - focus lvl 3 - mana manipulation lvl 3 - mana perception lvl 2 - oscillation lvl 1 [skill points: 0] [stat points: 0] Chapter 27 chapter 27 i get back to the others just in time to see sophie collapsing to the ground. i... i can''t anymore... her voice cuts off, and the goblins that had been ignoring us up until now start looking around confusedly, most likely wondering where their friends went. i stare at sophie for a moment, but it looks like that''s all i can get from her. hey... my voice spreads through the clearing, louder than it should be and distorted, but recognizable as mine. all thanks to the mana i send to my throat and vocal cords. you have 10 seconds; if you stay inside and don''t attack the goblins after the time passes, we will leave. my voice is cold, and i mean every word i say. you can''t... sophie barely gets out while supporting her body with her arm to look up at me. but she doesn''t use her skill on me. she knows that would be it, and i would just leave her sister and others if i sensed even a hint of her mana trying to manipulate me. this time, i will decide on my own, and if i put myself in danger, it''s only because i am sure i can survive it and gain something out of it. the goblins slowly screech and sniff and slowly turn towards the source of my voice. even if they rush us now, i am sure i can run away pretty easily. if they don''t attack them, i will leave. i won''t risk my life just for them to sit on their asses. five... my voice spreads through the clearing, and goblins start slowly moving towards us, ignoring the bus and its passengers. four. two goblin warriors poke and push a few goblins, making them more aggressive. three.??vl?1n. one of the goblin warriors is level 6, and he holds a dagger in each of his hands; the other one is level 5 and holds a spear. two. their backs are turned to the bus, and they are halfway to us, leaving two half-eaten bodies behind them. one. my voice is louder and sounds more like me as i keep improving my usage of mana. [mana manipulation lvl 3 > mana manipulation lvl 4] the doors of the bus open, and an older man, the bus driver, i think jacob, is his name-rushes out, waving an axe in his hand. his voice is weak and shaky, but he is attacking. right behind him, a few more people attack, and some of the goblins turn around to deal with them. for a second, the thought of running away goes through my mind. as they distract the goblins, we would get at least a few more minutes to run without pursuers. but shouldn''t you run only if you are sure you can''t win? i step towards the attacking goblins and enter [focus]. all useless noises become filtered out, and some colors lose their vibrancy, yet some become that much more vibrantthe color of blood, polar lights on an inky dark sky. before he reaches me, i also dash towards him and swing my mace as if it''s a bat. at the last moment, he pulls his daggers back and blocks my attack, which sends him staggering backward. i step back, almost breaking my ankles from the pressure i put on them, and a spear stabs through the place where my head was. i already hold my mace in my right hand only and grab a dagger with my left even before i start dodging the attack. i send more mana through my body and feel the muscles in my left shoulder and waist tearing from the speed of the movement as i turn my body and stab the dagger right into the goblin''s left eye. he tries to dodge but is unable to stop the inertia from his stab with a spear. then i jump to the side to keep the goblin warrior with the spear between me and level six. just in time, two daggers stab the body of the dying goblin. both of them growl, one of them from pain, the other one annoyed. before he pulls his daggers out, i swing my mace at his head while holding it only in my right hand. he ducks and pulls his daggers out, so i quickly twist my body and kick his face, probably cracking my shin from the pain i am feeling. the goblin is able to leave a cut mark on my leg as he flies backward. before he gets a chance to fight back, i put more strength into my legs and dash at him, while in my mind i scream from pain. my mace hits his hand, and one dagger falls down. he dashes at me, and i kick the bottom of his chin in exchange for a long cut on my left hand that already has torn muscles. the goblin wobbles a little bit from the kick, and a spear comes flying out of nowhere and stabs right through his right hand. nice one, tess. the last dagger falls down, and i kick against him as he dashes at me with the spear still stuck in his hand. he falls down, and i swing my mace downwards while using enough mana to make my muscles hurt. his face deforms under the mace. one more hit to the same place. his leg keeps twitching, and foam forms around his mouth. the last hit. [you have defeated the goblin warrior, lvl 6] i turn around, take a few steps, and hit the conscious goblin on his head. once. twice. [you have defeated the goblin warrior, lvl 5] [lvl 5 > lvl 6] i put all stat points into mana and turn towards the bus. just a few more. Chapter 28 chapter 28 when i reach the bus, only three goblins are alive. i hit the head of the goblin that is fighting with jacob first. he is the bravest one of the bunch, so i don''t mind helping him first. the goblin''s head dents, and he falls down, twitching and screeching, so i step on his neck, and something cracks. [you have defeated the goblin, lvl 3] another goblin is about to attack an older lady when a corgi attacks him and starts biting his leg. good boy, biscuit! i see that the goblin is about to kick the brave dog, so i dash and hit the goblin''s head. this time, i use mana, and his head explodes. hmm, am i not getting too predictable? anyway. [you have defeated the goblin, lvl 2] after that, i finish off the goblin that is kept at bay by lily and a few kids who keep poking their spears and sticks at him so he can''t get closer. [you have defeated the goblin, lvl 2] that went pretty well, all things considered. jacob and a few people look severely wounded, but the only corpses are the ones i saw at the start. a few people are still inside the bus, so i make sure to remember their faces. on the other side of the clearing, everything seems to have gone well. tess is not wounded, kevin''s armor is dented, and hadwin also seems fine. sophie, on the other hand, appears unconscious, and i would swear that leon is missing one or two fingers. i check my status and don''t find anything new, so i look up at the sky once again. the sky is inky dark with no stars at all. the only sources of light are the bright green, blue, and pink lights that swirl slowly in the sky, reminding me of polar lights, just much bigger and brighter. i find it really beautiful. colors, movement, all are mesmerizing and provide enough light for us to see. the light is at the level of a dim morning, but it''s much better than the pitch-dark darkness we went through just a few minutes ago. but. what the heck? how do you even get rid of two suns? "your level and level of skill?" "i am level 3, and the skill is also level 3." "your second skill?" "mana infusion." huh, what a weird name. "explain." and she does so. it looks like her manipulation is what i thought it was. she can manipulate the emotions of other people, monsters, and animals. she can make emotions stronger or weaker, and if she spends enough mana or gets to touch her target, she can instill a feeling that the person didn''t initially have. her other skill allows her to infuse mana into living beings and objects. she doesn''t know what it does for now, other than wasting her mana. it could strengthen some items or share her mana with others, maybe? what''s most interesting is that she started on the 1st floor with her manipulation at level 2 and her mana with 3 stat points. what the heck? even the system is playing favorites? i did get [focus], which only allows me to... well, focus. ... damn. i want [manipulation] or [psychokinesis] too. even [reflection] seems to be cool as heck. anyway, the system is clearly playing favorites. in the end, i also want to ask sophie what she did to me so i can''t even think about killing her, but i decide against it. during our whole conversation, i came to the conclusion that she doesn''t even know about that, so it might be better not to let her know that i can''t do much against her. before i leave, i get a promise from her that she won''t try to manipulate me or people around me. my kids, my underlings, my minions. my meatsmokers, my biological binoculars. obviously, i don''t believe her that much, but it should at least make her think twice, especially now when i can feel her using mana. and that''s it. that''s what i get for saving her sister, and we are now back to a cold war. Chapter 29 chapter 29 much later, all of us are either inside the bus sleeping or gathered around the fairly large campfire we set up, as it''s not only darker now but also colder. it''s not too cold, but it''s noticeable. we''ve dragged all the dead goblins to the edge of the forest, perhaps in hopes that cinderbear will eat them and leave us alone in case he comes back. we''ve also fortified our position somewhat. to be honest, it''s pretty makeshift, but i guess it''s better than nothing. there are sharp sticks planted in the ground, pointing towards the forest. some of them are quite long, while others are really short, possibly intended for goblins to step on. we''ve also slightly upgraded the bus with pieces of wood that replace some windows and reinforce the entrance. it''s rather unsightly and took a long time to complete. a few small groups of goblins came while we were working, but they were relatively easy to deal with. they consisted of only two to four goblins, all of them level two or three. so now, we just sit here. the fire crackles pleasantly, and the warmth feels nice on our skin. oddly, the flames are redder than they should be C just another strange occurrence. at this point, i wouldn''t even be surprised if the flames shone like a rainbow. i''m sitting on the ground, and nestled between my legs is a small corgi. well, it''s not that small, to be honest, and it''s quite heavy. i swear it''s bigger than before. surprisingly, this little doggo has taken a liking to me after i fed it a few times and saved it from a goblin. time to pay! i boop its snout, and corgi woofs in its sleep, mostly ignoring me. now that i look at it up close, he really does resemble a burrito. maybe kevin isn''t that far off at this point. as for the corgi''s owner? well, she isn''t happy about it, but she doesn''t say anything C at least not to my face, obviously. i''m sure she isn''t so quiet behind my back. but, darn it, biscuit. you''re heartless. good boy! what did she do to you? did she try to turn you into a vegan or something? i boop his snout once more; it''s cold and the doggo only scrunches its face this time. tess is keeping watch again, along with sophie and her sister. all three sit on the roof of the bus, while a few more people keep watch from inside. we didn''t ask them to; they''re just that worried. it''s easy to notice how close everyone is to each other, as if seeking safety and warmth from the people around them. perhaps a bit too close? a little closer and kevin will end up sitting on my lap C well, on biscuit and then on my lap. i''m sure the bravest doggo of the 1st floor of hell difficulty wouldn''t take that lying down. on my other side is lily. like many people, she also leveled up and used her stat points. it seems that the experience requirements to level up from level 0 to level 1 are incredibly low. people were able to level up even after only poking a goblin once with a stick. oh, and one more thing. i''ve noticed that my emotions are somewhat subdued. the reason is most likely [focus]. i finally realized that i''m maintaining a lower version of the skill almost constantly and only enter a deeper state when i want to. has it almost become a passive skill? who cares? that''s tomorrow''s nathaniel problem! maybe not even his, that''s the government''s problem! finally they will do something useful with my taxes. "and we just started; look at how strong we are after just a little over one day," hadwin says. a few eyes turn to me. darn, stop, i''ll blush. but during hadwin''s entire speech, i notice that he isn''t too unhappy. it''s hard to catch, but i swear i hear a hint of satisfaction and relief in his voice. "how many floors do you think are here, mr. hadwin?" lily asks quietly, and a few heads turn to the older man. "i want to know that too. also, do we have to move to another floor, or can we spend the entire 5 years on the first floor? that''s something we''ll have to think about. other floors might be much more difficult, so staying here might be a good idea." a few people nod. they continue theorizing, but most of the time they don''t say anything interesting, so i just filter it out. after some time, they begin talking about what everyone likes to talk about C themselves. "i''m pretty well-off back on earth, and i know some powerful people, so if we get back, i can arrange something for us. imagine how much we can get paid with skills like this." oh come on, shut up, ethan. "what if we won''t be able to use our skills after we get back to earth? what if all of this disappears?" huh? good one, kevin. it doesn''t sound too impossible. the group around the crackling fireplace quiets down, everyone deep in their thoughts. i look up at the beautiful lights in the sky. what would i do? i don''t like the thought of losing mana. to be honest, i hate it. i let it flow through my body, pushing it, making it circulate faster and slower as i wish. wisps of mana appear on the tips of my fingers, like smoke, but then they become denser, sharper, and longer when i want them to. that''s another problem for tomorrow''s me. but i have a suspicion that tomorrow''s me would prefer staying over returning to earth without mana. Chapter 30 chapter 30 fantastic. the phony "suns" have returned to grace us with their presence. that''s a really weird sentence to say. they just appeared out of nowhere and totally blinded us after a day in darkness, brightened only by beautiful polar lights. the sky looks exactly like the sky we saw the moment we entered the first floor of this godforsaken hell difficulty something. before that happened, we had to deal with one more attack of 15 or so goblins led by a goblin shaman. the level 5 jerk died like he was throwing. that''s what kevin said, not me. the goblin shaman got sniped by tess even before he was able to do anything. he just entered the clearing and an unnaturally fast-flying spear, or should i call it a homing missile at this point, went straight through his chest and pinned him to the ground. look, i love my [focus], i really do, but what the heck! whose ass do i have to kiss to get it as well? i see that tess is trying not to act smug about it, but it''s making it even worse. as a consolation prize, i was able to level up my [oscillation] to level two. it sure is hard to level up. most likely because of how op it is, right? right? so anyway, during the fight, i caught a few goblins alive. well, i broke their legs and hands, so they couldn''t do anything. i totally don''t understand why that made some people slightly sick and look at me like that. i did it for them! so they could stab defenseless monsters with their spears to get some experience. it''s not like i can gain much from level two creatures anymore. they should praise me, not look at me like that. also, give me some chocolate. damn, i would kill for some sweets right now. i was able to obtain a candy drop from lily - she had saved one for later but was nice enough to give it to me. in exchange, i gave her two bloodied level three goblins to finish up. yes, i know, i know. the candy is much more valuable and harder to come by than these green jerks. but i''ll pay more, no worries. lily didn''t seem to like it as much as i hoped, but that''s something to be expected. she seems too nice for a place like this. another thing is biscuit. the little doggo isn''t that little anymore. he has grown a bit. his proportions are mostly the same, but he is noticeably bigger. maybe around 10 to 20% bigger? it might be the monster meat he ate, or maybe the little doggo is leveling up. i wouldn''t believe how entitled some people are, looking at me like i kicked their favorite kid every time i take more meat than they get. but it''s not such a problem, as i have an easy solution for that. yup, it''s hadwin. we''re not hunting together anymore, obviously, but i still let him deal with social stuff. he seems to hate it too, so that''s a bonus. it''s not that easy to see, but i keep noticing his slow, annoyed blinking and veins on his neck every time he clenches his teeth. i love it. screw you, hadwin. now i''m going to hunt monsters or animals together with tess and kevin; sometimes, we also take some of the kids. tess always makes sure that they know they might end up risking their lives, so that''s it. sometimes they get hurt-a scratch here, a stab wound there-but tess and kevin make sure to cover for them. especially tess. god damn. she now walks around with like five spears somehow tied to her back, and she throws them while using her [psychokinesis]. i''m sure at some point, she leveled up her skill, as they became much faster and more accurate. combined with her [farsight], it makes an amazing combination. as for kevin, he became a pretty reliable tank. his second skill, [combustion], also helps. it allows him to cause objects or substances to ignite or even create controlled explosions. once again. i''m not jealous, okay? okay. also, i will have to find some really annoying work for kevin. spoiled kids. back in my days... a few more days pass like this, and one more person dies; this time, it''s dominic. for some time, he kept getting angrier and angrier, and the stares he gave to sophie and hadwin were anything but friendly. then, he disappeared. no one saw anything. no one knows anything. but i have my own suspicions about what happened to the man. lily cried a little. sweet girl crying for a man she barely knew who died. the knowledge that he had passed away in a strange and distant land, so far from everyone he knew, only amplified her sorrow. Chapter 31 chapter 31 the "suns" are gone once again. as before, a terrible wave of mana washes over the entire first floor before they disappear. this time, it''s a bit colder than before, so we collect more wood and hunt more animals while expecting even colder weather next time. a few more people have learned how to skin them without damaging the skins, so we''re keeping them in case another cycle becomes even colder. so we hunt as much as we can and smoke the meat. there are more animals. there are more goblins, many more. and now, even groups of wolves have started attacking us. in the forest around our camp, we''ve also found terribly mangled corpses of giant wolves and trolls. we don''t know for sure what monster did it, but i have my suspicion. cinderbear. oh, i almost forgot. fuck that guy. the corpses are mangled with limbs broken, torn-off limbs, and gouged-out inner organs, but they are not eaten, and that''s what worries me the most. did cinderbear develop a taste for a human-based diet? if yes, why hasn''t he come back? people would be terrified, so only a few of us know about mangled corpses. the bus is even more "armored" now, and we''re using bigger and bigger pieces of logs to make it more durable. it''s still our go-to place to sleep or hide. our surroundings have also changed a lot. there is an insane amount of sharpened logs pointing outwards. there are some palisades closer to the bus. we are building pitfalls with more sharpened sticks inside them, and hadwin has taught us to set up some traps. we are also collecting as much food and water as we can. and we are leveling up. i don''t even bother killing level-two monsters anymore; i just break their limbs and throw them in front of someone else to finish. sure, it''s less experience than if they killed it on their own, but it''s something. in all of this, i try to have some fun as well. when i''m fighting anything under level five, i don''t use any weapon, just my hands and mana. it was a bit hard and awkward at the start, but now it has become good training for me. i''ve learned more about their physiology and weak points. oh, and the level seven troll we fought some time ago together with tess and kevin? well, it was a baby. i send mana through the handle of the sword and towards the blade. it creates a thin mana coating around one side of the blade. my head hurts, and blood starts running from my nose. i focus more and more. mana on the blade becomes denser and denser and moves towards the tip. using the oscillation skill, the blade begins to vibrate rapidly, its edges humming with energy. the swift back-and-forth motion of the mana enhances cutting power. with the full power of my mana-strengthened body, i stab the sword inside the wound left by the mace. then, i hold on tightly to avoid falling and have to dodge its hands as the troll starts thrashing around. when given the opportunity, i pull out the sword and stab again right next to the first wound, but the blade bounces off the monster''s head; [oscillation] is gone, and even my [focus] can''t keep it running any longer. so, i stab the already existing wound again and again. every time i do, the monster''s roars become weaker and its movements slower. a chilling, piercing noise fills the forest as spear, propelled by psychokinesis, slices through the air like a deadly projectile. the steel blade gleams menacingly, streaking towards the troll''s neck at breakneck speed. the terrifying combination of tess''s psychic force and the spear''s sharpness drives it deep into the creature''s flesh, leaving it lodged within its throat. i stab again and move with the sword while it''s lodged inside the troll''s brain, creating disgusting wet noises as i make a mess out of the monster ?s brain. finally, the troll starts falling to the ground, and while jumping down, i grab the spear and pull it out so it doesn''t break. you''re welcome, tess. the monster lands, and i finally get the message. [you have defeated the troll lvl 12] [lvl 8 > lvl 9] i invest my stat points and look at tess coming closer. she answers my unspoken question, "i did level up, yes." good. the spears she threw, start floating in the air and then move right towards her. she slowly checks them out one after another while the remaining ones float around her in a circular orbit. that''s just plain showing off! well, whatever, just wait until my [focus] shows its true power; even you will shudder in fear. we get to the clearing, and i realize that we''ve been here a bit over a week. it''s surprising to me how some people have adapted to all of this. as more and more time passes and i observe them, i come to realize that none of us are normal. maybe it''s not that we were randomly put into hell difficulty, but that we were put into hell difficulty because of who we are? my theory is that the system places people into the difficulty it thinks is best for the person. as for the fact that an entire busload of people got here, maybe we are all suitable for hell difficulty? there are so many people on earth; there have to be groups of people together where all of them are a good fit for a specific difficulty, right? anyway, that''s just a little theory i came up with. what welcomes us at the clearing is an angry hadwin stomping right towards us, with a few people following him, probably wanting to enjoy the free show. well, i can''t blame them. these days, it''s hard to find something amusing to do.no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. Chapter 32 chapter 32 "so you did it..." you bet we wiped the floor with that level 12 troll. no biggie. he looks at me and at tess. "fucking hell, nathaniel," he sighs and waves his hands around. "do you have any idea how dumb that was?" dumb? please! only slightly dangerous. "you could''ve fucking died!" no worries! if it looked too dangerous, i''d run and bring him straight to our camp... wait, what? "i expected something like that from him, but even you, tess?" huh? should i feel insulted? "you''re putting all of our lives in danger, nathaniel. can you imagine how hard it would be if we lost both of you? or if you didn''t kill him and lured him back?" oh, so it''s like that. it''s not my problem, though? right, tess? i look at her and she seems to be ashamed, just a little bit, really a tiny bit. lately, hadwin has been more and more stressed as he deals with all of this. a lot of people just rely on him and let him lead them, and that puts a lot of pressure on him. sophie creating her own group during all of that probably doesn''t brighten his mood either. well, that''s something he decided to do, so suck it up. as i try to pass by him, he steps in my way. uh? even people around us seem to be surprised and start whispering among themselves. "hadwin, i don''t think it''s a good idea..." tess starts, but i filter out her voice and look at the man in front of me. i look into his eyes, and he seems pretty serious, just staring into mine. so that''s how it is. feel free to try. i enter [focus] and then let a bit of my mana flow through my body. try it if you dare... then his fist hits me right in the face, and i stagger backward. huh? focus is gone, and so is the mana flowing through my veins. what''s so funny, old man? you got beaten, and i didn''t even use mana, so what''s so funny about that!? what is so funny?! "hehe..." there is some blood on his teeth. "you know it too, right?" he laughs again, "i could have killed you if i really wanted to." "..." "hehe, you were ready for me, expecting an attack, but i still managed to land a few solid hits." he lies on the ground, gazing at the sky. "wow, that was satisfying. i''ve wanted to smack you in the face for ages." he takes a moment. "you little punk," he adds. "..." my silence makes him laugh even longer. "finally, i can see some emotion on your face," he looks straight at me, "you always look so uninterested, bored, even when fighting, but now... you look so angry." i look around, and most of the people avoid my gaze. lily and a few others look scared. when i look back, i see tess standing close to me. her face is hard to read, but she seems ready to move. not to help me, just to stop me if i decide to finish off hadwin. "you know, lately you''ve become too confident, nathaniel, too fearless. you enjoy fighting too much; you risk a lot. not only your life but also the lives of people around you." he looks straight into my eyes. "you are not undefeatable. you could have easily died today, and you can die to something else if you continue being so careless." with that, he stops, probably not having more to say. i look at tess; she doesn''t avoid my gaze but doesn''t say anything, and that''s enough for me. i leave before i hurt someone. i enter the forest and slowly, slowly, calm myself down. breathe in. breathe out. repeat. i don''t use [focus]. i disable it as much as i can and think. and think. and think more. after calming down, i come to realize that both of us might be right. the truth is somewhere in the middle. sure, i can be more careful; actually, i need to be more careful and not blindly rely on my skills, as he showed me so nicely. damn that jerk, i''m sure he enjoyed hitting my face. on the other side, i can''t just stop hunting and give up on becoming stronger. sure, there is some risk, but something tells me that this 1st floor of hell tutorial is just the beginning. if i take it slowly and comfortably level up while being super careful might not make me grow fast enough to survive the entire five years. i will hunt, i will risk, i will enjoy the challenges, and i will continue using focus to get rid of some useless emotions, as it''s all for my survival. as for hadwin and his lesson? my thanks will be that i won''t beat him senseless and will dial it down a bit. he is right about me being cocky and showed it off in a beautiful way. so thank you and fuck you. as for which of us is right? only time will show. Chapter 33 chapter 33 pov kevin wilson it''s the first time i''ve seen nathaniel so angry; actually, it might be the first time i''ve seen him showing any strong emotion at all. he usually walks around looking like someone printed his resting face onto paper and then stuck it to his head. damn, for a second, i thought he might kill hadwin right here, right now. i''m sure tess would try to stop him, but i''m not sure if she would be able to if he really wanted to do it. the scary part is that he didn''t even use mana. like, what the hell, who does that?! i didn''t sense anything, but kim told me that hadwin did something to disrupt nathaniel''s mana. then at some point during the fight, nathaniel canceled the older man''s skill, and even though he could use mana, he finished him off without even bothering to use it. what a madlad. again, who the hell does that?! right after the fight, he went into the forest. the way he just casually entered it while checking his surroundings sent shivers down my back. he''s probably the only one who does that. the rest of us are still nervous every time we go hunting. i get back to smoking boar meat and continue what i started before the fight happened. do you think he''s very angry? lily asks quietly. you saw his face; he''s suuuuper pissed off. oh... she quiets down. at this point, i am sure everyone can see that she''s got a small crush on nathaniel. well, probably everyone other than him. he doesn''t seem to be too good with people stuff. he thinks he''s careful, but i always notice how quickly he disappears every time more than one or two people talk to him. sometimes he endures a bit longer, but as time passes, he becomes quieter and quieter. most of the time, it ends up with him just leaving or tess saving him C or us? it''s kind of fun to mess with him a bit. that isn''t the main problem; the main problem is him being a selfish, mostly emotionless asshole. but he''s our selfish, mostly emotionless asshole. i don''t know if he''s aware of it, but i''m sure that half of the people would be already dead if it weren''t for him; hell, probably even more. sure, he doesn''t have to be such a dick about it. i remember the time from a few days ago when he power-leveled kim in exchange for his sword. damn, he actually did take it without even a hint of hesitation after getting the boy to level four, leaving him unarmed. he''s ruthless, selfish, and somewhere in the back of my mind, i''m sure he doesn''t care that much about all of us. yet. he''s always calm, and even when things go to deeper and deeper levels of shit, he doesn''t become desperate; he just listens, nods, and says one or two sentences, giving us something to do. it''s weirdly calming, having someone to rely on just a little bit. even while knowing how he sees us. that must be it. i slowly pet his small head and enter a bit deeper into [focus] and start training my [mana manipulation]. after a while, tess comes to me. "hey..." she starts carefully. "it''s okay." i only say that much, but she will understand. i know she partly agrees with hadwin, but she wasn''t able to tell that to me for some reason. hell, i probably wouldn''t even listen, so i can''t actually be mad at her for not helping me or being ready to try to stop me if i tried to do something worse to hadwin. after a while, she gives one of her tiny smiles and sits next to me. she pokes biscuit''s bulging belly, and the dog opens one of its eyes and then closes it when he sees it''s tess. that makes her poke him a few more times, but the good boy ignores her, so she stops. corgi 1, human 0. "kim got his [telekinesis] to level three, and lily got [rejuvenation] to level two," she informs me. damn, what is that scrawny boy eating and doing? level three already? "she can heal small and slightly bigger scratches now, but still only her own. she wasn''t able to heal others." oh, that''s a shame, but no worries, we will get there. my personal healing station is coming along nicely. tess doesn''t continue, so i guess others weren''t able to level up any skills. the annoying thing is that i don''t know if the speed at which we are leveling up our skills is good or bad. there is nothing to compare it to, just us. out of nowhere, i get an idea. "hey, tess?" "hm?" she leans a bit closer, and i put my hand into my pocket and pull out a one hundred dollar bill, a gift from one unnamed guy. "can you go and buy me some sweets?" i hand her the banknote. she looks at me, then at the bill. back at me and then once again at the bill. her confused face is so funny. "did you steal it from hadwin?" she instantly guesses outright. crap, am i that predictable? oh, wait a moment! i didn''t do it; i almost forgot. "the dog did it," i point at the sleeping corgi, and she rolls her eyes. "sure," she just stands up and leaves. the banknote stays behind. two hours later, the cinderbear appears again. Chapter 34 chapter 34 the once-peaceful forest transforms into an eerie, unsettling place. every rustle and crack makes my heart race, and the sense of foreboding grows heavier with each passing second.??vl?1n. it is then that the monster makes its entrance. emerging from the dense foliage, the giant gray bear steps into the clearing with a deliberate, unhurried pace. the bear''s enormous paws make a sickening crunch as they crush the underbrush and fallen leaves beneath them. its massive size and power are evident in the way the ground trembles with each step it takes. the most chilling aspect of the giant gray bear''s appearance, however, is its eyes. they glow with an unnatural orange light, as if fueled by a fire that burns within the monster itself. a wave of mana hits the clearing and everyone becomes paralyzed with fear. as the bear continues its slow, methodical advance, the forest grows quieter and quieter. its low growl reverberates through the air, a rumbling sound that makes your body shake. once again, the bear looks at me and then at the ground in front of it. [cinderbear, lvl 20] the creature has leveled up. waves of mana i feel from the bear make my stomach clench, and my entire body feels as if it isn''t getting enough air. it is even hard to breathe. the bear takes a few steps towards us and then stops, looking at us with its wild but intelligent eyes. one minute. two. three. cinderbear just keeps looking. at some point, someone screams out of fear and desperation. the monster''s ears seem to perk up, but it just stays where it is and growls back. the remaining unbroken windows on the bus shatter, and the guy instantly shuts up. "what does it want?!" "i-i can ?t run." "can we fight it?" "he should fight it!" "maybe it''s friendly?" then someone says something i''ve been thinking about: "maybe it wants to eat something? just like last time?" everyone falls silent, and we all remember the scene of damon''s body being slowly consumed by the bear. the monster growls and moves even closer. as it walks, it steps on a few spikes and hits several palisades with its paw. the pieces of wood shatter without dealing any damage. with the memory of damon''s gruesome fate fresh in our minds, people exchange scared glances, unsure of how to handle the terrifying beast. the bear is getting closer and closer, and the fear is becoming worse and worse. still alive as cinderbear slowly chews his hand while curiously looking down at the man. then the bear leans closer and takes a bite of the man''s belly. i am sure i will remember his screams until the day i die. slowly, they become weaker and weaker, he coughs up a lot of blood and then passes out. the monster slowly eats the entire man while looking at us and casually glancing around. there isn''t even a hint of wariness towards us as he finishes his meal. after he is done, he licks his maw, and another pulse of mana flashes towards me. this time, i am able to sense that it''s focused on the broken necklace in my pocket. then, cinderbear leaves once more. a few hours after the bear leaves, i go into the forest. alone. i hunt and kill everything i can find. trolls, goblins, wolves, animals. i murder anything i see. rage and mana are burning in my veins as i do so. i''ve never felt so weak. i''ve never felt so defenseless. all i could do was watch and sit there, not even able to run. just helplessly wait and hope one man would be enough. pathetic. i hate it, i despise it, i don''t want to feel like this. never again. time passes, and i finally get the message i wanted. [you have defeated the troll lvl 11] [lvl 9 > lvl 10] [well done! the side quest has been successfully completed. please select one of the traits. the traits are based on your actions and performance up until now within the tutorial. be advised: humans are limited to three traits. choose with caution.] the system has become nicer out of nowhere. Chapter 35 chapter 35 when i come back, bloodied, and tired, but satisfied, i find everyone packing. some of us are collecting food and hides, while others are making sure we will take enough water to last us for a while and gather all useful stuff. the decision is unanimous. rather than waiting for the cinderbear to appear once again, everyone prefers just moving somewhere else in hopes he won''t find us. i agree, even though i am unhappy about that. it''s a smart decision, but it still feels sour, as if i am leaving behind unsolved problems. cinderbear is terrifying, but i want revenge before the 1st-floor ends. "tess, can you keep a watch over me for a few minutes?" i instantly find the girl by her mana signature. hearing something in my voice, she doesn''t ask where i went and what i want, and just nods solemnly. i enter the bus and move to the last seat, the seat i sat in when we got here. i breathe in. let''s see. "trait," i say. please select one of the traits that are based on your actions and performance up until now within the tutorial. be advised: humans are limited to three traits. available traits: enhanced mana heart (passive) augments the user''s natural mana pool and regeneration rate, allowing for longer and more sustained use of mana-based abilities. this passive trait enables the user to cast more spells and maintain their magical abilities with less downtime, providing a significant advantage in extended battles and outside of them. regenerative tissue (passive) the user''s body gains the ability to regenerate tissue rapidly, accelerating the healing of wounds and reducing the impact of injuries during combat. this trait not only helps the user recover from injuries more quickly but also ensures that they remain in peak fighting condition, even in the most grueling of encounters. mana circuit (passive) integrates a network of mana channels throughout the user''s body, optimizing the distribution of mana and amplifying the power of their mana-based abilities without additional mana consumption. this enhancement allows the user to draw upon their mana more efficiently, resulting in more potent spells and abilities while reducing overall mana expenditure. adaptive resistance (passive) just one. ... yeah, i thought so, screw you too! it''s not like i wanted something from you or anything, stupid! now, back to traits. they look amazing, all of them. unfortunately, i can pick only one, but in the future, there will probably be more opportunities, as it''s said humans can have 3 of them. does that mean that there are different beings than humans that can get more or fewer traits? probably? but that''s a problem for tomorrow me. for a start, i read over them a few more times and try to think of all the usages and which one could be the best not only for immediate growth but also helpful to my growth in the future. enhanced mana heart (passive) one mystery is solved. the thing that gives all of us mana, regenerates it, and collects it is called mana heart. it''s either somewhere within my heart or my own heart changed into one. either way, i like this one, and it seems like a strengthened version of it. regenerative tissue (passive) this one sounds really good too, as it would help me to heal from wounds faster than just increasing my constitution. but still, i like the first option more. mana circuit (passive) this is a serious contender for the first spot. darn, i already know that i will have a hard time deciding which one to pick. adaptive resistance (passive) this one is meh. sure, it sounds good, but i''d rather something that will allow me to end the fight faster. mana-infused vitality (passive) similar to regenerative tissue. mana sensitive skeleton (passive) something i got thanks to my [mana perception]? not bad, but i still like circuit and mana heart more. efficient mana conversion (passive) sounds interesting, but it''s a trap! i''m sure i can learn to convert mana into different forms on my own, and now i even have hints. hahaha. so thermal, kinetic, electrical, and probably much more. but let''s start experimenting with these three. spell diffusion (passive) good, but i need something more versatile and something that can increase my damage. reinforced musculature (passive) this one is probably from my continuous strengthening of my body? kinetic channeling (passive) this one is also a no. so that''s it. it''s either enhanced mana heart or mana circuit. which one should i pick? Chapter 36 chapter 36 in the end, i pick the trait, and the window disappears. congratulations! you have acquired mana circuit (passive) traits 1/3 i immediately feel my heartbeat speeding up, and warmth washes over my body. my heart goes into overdrive and sends wave after wave of mana through my body. at first, it''s only warm, but quickly it feels as if someone set a red-hot wire through my body. i clench my teeth, but a quiet groan escapes my lips. forget anything nice i said about the system. the pain becomes stronger and stronger as the system etches a network of mana channels through my body. mana travels from my heart towards the tips of my fingers, up my skull, everywhere leaving a burning sensation in its wake. after what feels like an hour, the pain slowly subsides and is replaced by a feeling of lightheadedness, as if i''m about to pass out. damn, i can''t wait to go through this two more times! someone, please, send help. haa, whatever. still lightheaded i send mana through my body and stop instantly. ehm? i try again. and again. what the heck?! i take back everything i said. give me more! more pain, more circuits! it feels as if up until now, i kept using a fork to eat soup, but then someone bonked the back of my head and put a spoon in my hand. it feels so much more natural to take mana from my mana heart and use it. also, the network of mana etched into me feels as if someone replaced an old road with a high-speed highway. what the heck! i almost want to forgive the system for playing favorites, but at this point, i''m sure that the traits others will get will be better than mine. but that won''t be able to quiet down my happiness. i move mana all over my body; it''s so fluid, so quick, and the amount i can move is much finer and more accurate. now instead of using a river of mana, i can send a thin thread of mana through my circuit for more delicate control. it''s as if i used too much mana before because of my terrible body and low mana conductivity. but dang, it just shows how unprepared and inefficient the human body is for handling mana. [mana manipulation - lvl 5 > mana manipulation - lvl 6] here we go! i get on my feet, and as i walk, my body still screams, but now i am more content with the pain. "finally!" kevin sounds super annoying. even more so now, when my head is still hurting. but i''ll let it go, just this time! because i''m in a good mood. the blade of mana oscillates wildly, and i keep it up for as long as i can before it slips out of my control and dissolves. new record! just a bit more, and i might be able to coat the entire blade of my short sword with it. then tess pokes my shoulder, and i look up. everyone is staring at me. did i miss something? "haaa..." hadwin sighs. why do you sound so annoyed? i just practiced a little bit! you don''t have to be such a jerk about it! biscuit, defend me! i look down, and the doggo is already jumping around a butterfly. "..." he catches it and eats it. then he spits it out. he then looks at me while sticking out his tongue, trying to get rid of the taste. biscuit... god bless your poor soul. tess and i enter the forest first. even though i am walking first, tess is the one pointing where we should go, as her skill somehow allows her to see through the dense forest. why not call it x-ray vision? why farsight? huh? system? there is no answer, and we continue scouting ahead of the others while tess seamlessly points me in the right direction. you know, we came up with a code. i have my [mana perception] activated, and when i feel her collecting the mana in her right hand, i go right; the same goes for left. if she collects mana in her chest, that means there is a monster. if she collects it in both of her legs, there is a strong monster, and we have to run. stuff like that. to be honest, our cooperation has become pretty good lately, and we can quietly go through the forest while leaving marks for the others. sometimes we kill one or two monsters, but that''s it; the forest is quiet. the wind blows gently, moving the leaves and creating shifting shadows on the ground. sunlight streams through the branches, making the forest look lively and bright. the sun feels warm on my skin, the breeze is cool and refreshing, and the forest has a pleasant smell. "such a pretty day..." her voice is soft and quiet, and i slow down to end up walking next to her, loosening some tension from my body. if she doesn''t see any monster, there''s no way i will, even with my [mana perception] active. "yes." i look up at the sky, and the wind messes with my hair a bit. as i walk through the woods, i notice how the trees seem to create a natural rhythm with the swaying of their branches. the forest is quiet, devoid of the typical sounds of animals and birds, adding to the sense of solitude. the fresh air fills my lungs as i take a deep breath, and i can''t help but feel a sense of calm and stillness. out of nowhere, tess laughs quietly while covering her mouth with a hand. "i''m sorry, but i just remembered the look you made when hadwin hit you." woah, such a low blow. "don''t look at me like that," she whispers and smiles at me. it''s the first real smile i''ve seen on her face since we entered the first floor. "you kind of deserved that." maybe yes, but please be a bit less happy about me getting punched. we continue walking in silence. Chapter 37 chapter 37 no, no. you have to use much less mana. right now, you''re wasting a lot of it. also, try doing it a bit faster. it''s not that easy! huhu. i continue to bully tess while teaching her to improve her [mana manipulation]. with my trait, my handling of mana has improved a lot, and i don''t feel that bad about her getting such good skills. i''m helping her, right? i''m totally not doing it because of some petty reason, like her laughing while remembering me getting punched in the face by someone old enough to be my dad. not at all! faster! "..." oh, tess! don''t look at me like that! it''s for your own good. she only sighs, there''s a troll in front of us; this way. she points towards her right, and with a short nod, i head there while pulling out my sword. soon enough, i see a baby troll. [troll - lvl 6] right now, i''m at a higher level than the monster, but i''m sure that it''s still much stronger than me, and its constitution is higher. as many times before, a rain of small stones flies like bullets from tess and right onto the troll''s face. they hit him hard. most of them shatter on his skin, but some hit its weaker points, such as its eyes. the troll roars and turns to me while sniffing. it covers its eyes while swinging its hand at me. this time, i send a pulse of my mana towards the bottom half of my body and dash to the side. the troll is too slow to react and my sword''s blade passes through its legs like it''s made out of butter. the blade, coated in oscillating mana, cuts through it like that. with another roar full of pain, the creature loses balance and falls down. i dodge slightly, and while it''s falling, i make a diagonal cut across its face, deep enough to split it open. i dodge just in time to avoid a shower of its brain matter and blood. [you have defeated the troll - lvl 6] there are fewer and fewer goblins and more trolls; do you think we entered their territory or something? it looks like it. we can be thankful that we ended up surrounded by goblins and not trolls. just one troll would be enough to tear through us... yup, exactly. that''s what i''ve been saying the entire time. after seeing the monsters that are lurking around, i know that we were super lucky. or maybe not? maybe the system put us in a slightly less dangerous starting zone? we continue. so, you were saying that i should get mana circuit as a trait if it''s offered to me? probably? you might get offered something better, but right now, i think picking it was the right decision. no, i think you''re right. humans probably don''t have bodies evolved to handle mana, so giving it a push like that sounds logical. right? i think so too! but mana heart also sounded good. hmm, how to explain it? imagine that you have a car. my nature-inspired abode with a classic touch.constructed from stones sourced from the earth''s depths. it''s cool and pleasant, ensuring a comfortable summer climate. spacious enough to accommodate around 20 guests! the entrance is... yes, yes... it''s a cave. for heaven''s sake. it''s wet, it''s cold, it smells, and i really hope it isn''t a place where cinderbear likes to take a nap. after looking around for like thirty minutes, we didn''t find anything, so we decide to set up our camp here. everyone else already joined us, and plenty of people with superhuman strength start cutting down the trees, moving giant stones to create a wall, and trying to make this dump... our camp as comfortable as possible. somehow kevin ended up having to help move the heaviest stones. damn. how could that happen? please, don''t look at me like that while moving that stone; people will think you hate me! well, as the strongest one out of us, i am keeping watch with sophie... someone, i am talking about you, hadwin, did recommend tess to use her psychokinesis to move heavy stuff, and so i ended up keeping watch with ms. mindbender. at some point, her pulses of mana become really annoying. not because of frequency but because of how they feel. i restrain myself, not wanting to help her at all, but after about 30 minutes, it becomes even more annoying. how are you not improving? more time passes, and i swear she is even worse than before. at some point, she tried to experiment a bit and it somehow made it even more annoying. oh, come on. hey... she turns to me, not even expecting me to talk to her, don''t move your mana like this. try... i continue to give her a few tips on how to better handle her mana and reduce the waste. the way she does it feels like looking for someone while screaming right next to their ear and asking where they are. she listens quietly and tries it a few times, and i continue to correct her every time she does it wrong. i do it like 20 times, but she still continues and tries to fix it without complaining. her last try feels much better than what she''s been doing the entire time, so i stop and leave her to her own practice. she''s a bit better now, and i breathe out with satisfaction. it really annoyed me. both of us keep watch like this for the remainder of the time until a sweaty and breathless kevin comes to us. damn, can''t you two sit further from each other? a bit more, and you won''t be able to see each other, he giggles; even tired, he has enough energy for his nonsense. dinner''s ready, tess should be here soon to take over watching. seeing no reaction, the boy leaves, and i continue to watch while feeling the pulses of sophie''s mana near me. only then do i realize who i helped, and uncertainty washes over me. did i really do it just because i got annoyed? i didn''t feel her mana touching my body, and i kept [focus] running the entire time. still, i''m unsure if i''ll ever be certain about her manipulating me or not. Chapter 38: "Meow" chapter 38: "meow" after dinner, i take kim, lily, and kevin to the side and continue to teach them a bit. we still have around one hour until the sun disappears, so why not spend it trying to learn something new from the way they use their skills? i already nearly gave up trying to learn lily''s two starting skills. i really want her [rejuvenation] as it sounds super useful, but even she can''t use it that well, which makes it even harder. her other skill, well, it sounds terrifying: [disintegration]. she wasn''t even able to activate it, so we can only guess what it does. but judging from the name... damn, it sounds cool. i keep my [focus] up and running as well as my [mana perception] and continue to watch kim move stones with his mind and mana and throw them at kevin, who reflects them back at the younger boy. kim catches them with his skill and the cycle repeats. i wish they would go a bit harder. reflecting it with more strength or using telekinesis with a bit more power to get more from kevin. but they are holding back a little. obviously, they don''t hold back when they are practicing with me. they use so much power that it looks like they are fighting for their lives. that''s because of my excellent teaching skills! old school ways, if you know what i mean. i am resting against the wall inside the cave, and lily is sitting near me, both of us watching the boys practice. while doing so, lily keeps making tiny cuts with my knife into her arm and then healing them with her skill. once again, i wish she would cut more deeply, but that might be my dimmed feelings talking. cutting yourself with ease isn''t something people usually do. "you remind me of my cat," lily says quietly out of nowhere. quiet enough so only i can hear it. huh? is she dissing me? there is a smile on her face when i turn to her. "the way you quietly watch everything around you with curious eyes," her smile becomes a bit more longing. thank you? "grumpy also likes to just sit there and watch people, but he becomes really annoyed when someone tries to pet him. most of the time, he just ignores people as they try to be friendly with him," she quietly laughs. "he just ignores it, but sometimes he gets his little acts of revenge. once, i found a dead mouse in my bed after i kept making him try on some cat clothes." damn, i think i would like grumpy a lot. "but once in a while, he likes to come to people he trusts and snuggle with them, to share some warmth and spend time together," her big eyes look at me. "but only for a while. after just a moment, he leaves and stays on his own." her face is so serious as if she''s talking to me about the truths of the universe. but somehow, i don''t mind it that much. not knowing why, i just open my mouth slightly and let out a very quiet sound. "meow." her face is amazing to look at. from pure shock to confusion, and then a giant smile appears on her face, quickly followed by a loud laugh. she''s laughing even as kim and kevin turn to her; she''s laughing like she really needed to do so. the darkness comes once again. as always, right after the change, the monsters and animals become much more aggressive. to my right, enemy, strong, maybe run? i translate it as such and continue towards my right. tess is sometimes a bit too careful for my taste, so it''s up to me to push and put us in some danger with hopefully good rewards. what we find is a massive white-furred wolf. its eyes are red and look right at us. somehow, it looks almost bored. [crimsonwolf - lvl 12] this time, i don''t hold back and let mana flow through my circuit, strengthening my entire body. [focus] makes colors less vibrant, and the sounds of the wind, leaves, and trees cracking disappear somewhere into the back of my head. breathe in, breathe out. i point towards the ground with three of my fingers and rush at the wolf. i run straight at him while tess stays behind me, ready. one second. the wolf still seems to be bored and only turns to me; there is an almost curious look on its face. two seconds. it changes its stance and shows us its teeth. its eyes instantly go from curious to dangerous, and a wave of mana hits my body, slightly slowing me down. to counter it, i let more mana flow through my circuit and continue shortening the distance. three seconds. i dodge to the side and immediately after that, the spear hurtles through the air with terrifying speed, its flight enhanced by her skill. as it slices through the air, it emits a spine-chilling pitched sound. the wolf easily dodges. damn. right after, a wave of mana sends me flying backward and right against a tree. the air escapes my chest, and i let go of the sword in my hand. when i look up, the wolf is still standing there. the massive, majestic-looking white wolf stands out even more in the darkness, lit only by pink, green, and blue aurora-like lights. mana pulses from the wolf''s body flow into the surroundings, making smaller trees and branches bend and lean away from it. its eyes look at us with something i can''t explain as anything other than amusement. the red eyes seem to be burning with an inner fire. i feel the wolf''s mana move. not good. i stop focusing on efficiency and let the entirety of my mana roar through my body as i dash. the ground around the wolf shakes as it uses the same skill it used to throw me away to propel itself forward, giving itself an insane boost. this time, its target is tess. Chapter 39: CrimsonWolf chapter 39: crimsonwolf the wolf''s skill propels him like a rocket, and i barely manage to attack him as he passes by me. while bracing myself and strengthening with mana, i ram into his side with my shoulder first, using enough force to push him to the side just in time to give tess an opportunity to reposition. she moves further back, and several spears start floating around her, ready for her to grab and throw. i am once again pushed away by the monster''s skill, and he dashes at her again. immediately, three spears come flying at him. while moving incredibly fast, he ducks under one, dodges the second, and activates his skill again to push away the third spear. a light flashes on its teeth, and it opens its terrifying maw and propels himself again with a dust cloud trailing behind him. tess holds her position up until the last moment, and when he is about to reach her, she activates her [psychokinesis] at full force. for a second, two similar skills clash, creating a shockwave that hits me and causes the trees to creak under pressure as if a strong wind is hitting them. the ground beneath them cracks, and dust comes flying away from the place where their skills met. the girl''s face is focused, and she gives it her all, and her mana shines beautifully in my [mana perception], but in the end, she is thrown away by the crimsonwolf''s skill. but i am there right after, with my sword back in hand and the blade coated in wildly oscillating mana. my attack is about to hit the monster when it gets stopped, and then, as i am unable to hold it, the sword flies away from my hand with an insane push from the wolf. not wasting a second after losing the sword, i dodge under the monster''s bite and stab at the wolf with my fingers while using [oscillation]. again, a strong push of mana throws me away, but this time i miss the tree and just roll on the ground to reduce the impact. i hear a roar, and when i look up, there is a spear sticking out from the wolf''s left hind leg. immediately, i rush back at the wolf while keeping my body as low as possible while still being able to run fast. my heart pumps like crazy and sends wave after wave of mana through my body. i immediately take it and send it through my muscles. more. faster. take it, use it, expend it. my body starts heating up, and i jump to the side, feeling something with my [mana perception]. the force of the wolf''s attack barely misses me and makes me stagger a bit, but i quickly regain my balance and continue. the monster''s eyes stay glued to me. they are still calm, wild, and dangerous. another spear flies at him, but he deflects it without even turning around and then propels himself towards me with his mouth wide open. i duck and roll under the wolf, and behind me, i hear the terrifying noise of its mouth shutting down. as i pass under the monster, i put more mana into my finger and make a deep wound on his belly with [oscillation]. my body feels so hot. i feel my mana circuit working in overdrive. it''s as if the blood is boiling in my veins, and i feel as if i am about to lose control of my mana. so, i [focus] more. [focus lvl 4 > focus lvl 5] while letting out a scary noise, a spear passes by me, and the wolf dodges it while turning back to me. even wounded, he still looks composed and charges at me again without any hesitation. she shakes her head. "it felt different from mine. he was much stronger, but he could only push." i see. well, it''s not like it matters that much now. tess says what i''m thinking. "i think the monsters with names such as cinderbear or crimsonwolf are much more dangerous than just a normal wolf or bear." and i agree with her. let''s be a bit more careful, even if the monster is at a lower level. hmm, what now? i really don''t feel like skinning the wolf. the thought of skinning its corpse feels... not good. sure, i can do it, but i won''t if i don''t have to. let''s leave it. we don''t lack animal hides right now, and the meat of wolves doesn''t taste that good. "did you level up?" as we unanimously start walking back to camp, i ask tess, and the answer is just a short nod. now i am curious. not only about what she will pick but also about the traits themselves. just the description of the trait can be a hint as to what should be possible to do with mana. so we both impatiently rush back, and after drinking some water and eating some food, we go into the corner of the cave, and tess tells me about her traits. unlike me, she got offered only seven traits: mana-infused musculature (passive) the user''s muscles are imbued with mana, providing them with increased strength and endurance. this trait enables them to perform feats of physical prowess beyond the capabilities of ordinary individuals. accelerated recovery (passive) the user''s body is able to recover from injuries and fatigue more quickly than normal, thanks to an infusion of mana that accelerates their natural healing processes. this trait allows them to maintain peak performance during extended periods of physical exertion. farsight-enhanced reflexes (passive) the user''s farsight ability is integrated with their reflexes, enabling them to respond to threats and react to changes in their environment with exceptional speed and precision. this trait grants them a significant advantage in both offensive and defensive situations. psychic shielding (passive) the user''s psychic abilities generate a protective aura that shields them from mental attacks and psychic intrusions. this trait grants them increased resistance to mind-altering effects and enhanced mental fortitude. kinetic absorption (passive) the user''s body is able to absorb and store kinetic energy from impacts, allowing them to reduce the damage taken from physical attacks. this stored energy can be released in a burst, enhancing their own attacks or movements. mana-enhanced agility (passive) the user''s agility and dexterity are amplified by their connection to mana, allowing them to perform acrobatic feats and evade attacks with ease. this trait improves their overall mobility and responsiveness in combat. psychic focus (passive) the user''s ability to concentrate and maintain their psychic powers is significantly improved, allowing them to utilize their abilities more effectively and efficiently. this trait enhances their overall control and precision when using psychokinetic powers. in the end, tess decides on psychic focus and i leave her so she can get over the pain of acquiring the trait on her own. Chapter 40: New skill chapter 40: new skill finally! behold! [kinetic redistribution] isn''t it beautiful? i love it as much as biscuit loves food, probably even more! after a buttload of testing, experimenting, and watching kevin and others practice, along with some hints from the system, i was able to acquire this new skill. there are a few minor similarities to kevin''s [reflection] and how tess and kim''s skills work, but that''s all - just small similarities. the skill allows me to absorb kinetic energy and then reuse it. so, let''s say someone hits me in my pretty face. if they do that, i can activate the skill and absorb some of that energy to reduce the damage. the energy i absorb can be used to strengthen my attacks, similar to how tess uses her [psychokinesis] to make spears fly faster. it''s the kind of skill i like - a counter skill, a skill where i use the enemy''s attack against them while reducing the damage taken. sure, it''s only level one for now, but wait! soon it will shine. as for now, i''m not great at the redistribution part and can only reduce some damage to myself. the energy just disappears into the air, as i can''t get a handle on it yet. unfortunately, it only works for physical attacks and isn''t that effective when i''m being stabbed with something sharp, probably because the point of contact is too small. but i already have a few theories and ways in which i''d like to use it in the future. anyway, let''s ditch lily and kim and practice my new skill! hey, why do you look so happy that i''m leaving? what''s with the relief on your face? somehow it annoys me. [name: nathaniel gwyn] difficulty: hell floor: 1 time left until forced return: 4y 350d 01h 5m 32s traits (1/3): mana circuit (passive) lvl 12 strength: 11 dexterity: 9 constitution: 16 is it possible for such a good boy to exist? i watch kim as he tries to manipulate mana in his body following my instructions. he is getting better and better at this, easily the best out of the kids. yes, he still isn''t close to me. but as i continue to watch others, i start to suspect that the things i do with mana aren''t normal. kim is still stuck at level three of the skill, probably close to level four at this point, but to me, it feels like he is relying on the skill itself too much. he knows about it, and we''ve tried multiple times, but it still comes back to this even though he is super hardworking. it might improve with a good trait, but he is still far off from that, currently at level six. i still help him a bit to level up, as i promised when he gave me his sword for my personal lessons. a cheap price to pay, i would say so! i don''t understand why i had to pry the sword from his hand while he kept looking at me with unbelieving eyes. no going back on your promise, not on my watch! anyway. he improved his [gravity well] and now he can use it on a small area, so i have him increase the gravity while i practice swinging my sword. we are defending our base pretty comfortably, so i find some time to exercise like this. the effect of increased gravity is pretty strong, just in a small area, and in a few days of practicing and eating a lot of monster animal meat, i was able to increase my strength and constitution by one point each. another bonus is the rush of dopamine i feel after each exercise; damn, i missed exercising so much. "for fuck''s sake, at least keep the shirt on!" kevin appears, closely followed by lily. huh? but it will get sweaty and it''s super annoying to wash. kevin sighs. "i won''t even try to explain it to you." good! so stay quiet so i can focus! i get back to my training and move my sword through the air while increased gravity keeps pulling it down. my body feels so heavy, and i have to be careful not to lose balance; otherwise, i will get splatted on the ground in front of my lacking students. there is no mana running through my body, as kim''s skill isn''t strong enough yet for me to have to use it, so i exercise just by using my pure stats. at some point, the world quiets down, and i focus on the movements and continue moving my body. my muscles hurt. but it''s good pain. it means i put effort into it. it means that i am training as hard as i can to improve. if i put effort into it, i will be rewarded; that''s why it''s so addicting for me to exercise, as it always was. many minutes later, i stop when the gravity pulling me down weakens and look at kim; he is totally breathless. "out of mana," he says, and i just nod and turn to go and wash myself a bit. obviously, i will use the precious water we collected from a nearby stream, but that''s the advantage of being high in the rankings! "hey lily, why are you so red?" i barely hear kevin talking his nonsense when i am nearly gone. Chapter 41: Laughing Shadow chapter 41: laughing shadow tess stole my hoodie. tess insists she''s only "borrowing" my hoodie, but deep down, i know the truth. that hoodie is gone, never to return. she''s like a hoodie black hole, absorbing all the coziness and leaving me shivering in my hoodie-less existence. she says it''s because of the screw-up i made during our last hunt that she ended up with her clothes torn, but look, who would have guessed that the troll is so good at throwing stuff? totally not my fault. and sure, with my increased constitution, i don''t feel the cold even in the slightly colder weather we are in, and the hoodie was just lying down in my gym bag, but... but, it''s mine, it was mine. well, whatever. there are 10 days remaining on the time limit for the floor quest, so i decided to hunt alone for some time. i took a lot of dried meat and a few bottles of water with me and went to the forest, leaving them to survive on their own for a few days. hadwin didn''t like it at all, and neither did most of them, but i think it will help them too. some of them became too reliant on my help, stopped improving on their own, and just followed my lead. sure, they will get hurt, maybe even die, but if they just continue to follow me, they will for sure die in the future. if we look at this like a game, the first floor should be the easiest one, right? for me, the danger didn''t feel that big, and i have a feeling that my growth has stagnated as well. i don''t want to become too reliant on them, so i leave to return in a few days. i am also worried that i am getting too close to them. the forest is quiet, as always, and without tess''s scouting, i feel much more vulnerable, but surprisingly i don''t hate it. as always, there is mana flowing through my body, through my mana circuit, and my [mana perception] keeps sending wave after wave of mana into our surroundings like a sonar, trying to find something. the range isn''t that big, but it''s doable. so i continue checking my quests once in a while. there still isn''t a new [side quest] unfortunately, but knowing the system, i am sure it''s cooking up something really spicy. the first enemy i meet is a simple wolf. [wolf, lvl 2] poor guy, how did he end up here? in such a high-level zone. he sniffs me and starts running away immediately. unfortunately for him, i send more mana through my body and dash at him with a speed higher than his. surely enough, i catch up to him, and he turns to attack me in a last-ditch effort. i dodge, and his teeth clamp close to my head. then i slap him. yup. i bitch-slap that poor guy. he staggers back, and i repeat it, and he falls down, unconscious. i pull out the last remaining piece of the goblin shaman''s amulet and tie it to the wolf''s fur. i already did it multiple times in hopes of confusing the cinderbear. fuck cinderbear tho. i started doing it immediately after the last time, and there should be 7 wolves running around with a piece of amulet tied to their fur. or they lost it. i don''t care. just get that crap far away from me. out of nowhere i sense a hint of mana at the edge of my [mana perception] range and focus more mana in that direction. the feeling disappears without leaving anything behind. huh? i dash towards it, but i don''t catch anything. it''s gone and there isn ?t leftover mana left behind. what was that? the forest immediately feels more dangerous, and silence fills the surroundings. i feel mana behind me, but when i focus more on it, it disappears immediately in a way i can ?t explain. cold sweat starts running down my back, and i dash away from it. mana strengthens my muscles, and at this point, i am able to run as fast as a horse while letting [focus] help me to do it without hitting any trees. after a few minutes i stop to catch a breath. i lost it for sure... another pulse of mana appears at the edge of my perception. damn. i run again. ten minutes pass, and i continue to strengthen my body; my muscles feel hot as i continue to channel mana through my mana circuit to strengthen them. my mana pool is now big enough to keep it up for a really long time. as i run, i continue to feel the same mana signature at the edges of my perception. at first, i try to run away from it, but it starts to feel as if it''s trying to lure me somewhere, so i just avoid it. at some point, i even attempt to dash toward it again, but it disappears and reappears behind me within a minute. my [mana perception] continues to shoot into the surroundings, but i always only feel a hint of mana at the edge of my range. while continuing to use the skill, i optimize it a bit and increase the range. however, the signature moves again, staying not entirely out of range but still close. i stop. my breathing is quick, and my muscles burn. sweat runs down my body. something like laughter echoes in the distance. the presence appears once again at the edge of my detection. you asshole. this is getting annoying. fight me or something. as if knowing what i am thinking, the cackle sounds once again, and the presence disappears. it looks like there will be no sleep tonight. Chapter 42: The Cost of Perseverance chapter 42: the cost of perseverance it''s already a day since the start, and sneaky mcsneakface still continues to stalk me. i continue to monitor him even as i fight the monsters, but it doesn''t attack at all. yet, i do not let my guard down. the only good thing that comes out of it is that i greatly improve my [mana perception]. the range is now bigger, and i can feel even smaller usages of mana. yet every time i do so on this stalker, it lowers its mana signature. at this point, i am sure that it''s making fun of me, as every time i dash at it, the presence immediately disappears. it''s either moving insanely fast, teleporting, or just can totally erase its mana but continues to let out some for some reason, probably to piss me off. at one point, it did copy crimsonwolf. i let one troll hit me with nearly his full power, nearly breaking my arm in the process, but i absorbed an insane amount of kinetic energy and used it to propel myself towards the sneaky stalker. the trees turned into blurred lines, and i even crashed through multiple branches, yet the stalker was able to run away without leaving mana trail behind. so that''s it. i can''t ignore him, and it keeps me on my guard at all times. i do not dare to stop using mana to strengthen myself or for perception, so i continue to spend my mana. to counter it, i improve my efficiency, and i am sure at this point my usage is twenty to thirty percent lower than before sneaky mcsneakface appeared. so, thank you and fuck you. step on a lego or something. more time passes. i haven''t slept for like 30 hours at this point? surprisingly, it''s not that bad. constitution has turned me into a superhuman for sure, and mana is now nearly permanently flowing and strengthening my body, reducing the effects of lack of sleep. as for returning and having others help me? i refuse! i went there to become less reliant on them, so coming back immediately after would feel pathetic. i also think this is something i can deal with on my own. i took a sip of some water right from the stream, but i seem to be fine, so i came back and drank a bit more, it tasted really good. another problem is that i am already without any food. all this fighting and usage of mana made me hungry and i ate it all. the sneaky stalker is still stalking me and continues to avoid my attempts to catch him. surprisingly, shouting like a maniac and insulting his parents doesn''t help, and he still stays out of reach. oh, and i got lost. i forgot to mark the way. it''s getting harder to think logically. more time passes, and i was able to sleep for like three hours, well actually i slept without wanting to. i stopped to lean against a tree and fell asleep while standing. what woke me up was a sharp pain in my side. when i woke up and swung my sword, there was no one there, and i found a small wound in my side. the cackle sounded in the surroundings, and goosebumps appeared all over my body. the battletroll hits me straight on; my sword and hilt are already gone, so i use both of my hands to block him. i absorb more kinetic energy than ever before, yet my arms still break, but i push through the pain, kick his neck with the tip of my foot coated in [oscillation] and propel myself towards the presence at the edge of my perception. i mold the mana and send it all to my legs; my shoes literally explode from the pressure i put on them, and i dash barefoot. then i release the absorbed kinetic energy and push myself even faster. my [mana perception] flashes into the surroundings like a sonar, and i locate the phantom goblin. i reach him in a second, bulldozing through small trees; my shoulder collects unpleasant wounds, and i am sure i will be all bruised, but i push through it and reach the asshole. he tries to run, but i let myself hit a tree, absorb a bit more energy from the crash, and use it to propel myself again. the air around the goblin wavers, and his skin changes color like a chameleon, but this time i quickly find him by his mana with my improved perception. finally, i land a kick on him and he rolls on the ground. the small green monster screams in pain, and it makes him cancel his skill. i dash before he tries to run and stomp on his feet, making him scream again. hahaha. i stop for a second and continue to try to catch my breath. my arms hurt, my body hurts, my stomach is sick, i feel thirsty, and my clothes are in tatters. there are wounds all over my body. yet hahaha. i laugh while the green fucker screams in pain at my feet. then i stomp with my feet. i break his legs, his arms, and the monster continues to scream and tries to crawl away even with broken limbs. it scratches me with its nails, but i ignore it. i stomp on its stomach and chest, its neck. i get the message about the kill. but i continue until the green body at my feet turns into a mess of blood, bones, meat, internal organs, and green skin. haaa. i breathe out. easy, not even close. hahaha. i laugh a bit and then feel a wave of relief wash over my body. i just realize how scared i was for the past few days, and i feel like crying. but then i enter deeper into [focus], and the emotions slowly calm down. my [mana perception] flashes into the surrounding area, encompassing a space roughly the size of a small village. let''s go back. Chapter 43: The Warmth of Mana chapter 43: the warmth of mana in the end, i didn''t find anyone. tess found me. still wearing my hoodie, i see. hoodie snatcher. also, why such a face? it''s just a few flesh wounds and a few broken bones. with a bit of time, they will heal on their own, just by the power of my constitution. infection also doesn''t seem to be a problem because of the stat. missing a piece of my pinky? you should see the other guy, hehe. actually, there might still be a few pieces of him on my feet. i drink a lot of water and gobble up all the smoked meat tess has with her. then she leads me back to the camp and gives me an information dump while we walk. it looks like they did relocate their camp because the trolls around it started to become stronger and stronger. actually, overall, it looks like the monsters are at higher and higher levels. the kids seem to be fine, but one more person died. actually, should i be calling them kids? they are only a few years younger than me. whatever, they look like kids to me, so it will stay. as for the dead man, it''s kind of on him. he either didn''t put in enough effort and was just too naive, not realizing the situation they were in, and just waited for others to deal with it. anyway, it''s not like i knew him. the best doggo immediately welcomes me but stops just a bit away from me. i feel its eyes moving up and down my body. oi, i will be hurt if you don''t recognize me. he doesn''t disappoint and rushes at me, jumping up my legs, and touching them with his front feet while bouncing on his hind ones. damn, i would be happy if i didn''t know that he just likes that his food dispenser came back. "what the fuck, nat. did you get dragged across the entire forest?" i will forgive kevin, as his voice sounds worried even as he says what he does. "welcome back," hadwin says shortly and nods, and i return the gesture. people start gathering around me, and i hear them talk and ask questions over each other. some are worried, some are curious, and soon enough they start talking over each other and talking louder and louder to let their voices sound over other people''s voices. i am too tired to deal with this. i gently stomp my feet, and my mana flares up into the surroundings as i try to replicate the thing cinderbear did. everyone shuts up instantly. "i''m tired, so i will go and sleep. tess, please show me where i can go." no one bothers us as she leads me towards the makeshift bed. mana perception - lvl 8 oscillation - lvl 4 kinetic redistribution - lvl 4 it looks like the winner will be [mana manipulation]. actually, i am kind of curious about what will happen if i upgrade one of my skills. how big will the difference be? will there be more options to choose from, or is there just one? well, i will see soon enough, i guess. together with tess, we join the others. kevin is eating, so i clumsily grab the meat from his hands and start chewing it while sitting down next to him. he says something about gluttony but doesn''t complain that much. yup, stolen food tastes better. i can confirm. the doggo immediately joins and puts its head on my knee, and i feed him small pieces of dried meat while listening to other people talking. no one is asking me anything; they just talk. about skills, and their levels; at some point, they talk about people they all know and laugh, remembering how much they complained about homework. i feel movement to my side, and lily moves closer to me, our legs almost touching. "i''m glad you made it back," she whispers and holds my hand, the one with the missing piece of the pinky. i feel her mana wanting to enter my body, and my mana instantly pushes hers back with ease, but i slowly calm it down and move it away. her mana enters my hand. it''s warm and refreshing at the same time. my pinky stings a bit, and i feel her mana focusing on the spot and some also on my arms. a few minutes later, she stops, and i swear the missing part of the pinky is smaller. "i''m sorry, that''s all i can do for now. it will take a bit longer." with big eyes and black hair framing her petite face, a tiny nose rests in the center. her hair is neatly tied into a ponytail, and she offers an apologetic smile. "it''s fine." i gently pull my hand from hers and get back to caressing the little doggo. he''s even heavier than he used to be. i bet he kept stuffing himself with food while i was struggling out there. as an act of revenge, i boop his snout, knowing that he doesn''t like it that much. he ignores me at first, so i continue doing so until he woofs at me. huhu, take that. i poke him one more time, and he woofs again. kim comes back with a bit more meat, so i stop and grab some. the doggo turns to me. immediately after, i hear something in my mind. (food!) "..." what the heck? Chapter 44: Broken Inside chapter 44: broken inside i stare at the corgi, and he stares back at me. he blinks a few times, and i do the same. okay. okay! maybe i''m just hearing things. let''s try again. i grab a piece of meat from kevin and wave it in front of the dog. (food! food!) i hear again, and the corgi starts wagging his tail. "..." i stare at him again, and he stares at me and the meat, unable to look only at me. what the heck, biscuit?! did you obtain a skill or something? also, is it a telepathic communication skill or something like that? a strong suspicion fills my mind. did you obtain this kind of skill only to be able to ask for more food? that can''t be, right? (food! food!) i continue to hear it in my mind. the corgi''s eyes now stay glued to the piece of meat in my hand and follow it from side to side as i move it in front of him. "..." biscuit... why do i even bother? i throw the meat at him, and the voice in my head disappears. he gobbles it up and looks at me with what looks like cheeky smile. you little twerp. i will be mad if i get offered a tamer class or something like this in place of something much more awesome. no one else seems to be surprised, so i guess i was the only one able to hear the corgi. it''s either because he did talk to me only, or they just were unable to. i would pay just to see their reactions. i lean back and close my eyes while listening to the quiet conversation around the campfire and feeling the warmth of the bodies around me. dang telepathic dogs, what''s next? slowly, i doze off and fall asleep. so, i found some weird thing inside my skull. it seems to be feeding on my mana and growing stronger together with my growing mana. that would explain why i wasn''t able to remove it even after my level vastly outperformed hers. my theory is that she used her [manipulation] and [mana infusion] on me back then inside the bus when the first monster we met attacked. at that point, her mana points were at 3, while mine were at 1, and she also said she started with [manipulation] at level two. so back then, she was stronger than me, and in desperation and probably not even knowing what she was doing, she pushed her mana inside me and created this... construct. and then the construct grew with me while sucking on my mana to not be washed away by my mana pool. it''s just guessing, but i am sure that i am close to it. so i continue to watch the construct. my multiple attempts to remove it were unsuccessful. even the full power of my mana wasn''t enough; like a parasite, it pretends to be a part of me, and my body and even mana seems to be partly tricked by it. i will continue to observe it, and i might be able to learn something from how it works. i also start covering it with my mana, so sophie won''t feel it by mistake while using her skill to detect enemies and doesn''t recognize it somehow. but damn, it pisses me off. i gesture at kim to stop and sit down, and he joins me breathlessly but with a satisfied smile on his face as he stares at the sky. he has been like this since the start. even after all he went through, he seems to be content with it and smiles happily every time he improves a bit. finally, i ask, unable to hide my curiosity and wanting to know the answer i thought over multiple times. why are you so happy? at first, he seems surprised by my question, but then looks at me. his glasses are already gone as his improved constitution healed this defect, and his messy hair is longer than before. everything feels meaningful now, he starts carefully and then pauses. i just tilt my head slightly, waiting for him to continue. you know, back on earth, all i did was study. my parents are super strict, and that''s all i knew." he pauses once again, "the problem is every time i did something, it was not enough. never good enough. i had to get better grades, study harder, behave better, and stop wasting my time. he looks straight into my eyes. "it probably sounds silly to you, but it was way too much for me," he is looking for the right words, "it felt like i couldn''t breathe. that''s the best way i can explain it." he takes a deep, long breath. i tried to kill myself once, he says out of nowhere with a gentle smile on his face. then he turns away from me to look back at the sky. i just couldn''t handle it. all this pressure and disappointment from my parents. my older siblings were able to get to the best schools and universities, they got great jobs, yet me... no matter how hard i tried, i could never compare to them. i see. but now, once again, a smile flashes. it doesn''t matter anymore, and it won''t matter even if i come back to earth. no more studying, no more comparing to my siblings, no more controlling me. he squeezes his fist. so that''s how it is. i try hard, and i get rewarded. i practice and improve my level and my skills. finally, i am good at something. ten or so small stones fly up into the air and start orbiting his hand in difficult patterns. everything i do matters now. i hunt food we eat, i fight enemies so we can stay alive, and i train so hard it hurts sometimes. he laughs quietly. i know you understand, we are similar... somewhat. he can''t be more than fifteen, still a child in my eyes. his eyes are big, and his smile is bright, while stones orbit around his hand faster and in more difficult patterns. he seems happy. yet, i can''t shake the feeling that he is still somewhat wounded inside. Chapter 45: Spider Matriarch chapter 45: spider matriarch so, the thing about our base being in a good position to defend? yup, forget about that. fucking spiders. yes, spiders as big as our best doggo attacked us while climbing down the wall we were camped against. literally, dozens of them. look, i don''t have arachnophobia, but even i was close to screaming like a little girl when i saw them and heard the disgusting noise of hundreds of legs tapping onto the stone wall as they climbed down. the nice thing is that i finally saw sophie''s sister in action, showing off her impressive mana pool. a ten-year-old girl stretched out her hands towards the spiders and then turned into a human flamethrower. orange flames came into existence, burning down the spiders and making them screech in pain. up until now, i didn''t know that spiders could scream from pain as they burned. unsurprisingly, they are super flammable. also unsurprisingly, our camp made out of wood and skinned animal leather was as well. so as the burning spiders fell down from the wall, they landed right on our camp. that was the first time i saw sophie hit her sister. well, she only smacked the back of her head, but it''s something. so, i continue to cut down the spiders that attacked us while others try to collect as much stuff as they can. leathers, bottles, and things we made out of animal bones or leather, such as flasks we made out of hides. [you have defeated the spider - lvl 2] [you have defeated the spider - lvl 3] [you have defeated the spider - lvl 3] the monsters are fairly easy to kill, and their most repeated attack is just dashing onto us or trying to jump. to be honest, falling down and burning spiders are more dangerous. biscuit even takes a bite into a few spiders, but this time he isn''t calling them food, so i guess even this glutton has some limits. but things quickly change; in between smaller spiders, we spot bigger ones. but the matriarch doesn''t give a damn. while in the air, i feel a wave of mana from her, and her legs push as if against an invisible wall, and she flies back towards the maya she kicked. the heck!? before the spider reaches maya, flames come into existence, and a giant wall of flames appears in front of it. once again, the spider dodges midair, using an invisible platform to jump. then i hear the terrifying whistle, and the spear buries itself deep into the spider. the screech it makes hurts my ears. determined to use the opportunity, i dash at the spider while leon attacks it as well, and a stone spear is able to hit one of its legs as sophie does something that makes the spider freeze. wanting to protect their matriarch, dozens of spiders continue to dash at us but are mowed down by hadwin and others. the old man continues to just stand in the middle of them, and they continue to attack him, trying to bite him, but they are unable to pierce his skin for some reason, and he continues to maul them with what looks like a smaller tree. every hit sends a spider flying away with a broken body. damn, old man... i reach the matriarch and she swings her leg at me. i partly dodge it, absorb some of the energy, and use it to propel myself closer. finally, i stab my dagger deep inside the spider, and my mana flares up around the blade, making the effect of [oscillation] bigger. still, i have to jump back immediately after as the spider tries to bite me with its massive fangs. then, instead of trying to run away, it dashes at leon while dodging his stone spears. maya then jumps in front of the man while looking amazingly calm and calculating. as if there isn ?t a giant spider rushing at her. she waits until the last possible moment and stabs her spear through the head of the matriarch. the spider bites at her shoulder, but the mana around her upper body flares up into existence, creating armor around her chest. still, the fangs penetrate her shoulder while crushing the translucent armor, but it doesn''t get any reaction from maya, and the woman stabs again. at the same time, a shower of stones hits the matriarch, and a stone spear too, and the giant white spider slowly dies. [you have defeated the spider matriarch - lvl 16] the dark-skinned, athletic young woman looks around calmly while pushing the dead spider away from her, and the fangs exit her skin. our gazes meet for a second. she flashes me a bright, cocky smile and turns around. hmm, what did tess say a few weeks ago? that there is another person with [focus] among the passengers? i guess i don''t have to ask tess who it is. Chapter 46: Pushed to the Limit chapter 46: pushed to the limit so in the end, lily did heal maya. for free. what the heck! venom? yeah, it either got dissolved by lily''s healing or wasn''t strong enough to pose a problem for maya. or maybe the matriarch didn''t have venom? are there spiders without it?no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. well, whatever. the woman could have been fine even if lily hadn''t healed her, but it sure helps speed up the process. right now, we are walking away from our last camp, and every few minutes, a small group of monsters attacks us. currently, the sky is without its phony suns, and beautiful aurora-like lights shine in the sky, which somehow makes every monster suicidal. it''s even worse than before. sure, some confidence is nice, but can you imagine attacking our group as two level-two goblins? well, that''s what happened a few times. what legends. sophie sometimes gets too annoyed with dealing with low-level monsters and tries to send them away, but every time a stone flies as fast as a bullet, it crashes through their heads and kills them. kim doesn''t care about it not being worth it. even if he doesn''t get much out of it, he continues to snipe them down. the look sophie gives him... (food. food!) biscuit continues to scream in my head. dang it, biscuit, you just ate. our little doggo seems to be confused about why we are leaving behind such an amazing amount of food and once in a while takes a few bites before running back to us in his wobbly way. at some point we split from the group and hunt the same way we used to do it before. tess and i walk in front of the group and focus on taking down higher-leveled targets. up until now, we haven''t encountered any "named" monsters, as we started calling them. the monsters such as cinderbear, crimsonwolf, battletroll, and spider matriarch. but there are so many of them. i pull my dagger out of the troll''s head and jump down, ignoring the notification about the kill. immediately after, i let my mana flare up and dash towards another troll. i slide on the ground past his swing, and when i am closer, i jump back up, high enough to reach his head and slash across his neck while using [oscillation]. another notification about a kill. i continue and dash at a group of three goblin warriors. he roars, staggers backward, and kicks at me. i can only dodge it because i am trying to read his movements; he is just that fast. i absorb some kinetic energy as the kick passes by me and use it to propel myself under his legs. while passing, i leave a deep wound on his calves. my dagger doesn''t break, thanks only to the [oscillation] coating it. good, it''s doable. we can do it. i turn around to dash again, but the troll is gone. huh? i hear tess scream and feel mana behind my back. damn. with speed i didn''t know i was capable of, i activate [kinetic redistribution] and use it on my back. the entirety of my mana rushes there, and my body burns, unable to handle such an amount so quickly. then, even while using the skill, i get hit and find myself crashing through the trees. i roll into a ball, let go of the absorbed kinetic energy to slow myself down and focus my mana on strengthening my body. yet, i still get hurt. i feel my right-hand bleeding. my left leg twists in a weird direction. i almost lose consciousness, and a piece of wood stabs through my right shoulder. i continue to roll, adding scratches and bruises to my body. i absorb as much of the energy as i can and push it in the direction where i am rolling to slow myself down. then the world finally stops spinning. i feel a huge mana signature approaching and the ground shaking. not good. i try to get on my legs and almost fall down. not good! i [focus], and in desperation, i stop trying to limit my mana and let it freely ravage my body. immediately, i feel my muscles burning, and some of my capillary veins explode from the pressure. my mana circuit feels as if someone is using white-hot iron to mark my body repeatedly. the troll is dashing at me, really close, while ignoring multiple spears hitting him. i even feel the full force of tess''s [psychokinesis] explode into the surroundings. tess screams something and trees bend and tear from the ground; the earth flies up in the air. i can see the terrible pressure she is trying to put on the battle troll, but he doesn''t slow down. he rushes through all of it while his tattoos shine with beautiful white light. i [focus] and forcefully take control over my vast mana, moving it, molding it in the way i want. i hear the notification, and the world loses even more of its colors, and i don''t hear anything anymore. then my mana flares up. Chapter 47: The Price of Greed chapter 47: the price of greed the battle troll swings his fist at me, its tattoos shining brighter than ever, the entire force of its rush is behind the swing. i lift up my left arm and reach out towards the monster''s fist with my open palm. i barely hold back the mana ravaging my body. the troll''s attack connects and touches my arm first. and that''s all. his movement stops, the entire force of his attack disappearing in a blink. the world comes to a stop. then i try to redirect the energy, and my entire left arm explodes almost up to my shoulder. it just disappears in a fine mist of blood, flesh, and bones. a short moment later, the battle troll''s head explodes in the same way. then i pass out. i wake up, and immediately i wish i did not. hoping i did level up, i try to invest three stat points into constitution, and it actually works. now i have to wait. i focus on breathing, slowly, breathing in, breathing out. good. slowly opening my eyes, i realize that two fake suns are again in the sky, and i am lying down on a few hides in the middle of a small clearing, so similar to the one where we first appeared. the only difference is the soft hum of a stream of water nearby. "nathaniel." for fuck''s sake, tess, a bit quieter. "nathaniel..." she repeats, and her voice is a bit softer now. after getting used to the light, i fully open my eyes and look at tess sitting nearby. there is also lily lying down right next to me. actually, she is lying pretty close, and our bodies are touching. uh? "she kept healing you the entire time and as much as she could. she fell asleep after spending the entirety of her mana multiple times," tess says as if knowing what''s going through my mind. i see. i glance down, and unfortunately, my left arm is still gone, and the wound is healed, covered in new, smooth, pale skin that never saw the sun, so it''s not tanned. all thanks to lily. goddamn. i guess i owe them both now. i send mana through my body and enter [focus]. it takes longer than before, and my body hurts while i''m doing so, but soon enough, i can focus a bit better and check out the rest of my body. the smaller wounds are already gone, and only the big ones are the problem. my entire left arm is gone. my right arm hurts but it ?s thankfully not broken. my left leg is not twisted anymore, but i can feel that it''s not fully healed. "status," i whisper. then i slowly lift my right arm and roll my fingers into a fist, then lift my middle finger to show it to the holographic window floating in front of me. eat shit! motherfucker! what the hell! why the fuck does every fucking monster on the fucking 1st floor of the fucking tutorial use fucking magic so fucking well? goddamn. i started feeling too awkward around all these people being super considerate and trying to even avoid looking at the stump i have instead of an arm. i like this much more. "such a dick move, verbally attacking an unarmed person," i answer back, and shock flashes across her face before she smiles at me. her eyes measure me up and down, probably trying to guess if i am still someone she should be wary of. i even feel a tiny wisp of her mana reaching out towards me, carefully, almost unnoticeably. when it comes closer to me, i send a pulse of mana right at sophie, while imitating the way cinderbear used mana. my mana obliterates her mana and hits sophie, making her rouse up mana around her body. i push out more and more, showing her the entirety of my mana pool, and our eyes meet. i am wounded. i can''t walk properly right now, and i am missing an arm. but i will not give up. if they take my arm, i will kick; if they take my legs, i will crawl and bite. up until my last breath. after a while, sophie gives me another smile. there is no sympathy in it, yet i prefer it over the warmth others give me. then she leaves. pov sophie martinez even when i tried to be as careful as possible, he felt my probing nearly instantly, and his mana fired up, totally obliterating and pushing back my mana. tattered, and crippled, yet his face looks calm as always as he looked at me with his differently colored eyes. and the mana he has... what level is he? how many points did he invest in mana? and how was he still able to be so fast, strong, and agile while putting so many points into mana? i don''t even try again and leave, soon joining maya, leon, and izzie. my little sister instantly jumps and sits near me, and i put my arm around her. the heat of her small body next to me calms me slightly as i caress her hair. "so how is he?" maya asks curiously. "i wouldn''t mess with him." "huh? he''s done, right? there''s no way he''ll survive when the night comes again. i bet i could take him on, right now." remembering his firm gaze and vast mana, i somehow doubt that. "others will help him," leon says shortly with his strong accent, and i agree. "they will. there''s no way they will just stand by," i warn her. "pfff, only tess is worth something; the rest of them are like headless chickens without nathaniel telling them what to do." i''ve thought over it multiple times and partly agree with maya. tess is probably the strongest one of everyone here, now that nathaniel is so severely wounded, but the others aren''t as bad as maya may think. sure, lily isn''t combat-oriented, but kim and kevin would surely surprise her. "don''t forget that lily did heal your shoulder," once again, the big man says. "i would have been fine even without it! it just healed a bit faster. i don''t owe her anything!" before they start fighting again, i interrupt them. "also, i think you were right, maya. nathaniel probably also has [focus] or something similar to it." "i knew it!" the woman in her mid-twenties instantly gets distracted by new information and forgets about the fight she was about to start with leon. "that brat is too calm! i always..." she continues to talk over leon, who is trying to say something, and i listen to her in the back of my mind, making sure i remember everything she says. i also continue to carefully send my mana at her. unlike nathaniel, she doesn''t notice it at all, and i slowly continue probing her with my [manipulation]. Chapter 48: Promises Made chapter 48: promises made so, i almost had a heart attack. the cause? a fucking dog. i was eating some dried deer meat when i felt mana activate close to me and instantly rolled backward, activating my skills. but what i saw made me open my mouth like a goldfish gasping for air. biscuit was standing there, and from somewhere around his shoulders, two tentacles made of dark purple mana reached out toward me. when i rolled away, one of the tentacles continued trying to grab a piece of meat i had dropped but was unsuccessful. so, the corgi wobbled closer and ate it from the ground. then the tentacles disappeared. ... ... ... another strong suspicion hits me. this can''t be, right? not again. there is no way he learned it because he can''t jump up and grab food from our hands or if we put it in some high place to hide it from him. ... please, someone, tell me it''s not because of that. the corgi tilts his head and continues to look at me while breathing loudly with his tongue sticking out. biscuit... since then, i''ve had some fun by not telling anyone and watching people scream as the corgi tried it on them as well. hey, look, if it works, it works. most of the time, they at least dropped their food, and the corgi ate it from the ground. what i noticed is that for some people, he didn''t even bother reaching out towards them with his mana tentacles. he just "spawned" them to scare people into dropping their food. that''s my boy. half a day passed, and my leg is nearly fully healed. i asked lily to focus her healing there and ignore the rest of my wounds for now, and it did help a bit. as always, i continue to watch the way she uses her skill and the movement of her mana as it heals my wounds. it looks fairly simple at the start, but when i try it, nothing happens. at this point, i am sure her mana is doing something on such a small, maybe even microscopic scale, and i can''t ever observe it with my current skills. obviously, i will continue to try, but i don''t think i will be able to replicate her skill anytime soon. i check my skills: focus - lvl 7 mana manipulation - lvl 9 biscuit''s skill takes care of efficiency and activation, and the dog only controls it, but i will have to push a lot of mana out of my body, manipulate it, make it denser, and shape it into the form of an arm. also, i will have to somehow connect it to my body, so it doesn''t stay behind when i move... wait... sure, i found out that it''s easier to manipulate my mana outside my body when it''s connected to me at least a bit, but what if i improve enough? won''t it be possible to create objects that are not touching me and manipulate them? is that how ethan''s mana shield did work? probably. more testing is needed! also, i will have to watch maya a bit more. her second skill, the translucent armor she used, might be a good inspiration for what i want to do and help me create not an armor but a translucent arm for myself. i feel lily''s mana nearby, so i stop practicing and turn to her instead. as she walks closer, she gives a small smile. "i got some mana back." as i''ve done a few times before, i sit on the ground with my back against a tree, and she sits next to me. then she places her hand on my knee, and i push my mana away so hers can enter and start healing. it''s warm yet refreshing, like a breeze on a hot day. a minute passes as we sit there in silence, and i look at her hand on my knee. it''s so small. some of her nails are broken, and it''s scratched up. looking up close, i realize that most of the nails look as if she''s been biting them off, probably out of distress. not everyone has skills such as [focus], and it''s not hard to imagine how much pressure it puts on someone like lily. she continues until she''s out of mana, and i notice that she pushes to get the last bit of it out. some sweat even appears on her forehead from how hard she''s focusing, and her hand trembles a bit. why? just take care of yourself, you silly girl. we''re just strangers. it all just makes me feel sour. "phew! that''s it for now, i guess." a bright smile appears on her small face, but then we hear a twig crack nearby, and she shudders, quickly turning towards it. fear flashes through her face, but she pushes it away as fast as it appeared. i don''t look there, as with my [mana perception], i know it''s just a corgi passing by. "lily," i say quietly without thinking about it much. she turns to me, smiling again, but there''s still some stiffness in her body after she got scared. "i can''t promise you that everything will be fine, but know that i will help you if i can, okay?" if it won''t kill me, i''ll help you. i can even risk some big wounds. i don''t mind it that much. they''re just wounds that will heal. i need you to get my arm back, that''s why. there... there isn ?t any other reason. her face freezes for a bit, and she nods slowly. she doesn''t say anything, but as she turns around, i see that her eyes are wetter than before. she leaves, and i let mana flow through my body while looking up at the sky. Chapter 49: Trauma chapter 49: trauma only three days left until we complete the [floor quest]. as it draws nearer, i realize that we''ve actually spent almost 30 days here, in the forest full of monsters. but the monsters are getting stronger and attacking even during the day now. i dodge a stab with a spear and kick a goblin''s head, completely evaporating it in the process. [you have defeated the goblin - lvl 4] even normal mob monsters are getting stronger. the highest normal goblin from before only reached level 3, but now? they range from level 4 to 6. there are almost no animals anymore, either eaten by monsters or having run away, so we are surviving only on the food we were able to save up. we don''t even have time to boil water, and just drink it straight from the stream. and our base? gone. oh, and two more after that. every time we stop to build some defenses, monsters attack us in bigger and bigger waves, so we keep moving. i coat my dagger in [oscillation] and nearly cut off a troll''s leg, then do the same to two more trolls. the fourth one dodges and swings at me, but i absorb all the kinetic energy of his hit and shoot it back at him, making him stagger backward. with the remaining energy, i propel myself toward him and create a terrible wound across the entire length of his chest. i dash again, this time jumping right into a group of five goblins. in the back of my mind, i hear notifications as others finish the monsters i wounded. [you have defeated the troll - lvl 7] [you have defeated the troll - lvl 9] [you have defeated the troll - lvl 8] ...it keeps going on as others continue finishing them as they fall down. kevin has learned to coat the tip of his spear in his [combustion] and just stabs the spear at someone, then activates it, usually blowing off a massive piece of his target. of course, the weapon gets destroyed, but with so many goblins around, he just grabs another one. kim, meanwhile, found a massive piece of iron ore or something. unlike stones, it doesn''t get destroyed when he hits more durable enemies with it, so he continues to move it around. to be honest, it''s a kind of terrifying technique against bigger and slower enemies. i absorb some energy and jump into the air, then throw it in front of me. it pushes me backward, and i stab the neck of the goblin behind me. [you have defeated the goblin - lvl 5] after a few more minutes of fighting, there are far fewer monsters, and we''re finally able to breathe a bit. judging from previous experience, we have around three hours before another large group finds us and attacks. but it''s not like we''ll be totally left alone; there will still be smaller groups attacking, but compared to the big ones, they feel like a joke. kim''s lump of iron ore slowly passes by me, completely covered in blood, guts, and some brain matter. that''s quite metal. anyway, biscuit is already eating. the corgi is an advocate of absolute equality - he eats everything without caring about size, gender, or skin color. dark purple tentacles reach out from behind his shoulders and hold the cut-off goblin legs while the dog munches. the amazing skill he somehow acquired has turned into a glorified utensil. why do i even bother? "i need to sleep a bit," tess says wearily as she approaches me, her movements sluggish. behind her back hover ores similar to kim''s, but hers are a bit flatter and with some sharp edges, slightly elongated. while using a ton of mana and with a loud, terrifying noise, she was able to flatten out two pieces of ores and stretch them a bit. is it the effect of the stats, or something else? "it''s almost time to go," he says shortly, and i nod. to be honest, he''s doing a pretty good job organizing all this stuff and still finds some time to level up while giving orders to his "group". there are currently three groups: me, tess, kim, kevin, and lily. sophie, isabella, leon, and maya. and hadwin with the remaining six people, including biscuit''s owner, three school kids, the bus driver, and one more woman. hadwin''s group doesn''t feel that strong, but from what i''ve seen, they have pretty good coordination. the older man finally leaves, and i send kevin to wake up tess. while he does so, i sense a hint of mana near us. without letting it show, i stop probing and just walk towards the spot while acting as if i''m going somewhere else. i even yawn and stretch while walking, trying to appear as careless as possible. when i''m passing by the spot where i felt the presence, i get ready. my mana flares up, and i send a probing pulse, quickly finding that the presence is still at the same spot but starting to run after sensing my mana probe. mana roars through my body, immediately strengthening it, and i dash the remaining distance, kicking the enemy. the phantom goblin''s camouflage deactivates, and the monster rolls on the ground while screeching. its arms are bent and broken, with bones sticking out of them. the green asshole had time to try to block my attack. i slowly move closer, and even through the [focus], i feel terrible memories and feelings come back. i step on its leg, breaking it as it tries to crawl away from me. it screams again and turns on its back, trying to kick me with its unbroken leg and swinging its broken arms at me. i stomp on its chest with my bare feet, denting it, breaking its ribcage, and with the force i applied, nearly going through its entire body. bloody foam forms on the monster''s mouth, and i step again, this time on its head. splat. notification. stomp. and again. again. once more. i stop only when there''s nothing left but a bloody mess where the small green monster once was. Chapter 50: Into the Fray chapter 50: into the fray okay, so i might have a little problem on my hands. what i did to the phantom goblin doesn''t sound like something a normal person would do. but that''s not such a big problem. the problem is the looks people around me are giving me. if i want to be able to move around other people without having them look at me like this, i will have to control myself a bit. i cannot allow slip-ups like this one. at least not when they are around. sure, i can continue and let them see this side of me, but i would rather not. reminding them once in a while what i can do would be good, especially when dealing with people like sophie. but i would prefer them to be neutral or like me than scared. anyway, i get back and, unfortunately, most of them saw it. the only ones acting as usual are tess and unnamed corgi. i even have to stop him from going to eat the remains. (food!) sounds into my mind in an almost complaining tone. you just ate. "let''s go," i say shortly, and i rejoin the others. as many times before, tess and i hunt for stronger monsters while kim and kevin stay near lilly and some of hadwin''s people. hadwin also pushes a bit ahead. leon and maya hunt for stronger monsters, and sophie stays with her sister. the little girl uses her flamethrower when monsters get close, and sophie often just sends weaker monsters away with her [manipulation]. the first strong monster we find is a goblin. [goblin warrior - lvl 13] i step ahead and fire up my mana. breathe in. breathe out. mana rushes into my legs, and i bounce a bit on my feet. then i dash at the same time the monster dashes at me. he calculates my movement and swings his axe at me, so i absorb my own kinetic energy and stop nearly at the spot. more strength. i dash towards the monster while my mana flows through my body, wildly and close to getting out of my control, but i am not worried. i focus more, control it more, calm it down, and send it where it needs to be. the troll stomps and i feel his mana. he is moving in the same way as the first time he used the skill, so i lower my body, send more mana to my core, and continue. the gravity spell pushes onto me. this time, the area of effect around the troll is small, and weaker goblins scream as they are pushed even deeper into the ground, and their bones break. my muscles burn, my body is hot, and the axe in my hand feels so heavy. then i almost fall when he uses the skill for the third time, losing balance because the right side of my body is affected a bit more as i am missing an arm on the left side. but i hold it. i clench my teeth and push through all of it, and wildly oscillating mana appears around the axe. the troll is massive, but i dodge his swing. while doing so, i jump onto his arm and sprint towards his head, using his arm to get there. he pulls back, but it''s too late; i am already there, and my axe buries itself deep into the monster''s left eye. i pull it out, showered in the monster''s warm blood. i jump from the monster to avoid its coming hand, and i fall down to the ground much faster than expected, affected by the giant troll''s gravity spell. a groan escapes my mouth, feeling the pressure it puts on my body, but i straighten up again and once again activate [oscillation]. i bury my axe into the troll''s leg multiple times. its roar almost deafens me, but i continue while it is moving around, trying to stomp on me. absorbing as much kinetic energy as i can from his stomps, i use it to push against the monster''s hurt leg, as he is standing on only one and trying to stomp on me. that makes him stagger a bit, and i hear a new noise. the whistling of a heavy thing flying terrifyingly fast through the air. elongated iron ores hit the monster''s head, and he roars even louder, finally losing balance and slowly falling down, pulled by his own skill too. he slams down with a loud noise, and earth and dust fly into the air. i take a step towards the monster and stomp gently on the ground, releasing some absorbed kinetic energy, and it instantly sends away all the dust that flew into the air. i take another step and use the remaining energy to propel myself, quickly passing its flailing arms and reaching its head. the axe vibrates wildly as if it''s about to break, but i force through and slash downwards. again and again, i bury the axe into the monster''s head up until it breaks. there is a wound on its skull big enough for me to see inside of its head through the shattered bones. so i jump onto the monster''s head and wait until the last moment. the giant hand reaches for me, still holding tremendous energy that i absorb as much as i can. when the hand makes contact with me, i gather all the energy it produces and shape it into a focused cone. i continue to refine the cone, making it narrower and more concentrated, until it''s a precise, lethal point. i direct this beam of kinetic energy straight into the monster''s head through the existing wound. it wreaks havoc within the troll''s brain, making a mess of it. the hand still hits me, but i do not try to fight against it and just jump up and let it throw me through the air while strengthening my body against it. flying through a few branches, i roll in the air and land on my feet, still sliding a bit, but i absorb the energy of my own fall and stop. the energy escapes into the surrounding, creating a small shockwave with me in the epicenter, and i hear a notification. [you have defeated the giant troll - lvl 14] [lvl 18 > lvl 19] Chapter 51: When Darkness Falls chapter 51: when darkness falls unable to lie to myself, i put three points into mana. at this point, it starts to feel as if i''m going to kill myself sooner than my enemies. it''s like i''m drawn to it, you know? i can''t help but seek it, i want more, and i''d even let go of some things to get it. it''s so dumb and illogical, but at the same time, it makes me happy. happy and scared at once. lvl 19 strength: 13 dexterity: 12 constitution: 27 mana:39 this can''t be good, right? even now, i can feel my body creaking under pressure as i use more and more mana. only my control holds it back from wreaking havoc on my body as i continue to strengthen myself. dang it, i''d better learn some amazing skills in the future to make use of all this mana. using it mostly to strengthen my body feels good, sure, but at the same time, it''s as if i''m using a sports car just to get to the shop and back home. wasted mana lies here dormant, waiting until my skills are good enough. soon! hopefully... my perception warns me, and i jump backward just in time to avoid a troll hitting the ground where i once stood. [battle troll - lvl 11] its tattoos are red and glowing. the troll grabs his club and swings it at me again. my mana pushes against him, and i lift my empty hand against the club, quickly absorbing the energy of his swing. it slowly slows down until it hits my hand. it feels as if someone hit my palm with their fist. i focus, and the absorbed energy explodes against the troll, making him stagger backward. with a jump, i reach his neck and stab my hand through it, the hand coated in oscillating mana. then i jump backward, leaving the troll to slowly die. [you have defeated the battle troll - lvl 11] the fight continues for a few more minutes, and then we move once again through the forest, trying to avoid a bigger group of monsters and not stay in one spot for too long. "kim reached level ten and got a trait," tess says after rejoining me. telekinetic reflexes (passive): this trait heightens the user''s reflexes and reaction time by using their telekinesis to subtly manipulate their own movements. this enhancement allows the user to react more quickly and accurately in combat, improving their ability to dodge attacks and execute precise movements. "he said it might allow him to fly or give some hints so he can learn to fly in the future. he didn''t even check the other traits." at this point, i don''t even know what to say. in some ways, kim might be even worse than me.??vl?1n. "hadwin''s coming," she stops and falls quiet once again until the man comes from behind the trees, followed by one of the kids from his group, the boy. so seeing them darken like that and more and more of them is kind of disturbing. "aaron says we should come back..." huh? isn''t that too soon? "attack?" "nothing as of now, but there are more and more monsters surrounding them, and it''s as if they''re waiting for something." i don''t like that at all. what is the system planning now? "let''s go back." i turn back to where we came from and start walking ahead. this time i don''t even check tess for direction and follow the thin thread of mana leading from dennis towards his brother. the clouds are getting darker and darker, and it''s getting hard to see, as we can''t even see the suns anymore. the trees are creaking under the wind, and the leaves are wildly flying everywhere. even with our strengthened bodies, it''s slowly getting harder to push through it. then the rain starts. it''s cold and falls on us like a shower. one moment there is nothing, and half a second later, we are drenched in water. the raindrops are weakly tinged in the same colors as aurora-like lights during the night. pink, green, and blue. they continue hitting our bodies with surprising force. there are no monsters around us, and that makes me even more nervous. "we have to hurry," the boy screams, trying to shout over the rain, the creaking sounds of trees, and the wind. so we push. at some point, it''s hard to track the thin string of mana. the raindrops hold tiny bits of mana inside them, so it''s starting to mess up my [mana perception] pretty badly, and i let the boy take over and lead us towards the group. as we are getting closer to the others, i get the same feeling as when the suns disappeared. for a few seconds, all the raindrops pause in the air as if someone stopped time, even the wind stops. in deafening silence, i hear the screeches of the monsters. then the rain continues, and we start running faster. "hurry, please," dennis says, and i can barely hear him through the rain. a minute later, another monstrous wave of mana washes over the entire forest, and the raindrops hover in the air without falling. this time we continue to run through them. a few moments later, i hear the low, deep growl of a bear, and the rain resumes, silencing the roars of the monsters. i quickly check the timer. time left until forced return: 4y 336d 23h 59m 42s there are two days left. Chapter 52: When Lightning Strikes chapter 52: when lightning strikes at one moment, dennis'' mana shines brightly, and he disappears. immediately after, he reappears in the same spot. his clothes are now covered in blood, and he is breathless. "please hurry," he says weakly, "dennis and the others won''t be able to hold on for too long." he leans against a tree, almost falling down. dennis? is this his twin aaron? did they switch places? that would explain the wounds. "where are lily, kevin, and kim?" i ask shortly. "there''s no time. you have to..." he pauses when i step in front of him. "this way..." he points his hand somewhere. the thin string that connects the twins is leading right where he is pointing. "if they''re not there, i will hurt your brother." his mouth opens and closes. his eyes turn to tess, asking for help. is he messing with me? i punch the wound on his chest, and he screams. he tries to say something, but i punch his wound again, and he lets out an even louder scream. "where?" my voice sounds too calm, even to myself. finally, some fear appears in his sky-blue eyes. his hand moves, shaking, and he points somewhere. "tess?" "i can''t see through the raindrops." i give a last look to the boy and dash towards where he was pointing. tess leaves one of her spears with him and follows me without any further hesitation. my [mana perception] continues to fire up into the surroundings, but too much information comes back at me. every single raindrop holds some mana as they fall, glowing slightly, illuminating our surroundings somehow. but i continue. i send mana further and further. i unleash the entirety of my mana and filter out the useless information. it hurts me, but i push through. [focus] makes the dull colors around me even less vibrant, but the mana in the drops shines even brighter. "i''m sorry, i can''t see a thing..." tess apologizes, but i almost don''t hear her. the rain continues to hit us harder and harder, and i can feel the unnatural speed and weight of the raindrops on my skin. before it gets out of my reach, i absorb some energy and attack the wolf, leaving three deep slashes on its chest and neck before the mana around my hand disappears. the monster thrashes around and falls down after a moment. [you have defeated the two-headed wolf - lvl 13] amidst the pouring rain, another monster appears. [stormbear - lvl 14] electricity crackles and dances around its dark, shaggy fur, casting an eerie glow in the gloomy surroundings. the ground trembles beneath its massive paws as it charges towards me with intimidating speed, revealing a gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth, each larger than my hand. i absorb some energy from the rain, and the raindrops in a vast area slow down to a crawl. a bit of that energy pushes kevin towards kim and lily, and i take a step towards the charging bear. more and more energy enters my body, and the stormbear slows down as if it is running through water. with each pounding beat of my heart, i can feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins. i take another step. as i gather more energy, my mana surges within me, threatening to spiral out of control like a wild, untamed storm. despite the chaotic forces churning inside, i focus my mind and control the power that dwells within me, ready to be unleashed when the moment is right. the bear stands before me as i unleash all that energy in a narrow cone. the force of the blast obliterates one of the monster''s front legs, reducing it to a mist of flesh, bones, and blood. unable to maintain its balance, the bear staggers and collapses onto the ground in front of me. the electricity around the monster dissipates, and an oscillating mana appears on my hand once more as i bury my hand deep inside the monster''s head. for a moment, electricity touches my hand, but it''s torn apart by my [oscillation]. [you have defeated the stormbear - lvl 14] i feel another presence, and two more bears appear. [stormbear - lvl 12] [stormbear - lvl 15] even through the rain, i feel tess''s mana and a terrible howling noise fills the surroundings. two massive chunks of iron, tempered with tess''s mana, come flying towards the bigger bear. unlike before, the mana around the ores feels different. more dangerous, vicious. the projectiles soar through the air with a fearsome sound, accompanied by a trail of red and white lightning that flickers and dances in their wake. the ores hit the bear, and immediately, lightning comes down from the sky. red lightning with traces of white. it hits the ore that''s buried inside the bear, and an explosion ensues, burning the monster''s body and sending a shockwave to the other bear. right after, i feel the mana collecting in tess''s chest, a signal for me, and i dash forward. my mana vibrates and cuts through the stunned level 12 bear, and then i finish the terribly wounded bigger bear. [you have defeated the stormbear - lvl 12] [you have defeated the stormbear - lvl 15] Chapter 53: The Monster in the Rain chapter 53: the monster in the rain one hour passes, and i continue to fight. it feels as if i will be torn apart by my mana and the absorbed kinetic energy if i lose my focus even for a second. the rain continues to fall down even harder, and at this point, the raindrops nearly hurt. my body''s burning. my muscles are screaming. my head feels like it''s about to explode. yet, i feel so alive. i lead mana through my circuit. it moves at dizzying speed, and it hurts every time i lose control over it and it crashes inside my body. but i continue to improve even more. i move faster and more recklessly. i do not fear. my mana pool feels bottomless and i continue use more and more mana, yet there''s still a lot left over. it''s fun. i dodge, and a cone of absorbed kinetic energy blows off the monster''s head. [you have defeated a bear - lvl 15] i jump up and the oscillating mana coats my hand, slashing through the troll''s neck. [you have defeated a troll - lvl 14] raindrops freeze in the air, and when they move again, the monster is pushed away from me, breaking against the rocks nearby. [you have defeated a bear - lvl 11] at some point, i almost don''t move and just absorb the kinetic energy from the stronger and stronger rain. it''s hard to see, but my [mana perception] pierces through the rain, and i attack all moving mana signatures that aren''t human. i stand there and absorb energy from the monsters as they attack me and from the heavy raindrops falling from the dark sky. another head blows off. another mangled corpse flies away from me. notification and i invest stat points. into mana. the rain weakens, and i start getting less kinetic energy from it. but it''s okay; i just increase efficiency. don''t waste; use it all. another notification. at some point, monsters stop attacking me, so i dash at them. it''s easier to see now. i stomp, and the rain gets pushed away from me, along with a bunch of smaller monsters that surrounded me. multiple notifications about the kills. a two-headed wolf is collecting mana in its mouth, and i dash at it while propelling myself ahead. it shoots fire at me, and i jump over it. while i am in the air, another head shoots its flame at me, and my mana flares up even more. i waste so much mana it almost makes me feel disappointed in myself, but i propel myself towards the ground, pushing against the air. i slash through the monster''s neck with my hand covered in oscillating mana. notification. and then nothing. huh? i look around, the rain is gone. there are two suns in the sky. huh? my [mana perception] sends a wave of mana into my surroundings and covers almost twice as big an area as before. nothing, only humans. again. still no monsters. i slow the mana rushing through my veins. i am sorry, but that''s all i can do for you, little guy. sophie is there, only with maya and her sister. hadwin is together with the twins and the bus driver, jacob. from our little group, no one has died, but lily''s eyes are still wet, and for some reason, she''s avoiding my gaze. even kim avoids looking at me, and i see his clenched jaw; kevin seems to be less cheery. so that''s it. it''s fine. it might be better if it stays this way. only tess seems to be behaving the same way she did before. i catch her eyes with mine and look at her for a long moment. she is looking at me without any hesitation, not dodging my gaze, not shuddering when i move. i... see. i just nod at her, and she nods back. my [mana perception] flares up towards the sky, and i feel the mana collecting again, the same way it did before. it will take a few hours, but soon enough the same thing will repeat, so i need to become even stronger. lately, i have become too complacent and even started worrying about what others will think of me. not anymore. i stop in front of maya. her gaze is calm, and she looks at me without any worry. mana is already circulating through her body, and she exudes the calmness that i know so well. my body moves so fast she is unable to even dodge as i kick her. she goes flying through the air, and i slowly walk towards her. her face is still calm as she stands up and brushes the dust off her body. a translucent armament made of mana appears around her body, and i start to observe it. behind me, someone screams, but then i hear tess''s weapons flying around and the crackle of lightning she is now able to infuse into them. i continue to observe sophie, but there isn''t even a wisp of mana coming from her, and she holds her little sister in her hands. maya dashes at me. her mana doesn''t move that much, so i recognize it as pure strength or dexterity stat. i dodge under her swing and hit her with my knee, sending her flying again. when she lifts her face from the ground, i am already in front of her, and while giving her enough time to use her skill, i kick against her translucent armor. i observe the way her mana moves and the way it reacts to my attacks. she jumps to her feet and stands there, observing my movements as i slowly walk towards her. hmm, that''s not enough. i should break her skill to observe it a bit more. even while in [focus], she is slightly impatient and rushes at me. her movements slow down under the influence of my skill, as she gets closer and closer to me. i lower my output and hit her chest armor with absorbed energy. that makes the translucent armor shatter into fine particles of mana, and i continue to observe as it slowly reforms. "you fucker..." huh? are you slipping out of [focus] already? she dashes again, this time attacking me from the side where my arm is missing. she is probably the fastest one among the survivors. but. i only take a small step back, and her kick misses me. then i take another step, and two of her swings miss me again. quick jab against her armor, and it breaks again. then i move my own mana, and as she is reforming her translucent armor, i try to copy it. it fails, and the mana in my hand dissipates. so i attack her again, and she again activates a skill. i watch it. i feel it. mana forms in my hand and slowly extends. i focus more and move the mana. it gets harder and harder, but i push through. soon, a translucent light blue light appears in my hand, taking a shape reminiscent of a short sword. then i hear the notification about acquiring a new skill. Chapter 54: True Colors chapter 54: true colors the skill''s name is [armament]. "..." damn it. what the heck system? also, pfft, you maybe aren''t as bad as i thought. anyway, right after acquiring it, i let my mana flow out of my body and, with the help of the skill, shape it into a sword. it''s see-through, the edges look terrible and dull, and the shape is all weird. but it''s a start. maya dashes at me once again, but i send her flying with a kick. "i am done with you, so stay there." she groans on the ground. i didn''t hold back much on my last attack, but i was careful enough not to hurt her too much. she will be useful in the end. "so now you''re showing your colors." there he is, hadwin. he stops a short distance in front of me. "i always knew you weren''t right in your mind. right from the start." i see. it''s weird to hear it from you, though. he takes a step closer. i know that he is partially right. even before the 1st floor, i wasn''t exactly... normal, and now, with [focus], even less so. yet, i''m trying. i helped others, taught them, and protected them somehow. he moves even closer, and i let him do so. in the end i thought it would be different here. he looks at me, and mana starts moving in his body. i... i thought they would be a bit similar to me, as we all got the same starting point. the man in front of me believes i haven''t noticed his mana movement while he talks, attempting to distract me. but they are not. his skill activates and pushes against my mana. trying to dissipate it. to stop it from flowing through my body. to tear it apart and stop me from using it. they are... weaker. their will is lacking. hadwin''s mana instantly gets pushed out of my body. my own mana roars and the pressure makes the older man stagger backward. my body is mine. my mana is mine. it explodes into the surroundings, and even others with lower mana sensitivity can feel it. my eyes meet with sophie''s, and even when i try, i can''t think of harming her. the construct in my head doesn''t allow it. i kill off the wolves around me, getting stronger with every passing second as i continue to absorb energy from the stronger and stronger rain. the rain is so heavy that even some monsters can''t see clearly, and most of the time, i have to rely on my perception. but it''s fine. i slip on the mud and let myself fall down to dodge the wolf''s bite. then i use a tiny bit of kinetic energy to push myself up and stand. i am getting faster and better at using it. under these conditions, i am strong. the ground around me cracks, and from me at the epicenter, a shockwave explodes. the rain, the mud, the monsters - they all get pushed away by the power of my skill, and i finish them off. then a giant troll appears. [giant troll - lvl 19] the creature steps into view, and i''m left in awe of the monstrous being. the giant troll towers over the trees. its skin is a sickly grayish-green, glistening in the rain. the rain seems to only add to the troll''s grotesque appearance. water streams down its face and body, emphasizing the troll''s musculature. its bloodshot eyes glow, filled with hunger. it sneers, revealing a maw of jagged, broken teeth. i can''t see it properly, but i can tell that it''s looking at me. only at me. i feel mana collecting in my surroundings. strengthening my body, i dash away, and in the place where i did stand appears a deep, caved hole in the shape of a perfect circle. its depth is around half of my height. i continue to run, and multiple holes appear in the places where i once stood, as the troll''s mana persistently tracks me. i start running between all the other monsters, and when the attack meant for me hits them, they get splashed into a bloody mess, as if a giant hammer hit them, always leaving a circular hole in the ground with a loud pop. the troll doesn''t care and keeps trying to hit me, so i don''t run or move closer; i just run around, and its attack continues to hit the other monsters while the giant doesn''t seem to care. and i continue to observe its skill. then the skill becomes weaker but faster, and the area larger, so i dash towards the troll to finish it up. i feel the mana in the area around him, but i strengthen my body and enter it while bracing myself. then i fall to the ground, unable to keep myself standing in the terrifyingly strong gravity. [focus] [armament] [kinetic redistribution] i activate these three skills to their fullest power and brace myself against the attack. the world becomes quieter, and mana trapped inside the rain glows brighter. a translucent armor appears around my chest and head, as thick and strong as i can manifest. the rain in the area around the troll is also affected by the gravity field, so it''s falling much faster than outside of it, allowing me to absorb an immense amount of energy from it. then, instead of trying to push against the monster''s skill, i use the absorbed energy to propel myself towards the monster. the area behind me explodes, hit by my skill and the troll''s. as i fly through the air, i feel gravity pulling me down and i use [armament] to manifest a spike in my hand. it''s thick and only sharp at the top, but it''s the best i can do. i reach the monster, and my translucent weapon burrows itself deep inside its thigh and i barely hold onto it against the immense gravity pulling me down. the monster roars and turns its head toward me. a lightning flash illuminates the area, casting an eerie glow on its face and making it appear even more sinister. um, what now? Chapter 55: Closing Circle chapter 55: closing circle the roar nearly deafens me, and i can hear it even through my [focus] as if it''s not affected by it at all. seeing the monster''s hand reaching up to me, i let go, and my body instantly falls to the ground much faster than it should, affected by the gravity field. the troll tries to stomp on me. i absorb as much energy as i can and propel myself again, this time out of the field. i roll a few times and absorb my own energy, then release a bit of it to make myself stand up faster. the remaining energy escapes into the surroundings. the troll''s attack once again hits the place where i stood, and a perfectly circular hole appears there. then i notice the troll''s leg healing. what the heck! how is that fair? i continue to run around, at least allowing other monsters to be hit by the troll''s attacks while i think. its regeneration makes it even more annoying. i am sure i would be able to finish him off if given enough time but like this? tess throws a few normal stones at the giant troll, but as soon as they enter the area around him, they come crashing down. so she does what i would have done. two ores, squashed by her skill into a shape resembling a thick spear, fly high into the air, both of them surrounded by red and white lightning that shines even brighter than the raindrops falling from the sky. they fly high over the troll, out of reach of his skill. then i feel mana from tess, and the iron ores start glowing even brighter and falling down to the ground straight at the giant troll. as they enter the area of his skill, they speed up even more, and a scary whistling noise cuts through the heavy rain. they hit the troll''s head as two massive bullets and a geyser of blood and bone explodes into the surroundings, followed by a lightning strike from the sky that hits the ores buried deep inside the monster''s head, making it literally explode. [you have defeated the giant troll - lvl 19] the skill around the monster disappears, and i see tess moving closer to the corpse to regain control over her now deformed weapons. a few hours later, the rain becomes dangerous. i notice that the raindrops are piercing through the skin of weaker monsters, like tiny, sharp bullets, and i can even feel them hurting my skin. that makes most of the weaker monsters run away and hide, allowing us to regroup. everyone is dealing with it in different ways. tess and kim just stop the raindrops from hitting them at all while keeping lily close to them. kevin continuously reflects them. hadwin, still alive and well, continues to get hit by the raindrops, but as they enter the area around him, the mana disappears from them, and they stop glowing, hitting him as normal raindrops would. a few more people are huddled close to him. maya moves around while surrounded by a now firmer-looking armor that covers even her head, and it doesn''t seem to affect her either. as for sophie and isabella, they stand under something i can describe as an umbrella made out of a bright orange fire. the area isn''t that big, but it evaporates every drop of water close to it. and me? i use it as an opportunity to train my [armament]. it isn''t as strong as maya''s, but even if it cracks in some places, i use my mana to fix it quickly. the huge mana consumption seems to be a problem, so we continue to move back to the cave we used before. hadwin knows the way, so we follow him. wolves. goblins. trolls. spiders. bears. they don''t make a single noise, just stand there in a giant circle around us, staring in our direction. tess stops using her [farsight], saying it''s terrifying to look at. somehow, i become calmer, even without entering deeper into my [focus]. so that''s it. a pretty lousy first floor. zero out of ten. bury the entrance to the cave? they have trolls. push through? as far as i can sense, there are monsters, surely even beyond my range of perception. i follow the pulse of sophie''s mana and stop in front of her. "how many can you control?" another pulse towards the monsters. "a few dozen at most, lower-leveled ones only. or two to three stronger monsters." that''s not even close to enough. "okay, tess, kim, you will attack as soon as they push us. use the stones we got when we dug the tunnel. sophie, you will focus on controlling trolls, and try to make them attack others. your sister will burn as many as she can when they get into her range. tess can throw a few burning corpses into others after that." i look around, and no one says anything; all eyes are on me, but this time i do look into the eyes of every one of them. "when they get closer, we all will fight. the only one in the backline will be lily." yes, i am still selfish. i need lily to get my arm back, so as i said, i will try to protect her. no one complains. either because they do not bother or they also think that it''s better not to have our healer die uselessly. so we wait. and wait for more. we eat the last remaining bits of our food and finish up the water. i feel calmer and calmer as time passes. i did everything i could. i worked hard. i endured the pain. now i will fight until my body breaks. i look at the countdown, and there''s one hour left when the monsters attack. quietly, without letting out any sound. Chapter 56: Embers chapter 56: embers they dash at us frenziedly. the trolls do not care about monsters under their feet and continue to step on goblins, spiders, and wolves. the bears run over the smaller monsters and push others away. even as they die they do not let out a single scream of pain and before they enter tess'' and kim''s range, dozens of them die. as they came closer, the rain of quickly flying stones hit them. some are big, some are small, but all of them are dangerous. monsters continue to die, and more of them climb over their dead bodies. then sophie''s mana washes over them, and a few of the biggest trolls turn against a horde of monsters. she even gets one of the giant trolls, and he starts spamming his gravity attacks. the giant circular holes start appearing all over the forest, destroying the trees, and squashing monsters under the power of the skill. just like that trolls wreak havoc. soon, the other monsters stop ignoring the manipulated monsters and jump at them. the smaller ones only get squashed as they enter the gravity field around the giant troll, but some bears and other unaffected trolls push through and attack the monsters. more of them die as they do so. i feel sophie switch her focus on another giant troll as the first one dies, and the same thing repeats. she stops trying to control smaller trolls and just continues to take over one giant troll after another. every time she does so, the monsters stop pushing towards us and focus on killing the giant trolls. we gain more precious time like this, and much more of them perish trying to take down massive giant trolls. i don''t even bother to count how many but a new worry appears in my mind. no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. is she getting the experience? finally, the last giant troll dies, and sophie falls to her knees. not losing consciousness but close to it. there is blood on her nose, and a few small blood vessels have burst in her eye. the waves of monsters start pushing again, and tess and kim continuously throw at them what they can. after that, isabella''s flames roar into the surroundings and even kevin continues to throw smaller stones charged with his [combustion] into the monsters. what i regret is that we can''t set the forest ablaze, as it is still wet because of the rain, and most of the trees are also destroyed because of it. still, monsters continue to burn in flames without letting out any screams of pain. they just move until their burning bodies allow them to, and then they fall down, the flames from their corpses burning more monsters. i feel a presence closing up, and something in me moves. i dash at it and catch a phantom goblin about to sneak inside the cave by his neck. i squeeze until its head is separated from its body. the blood dirties my hand, and i shake it off. then, while ignoring my surroundings, i stomp on its corpse. splat. its head explodes like overripe fruit, and its chest dents under my feet. not good. i absorb more and more energy and push them again, this time as strongly as i can. tess continues to grab dead burning bodies and flings them as far as she can. a few burning monsters also try to get to hadwin, but as soon as he turns to them, i feel his mana activating, and the flames around the monsters dissipate as if extinguished by a strong wind. the man continues to finish them off with a massive club in his hands. some smaller monsters are able to get closer to him, but their attacks do not penetrate his skin at all, and i feel mana around his body. maya is holding a translucent pointy stick rather than a spear in her hand and keeps stabbing at the monsters. calmly and every time a monster gets closer to her, she either avoids it with her high dexterity or uses her armor created out of mana to absorb the attack. kevin continues to create explosions in the palm of his hands and reflects the attacks of the monsters. the stronger they attack, the stronger they are pushed back, but i see that it''s taking a toll on him. a toll on all of them. especially the twins, who are already wounded in multiple places while fighting back to back against every monster that gets to them. i activate my [armament] and hold something more like a spike than a sword. i continue to stab every monster that gets in my way, slowing them down and stabbing through their eyes and necks. mana flows through my body, but i am being careful with its usage, knowing that the worst is yet to come. a wolf jumps at kevin while he is turned towards another monster, and i use my skill to slow it down in the air. then i use absorbed energy to dash and hit the monster with my shoulder, pushing it away from kevin. t-thanks, he barely gets out of himself, once again fighting against another monster. there is sweat on his forehead. more and more monsters get inside, and the wounds start accumulating. hadwin is limping, maya isn''t using her armor anymore, kevin''s reflection is weaker than before, and the twins are nowhere to be seen. tess and kim are barely able to throw some stones C only with their will do they keep themselves on their feet. then i feel a whisper of terrifying mana at the edge of my perception. while other monsters are unnaturally quiet, one deep, low growl sounds in the surroundings, and we can hear it even inside the cave. a bear''s growl. monsters slow down and stop, then all of them at once turn towards one direction. i feel a wave of mana that scares me and reminds me of things i want to forget. from one part of the forest, i notice flames that burn in a bright orange color. soon sparks start glowing around the flames. pushed by the wind, they move through the air and land on the monsters that are instantly set ablaze by them. tens, hundreds of monsters get burned to ashes in an instant, and then i spot the bear walking through the corpses while hot air flickers around. he walks with a scarily confident stride. [cinderbear - lvl 25] its mana expands and covers a massive area, and then cinderbear looks straight towards the cave. staring right at us. Chapter 57: The Unyielding Beast chapter 57: the unyielding beast the monsters become frenzied and start screeching. after what feels like hours without any sound from them, it sounds terrifying and sends shivers down my back. the screams sound hateful and angry as all the monsters rush at the bear. crawling over each other to reach him first. but cinderbear doesn''t care. he continues to walk, and sparks of bright orange color, as big as grapes, continue to set monsters ablaze instantly. battle trolls, stormbears, and two-headed wolves - every monster burns after they get hit by a spark - as if they are made out of the most flammable material in the world. the sparks look beautiful as they slowly float in the air setting the monsters ablaze. i check the timer ten minutes left. "let''s run," i say shortly to tess and the others, and we do just that, followed by others too. we run through the monsters that ignore us as they are trying to get to the bear, some even close to stomping on us. so we dodge the bigger ones and push away smaller ones. sophie is affecting crazed monsters, and they split like a wave around her group. hadwin easily ignores hits from smaller monsters and pushes away stronger ones. i continue to absorb as much kinetic energy as i can while using it to redirect the more dangerous monsters. after what feels much longer than it was, there are no more monsters, and all of them are behind us, yet we still run. tess and kim are using their skills to move faster, and the same goes for me. lily and kevin are barely keeping up with the help of others. not even realizing where we are running, we stagger into the clearing and freeze. i would laugh if i could. there is a bus in the middle of the clearing. even though it should be hours of walk away, it''s the same bus we arrived in. all the windows are broken, and it''s surrounded by palisades made out of wood. there are spikes, also made of wood, sticking out in all directions. system, you jerk. are you having fun? three minutes left. i notice that there is a single glowing orange spark floating nearby. the same the cindebear used. what is it? why? how did we get here? i clench my teeth and feel, i feel biscuit poking my leg. not right now. when i turn to start running away, i feel mana from an orange spark floating near the bus. ten of them. more. a hundred. hundred of small glowing beads float in the air around me in a similar way to the bear''s sparks, and then i push them towards the bear. they are slow and they are not dangerous at all. the bear doesn''t dodge, but instead of hitting him, they hit the sparks around the monster and make them explode. only ten or so of the mana beads collide with cinderbear''s skill, but that''s enough, as the chain reaction makes sure to explode the remaining ones. a massive ball of hot flame explodes with the bear at the center, and the airwaves from all the heat make me stagger backward a few times. but that won''t be enough. i know it won''t be. from the flames, the bear walks out, its fur only charred and still bleeding from its missing lower jaw, making it look even more horrifying than it is. the growl sounds from the monster, distorted because of the wound, making it more frightening than before. a loud whistling noise fills the surroundings, and two mangled pieces of iron come flying towards the bear while lightning cracks audibly around them. the monster just looks towards them and growls again, and they slowly melt in the air, losing half of their volume, and then just weakly hitting the bear and falling to the ground, the lightning gone from them. more objects come flying, stones, smaller trees, pieces of wooden palisades. everything just gets pushed slightly as it comes closer to the bear and is set ablaze just by the heat the monster generates. one minute. i do not dare to move closer, so i just continue to shoot beads of mana at the bear. i make fewer of them, make them denser, move them faster, yet they burn the same way everything else does, dissipating into the air. then the bear takes a step towards us, and we try to run. but as soon as we enter the forest, and pass by a few trees, the clearing appears back in front of us, and the bear with it. is it the bear''s skill? is the system messing with us? what''s happening?! the bear rushes at us and then pauses in the middle of the movement, but only for a second before it continues to move again. i hear a painful scream from sophie that tried to stop him, and she falls to the ground, holding her head. hadwin''s skill fires up and pushes against the bear, trying to disrupt the monster''s mana, but it gets canceled by the bear''s exceedingly large mana pool, and the man is pushed back instead. then tess throws an entire bus at cinderbear. with a loud creaking, it lifts into the air, hovering at around my head''s height, and flies at the monster that just stands there, looking at it almost curiously. with a loud sound of creaking iron, it lands on the bear, covering the monster nearly entirely. tess then falls to the ground, and i barely feel any mana from her. ten seconds. under the bus, there is movement, and flames start slowly glowing beneath it. soon, i see the bus literally melting before it flies into the air, iron parts glowing brightly from the heat they absorbed. the bus falls down, and the unhurt bear looks at me, the air around it waving from the heat its body is producing. three seconds. two seconds. one second. what appears is the best i can describe as a giant hole in the air, nearly reaching the sky. wide enough to let multiple cars pass through and tall enough to reach the top of skyscrapers. through this door, this entrance, i can see small hills covered in beautifully vibrant green grass that moves as the wind blows into it. the sky there is blue and clear, with only one sun. the second floor. Chapter 58: Cinderbear chapter 58: cinderbear i feel cinderbear''s mana move, and at the same time, a hundred beads made of mana appear around me. orange glowing sparks appear around the bear. then, i shoot my mana at the bear as it shoots its own. mine are impossibly weaker, but it''s okay; they''re enough to trigger the bear''s skill. a few sparks pass close to me, so i dodge hurriedly, remembering what happened to the monsters. then the glowing sparkle flares up into a giant flame, and i already know what''s next.n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. mana instantly flows through my body, focusing all on defense, making my translucent armor as strong as i can. and then stronger. i temper it without caring about my creaking body under the pressure from mana. from the flame of the exploded spark, the bear steps out and instantly swings its paw at me. i dodge and absorb as much energy as i can. it feels as if i didn''t absorb even a tenth of it; i''m unable to take in more because of the terrifying force behind the attack. then the air around the bear waves and a terrible heat hits me. initially, it''s weak but rapidly gains strength, requiring some time before it reaches the full power of the skill. my skin feels as if it''s burning, and the armor around my body starts melting. i release the absorbed energy and push myself towards the entrance to the second floor. i pause for a second and absorb my own energy, stopping at the spot. then i grab lily''s unconscious body and throw her through the air, right towards the entrance. one spark appears next to me, and i dash away, the bear instantly appearing at the spot from the flame. i release a bit of energy and push tess out of the bear''s heat, and she also staggers towards the entrance, giving me one last look before she falls through by my push. i dash in between the sparks, thanks to my [mana perception] that warns me by sensing the massive mana from the sparks the bear is using to appear. there are tens of them floating in the air, illuminating my surroundings beautifully, yet deadly, as a single touch means death. only thanks to my [mana perception] i survive as i dash towards the entrance after luring the bear further away from it. the sparks around me can''t be affected by kinetic energy, so i create multiple beads of mana and explode them before rushing back. not having a spark near me to use, the bear just charges at me. he is fast, but i am faster, and the entrance is just an arm''s reach away from me. the monster seems to realize it and stops while letting out a terrifying growl, and we look at each other. the entrance is right here, and the scary foe is behind me. through the "door," i see tess screaming something at me, but the sound doesn''t pass through. she tries to get through but is bounced back and just stands there, staring at me, into my eyes. biscuit is here too, along with lily, kim, sophie, isabella, maya, hadwin, and somehow even both of the twins. only kevin''s now mangled and burned corpse lies somewhere behind the bear. fear continues to make me to run away, to hide, to save my life. it''s not the bear''s skill, but my own fear, my memories of what i went through. memories of the pathetic state i was in, unable to do anything. at that moment, i can run. it''s just a small step. i see tess sigh and close her eyes before i take a step. away from the entrance. towards the bear. "oi, fucker, did you have fun?" i feel a smile crawl on my lips as i move my shoulders and let out a cracking noise. then he takes a step towards me. hahah. i sigh and brace myself. obviously. i reach out and grab my mana once again, forming floating beads of mana around me while barely keeping myself standing. the bear makes one step. then another. the last one and cinderbear falls to the ground and stops moving, his one eye still looking at me. i wait. and wait. then i get a notification. [you have defeated the cinderbear - lvl 26] [lvl 23 > lvl 24] i fall down on my ass and cancel out the beads of mana, putting every bit of mana i have left to keep my body strengthened. i invest stat points into constitution and breathe out while looking at the corpse of the massive bear. a minute passes as i continue to gaze at the dead monster before me. it''s hard to believe. then, the screeching of monsters from the surrounding forest reaches my ears. fuck. i guess that''s it for the question of whether i can stay on the 1st floor and not go to the second one. as quickly as i can in my state, i get on my legs and limp towards the entrance. my body falls to the ground, adding a few more scratches to my terrible state, but i crawl for a bit before getting on my knees and then on my feet, continuing to limp towards the giant entrance to the second floor. the screeches sound closer and closer, and soon the monsters start entering the clearing just as i pass through the giant doorframe to the second floor. instantly, the entrance disappears behind me, and i just fall down and turn around to lay on my back. the grass feels nice, and the air feels so refreshingly cold in comparison to the air heated by that god forsaken bear. i feel someone kneel beside me, and soon enough, warm mana starts flowing into my body. nice, while you''re at it, try to regrow my hand. when i look up, i see that tess is standing with her back to me and a few stones are floating around her, crackling with red and white lightning. opposite of her stands maya in her [armament] and holding a translucent spear in her hand. even hadwin seems to be waiting for a chance, and sophie? well, i already feel her mana reaching out to me. so that''s it for resting. i sit up and, with the help of my hand, get back on my feet, wobbling from side to side as i do so. "so that''s how it''s going to be? feel free to try." i say, and my voice sounds weak even to myself, yet they heard it and look towards me. resentment, fear, and opportunity can all be felt from their gazes. "i will fuck you up." this time, my voice is stronger, and my mana flares up again. Chapter 59: Choose your primary class chapter 59: choose your primary class "hey, maya. don''t tell me you''re still butthurt." it doesn''t work and her eyes are calm as she takes a step. then a stone as big as my head flies at her, hitting her chest at full speed. only her skill saves her from a terrible wound. she flies through the air and rolls on the ground a few times, while lightning crackles around her body, seemingly ignoring her armament. a scream escapes from her mouth. what''s most surprising is that she wasn''t able to dodge it at all, even with her high dexterity. that is how fast the stone flew. "not a single step more!" tess nearly screams, and it feels as if the ground is shaking and the stones spin around her faster than before. she turns to sophie and points her finger at her vehemently. "sophie, i swear, if you try something, you''ll be the first to go. i''ll be able to sense that much." tess points at the brunette, who pushes her sister behind her back and then just lifts her hands up in the air defensively. "tess, you can''t be serious. that guy is freaking crazy." hadwin steps closer, and i feel mana activating in his body, as he is about to disrupt tess''s skill. he takes another step, and two stones hit him in quick succession. he flies even further than maya and quickly gets back on his legs, seemingly only slightly hurt. "crazier than you all? don''t talk such nonsense, hadwin. tell me, what happened to damon? to dominic, to jacob?" one more stone flies at hadwin and hits him again, making him fly and roll even further on the grass. his groan sounds more painful this time, and he tries to get back on his feet. "keep your goddamn ass on the ground, or you''ll get some more," tess hisses sharply, and the older man stops moving. darn, it. what the hell! why are you so cool? "tess, i think sophie is trying to use her skill," i say, and the named girl instantly puts her hands higher and screams. "bullshit! i''m not doing anything!" it almost makes me smile, seeing all of them like this. "stop, nathaniel. i know you''d like to get rid of them, but at least wait until we find out what the second floor is about, okay? i don''t like it any more than you do, but we might all need each other." i guess that''s it. survival > revenge. let''s not get emotional and destroy useful tools just because of some hurt feelings from someone trying to kill me. dangerous, annoying, and sometimes not even that useful tools. yup. for now. sure, it feels as if i am only postponing it further and playing with fire, but that''s the situation we are in and unlike them, it seems that i can control myself much better. still, maya seems to want to take revenge for me beating her, probably by only beating me as well. i do not feel much bloodthirst from her. sophie wants to turn me into one of her pets or pawns that will keep her and her sister safer. the problem is hadwin. the older man seems to be seriously considering killing me. first i need to acquire more information about the second floor. what if its the place where i absolutely need as many people as possible? i check the surroundings with my perception, but i don''t sense anything. so now, let''s check out the notifications. congratulations! you have cleared the 1st floor of the hell difficulty tutorial. welcome to the second floor: mana-infused kingdom. congratulations! you can now choose your primary class. your offered choices are based on your performance up until now in the tutorial. you have acquired one skill upgrade token. you have acquired one skill point. you can now use community, with a time limit of 10 minutes per 24 hours. o-okay, this list seems even longer. are 10 offered classes good, normal, or bad? are these classes any good? i look around again to distract myself a bit, and it seems that everyone is doing the same as me - picking their classes, everyone except lily, who is looking into the air with an empty look in her eyes. her hand is touching me, and i feel warm mana healing my wound. what should i do? i''m terrible at stuff like this. what can i even say? it will be fine? you didn''t mean to blow off your friend''s head? it''s not your fault? sigh. even my stance towards her has changed a bit. her skill is that terrifying. how is it even possible to hurt a level 26 "named" monster with a level one skill? are there tiers of skills? can it be that some skills are just so much stronger? i don''t know. i want to know. while looking around, i see that kim takes a glance at lily, and his eyes are full of hate. this could be a problem. he and kevin were best pals back on the first floor. my eyes meet his, and after a second he turns away. i need lily, so you don''t dare put your hand on her. that''s what i try to tell him wordlessly. then, once again, i feel someone bumping my leg. (food?) "..." gosh darn it, biscuit! do you want to eat my leg or what? he senses my mood and stops, then runs towards hadwin, who is still sitting down on his rear end. i watch as he starts booping the older man, and then hear a short scream from him. "what the fuck!" oh, can you hear biscuit now too? welcome to the club. tess moves closer to me. "we can''t join the community. it says the person with the highest level from the group needs to enter it first." huh? that must be me, i guess. "did you pick your class already?" "yes, i will tell you more when we have fewer people listening." sounds good to me. okay, let''s do it like this: first, i will check the community, then i will upgrade my skill - maybe i will get offered more classes after doing it, or maybe the ones i have will change. as for the community, there might be useful information on classes there. "community," i say and i get the notification. congratulations on completing the floor quest for the 1st floor. you belong to group 4 in the hell difficulty tier of the 5th tutorial round. as the highest-leveled one in your group, please select a name for your group prior to accessing the community, as well as an alias for your own use on the forum. i pause and with a long sigh, i close my eyes, my [mana perception] still watching people around me and scanning as large an area around as i can. then i read it again, and again, and again. what the heck, system? what''s your problem? Chapter 60: Community chapter 60: community okay, later, i will think about it later. first, let''s pick the name for our group and for myself. welcome to the community! your group is now registered as "group 4," and your alias will be "noname." your daily time limit is 10 minutes; after that, your access to the community will be cut off. then a window appears, looking similar to a forum style. easy difficulty: 1869/2000 normal difficulty: 734/1000 hard difficulty: 330/500 hell difficulty: 56/250 community tournament (currently unavailable) so yup, hell is the highest difficulty as expected. what surprises me is that there is a forum with all difficulties in the same place. what do the numbers mean? the number of survivors out of the total amount that got into the tutorial? also, what the hell is with those numbers? why are there so many people? and why does hell difficulty have so much lower numbers in comparison to others? "..." ok, never mind the last part. and also, what the fuck is the community tournament? so many questions. i touch on hell difficulty, and a thread opens. anotheronehere (hell, theguild) - hello. lootenant (hell, whitewing) - what the hell is this? bard (hell, idk) - i thought i would get some info from you guys. hadwin (hell, group 4) -are you also on the second floor? what the hell, hadwin? did you use your name as your alias? the messages move as more and more people type in, and at this point, it''s easy to guess that the first is the alias, then there is difficulty and group name. as for now, no one from other difficulties joins this thread, and when i try to switch, i am unable to, and the system says it''s unavailable at the moment. anotheronehere (hell, theguild) - is your second floor also named mana-infused kingdom? small hills, a lot of grass? bard (hell, idk) - yes, but i don''t see anyone other than our group here. to our left, there is a stone as big as a house with a lot of rocks around it. to its right, there is a small hill going sharply downwards. brainiac (hell, whitewing) - omg, same! different dimensions or copies of the same floor? bard (hell, idk)- probably. we also didn''t meet anyone other than our group on the 1st floor. trolls, wolves, spider matriarch, cinderbear? hadwin (hell, group 4) - yes, the same here. anotheronehere (hell, theguild) - that''s it then. i guess we won''t be seeing each other. we can''t rule it out but... brainiac (hell, whitewing)- how did you guys deal with cinderbear? oh! i quickly join in. noname (hell, group 4) - fuck cinderbear! brainiac (hell, whitewing)- hell yes, noname, fuck that furry asshole! oi, be more careful, it sounds kinda... a few more people join, and everyone is happy to complain and vent a bit. noname (hell, group 4) - did you pick your classes already? brainiac (hell, whitewing) - most of us did; there''s no sense in waiting any longer. noname (hell, group 4) - anything interesting? hidden stuff? brainiac (hell, whitewing) - just s small one. when you *********** brainiac (hell, whitewing) - lol, it got censored. good luck, noname! in the end, it''s not such a hard decision, and i pick mana channeler. congratulations! you have picked your first class - mana channeler. in the future, you will be able to upgrade your class or change it for a new one fitting your actions up until that point within the tutorial. another window pops up: congratulations! you have acquired your primary class - mana channeler. mana channeler: active skill: mana surge - the user can temporarily increase the flow of mana within their body, boosting the power of their magical abilities for a short duration. passive skill: mana flow (rare) - the user''s mana flows more efficiently throughout their body, reducing the amount of mana needed for skill activation and improving their overall magical control. bonuses: +10 to mana +2 to constitution yes! yes! more mana! huhu. huhu... i might have a problem. whatever! if i were a telepathic corgi, i totally wouldn''t be screaming (mana!) instead of (food!). i can stop anytime i want. anyway, why the hell is there a (rare) thingy in the name of my shiny new skill? yeah, system? why don''t you grade everything at once? but it''s okay; i am happy. two new skills? one of them passive? boosting magical abilities? improving overall magical control? heck yeah! okay, breathe in. breathe out. now repeat that. good. and do not test them now; you need your mana to keep your body together until you heal at least somewhat. also, there is a bunch of assholes around you waiting for a chance to take a bite of you. overall, i like my new class, and i am excited to test it. now, let''s check skill upgrades. a new window pops up in front of me. congratulations! you can now upgrade your level 10 skill by using the skill upgrade token. currently, there are two skills available for upgrade. choose wisely! focus: deep focus: increases the intensity and effectiveness of your focus, further enhancing your magical abilities and concentration during combat. focus extension: lengthen the duration of your focused state, allowing you to maintain concentration for longer periods without experiencing mental fatigue. dual focus: train your mind to focus on two tasks simultaneously, allowing you to perform multiple actions at once with greater efficiency. focus synergy: improve the synergy between your focus and other skills, allowing you to combine their effects for more potent results. mana manipulation: mana amplification: increase the potency of your mana manipulation, enabling you to generate more powerful magical effects. advanced mana manipulation: enhance your control over mana, allowing for more precise and intricate manipulation of magical energies. mana intensification: strengthen the potency of your mana manipulation, enabling you to generate more powerful magical effects with less effort. mana sensitivity: heighten your sensitivity to mana in your surroundings, allowing you to detect and track mana sources more easily. i notice one of the skill upgrades. huh? did i see it right? Chapter 61: Skill upgrade chapter 61: skill upgrade okay, that might make me change my plans a little bit. at first, i wanted to go and upgrade my [mana manipulation], but now i''m not that sure. yes, there are some amazing upgrades for it, especially [advanced mana manipulation] and [mana amplification]. but! what the hell is this? [dual focus]? is it what i think it is? instead of one [focus], would i have two? does that mean it''s almost like having two brains? does that mean i could keep up my [oscillation] with one and use the other one for [armament]? would it split my current skill into two parts or would it duplicate it? from description it sounds like it would duplicate the skill. up until now, i always felt as if my brain was about to melt when i used too many skills at once, and i could never give them the attention they deserved. but this? sure, i would miss out on better mana handling, but isn''t this even better? and maybe. just maybe. i might be able to upgrade it in the future again? i will be able to do multiple things at once. like... like a woman! huh? nevermind. okay, let''s go over the others. [deep focus] might be an improved version of the current [focus]. [focus extension] doesn''t sound that good in comparison to the others. [focus synergy] also sounds good, but [dual focus] beats it for sure. almost all upgrades for [mana manipulation] are great but my eyes keep ticking back to this one upgrade. i just chose the upgrade before i change my mind. congratulations! you have upgraded your skill. [focus] > [dual focus] unable to help myself, i quickly try it out and enter the [focus]. the weirdest feeling hits me. it''s hard to describe and dizzying. it''s just... weird. i cancel the skill and breathe out. this will need some serious training to get used to it. i also notice that my [focus] didn''t strengthen that much. i''m sure that would happen if i picked the other option, but i still like this one a lot. hopefully, it works the way i think it does. now i should check if we got new quests, right? floor quest: witness the end of the world. rewards: skill upgrade token 20 stat points increased daily limit of community usage tutorial difficulty change token side quest: reach level 50 rewards: trait strengthening token i enter the [focus], not activating the upgraded version, just the old one. okay, first. i''m not witnessing a thing! what am i? a freaking dinosaur? i won''t be witnessing the end of the freaking world. what''s with this jump? from fighting spiders you could probably find back on earth in australia to watching the end of the world? also, what the hell is tutorial difficulty change token? does it mean i can change my difficulty to easy? or does it mean more people can come to hell difficulty? most likely, it means just that. hmm, that''s interesting, to say the least. so, should i invest my skill point? i could get my [mana perception] to level 10 or [focus] to level 11. but i think i''d rather keep it for another bottleneck for a skill i will need more. it might be a waste to use it right now, so yeah, let''s maybe keep it. also, my poor mana. why is it so low? or why is my constitution so high? sure, my body would complain every time i handled my mana, but it was okay. it was totally fine! anyway, i was also able to talk with tess, and her class is something like this: storm sentinel: a novice class that manipulates the power of lightning through their psychokinesis, electrifying their projectiles while using farsight to maintain a constant vigil over the battlefield. sure, it sounds good. maybe even really good, but did you see mine? hehe. not jealous at all! together, we also went over lily''s classes and picked one for her. harmonic dissonance: a novice class that draws on the power of opposing forces, utilizing rejuvenation to heal and protect, and disintegration to obliterate obstacles and enemies, demonstrating the duality of life and destruction. yup. still not jealous. her healing improved after getting a class, so i am already feeling much better. hopefully, she won''t use her other skill by mistake. that would be... interesting. kim seems to be avoiding us. he is neither joining hadwin and the twins nor sophie; he just stands alone to the side, and small stones continue to fly around him as he practices. so that''s it. he is still young, a teenager; maybe he will calm down after some time. it''s not like lily did it on purpose. but first, let''s try to find some food and water. we slowly start walking down the gently sloped hill covered in vibrant green grass, and tess walks first, using her [farsight] to scout for us. while we do so, i think about the name of the second floor. mana-infused kingdom. what does it mean? will there be people? an entire kingdom? medieval age style with some magic? sci-fi style with all kinds of things running on magic? is this kingdom destroyed, and are there only ruins? is this kingdom made not of humans but of monsters? i don''t know, and it makes me nervous in the same way the start of the first floor did. we did have some break after getting here, but not even for a second did i dare to forget that this is hell difficulty. there is no way this will be easier than the first floor. yet, it feels different with massive clearings, pretty hills of grass, and fewer trees, making us able to see much further in comparison to the forest of the floor we just cleared. "there is a lake nearby and a stream flowing into it," tess says shortly, and we all start paying more attention. my perception still hasn''t picked up a single living being as we move closer and closer to the lake; soon, we see it. it''s not that big, but under the sun, the water shines beautifully, looking almost unnaturally clear. small waves are over the surface of the lake as the wind blows gently into it. we move towards the running water and stop in front of it. "we don''t have anything to boil it in," hadwin says shortly. "you should test it out; you have the high constitution." "fuck off, nat," the older man says. hey, i tried to help. "it looks so clear," lily says carefully while putting her hands into the water, using it to clean her face and neck. i kneel down and do the same; the water is nice and slightly cold. when the wind blows into us, and i feel it on the wet skin of my face and neck, i let out a quiet sigh. damn, this feels nice. i jump into the water, diving my entire body into it by lying down in the not-so-deep stream. when i get my head out of the water, the others are looking at me. "i would recommend moving higher; downstream water isn''t safe anymore." "you have got to be kidding me," i hear hadwin say, but i already dive again under the water while scrubbing my body as much as i can. it looks like hadwin is slowly not hiding his grumpy mood, as there aren''t that many people he has to trick and pretend to be a reliable leader. currently, only the twins tag along with him. their opinion of me doesn''t seem that good, and they seem to be avoiding sophie''s group even more. they do have some telepathic and physical connection between themselves. so maybe they can feel her [manipulation], or hadwin told them? when i get up, i continue to look down at the water and then cup my hand, taking a bit close to my mouth, and take a sip. it tastes good, but i stop. let''s see if i''m going to be okay in a few hours. "enemy," tess says shortly, and i jump back onshore. she points towards somewhere, and i send my mana in that direction. a really weak hidden mana signature comes back to me. around level 10 non-named monster? we wait a bit, and soon enough, the enemy appears from behind the bushes. [horned rabbit - lvl 9] a cute white rabbit with red eyes and a horn on its head. Chapter 62: Drifters in a Foreign Land chapter 62: drifters in a foreign land everyone jumps at the defenseless-looking monster, hungry for some food. a small stone flies at its head, and maya dashes, i feel a pulse of sophie''s mana, but the monster blinks its eyes and dashes so quickly i can barely track it with my eyes, disappearing where it came from. i feel its mana with my perception, but then it disappears as the monster hides its mana. is that why i didn''t feel it coming closer? "it''s gone," tess says shortly. already? tess''s skill has a massive range; how fast is that rabbit? "that was so funny," i hear. a new voice. no one from us. when i turn around, my mana is already flowing through my body, faster than ever before, thanks to my new class and passive skill. then i freeze, unable to feel any mana from the man in front of us. [mana-veiled scout- lvl ?] i guess that answers the question if there are any other humans. "i''ve never seen such a pathetic attempt to hunt a horned rabbit," he lets out a quiet laugh. confident yet still careful, judging from his stance. is he from a different group of hell difficulty people? is he from a different round? "do not move closer," hadwin says, his voice firm but not aggressive. i already feel mana around the man. "calm yourself, mister, it''s you guys who are here hunting on lord blackburn''s land," he smirks. yup, i guess he is not from earth. we have to witness the end of the world. what is it even? does it mean the system plans to destroy the world and for us to witness it? that would be weird, there are more groups; even the system can''t create multiple worlds, right? right? moreover, the environments appear identical; could this be some sort of virtual reality? are we merely imagining all this? while thinking, focusing on one part of my mind to think about it, i focus with another part to keep mana flowing through my body, ready to fight anytime. "we didn''t know it belongs to someone; we wouldn''t dare to do it otherwise," sophie smartly talks to the man. "we are lost... and hungry." good start. the man seems to be much higher level than us so let''s be careful. "ha! that''s some bullshit! you are in the middle of the lord''s land, and yet you got lost." mana finally flares up from him. only as a warning. the difference is massive. he is on a different level. much stronger than cinderbear. multiple times stronger. isn''t he a scout? why does he have such mana, and does the question mark mean that his level is so much higher? we were able to see level 20 when we were around level 5. so he is at least level 40 or higher? "we just appeared here out of nowhere, through the portal! we didn''t want to," kim adds this time. "are you also from hell difficulty?" "oh," he pauses, and his mana calms down. "so you are drifters, you should have told me," he laughs a bit, ignoring the last part. did he not hear it? apparently, it''s super hard to get one. kim asked him what his level is, and roland slapped him. i wasn ?t even able to see his movement and even after 5 minutes kim can barely walk in a straight line. it looks like it''s a super rude thing to ask. additionally, it seems like a wise decision not to confront him unless i am absolutely certain of defeating or surprising him. this may be even more challenging due to the crow flying alongside us, which likely has some connection to roland. "sir," i move closer, trying to sound as respectful as possible. "would you mind if i ask you a few more things?" "haaaa, and i thought you would leave me alone. go ahead and ask, three questions. let the gods not think that i don''t show some mercy towards the cripples." i pause. you... phew, okay, let''s calm down. "who is the strongest person in the kingdom?" his eyes turn to me with surprise, and then he laughs. "that would be champion keiron. sure, some people say that champion tristan is stronger, but everyone knows who the king calls when things go to shit!" champion? is that some sort of title? i wait a bit more, but the man doesn''t continue, and i don''t dare to ask about the levels. "what should i do when talking to lord blackburn?" "yes, you guys are totally drifters," he laughs even louder than before. "you will be talking to one of the lord''s men. the lord is too busy to deal with people like you," he continues to giggle. "what are drifters?" i ask my last question. "people send here by the gods, what else?" he pauses and looks at me with a more serious look, "now, shut up. i don''t appreciate your tone, nor the look in your eyes. it makes my skin crawl. if you don''t want to get beaten, do something about it. others won''t be as nice as me." then he stops talking, and i don''t ask him anymore. are drifters some setup from the system meant to help us integrate here? moreover, how much time do we have until the world ends? days, months, years? are we meant to become stronger and survive it? run and hide somewhere? in addition, what''s the issue with the look in my eyes? i notice that tess is gesturing at me, so i move closer to her. "there''s something like a camp, a few dozen men, all armored, and most of them with one question mark over their head." i guess that''s it. now we have to hope that the system didn''t send us here to die. something tells me it didn''t. in the same way, it put us in the least dangerous part of the first floor and then gradually heightened the difficulty. i''m following the rest of the group, our steps cautious as we approach the camp. we pass a few tents set up haphazardly across the area, their outlines sharp against the night sky. armed men cross our path at intervals, their watchful eyes, the weapons and question marks over their heads serving as silent reminders of the potential danger that surrounds us. [ironclad warden - lvl ?] [longbow marksman - lvl ?] [runebound knight - lvl ?] they all seem dangerous, too dangerous for me to deal with even one. some of them look at us with interest as we walk towards the tent in the middle where the leader awaits us. [mystic duelist - lvl ?] Chapter 63: Testing Boundaries chapter 63: testing boundaries "roland, who did you bring here this time? and what happened to your scouting?" the man''s voice is authoritative. he is tall, muscular, and has curly black hair. his face is clearly shaven. he is dressed in comfortable-looking clothes, and at his side, there is a sword with a thin blade. roland only bows slightly and smiles at the man. "drifters, sir! i spotted them while on watch. talon is still out there, keeping an eye on things." "drifters, you say," i feel a wave of mana from the man. it pushes against me, scans my body, and probes me. i feel disgusted. is that how others feel when i am scanning them? i want to do the same, to look at the leader''s mana, but i do not dare. i don''t know if he would feel it or if it''s considered rude in the same way asking for levels is. "they are fairly weak." he puts his hand on his beard and scratches it while glancing at us for a second. "the crippled one''s mana is strongest, and the creature they have with them is... weird. but they won''t be of use here." he turns away, "have finnegan bring them to stonehaven. it will be their problem to deal with." then he goes back behind his table, ignoring us. the entire time, he barely looked at us; only his mana scanned our bodies. as if we aren''t even worth his time. "you heard sir sterling, kids. now move your asses before someone moves them for you!" we quickly follow roland out of the tents and wobble behind him like baby ducks following their mother. i keep my mana to myself and do not try to use [mana perception]. others seem to be doing the same. unfortunately, biscuit is already acting cute in front of a man who is eating some meat. biscuit, if you end up getting killed, it''s on you! fortunately, the man laughs and throws a big piece to the corgi. victorious doggo comes back to us. his face seems even cheekier than before. he doesn''t say anything in my mind but pokes me, as if gesturing for me to take some food. "..." knowing how much food means to him, i can''t help but feel a little bit of emotion. just a tiny little bit. "just eat it." stupid dog, your tricks won''t work on me. he doesn''t wait anymore and gobbles up the meat quickly. [shadowstalker - lvl ?] like everyone in the camp, we can''t even see finnegan''s level. the man is quiet and just listens to roland, and then nods. it takes him a few minutes to pack his stuff, and then he gestures for us to follow him to another man who gives us some provisions after finnegan signs some papers. so, we''ve got ourselves another paperwork-ridden country, huh? after we manage to leave the camp and walk for a few hours in total silence, the surrounding landscape keeps on showing off its amazing colors and gorgeous scenery. we stop, and finnegan gives us some food. hard bread and dried meat, plus some water he made us carry. "no!" i hear lily and even tess say something as they hurry towards the young man. even the dog starts barking, and these weird purple tentacles appear around him. and i am just looking at the unconscious body of a young man. just like that, he was defeated. without having a chance to fight back. pfff. i can''t help but smile, and for the first time since leaving the first floor, i feel relief. it''s all starting over, isn''t it? we are weak once more, and even he is again at the starting point. okay. okay! i get it; it is rude to try to probe someone''s mana in the same way it''s rude to ask about levels, but at least say something instead of quietly looking at me. dang it, my head hurts so much. what did he do? thankfully i''m still alive and smarter than a few hours ago but i could live without the pain. don''t mess with people with a question mark over their heads. yup. i don''t know if it''s because of that or something else, but finnegan takes us towards the trees, and we enter a small forest soon to find an animal. [boar - lvl 19] "kill it," the man says shortly and pushes me towards the animal that isn''t running at all. the boar is massive and black in color, each of its tusks longer than my arm. not knowing the man''s intentions, i rouse up my mana and step towards the monster. i enter [focus] and feel my mind split into two parts. one of them focuses on creating a spear with my [armament], and the other part does what i would always do. the mana flows through my body, strengthening it, making it faster, and i take it all in, missing the feeling even after only a few hours of barely using mana. the translucent spear in my hand becomes denser and stronger while i continue to strengthen myself. the boar rushes at me, and i dodge to the side while stabbing the animal deep inside its neck. the animal is fast while charging but has some trouble reacting quickly. its hide is very thick, but not too thick for my improved skill. with another charge, i dodge to the side and attempt to stab again, but its skin becomes even tougher and turns a deeper shade of black. the spear''s blade breaks, so i let it dissipate and recreate it. when it charges me again, i stab against its head and bury the tip of the spear inside the animal''s eye while calmly watching it under the influence of [focus]. i leap to the side, release the spear, and then dash towards the creature. i form an axe with [armament] and, using all the strength i can muster, bury it in its neck. blood spurts everywhere, and i somewhat awkwardly repeat the process while holding the axe in one hand. [you have defeated a boar - lvl 19] i look at the man with the shadowstalker class, and he just nods shortly, his eyes piercing and watching the entire fight. keep watching, keep guessing. you''ll see only the facade, the skills i choose to reveal. Chapter 64: Alluring facade chapter 64: alluring facade so, stonehaven? well, it''s a city, and we are currently strolling through its streets. the medieval age-like and brimming with life. the cobblestone pathways, worn from the passage of countless feet, lead us past timber-framed houses and market stalls. vendors continue to spew out their sales pitches, and i can smell the food they are offering: fresh baked goods and oily meat from who knows what animal. i can even hear a blacksmith''s hammer.??vl?1n. it all feels so unreal. yet, the diverse crowd amazes me: armored knights, robed mages, and common folk. i see classes such as farmer, merchant, and many more. finally, i am also able to see their levels, many of the commoners are under level 10. each person''s class and level is displayed above their head, like floating emblems of their unique classes. some higher-leveled individuals gather in groups, and the highest level i can identify is 46. so that most likely means that i can see levels of people that are 20 levels higher. at most and anything beyond that is showing as a question mark. but who the heck knows? they could be level 1000, and the system would laugh as i try to probe their mana. i have to be honest, there are some serious problems with the ui in this godforsaken tutorial. also, what the heck, biscuit? do you want to get killed? we have no money, so don''t even dare try to swipe food from the vendors! dang it! i saw that tentacle, hide it right away! and when the hell did you learn to make it so transparent? i almost can''t see it in daylight! once again, i am reminded that the best mage is going to be from the zoo, and we humans will all perish. as we finally make our way into the old-looking stone building, we are guided through a corridor adorned with a worn carpet and a selection of rather ugly paintings hanging upon the walls. they are mainly paintings of men in military uniforms, all of them looking very serious. continuing, we eventually reach what probably used to be a garden, now transformed into a makeshift training area. there, we find a man around hadwin''s age accompanied by a younger, aristocratic-looking guy. as i observe their intense sparring session, i find it difficult to keep up with the speed of their movements. they spar within a large circle, surrounded by glowing stones that seem to mark the perimeter of their makeshift arena. i am sure they are not only doing that, but i still do not dare to probe it after my experience from some time ago. the older man''s skill is awe-inspiring; he effortlessly toys with his opponent, despite moving at a deliberately slower pace. the young noble is swift but noticeably impatient and impulsive. their swords move with such speed and precision that they appear as blurred lines, while their feet dance across the ground. i''m quite certain that if i tried to move so fast, my ankles would break under the strain and even without actively trying to sense it, i feel powerful mana emanating from both combatants. unfortunately, they stop, and i feel disappointed. disappointed that i can''t watch them longer and learn a thing or two from their swordsmanship. the younger man bows and thanks the older one, and together they enter the circle, and the stones stop glowing. what does it do? what is it? sure, girls might call him handsome, but i can see the look in his eyes. this guy is rotten to the core. not wanting to deal with us anymore, the tempest knight only waves at him with his hand, and here we go once again, leaving the training area and entering the streets. finnegan walks first, and after a while, sir emeric slows down and ends up walking by my side. "hey cripple, how did it taste?" his smile is bright as he looks at me, he is slightly taller than me. "sir?" i ask, confused by his question. "old man''s ass. it''s been a long time since i saw such an ass-kisser," his smile becomes cruel, and he moves closer to my side, now whispering so only i can hear. "i truly despise individuals like you. you''re spineless, revolting bottom-feeders who believe you''re so clever. acting so meek, always following orders, and being polite while only revealing the emotions you choose C constantly insincere and manipulative. but all the while, you just bide your time." he pats my shoulder with feigned friendliness, still smiling, "and wait. and then, when the opportunity arises, you won''t hesitate to step over whoever is in your way." he squeezes my shoulder over my missing left arm, and i feel the bone cracking. but i do not let out a single sound, even as he squeezes harder and harder. i just look down at the ground. "my apologies, sir. it''s simply that i''m afraid." i try to add some emotion to it, to make it believable. but he only laughs and lets go of my shoulder, slapping my back a few times in a friendly-like manner. "there is no need for pretense. you and i are the same. i knew it the moment my eyes landed on you," he pauses and then whispers once again in a quiet voice that bears no emotion, unlike his smiling face, "that''s why i will fucking kill you." he adds and then leaves, walking towards finnegan while smiling again as if nothing happened. he is tall and has blonde hair that nearly looks golden. his eyes are brown, but such a shade of brown that makes you want to look at them in awe of the beautiful color. his build is muscular, and he is wearing clothes that look expensive even to me. expensive yet comfortable, clearly showing his wealth or position. the young man playfully says something to finnegan. so that''s how it''s going to be. he is smiling brightly while talking to people around him, even greeting a few vendors and peasants. people are people everywhere, be it on earth or on the second floor. he looks back at me and gives me one more smile. i can barely feel any hostility from his it; it just looks so real and kind. the frustrating feeling i had up until now slowly disappears, and i feel myself calming down a little. up until now, the second floor looked so beautiful and almost safe, as we barely felt any hostility; only a few people punished us for our mistakes with a slap on the wrist. it left me feeling deeply uneasy. the sensation was akin to someone offering a friendly smile, all the while clutching a hidden dagger, eager to catch me off guard. this feels much better. in the end, this is still hell difficulty, even if it''s hidden under the alluring facade of the beautiful second floor. Chapter 65: Unresolved matters chapter 65: unresolved matters henry, seemingly a battle-hardened veteran with a stern expression, carefully observes our group as we gather in the training hall. his keen gaze sweeps over each one of us, pausing briefly on biscuit. he shakes his head, mumbling under his breath, "what kind of monstrosity..." his brow furrows slightly when he sees my missing arm, but he quickly moves on to assess the others. "you''re drifters, and that means you''re expendable. don''t expect any special treatment or protection. you''re on your own." nice start. "you might have come from another world, but you''re nothing more than fodder for our enemies if you can''t pull your weight." emeric is smiling brightly, standing to the side. finnegan is already gone. "the weak die and the strong survive. that''s the law of this land. if you can''t keep up, you''re better off dead."??vl?1n. as if to make a stronger impact with this sentence, i feel a wave of his mana hit us with an effect similar to cinderbear''s fear. "your background means nothing here. you''re starting from scratch, so you better work twice as hard as everyone else." i guess that means we will be forced to work for them? what about the floor quest? will the end of the world come out of nowhere? is it already coming, but people around here don''t know about it? will it happen in a few years? few days? drifters often have more gifts than us, natives of this kingdom, but if you think you can coast by on your gifts, you''re sorely mistaken." his walk stops in front of me, "you, i heard you are decent with manipulating your mana. his eyes turn to me. too talented for your own good but too dumb to take advantage of that. he puts his hand on my shoulder, and i do not attempt to dodge. defend yourself against my mana. if you hold back and try to hide your skill, you will be punished. then i feel his mana entering my body in a similar way to how lily does when she is healing. even the amount of mana is similar; the man is most likely holding back. my mana resists his and doesn''t let it enter my body, even without me doing anything. but out of nowhere, he starts sending mana towards multiple places. the attacks are still weak, but they are quicker and quicker. soon, he is pushing against my mana at a dozen places, and my automatic defense becomes confused. how much should i show? if i show too little, i will be punished and probably thrown away as someone useless. maybe even killed? if i show too much, it might become troublesome. the question is, even if i show him my all, how does it measure in comparison to them? this seems to be a kingdom that is used to handling mana, and there are massive amounts of people handling it, probably for years. what is my 30-day experience in comparison to them? so, i show it all and do not hold back at all. i concentrate my efforts on maneuvering my mana, effectively neutralizing his attack. i not only manage to block his attacks but even exert force to push back against him. i carefully observe and mimic the way he handles his mana. at first, it''s challenging, but gradually, i grow more adept. i manage to simultaneously attack in two places, then three, five, and eventually ten. as the battle progresses, i continue to adjust and adapt my mana manipulation in response to his tactics. he attempts to confuse me by reducing the size of his attacks, luring me into a false sense of security. i also take note that he consistently attacks in 12 places, so i strategically limit my own offensive and defensive maneuvers to match this number. "ahhh," the blonde noble only nods. lily''s eyes become more scared as we continue to listen to their dialogue. in the end, even the oh-so-proud emeric seems to be a bootlicker. a few hours later, they escort lily away. she remains in shock after the events on the first floor and is visibly frightened as they guide her along. we can do nothing but observe them leading her away, silently hoping she will be alright. based on the previous conversation, i doubt they intend to harm her. prior to this, we had made arrangements to use the community for communication. i hope that she will be safe and able to join the forum at the designated time. considering the swiftness with which they discovered and took her before henry and emeric could help her improve her skills, it seems that healers might be even more highly valued than i initially believed. a woman dressed in a black robe comes another hour later day. her presence exudes an air of authority, which is immediately apparent to everyone in the room. even henry acts humbly in her presence. he bows to her respectfully and proceeds to tread cautiously in her vicinity. the woman''s attire is immaculate, and her gray robe is without any embroidery. her posture is confident, and she moves with deliberate grace. as she scans the room with a piercing gaze, the atmosphere becomes tense with anticipation. it is clear that her arrival is no coincidence and that she is here with a purpose. she immediately goes to sophie. [aura manipulator - lvl ??] the first two question marks we saw since coming here. no words exit her mouth, but it looks like a conversation going on between them. after that, she takes sophie and her sister, and they leave. maya stays behind. after eating simple food and cleaning ourselves with cold water, the rest of us are led to our rooms. tess and maya get one for themselves, and i end up with hadwin and biscuit, while kim is put in the room with the twins. the room features two four-poster beds with carved wooden headboards, exposed stone walls adorned with wrought iron candle sconces, and a handwoven tapestry. a modest wooden table sits near a window with thick drapes and a simple carved wardrobe for storage. the room is simple but comfortable, especially after the first floor. the best doggo immediately jumps on the bed and puts his head on my thigh. (food?) you just ate, you little twerp. also, i really hope you didn''t mean to eat hadwin. once again, recalling the beginning of the second floor, i glance towards hadwin, who meets my gaze as well. "i think we have some unresolved matters." Chapter 66: You were right chapter 66: you were right what flashes through my mind are the memories of me dragging my wounded body to the second floor, and all of them waiting there like vultures for an opportunity. on the first floor, i didn''t hurt any of them too much because i needed them, and in the end, it was the right decision. it was logical, and sophie, hadwin, and maya did pull their weight during the last moments of the first floor. i was so angry, really angry at them for pulling all this on me the moment the first floor ended. but i didn''t let it get to my head. i thought it through logically and didn''t hurt them; i kept them around again, and i would do it once more, even if they tried to take my life afterward. that''s what i like about myself. that''s how i want to be. but now? i push biscuit away and stand up. sure, the second floor seems to be difficult, maybe even more so than the first floor. everyone around is of a much higher level, and pissing off the wrong person could mean death. plus, my freedom is so restricted. but do i need hadwin? perhaps? i''m familiar with him and his skills to an extent, but how useful can he truly be? his weaknesses mirror my own. there aren''t any people i need him to lead, and most importantly - he attempted to take my life. i need to show him that it''s not an action he can take lightly. i take a step closer. i knew i would regret not finishing you off. you''re not normal in your head, he says, and his mana activates. my fist hits his face and bounces back because of some weird field around his body, and then i feel his skill trying to disrupt my mana. i let one part of my mind focus on analyzing this skill, and the other part takes care of the rest. mana flows through my body easier than ever with my new passive skill, and with increased mana, i have more of it than ever before, so i don''t focus on efficiency that much. still, i feel that my circuit is not working properly because of my missing arm, and the flow of mana is far from optimal, once again due to missing a big chunk of my mana circuit together with my left arm. i dodge his swing, and my knee hits his belly, making him stagger back, unhurt. his constitution is high, his skill adds to it, and he is keeping up his other skill that tries to mess with my mana. but he can''t. my mana is too much for him, and my control is much better than his even in this state. i hit his face three more times, and finally draw some blood; he is slow, and not that good at fighting humans. he charges at me, trying to grab my waist and pull me to the ground where he would have an advantage with his higher strength and endurance, not even mentioning my missing arm. but what welcomes him is [kinetic redistribution] i use to slow him down and then, with absorbed energy, i boost my kick, and my knee hits his chin, probably at least cracking it even through his tough body. finally, the other part of my [focus] focuses on replicating his skill. it somewhat reminds me of how henry attempted to infuse my body with his mana, and i''ve seen hadwin use it frequently back on the first floor. i''ve had ample opportunities to observe him manipulate mana and experiment. he even used the skill on me two times. notification sounds in my mind and i ignore it and use my new skill instead. at the same time i activate [mana surge] and my mana burns even brighter and stronger as i put a lot of it into the skill called [disruption]. efficiency is terrible, the skill is only level one... oh a notification... level two, but the absurd amount of mana makes it work, and i use it against hadwin. it slightly reminds me of having the [focus] split into more parts. limits? two? three? ten constructs? so, yeah, let''s study sophie''s construct for a bit longer. the older man on the floor regains consciousness, and i stand up. his eyes move to look at me. he looks undefeated; but his will to fight is weaker. good. i kick his belly two more times and then kick his head, making him unconscious once again. then i get back to practicing my skills, this time i let mana hover around my missing arm and try to form it into the shape of an arm. it''s incredibly difficult.. hey, look, if a corgi could learn it, so can i! sure, i will never be as good at it as our overlords, animals, the masters of mana, but i will try! oh, you''re moving again? damn, what''s with the look in your eyes? who told you to try to kill me? an eye for an eye? a tooth for a tooth? if i did that, you would be dead. this time, i let him create a barrier around his body and then disrupt it with the same skill he has. desperation enters his eyes as i once again make him unconscious. then i get back to my practice. part of my mind focuses on [mana manipulation] and the other on [armament]. creating something in the shape that resembles an arm isn''t that difficult; yes, fingers are super hard to create, but even harder is to make it move. obviously, i have no feeling in it, and it''s still translucent, ready to dissipate when i stress it too much. wouldn''t it be easier to learn a healing skill? when hadwin wakes up next time, i let him crawl towards his bed and leave him be this time. hadwin, tomorrow you will tell me about your skills and class, okay? he pauses, and then our eyes meet. much better look. the older man just nods and falls asleep with his body halfway on the bed. Chapter 67: Separated chapter 67: separated pov tess hansen the man with a question mark instead of his level leaves us with a warning that we''ll be killed if we leave the room without being asked to and i end up behind the closed door with maya. she is perhaps five years older than me. her figure bears the marks of a lot of exercise. i think i heard that she was a fitness trainer back on earth. her eyes turn to me, not even attempting to look friendly. she has a skill called [focus], and nat told me it should help her better concentrate on fighting and magic while also helping her control her emotions. it sounds fairly useful, but she doesn''t seem to be that good at it. "great, i have to share a room with nathaniel''s dog." even without the skill, nathaniel shows more control over his emotions than her. "so why do you even listen to him? is he your boyfriend?" i don''t answer, and she continues. "or are you sucking up to him to survive?" "yes," i agree with her. "phe!" she jumps on her bed and stretches out her body while still looking at me. "is that all you have to say? should i talk to her? should i warn her? a memory flashes through my head. a few days after we entered the first floor, i saw her talking to lily and giving her advice, helping her a bit while smiling gently. i still remember that act of kindness, so i decide to give her a warning. "you should be more careful around nathaniel. from now avoid him as much as you can." "heh, like i don''t know that. that guy is freaking crazy." she doesn''t understand. "be thankful you''re still in one piece. he''s... he''s not the sort who lets things slide. if i hadn''t stepped in back there, you would have been in a terrible state. hadwin and sophie too." her laugh fills the room. "if hadwin is still alive in the morning, watch carefully the condition he''s in." that makes her shut up, and she stares at me with a hard-to-read look. i know i won''t be able to sleep tonight, not with her around, but i still lie down and try to get some rest. maya doesn''t say anything more, but i can see her thinking. finally, a day and night cycle! one sun, as the universe intended. even day and night seem to be of similar length to earth''s. my roommate slowly wakes up, groaning. he is still bruised, his hand is broken, and there are bruises all over his body. i expected him to be in better shape. does he not have as high a constitution as i thought? before i can ask him, our doors are unlocked and open. "follow me," the man with a question mark over his head says shortly after taking a second to look at the state hadwin is in. but that''s all. he just acknowledges his condition, and we leave the room, following him into a small room with a few chairs and some food on the table. "you have five minutes." he is much harsher on me than on the older man. it looks like i did upset him by hurting hadwin. is either that or he is still somewhat angry that they took lily and sophie away from him. i try to dodge his fist, but it''s too quick, and my head flies back, making the world spin around me. i hold on and swing my fist at him. i am feeling so terribly slow without my mana. slow and weak. and a slightly higher constitution makes the best punching bag out of me. our martial arts don''t seem to be that different, and i''m confident i could defeat him if we had equal stats and my arm was restored. "that''s enough," he also sends me away and continues to test the others. when i sit down on the ground, the best doggo comes to me and licks my hand. i pet him in exchange and watch the others. only tess shows some knowledge of martial arts. i know that her dad is a high-end bodyguard, so it''s only natural that he taught her a bit. with her hair tied into a ponytail, she defends against the man and continues to quickly get on her feet every time he knocks her down. in the end, not even she lands a proper hit on him and is sent away. the others are much worse. maya''s physical stats are good, but she doesn''t seem to have any experience in human-versus-human combat and the remaining three, kim and the twins, aren''t even close. for the final time, he turns towards us, his gaze lingering on each and every one of us before he abruptly exits without another word. right after that, we are split up. tess and maya are led away together, and so are the twins. hadwin is taken away by one attendant and kim by another. biscuit stays behind with one of the guys that work with henry and before they disappear from my sight, i hear one last message in my head. (afraid) i end up alone in a simple room, waiting for someone to arrive. after an hour emeric enters the room with a big smile on his face. young, dashing, and neatly dressed. his smile seems genuine as he looks me up and down. "you''re coming with me. i promised i''d help you adapt a bit before you''re sent to the frontlines." he says i am to be taken to his manor. apparently, it''s massive and has dozens of servants. the young noble is quick to point out that he is the third son of an affluent family, and this is their summer house. while we drive there - me on a horse behind one of his men and him inside a luxurious carriage - i check the community forum. the forum is full of people checking on each other, making sure they are safe, as even they seem to be in fairly similar situations. but i am curious about only a few: sset (hell, group 4) - everything is fine here, they are already training us. they want to send us hunting after a while. grumpy (hell, group 4) - i''m fine, they treat me super well... i miss you guys. strongestone (hell, group 4) - they treat us like crap, but at least we have food, water, and beds. i also let others know that i''m fine and spend the rest of my limit watching the forum. this time, most people ignore my questions, and only the same groups talk amongst themselves. the manor is as massive and luxurious as the guy described. it''s huge, and the gardens are beautiful and well-maintained. emeric smiles at me as i look around, displaying an ugly grin. the first thing he does is order me to undress completely in front of about two dozen servants and guards. they pour cold water over me while the blonde noble complains about my odor. they cut off my hair and shave my head, claiming it''s to prevent lice. he laughs the entire time, even as i awkwardly put on the clothes they provide, struggling with my one arm. his laughter only intensifies after looking into my eyes. Chapter 68: Yes chapter 68: yes "it''s a shame that you''re being sent to the frontlines. sure, they don''t instantly put you in the most dangerous spots, but in the end, you''re just monster fodder." emeric taps my shoulder; it seems friendly, but it''s anything but that. "that old man henry said you have quite a few gifts. actually, a lot of them for someone of your level. unfortunately for you, you''ve messed up; your mana is too high, and it will break your body fairly soon. you''re crippled, too." he looks at me. "i see that you don''t understand," he says happily. "your mana is messed up, and its flow is terrible because of your missing limb. you have way too much of it to control with your lackluster skills, and no one will bother enough to help you level up and fix your habits." he taps my back, and this time it hurts. "you have no idea how much regrowing your limb would cost. they are pretty selective about this kind of service. it''s also unfortunate they took your friend away. she would have been able to heal you given a few months. but now she''s in their hands." he flashes me a bright smile. "tomorrow, i will have you spar with a few of my men. a bit with weapons and some basic mana exercises. just in case someone comes to check up on you. the day after that, i will let you practice again. just in case." he then stops. we are alone in the hallway. it''s not inside the manor but in a smaller house nearby, most likely housing for his servants. "after that, i will make your life miserable. you will exercise until you pass out. they will beat you, you will be given rotten food that was about to be thrown away, and you will sleep in the pig pens." his face still looks honest, and his smile is nearly perfect. "all of that because of the way you look around," he quietens down, whispering now. "i hate your eyes. the calm look in them as you look around, trying to gather as much information as you can. you should be scared, you should be pissing your pants." he straightens up. "before the week''s end, i will challenge you to a duel. i will tell henry that you insulted my father or something like that, and during that duel, i will kill you." this time, he pats my cheek a few times. "your room is at the end of the hallway." he walks away. his hate for me feels almost too much. is he just that rotten, picking someone to torture every so often, or did he see something in me that he really can''t stand? i watch his back the entire time until he leaves the hallway. then, i stop moving the mana inside my body and start walking through the hallway. as i thought, his mana sensitivity is terrible, and unlike henry, he wasn''t able to feel my mana movement inside my body at all. so, can i take on someone at least 20, but probably much much more levels higher? in a week? if i surprise him, then maybe? but the chance is low, and the risk is so high. so, should i run away? i don''t think i will be able to. ask for help? who? try to get into his good graces? seems impossible. haaa. lootenant (hell, whitewing) - we think that one question mark is up to 100-200 level and two question marks are over 200. but we''re not sure now. it seems like asking for a level is considered terribly rude here. after a while, i get disconnected and close my eyes. i don''t sleep again and continue to practice. the next day, it becomes even worse. this time, someone stronger spars with me. i learn a lot, but i also get beaten a lot. i get a soft, nearly rotten fruit that reminds me of an apple, and i''m forced to eat it while emeric watches. i continue to observe him, and by now, i''m certain i can''t defeat him in a fair fight. his mana sense is terrible, but his stats are high, which he demonstrated while sparring with henry. he is incredibly fast, and his swordsmanship is sharp and beautiful. he tells me to get on my knees and beg, saying that he will spare my life if i do so. i do it. i don''t believe him, but i kneel down and even touch the ground with my forehead. dignity? isn''t survival more important? it won''t cost me anything to bow down to him. sure, it annoys me a lot, but for me, it''s easy to do. he laughs and even throws me some sweets he was eating. i eat them as he orders me to. they aren''t as sweet as those from the earth, and there''s some dirt on them. then he says he changed his mind, and i will die at the end of the week. i watch him leave while mana continues to flow. once again, he wasn''t able to feel me using mana inside my body. i remember him stating that we are similar, and i can''t help but chuckle a bit. you''re unaware of what makes me, me. the next day, he doesn''t join to watch my training, and the guards and servants seem to be confused. i am still forced to exercise to the point i almost pass out from exhaustion. the day after that, the servants seem even more unsure. they start searching inside the manor and in the surrounding area, and there''s a flow of people coming in and out of the manor. they don''t train me anymore, so i spend most of the time locked inside my tiny room, practicing. they''re not giving me any food, but i enjoy the peace in my room. on the third day after his disappearance, a tall woman comes to the manor, and i''m called out of my room. when i join her, i try to check her level, but i don''t see anything. there isn''t even text above her head. she appears to be 60 or more years old. her hair is gray, and her face has wrinkles, yet she exudes an atmosphere of absolute confidence. she''s wearing a black suit that seems more suited for a male, and it only highlights her tall and slim figure. "i''ve bought you," she says simply. "if you lie to me, you will die," she says just as simply, and i believe every word she says. "did you kill emeric hawthorne?" "yes." Chapter 69: A Life Bought and Sold chapter 69: a life bought and sold she keeps staring at me as we sit alone in the room with only her attendant nearby. then she turns away, and to my surprise, i am still alive. "why did you do it?" "he wanted to kill me." she pauses once more and doesn''t ask more about that, as if my answer explains everything. "do you regret it?" there is a hint of curiosity in her voice. i open my mouth, about to lie, but then stop myself just in time, remembering her warning. i still believe that i have no other choice, so i answer honestly. "no." she nods, "i see." is she not going to ask me how i did it? "why didn''t you run away?" "i thought i would get caught, and staying here would be much less suspicious. i also tried to cover it as much as possible." she leans back on the couch with one of her legs crossed over the other and still looking at me, curiously. there is some mana at the top of her hands spinning wildly, but i do not dare to try to probe it to see what she does. "what will you do if i try to kill you?" try? don''t be funny. there is no way it would be trying. i will die the moment you decide to do so. still, i answer honestly. "i will try to kill you too." a small laugh escapes her mouth, and her attendant, a young redhead woman, seems to be shocked. "what do you regret more, killing emeric or getting caught?" "getting caught." "no regrets for taking his life?" "the moment he said he would kill me, there was none." mana in her hand spins faster and faster, and i realize that it''s something like a fidget toy for her, maybe also an exercise. the mana continues to spin, then it stops, changes density, creates shapes, and disappears only to be summoned back. all at a terrifying speed, showing her mastery over it. "you can ask one question." huh? that makes me lose control of my mana for a second, but i quickly regain control and continue to move it in my body, ready to at least try to fight back. i am sure she knows about it. there is no way she doesn''t. yet she looks totally unbothered by it. is she finding that funny? "what do i need to do to stay alive?" "can i ask you a question?" "oh, finally you talk. sure, go ahead! but i won''t answer most of them anyway." why would you... whatever. "why am i still alive?" "i will answer this one because you look so pitiful," she giggles. "it''s most likely because you are interesting and the master found it amusing. she won''t show it, but she is super bored all the time and rarely something catches her interest. that''s why!" huh? is that a good enough reason to glance over the murder of your family member? "ask more!" please, leave me alone. "how much is 100 gold?" "i almost forgot, you are a drifter, so obviously you won''t know! a level 50 soldier makes 1 gold a year! 1 gold is 100 silver, and one silver is 100 copper. bread costs 1-3 copper. a glass of ale costs 2 to 4 coppers. farmers make 15 silver a year? something like that. so yeah, it''s a lot of money." oh dang it. "why would they want to throw me to the frontlines if i am worth that much?" her laugh is the loudest i''ve heard from her up until now. "of course, you''re not! drifters are rare but not worth that much. the master is too busy to deal with little things, so i bought you instead of her! henry sold you for 2 gold to the frontlines, and emeric paid him 5 gold to let him take you ''under his wing''." then where did the 100 gold amount come from? a strong suspicion hits me. it can''t be, right? "the master is super rich and bad with money." oh no. "i told her you would cost 100 gold!" "..." yup, it''s just as i thought. "i actually paid only 8 gold for you!" her smile is victorious and proud as she looks at me. "oh, and it''s expected for you to pay double. 100 for the money she spent and 100 more for her to have a return on investment." she is totally shameless as she says this. for heaven''s sake. help.no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. Chapter 70: Ruby chapter 70: ruby the redhead woman''s name is ruby, or at least that''s what she claims. the way she tells me makes me think it might be fake. there is a weird look on her face as she tells it to me. she doesn''t tell me her master''s name, nor does she tell me what will happen to me. my suspicion is that it''s because it''s more fun this way. look, i understand it. i do. i would find it funny too if i were in her position. i would totally enjoy it. but damn, it''s annoying when it''s happening to me. "first floor, second floor, system," i say as i walk by her side, but she doesn''t react at all. it''s as if i didn''t say anything or she didn''t hear me. well, it seems like the system is good at censoring. it''s not just based on censoring words, but also my intentions? it''s probably as i thought back then. the system can read my mind. ruby doesn''t even ask me where i came from, nor has anyone done that since we entered the second floor. isn''t that something people would be at least a little bit curious about? it''s a whole different world. are they even human, or just something like npcs? if they are npcs, they are done amazingly well. i''ve been here for a few days, and up until now, everyone has acted like a real human being. yet, i did gain experience for killing emeric. [you have defeated windblade duelist - lvl 101] [lvl 24 > lvl 27] [mana manipulation - lvl 10 > mana manipulation - lvl 11] "hey, i''m asking you something." "oh, i''m sorry." i refocus on ruby. "so, what happened to your hair? your face is quite handsome, and you have pretty eyes; you just need to do something about your expression. but your choice of haircuts is terrible." "it''s emeric''s doing." hmm, maybe i should try playing on her sympathies? slowly become the underdog in her eyes? "oh, is that another reason why you killed him?" she smiles. nevermind. "not really..." i try to continue and explain, but she changes the subject. "what happened to your arm?" she moves closer and pokes the empty sleeve of my shirt. her eyes are big and yellowish. only now do i notice a pattern in her irises. what is it? "answer my question." she moves even closer, and i can smell her perfume as she stares into my eyes. she doesn''t look more than twenty years old, and i just now notice that she is quite pretty. i force a smile on my face, just a small oneenough to make my face look slightly friendlier. "no," i say curtly in what i see as a bickering tone. let''s try to become friendly with her. her eyes fill with surprise, and her smile changes from playful to dangerous. oh no. immediately i rush mana through my body and activate [kinetic redistribution] with both parts of my [focus]. then i feel pain in my chest, immediately followed by a sting in my jaw, and fall to my knees with my head spinning and barely maintaining consciousness. ruby looks down at me, still smiling. her hand turns into a blurry line, and i feel a hit on the side of my head. the world goes black. yes, it''s my fault. "yes." "good," she says playfully and stands up, sitting back in her armchair. "now, do you want to say anything?" "what''s with your eyes?" "ehm?" "you said i can act in a way that is honest to myself and ask if i want to, so what''s with your eyes? the color is unusual, and there''s a weird pattern in them. they don''t seem too natural." "you talk quite a lot when you want to." "i don ?t like small talk and i dislike talking to more than one person at once or having multiple people around me. it''s more comfortable this way." "ah, so you''re like that," her eyes look at me as if examining me again, "master is similar in this way." she crosses her legs and looks at me, as i''m still kneeling. "and back to my eyes, it''s a secret," she winks. that''s a bummer. before i get a chance to ask anything else, she asks first. "your name is nathaniel, right? level 24 or a bit higher now, 7 or 8 gifts, and with a lot of points in mana," she pauses, "i think it''s kind of dumb, but you do you, though. can i call you nat?" "i would prefer if you didn''t." "okay, so nat it is." i am not even surprised at this point. "why are you treating me like this and telling me to stay true to myself? you''re stronger than me. i''m way below you." "hmm? it''s more fun that way. and i hate fake people. someone acting like an asshole is better than an asshole pretending to be nice." oh, i can understand that, but did i just get indirectly dissed? "can i get 92 gold from you, the ones you stole from your master?" "no." "can i tell your master that you''re scamming her? "yes," her smile is bright and cheeky, and i feel shivers down my back. okay, totally let''s not do that. "what is your level?" "hey! that''s quite rude!" "i was told i''m an asshole." she nods seriously but her eyes are smiling, "not telling," she pauses, "now it''s my turn. why did you put so many points in mana?" "mana fascinates me." she nods again, as though she understands. "what did you do to make emeric hate you?" "he said he doesn''t like the look in my eyes." that makes her laugh out loud, and she covers her mouth with her hand while doing so. she seems like a child to me - a child with immense power. playful, enjoying the little things. still, i''m not sure if it''s only a mask she put on. "i can totally understand that. your eyes are pretty, but you are... how to say it? there''s something about your look that amuses and pisses me off at the same time," she gestures wildly as if trying to explain, "for someone weaker than you, you must seem scary and unapproachable. for your equal, you might look reliable and a bit emotionless, and for people that are stronger than you, it must look like you''re looking down at them. watching their steps and waiting for the right opportunity to step over them. as if they are just a footstep in your way and your goals are much bigger, even though they are currently so much stronger than you." she pokes my chest. it''s pretty funny and annoying at the same time, which makes it a blast to watch. people like you either get so strong nobody wants to mess with them, or they screw up so epically, so massively, that the gods will poop lightning and fart thunder while laughing their heads off. Chapter 71: Pride chapter 71: pride "please give me the 92 gold you stole." "no." so goddamn shameless. "nat, please don''t look at me like that. it doesn''t suit your pretty face." damn it, don''t call me nat. but wait a moment. the main objective of the quest is to witness the end of the world. do i really need to pay back all this money? "how long do i have to pay it back?" i try. "a year?" huh? i know that i might not have to pay it all back, but what the heck!??vl?1n. "you said a level 50 soldier makes 1 gold a year." "yes." "i am level 27 now." "yes." how does this make sense? "your angry face is funny." okay, let''s calm down. breathe in. breathe out. repeat. "so after 12 months, i need to have 200 gold and pay it back, right?" the second floor might end much earlier than that, so it would be perfect. "nope, monthly payments." "are you messing with me?" "a bit, it''s funny. master can probably forgive you a bit if you miss a payment or two - if she likes you, but if you push it too much, she will feel as if you are disrespecting her, and who knows what will happen then." great. "what are good paying jobs?" "soldier is pretty well paid." breathe in. breathe out. "you just said again that they make 1 gold a year if they are level 50." "yes." she is quite special, this woman in front of me. "anything else?" "you can sell your body." huh? "for experiments? or selling body parts?" "nope, as a prostitute." she listens without a single word. "i will pay back for everything. not in the same amount. i will be unreasonable, i will be petty. i will be cruel." i always did it that way. "that''s the way i live, and that''s my pride." so in the end, i decided to become a freelance hunter, adventurer, or however ruby called it. they are individuals who go into the wild and hunt monsters or animals. obviously, the owner of the land and the intermediary take a cut and the amount of money a person can get starts at a few copper and can become much higher. the reason i picked this path is that i can level up while making some money at the same time, so that''s quite good. there are three ways hunters make money. first is hunting monsters and bringing back their bodies for people to make use of them. skins, meat, bones, teeth, nearly anything can be used. second, killing monsters that have multiplied way too much or pose a risk to roads; they can even get hired as guards for caravans if they want to. third is hunting monsters alive. this one is probably the best-paying one, as they will buy a live monster from you and sell it off to someone rich. the main reason is that rich people can kill them inside the safety of their houses and gain some experience to level up. i heard it''s pretty popular among super-rich people, even though the amount of experience they gain isn''t much. so yeah, there are a lot of options. before i left with an average-looking sword, a few pairs of clothes, some food and paperwork, and owing a bit more silver, ruby warned me not to run away and to come back every week to report to her and her. it looks like her master left some sort of marker on me, and i still can''t find it. it also surprises me how easily they let me go. i could die out there, you know. aren''t you worried? is it because of her master? is it because of ruby? is it the system''s work? well, it works for me. it''s just annoying not to know. so here i am, walking through stonehaven, alone. it feels weird now that there isn''t anyone leading me somewhere or giving me orders. i stop by the side of the road, making sure i''m not in anyone''s way. the last thing i want right now is to bump into a hotheaded individual. i open the community. noname (hell, group 4)- anyone? brainiac (hell, whitewing) - sup, noname. grumpy was super worried about you, dude. sset (hell, group 4) - hello, you are late. the other two already spent their allotted time. yes, that''s true. but it''s not like i could use the community in front of ruby. noname (hell, group 4) - i couldn''t help it. sset (hell, group 4) - is everything fine? noname (hell, group 4) - yes, you said you were a hunter, are you near stonehaven? sset (hell, group 4)- they took us to another city and still keep us on a leash, but we are leveling up. that''s good to hear. still, it looks like i will be on my own. i don''t mind it that much; it just means i will have to be more careful. i terribly lack any useful information, and i think they''re not for free. plus, a single high-level monster probably means the end. brainiac (hell, whitewing)- oh, noname and sset! i wanted to tell you something. when both of you were away, a new guy joined the community. i''m only telling you because he is batshit crazy, and i haven''t seen him before. at first, i almost ignore him, not curious about this kind of stuff, but then he says something that catches my interest. brainiac (hell, whitewing) - he was from your group, so you probably know him. he named himself "foodfood" and kept spamming in the chat, the one word only, and all the time. either "food!" or "food?" or just "food." i sigh. why am i not even surprised? goddamn it, biscuit. i''m glad you seem okay, you little twerp. Chapter 72: Weredeer chapter 72: weredeer my job? killing monster boars. pay? 1 to 2 silver per piece. bonus? level ups. a problem? they are heavy. solution? hire a group with a skill similar to kim''s [gravity well] to carry them. price for that group? thirty percent of every boar delivered. god damn it. but there is one thing i like about them. they use some glowing stone that they use their skill on and then put it on the corpses. at that point, the stone works like a medium, slowly releasing some mana to keep the skill active even without their presence. sure! it lasts only for a while, but it''s cool as hell! it amazes me and i want one. but i am instantly rejected. something about a trade secret. god damn it. to be honest, i might fall in love with this world for real. it''s full of magic and its uses that fascinate me so much. after spending a few days here, i feel as if we used sticks and stones on the first floor. you know, like monkeys, trying to figure out how to ride a bike, while here they are flying around in jets. i love it. i dodge to the side using absorbed kinetic energy, and a small bead made out of my mana forms near my shoulder then flies at the monster. unlike during my fight with the cinderbear, there is damage as it hits the boar''s eye, blinding it. i form a few more and send them at the monster, distracting it while i move to its back. i cover the blade of my sword in an oscillating mana and finish up the monster. [you have defeated a boar - lvl 19] [lvl 29 > lvl 30] then i check my stats after putting everything into mana, obviously. lvl 30 strength: 13 dexterity: 14 constitution: 39 mana: 79 good! the not rounded-up number on mana slightly annoys me, but hey, it''s only a matter of time. huhuh. finally, my mana is twice as high as my constitution. i do not have a problem! anyway, after a few days of hunting, i was able to gain 3 levels and a grand total of 36 silver. that''s surprisingly a lot and makes me wonder what on earth the soldiers are doing to be paid only 1 gold a year. oh, and i also removed sophie''s construct from my head. i already remembered its patterns, and i am sure the rest is only about some experimenting and practice until i create a construct of my own. so yeah, i removed it. you know, just to be safe. it totally wasn''t because of my too-high mana. it totally wasn''t that i had to let one of my focuses run permanently and keep my mana under control and then couldn''t fight because the other part of my mind focused on keeping her construct isolated. pfff. that would be stupid. "..." so yeah, anyway. for a moment, i release my second focus and use it to strengthen my body with [mana surge], then reach back with the spear in my hand. i twist my body, spin, and throw the spear at the boar. immediately after the spear leaves my hand, it starts losing some of its firmness, but that''s okay. i used a lot of mana. the spear flies through the air, turning into a blurred line of white-blue light. it burrows itself deep into the monster''s shoulder, and its charge staggers a bit before continuing. at that point, i reach out towards the boar with [kinetic redistribution] and absorb its energy, making it slow down. i groan; the monster is heavy, and the force behind its dash is no joke. when it''s almost within arm''s reach of me, i use hadwin''s skill and disrupt the protective barrier around its body. feeling the mana waver, i redirect the absorbed energy into a thin cone and aim it inside its eye, making a mess out of the inside of its head. it lets out a long squeal and staggers even more, and i jump to the side as its body slides past me and then stops moving. [you have defeated the iron boar - lvl 28] i poke the corpse with my foot and gesture at the hiding aelric. nice job, boss! and you didn''t even damage it that much! i just nod and move to the side. knowing a monster''s weaknesses sure helps a lot, and having skills that counter them is useful, but i am still not satisfied. yes, throwing a spear made out of my mana is nice, and mana orbs too. i can make them stronger in the future, but somehow they feel... lacking, even as i use my surge to strengthen them. i need some stronger ranged attacks that will take advantage of my ever-increasing mana pool. and i also need to create my very first construct. i need to practice [disruption] as well. in a world where magic is so prevalent, it seems like a really strong skill, and it almost might help me learn to counter similar attacks that could end up being my biggest weakness, as i rely on mana so much. oh, also another [focus] would be nice! there is so much to do. it''s fun. even though i complain, i am happy. i put in an effort, and i get rewarded. i gain more silver, and i can take a warm bath at night and sleep in freshly washed blankets. i eat tasty food and drink clean water. then there is so much magic to study and watch and so much to learn. i leave people alone, and they leave me alone as well, not caring if i die or what i do with my life. i hope it will last. weredeers? yeah? screw them. god damned system. fucking aelric. a terrifying call sounds into the surroundings as more and more weredeers gather at the edge of my perception. [weredeer - lvl 26] [weredeer - lvl 31] [weredeer - lvl 26] there are three of them circling around me, moving on their hind legs most of the time, and sometimes getting on all fours to move faster. their antlers are sharp and glowing, covered in ominous red mana. their calls hurt my ears, and their skin seems to be glowing, covered in similar tattoos that the battle trolls had back on the first floor. but the main problem is this guy. [battle weredeer - lvl 33] the biggest one out of them. antlers sharp enough to cut me apart and a mouth full of sharp teeth. the monster moves on its two legs, and its tattoos are glowing in beautiful white light. its eyes look at me like a hunter looks at its prey. then, the mana flows out of its antlers, creating a shape similar to that of an arrow. the mana begins to glow in a color similar to its tattoos and flies toward me at a speed that is difficult to follow with the naked eye. Chapter 73: New Side quest chapter 73: new side quest i dash to the side, strengthening my body as i do so. the world becomes quieter, black and white, with only mana retaining its color in the world of [focus]. my [mana perception] works overtime as i continue tracking the four weredeers'' mana signatures around me. thankfully, only the battle weredeer seems to be able to create mana projectiles, so i keep running away from them or dodging them after determining their trajectory. one weredeer moves closer to me, dropping to all fours. a horrifying noise escapes its mouth as it charges at me, red mana glowing around its antlers. i take a step towards it, and my [disruption] flares up, causing the glow around its antlers and tattoos to flicker. the monster slows down, and i stab at it with my sword. darn it. i immediately absorb some energy and push myself away, rolling on the ground before springing back onto my feet. the spot where i had been standing is bombarded with mana arrows. with no more time to think, i dash again, avoiding the charge of another weredeer. as i pass by it, i make a deep wound in its side with my sword, coated in oscillating mana. my body is already heating up, and mana surges through me, held at bay by the second part of my [focus]. i dodge again and absorb more energy, using half of it to pierce the leg of one of the weredeers and the other half to push myself away. the monster''s tattoos begin to glow more intensely, and i can feel all this mana in the air as even my own mana rages through my body. mana circuit and [mana flow] both allow it to move quickly, improving my control over it while thanks to [focus] i mold it and send it where it needs to go. i''ve already forgotten aelric''s betrayal. i don''t think about the tutorial, the other people, or my problems. i just fight. my mana surges, and the oscillating mana on my blade extends, cutting off the weredeer''s leg. as it falls, i absorb its inertia and remold it into a thin cone that i shoot at its head after using [disruption] to weaken it. half of the head explodes, and the remaining eye slowly loses some of its glow, along with the mana around its antlers. [you have defeated a weredeer - lvl 26] i jump back. [armanent] creates armor on my forearm, and i redirect two mana arrows from the battle weredeer. then i turn and stab my sword at the monster behind me. it dodges, and another one charges at me, but i dodge it as well. i create dozen of mana orbs and shoot them at the battle weredeer while charging one of my opponents. with my perception, i feel the monster dodging my attack and giving me enough time to disrupt the mana in the tattoos of another weredeer. this slows it down just enough for me to reach it and stab my sword through its chest. the sword breaks, and i let go. a sword made with [armanent] appears in my hand, and i stab it into the monster, extending it as far as i can, making it go right through its body. then i have to dodge and jump behind the monster i just wounded. the spot where i had been standing is hit by another shower of mana arrows, which also strikes the body of the monster i stabbed [you have defeated a weredeer - lvl 31] i slowly breathe out and release some tension in my body. then, i [focus] more and take a deep breath in, followed by a slow breath out. ten mana orbs appear around my body, and i feed them more mana. i make them bigger, firmer, and then elongate them, attempting to replicate what the battle weredeer did. one part of my mind continues to calm my mana, and the other keeps scanning the area around me. oh, a new [side quest]. side quest: get 5 skills over level 10 rewards: skill upgrade token huh, that sounds good, doesn''t it? active skills: focus (dual focus) - lvl 11 mana manipulation - lvl 12 mana perception - lvl 11 oscillation - lvl 7 kinetic redistribution - lvl 9 armanent - lvl 4 mana surge - lvl 2 disruption - lvl 3 does the already upgraded [focus] count towards it? i wish it would, but i''m more inclined to think that it doesn''t. it just doesn''t sound like the system that i know and simultaneously love and hate. so, with [kinetic redistribution], i am over halfway there. another two skills i should focus on leveling up should be [oscillation] and then... hmm, which one? the remaining ones are at similar levels, and i can use them all, but it would be more productive to bring one of them to level 10 instead of just using all of them. [armanent] just showed me how useful it can be as i finally gained a decent ranged attack. it took a long time, but i''m finally starting to feel like a mage and not a cheap, knockoff version from the marketplace. a step closer to finally taking advantage of my mana without damaging my body every time! but the problem is that other skills are amazing in their own way. [disruption], boosted by the surge, feels like straight-up bullying when i use it against someone with worse mana control or lower mana reserves. [mana surge], on the other hand, gives me an incredible boost to almost everything, taking advantage of my passive skill and trait. dang it, too many good choices! a typical first-world problem. i don''t even want to think about all the headaches i will have while deciding which skill to upgrade. last time i got eight options for two skills. will i get twenty of them this time? one part of me is already scared, but a small, excited part of me screeches in anticipation somewhere in the corner of my mind. okay, i''ll deal with that later! it sounds like a problem for future nathaniel! screw that guy! but first, there''s one person i need to take care of. the person who gave me the wrong information and sent me here to die. aelric. Chapter 74: Biscuit, no! chapter 74: biscuit, no! i enter the bar in the inn aelric frequents, which is situated in a small village near the wilderness where hunters gather to hunt monsters. surprisingly, he is there, together with his group. they are drinking happily without a care in the world. it pisses me off. i walk towards the inn owner, who works from behind the counter. five silver coins leave my hand C half a year''s wage for a farmer. "i need to have a ''talk'' with aelric and his buddies." [aura strengthener - lvl 51] finally, i am able to see his level. he looks at me, then at the coins, and then at aelric. a sigh escapes his mouth. "triple it and no deaths. i don''t want to deal with their godforsaken guild." i put the coins out without any hesitation, reducing my saved-up coins by a fair amount. the man takes them, and i turn towards aelric and the four men surrounding him. two of them are level 30 and 35, while aelric and two more are a bit over 20. the group has already noticed and is on guard. "hey, boss! you wouldn''t believe what happened. i swear there should be only level 20 weredeer and not moving in groups! we had to leave too! the big grou..." he starts, but my fist already burrows itself into the belly of the level 35 man. he groans even though his reinforcement and mana flare up. immediately, my [disruption] dissipates his hold over his mana, and my fist hits him in the face. i take a step back to avoid the attack of another level thirty, and mana flows through my body as my leg hits his chest, sending him rolling on the ground. none of the men dare to use big area damage skills inside the inn that is under the protection of a strong association. aelric, seeing the men he often hires for protection get beaten, becomes a bit nervous and takes a step back. "look, boss, nathaniel, nat, it''s just a huge misunderstanding." [armament] creates a helmet without any visor around my head, and the bottle smashes against it half a second later, trying to distract me. i continue to watch them with my [mana perception], and when the level 35 dashes, there is mana glowing in the palms of his hands. my [kinetic redistribution] slows down his charge to a crawl, and then i shoot absorbed energy back at him. something cracks, and he grabs his leg while groaning on the ground. i create a small orb made of mana at the side of my fist and shoot it at level 31, who is slowly getting on his feet. i boost it with [mana surge] and after getting hit also staggers back, now with a broken arm. "nat, nat! you have to calm down, you..." i don''t give him a chance, and my kick hits his crotch, sending him down on the ground with a loud groan. the other two level 20s don''t even try to run away, and i break both of their hands and finish them off with a kick to the crotch and then to the head. then i turn back to the man groaning on the ground. "v-viktor, viktor paid me to do it! he didn''t like you hunting so many boars; it got into his business." he pauses, breathless, but there''s some hope in his eyes. it''s as if he thinks i will stop now and change my target. he doesn''t know me. my stomp breaks his knee, and his screams are now louder as he keeps thrashing on the ground. fear slowly starts to creep into his eyes. could i have done it outside the inn and saved some money? could i have even killed him for giving me the wrong information and sending me to my death? yes, i could have, and without any hesitation. the instant he attempted to take my life, i no longer had any doubts about it and he doesn''t have anything worth enough to make me change my mind. but that''s not how it works here. i stomp on his other knee, and he passes out. so, i pull up a chair and sit on it. it''s okay; i can wait. i have time. eventually, i leave after breaking both of his elbows. oh, and i also cut off his hand. did i enjoy it? mana: 88 [primary class: mana channeler] [sub-class: unavailable] active skills: focus (dual focus) - lvl 13 mana manipulation - lvl 13 mana perception - lvl 12 oscillation - lvl 8 kinetic redistribution - lvl 9 armament - lvl 6 mana surge - lvl 3 disruption - lvl 4 passive skills: mana flow (rare) [skill points: 1] [stat points: 0] pfft, 20% of stats into mana? not on my watch! all in. please, mr. focus, hold on! you can do it! as i put more and more points into mana, i rarely can allow either one of my focuses to stop watching over it. but hey, it''s good training, right? right? i partially blame my missing arm for making it more difficult even as i use everything to help me handle my mana. my trait, my passive, two of my skills. as my [mana perception] and [mana manipulation] improved i realized how much of a problem is a missing arm to my flow and circuit. it looks like there are a few important pathways for mana in arms, and cutting them off makes mana switch to other ones. but it''s like you switch from a new highway to a country road. so how do i solve it? the best solution would be to get my arm back, but as i found out, that could be quite difficult. it''s super expensive, and healers here are locked up in luxurious mansions, leaving only to heal people rich enough to afford them. sometimes they are even tied to strong families, being used to extend the life of old but powerful men and women. even someone with a low level like lily is highly valued and taken care of. so yup, this option might take a while. the second option is to try to mess with my body and mana circuit and fix it myself. the consequences could be terrible if i mess it up with my current lackluster knowledge and skills. the third option is to leave it as it is. sure, it will continue to mess with my flow, but at the same time, it''s as if i add more weight to myself while exercising. if i survive, it will help me become even stronger, and when i finally restore it, i will be that much more powerful. it''s not like there are many options anyway, so i will just go with the third one. i also hope that at level 20, i will be able to upgrade [focus] again; that would be amazing. i find an inn in stonehaven after leaving the village at the edge of the wilderness. i enjoy a warm bath that costs me a few coppers, and i eat good food with dessert. i put on my freshly washed and nicely scented clothes. with not that full pouch, i reach the mansion where i have to meet ruby. the guards let me in, expecting me. i walk through the hallway, following my guide, who leaves me in front of the wooden door. after a knock, the door opens and ruby emerges. her red hair flows freely over her shoulders, and her yellow eyes almost seem to be glowing as her gaze lands on me. she is wearing black pants and a white shirt. they almost look like men''s clothes, but i notice a few changes here and there that accentuate her figure. "nat! it''s nice to see you alive and well. your hair is funny now; you look like a hedgehog." please don''t call me nat. "master is waiting for you. come in," she says as she steps aside, revealing the figure of a tall, older woman sitting on the couch. her eyes slowly look at me, and i enter the room. then the door behind me closes with a loud thump. Chapter 75: Champion Keiron chapter 75: champion keiron "you got rid of that rudimentary thing clinging to your brain, why?" she asks me immediately. "it was too dangerous to leave it without oversight, and i''m not skilled enough yet to do that many things at once. plus, i believe i learned all i could from it." she stares at me for a second and then slowly nods. "you walk a dangerous path." as if i don''t know that. "do you like mana that much?" she asks, a hint of curiosity in her voice. "yes," i say without any hesitation. there is something in her eyes i have a hard time describing before she turns away, looking at the wildly spinning mana in her hand. "you may ask a question." "can i use my mana in your presence?" her smile doesn''t fit her age at all. it''s barely noticeable, just a lifted corner of her lips, but even then, i can feel some cheekiness from it. cheekiness and a warning. "you can try." i notice ruby wildly gesturing at me to stop, but even through all of my senses warning me, i open up my mana and reach out towards her with my [mana perception]. at first, i don''t sense anything. "allow me to reveal the path you''ve chosen to tread." i start feeling it in my bones, in my insides, on my skin. impossibly powerful mana. its edges are expanding more and more. it feels like a never-ending ocean, like a tsunami. it feels like the heat of a star. and it''s beautiful. i release my focus on handling my mana and use all of it to feed my perception and defenses. i want to see more. i need to see more. her mana is too massive for any human to have a right to, and my mana continues flickering in her presence, like a dying candle in a hurricane. my ears start ringing, and it''s harder and harder to breathe, and i am already down on my knees, unable to stand. i even feel blood running out of my eyes. but i continue to look. like a fly dreaming of reaching the sun. "well, that was dumb. you''re lucky my master only released some of her mana. i''ve seen her kill people for much nicer requests than yours." ruby sighs, "she must find you quite interesting, doing all of this." i am listening to her with only one ear and still going through what i saw. "haa, so annoying," she throws herself on the couch, acting more brazen now that her master has left. she stretches her legs, "i could never understand your type. all of you are goddamn crazy." i slowly focus on her words and stand up, my body complaining as if someone danced on it all night. with a groan, i sit on the armchair opposite her. "how strong is she?" "who knows? i hope to never find out." ruby shrugs her shoulders. "stronger than champion keiron or champion tristan?" i ask, curious since i heard the names of the two strongest people from roland. "i see that someone has been collecting information," she smirks and, still lying on the couch, continues to look at me, "my master is... she''s special, that''s all you need to know. but don''t even dream about reaching champion keiron. the man is ancient, and the last time he fought, he sank an island, along with a million people who lived there. he is a monster capable of destroying an entire kingdom if he wills it." everyone here is so nice to me, so i try to treat them with the same kindness. i can''t help but feel a little out of place, though. i mean, i''m just a regular girl who happened to acquire healing powers. my guide, mentor lyra, smiles at me, and i can''t help but smile back, feeling my cheeks warm up a bit. "it''s okay, novice lily. shall we go now?" "yes!" i quickly follow her as we walk through the lavish hallway that i''m still not used to. it''s too pristine, too fancy-looking. every step i take feels like i''m walking on clouds, and i wonder if i''ll ever get used to living like this. we pass by a few more people, and everyone greets and smiles at me. some even bow. that''s another thing i''m not used to. it makes me feel important, but also a little awkward. in the community, nat said that healers are super rare in this world and that i wouldn''t have to worry about anything for a while. he told me to enjoy some rest and... i remember something and giggle a bit, suddenly feeling mischievous. he also said to "yoink" some expensive things for him, mentioning that he might need some gold fairly soon. i can''t believe he asked me to do that, but it''s kind of exciting. "mentor lyra, i was thinking, could i ask you for some gold coins?" her eyebrows rise a bit, but contrary to my expectations, she just nods. "that''s something we can do for you. we can discuss it when we return from your training and talk about the amount you need." oh, that was easier than i thought it would be. i can''t wait to tell nat! "t-thank you." she nods with a smile, and we enter the massive dining room. huge windows offer a view of the beautiful gardens, and we eat slowly, served by a few dedicated attendants just for us. the food is amazing, and i only regret that the others can''t be here with me, even silly biscuit. i hope they''re okay. "let''s go and heal a few people, okay, novice lily?" i agree and stand up, feeling determined. it''s something i have to do to be allowed to live the way i live now. and it will help me become more useful in the future, not just for myself, but for the people i care about. i will not allow the events from the end of the first floor to repeat. "i fed him to the pigs. i cut his body into small pieces and threw them inside the pen, making sure they eat it all," i say quietly to ruby, who is sitting opposite me. she doesn''t smile, only nodding and pulling a card from the game we''re playing. she flips it around and shows it to me again. "i won again. now tell me how you did it." i stay silent for a moment, already yearning to forget the situation. "i kept an eye on him since he started showing hostility towards me. then i began to observe his movements and his sensitivity to my mana usage. i was careful, never showing any aggression," memories flash through my mind. "i created a small orb of mana inside my mouth. i''ve learned that everyone''s body has a kind of barrier that partially conceals the mana within, and even though you can sense it if you try hard enough, or if the other person isn''t good at controlling it, i noticed that emeric wasn''t proficient at it." ruby nods likely understanding where i''m heading with this. "he continued to taunt me in the hallway to my room, out of earshot of everyone else. he did it every day. so one day, i simply waited for him to lean closer, and then i opened my mouth as if to say something, and shot the mana orb through his eye into his brain," i look at her, "he died almost instantly." i leave out the part where i had to drag him to my room. i omit the part where i had to go out and immediately clean up the blood. i don''t tell her how i had to cut his entire body into pieces while using [oscillation] and feeling like i was on the verge of passing out several times, able to continue only thanks to [focus]. i don''t regret it, i did it all to survive. but damn, it feels disgusting. Side story - A Nibble to Remember side story - a nibble to remember it was all just a coincidence. just a small event that changed everything. even that should never have happened. "god damn it, biscuit, be careful when you''re taking food from me," the older man complains, nursing his slightly bleeding finger. with a single drop of blood remaining on the corgi''s lip, something terrifying happens. the small animal licks its lips, and at that moment, it understands. it understands the words it had heard before. the words that said this place isn''t real, that this is a facade created by the system. and with that understanding comes a question. if everything is fake, does that mean the food is fake too? just an illusion crafted by that strange entity? (food fake) later that night, a young man named kevin walked through the camp, keeping watch. "fucking cinderbear, i hope it won''t appear again." at that moment, a strange noise surprises him. momentarily forgetting caution, the young man decides to follow the noise. "hello?" he asks quietly, making his way through the trees of the first floor of the tutorial. the silence that responds is filled only by a strange, wet noise, like a messy eater slurping soup. emerging from behind the trees, shock overtakes him, leaving him speechless. he sees the older man he had just spoken with an hour ago. a small creature is sitting on the man''s chest, taking slow, deliberate bites out of his neck, seemingly enjoying every bite. (food!) echoes in his mind before a tentacle made of dark pulsating mana decapitates him, and his body falls to the ground. the creature swiftly continues to tear at the dead man''s neck, enjoying its meal. this food is real. this food isn''t fake. for the first time, the creature understands the difference, and a bizarre message rings in its head. congratulations, you have acquired a new skill! [devour] [devour - lvl 0 > devour - lvl 1(max)] you have perfectly devoured your enemy. [lvl 3 > lvl 16] you have acquired 39 stat points! invest carefully! the creature doesn''t understand, what are stat points? at that moment, everything could still have been fixed. things could have returned to normal and it was still possible to stop the creature. (food) it states happily. "..." (food?) silence is the answer and it realizes that its favorite is gone. gone in the same way the creature''s old owner is gone. you have perfectly devoured your enemy. [lvl 130 > lvl 166] you have devoured a new skill - [focus] more time passes and a new notification sounds. a month since the start of the first floor. the entrance to the second floor appears and the creature, curious and in search of more food wobbles inside while swinging its short tail from side to side. congratulations! you have cleared the 1st floor of the hell difficulty tutorial. welcome to the second floor: mana-infused kingdom. congratulations! you can now choose your primary class. your offered choices are based on your performance up until now in the tutorial. you have acquired one skill upgrade token. you have acquired one skill point. you can now use community, with a time limit of 10 minutes per 24 hours. you have acquired 5 stat points. (more mana!) it repeats. it also upgrades its skill. [devour - lvl 1(max) > perfect devour - lvl 1(max)] more time passes and the floors change a few times. every time, the creature [devours] everything. but then, one day. welcome to the community tournament. more real food appears. much more time passes and the creature, ravenous, starts to devour the place it''s trapped in. the place that stands between it and earth, a place teeming with real food. error detected within the tutorial''s 5th round, group 4. unable to ?*#a?u?e?3- the creature continues to [devour]. the creature maintains its [focus], and then [challenges] the system. it won''t stop. it will return to its home, and it will enjoy real food once more. it will continue to consume. it won''t stop until everything is biscuit. Chapter 76: Rain, Wind, and Monsters chapter 76: rain, wind, and monsters two mana projectiles created thanks to [armament] and [mana manipulation], hover over my shoulders as i dodge the charge of a weredeer. the monster doesn''t seem too pleased and charges at me again. [mana surge] blazes up, and i shoot one of the projectiles at the monster''s head. the weredeer ignores the wound and continues to charge, so another projectile hits it, finally making it stagger a bit. a wildly oscillating blade made of mana forms in my hand, and i slash it through the monster''s head, dodging just in time to avoid its dead body and the splash of blood. [you have defeated a weredeer - lvl 34] [oscillation - lvl 8 > oscillation - lvl 9] [lvl 34 > lvl 35] now, without any hesitation, i put all the stat points into mana. if i had any before, now there is none. i wipe the rain from my head and look at the cloudy sky. it just can''t stop raining.??vl?1n. "hey! we''re done here!" i just nod and let the mana flow through my body. in the palm of my hand, a weird circular shape made of mana forms with the use of my [armament]. i try to imitate ruby''s master and continue to move it, reform it, spin it, make it denser or less dense, and almost transparent. i find it to be good practice for my shaping skills, but it must look somewhat silly. i slowly enter the clearing, which is occupied by a group of ten hunters, all of them on a mission or quest, if you will. this time, i was extremely careful and picked a group that looked somewhat reliable. sure, i''m not expecting them to sacrifice their lives to save me, nor do they expect the same. but at least i know they won''t stab me in the back out of nowhere. probably. look, it''s difficult, okay? a man''s got to eat. eat and pay a ton of money, and this expedition is paying super well. the main objective is to kill as many weredeer as possible and take care of their boss, who is leading them while hiding somewhere in this area. are they out of quests where i would have to guide someone super slow walking to some distant place? they don''t need anyone to collect a certain amount of some material? anyway, the group thinks i am at a higher level than i really am, thanks to my unusually high mana. obviously, i joined even though it''s dangerous and might be too risky for my current level. the reason? ruby''s master. i just can''t get the image of her mana out of my mind, and to reach her level is impossible without putting my life at stake to grow stronger. playing it safe won''t get me there. it''s as simple as that. "nathaniel, how many did you get this time?" our vice leader asks me. "three of them this time." "that''s pretty good. you''re doing well," he gives me a small smile. "you might really save up enough money in a few years to restore your arm." yup, that''s the story i''m going with. i lied to make it easier to get into the group. "thanks, bram. that''s the goal," i try to act nice. the man is fairly competent, and he has two skills that i really like, so it''s better to stay closer to him so i can observe them. obviously, it would be too rude if i did it with my perception and he felt it, but i may be able to ask for some pointers while thinking about the rest on my own. soon, more and more people from our group join us, having finished their part, and i start getting uncomfortable as so many people talk at once, some of them even talking to me. no one felt anything, not even our scouts, who are most likely well over 50, and their area of perception is much bigger than mine. the arrow just came flying so fast and from so far away that they were unable to sense it forming. we continue to look around, with a few stronger and faster members rushing towards the direction the arrow came from, but even they come back empty-handed. "i say we get out of here and go back!" one of the men screams, a tall bald man. "there''s no need to be so rash. we made a mistake, and we know how to counter it now. eamon can create a web of mana far around us with his gift. it can slightly change the direction of a projectile if it enters his area," says the leader of our group, looking around. he''s a skilled hunter seemingly around hadwin''s age. "simon and ivar will continue to run their [detection] at full power, and we will have our vanguards nearby so they can block any attacks." his voice is calming, and even i almost start believing him. "we know what we''re up against now, and we will be ready." it sounds so easy. maybe it wasn''t such a good idea to join this expedition. a few hours later, and after a few fights with a normal weredeer, the leader dies. this time it''s not a ranged attack; it''s something much more amazing. an idle mana projectile was hovering in the air in the crown of a tree. no one was able to sense it; that''s how firm it was and how little mana leakage the projectile had. we were only able to detect it as we passed under it. someone crossed a hair-thin thread of mana, which triggered the mana arrow, sending some impulse, and then, as if it were a homing missile, it flew right at the leader. the vanguard didn''t even have enough time to try to stop it. the mana around the leader flared up, and in front of him, a barrier made of mana appeared at incredible speed, followed by another and another. the man was amazing, able to create a five-layered barrier in a split second. yet the projectile tore through them all of them. half of the man''s chest disappeared in an explosion of innards, blood, and bones. he died instantly. that''s when i decided it was time to leave, and i wasn''t alone. we immediately started moving back the way we came, but what awaited us made it all seem hopeless. dozens, probably well over fifty weredeer, were blocking our way back, with more of them around us. even i could feel their mana. so we just stood there in the rain, which continued to strengthen, and in the strong wind that kept hitting our bodies. threatened by mana projectiles and surrounded by monsters that we could hear roaring even through the wind, rain, and thunderstorm. Chapter 77: Prey chapter 77: prey we do the only thing we can do: run. we charge toward where the horde of monsters seems thinnest. flames surge into the monsters; i hear the crackle of electricity. an arrow from one of our scouts flies ahead of us with enough power to destroy a tank back on earth. pushing through isn''t the problem; the problem is a sniper. another arrow comes flying, obliterating one of the men along with the monster he was fighting. meanwhile, my [focus] keeps running at full power while i loosen its hold on my mana, now burning within my body. the [kinetic redistribution] boosted by [mana surge] covers a larger area than ever before and absorbs the energy of the rain, which i use to propel myself and attack the monsters, either pushing them away or piercing their bodies. the world is colorless and quiet under the influence of my skill as i run, striving to stay with the group while keeping someone between me and the presumed location of the sniper. but no arrow comes flying, even as we plow through the monsters, killing a big number of them in the process. i am thankful for the rain as it enables me to keep up with the group of higher-level men, propelling myself with the absorbed energy. after what feels like thirty minutes, we slow down against the side of a hill, a small place sheltered from the rain. discussions are already underway among the group, but i only half-listen, continuing to monitor our surroundings. something tells me this is far from over, and i extend my perception as far as possible, in waves, almost like a sonar. my body is tense, bracing for a mana arrow that could come at any moment. my best bet is to counter it with [disruption] and hopefully dissolve it, or to cut it with [oscillation]. after seeing it pierce a five-layer barrier, i can''t rely on [armament]. so that''s the plan. i will detect it, slow it with the redistribution, and then finish it off with [mana surge] combined with either [disruption] or [oscillation], either trying to dissipate it or destroy it. once again, i curse my impatience. why did i become so greedy after witnessing the power of that woman? i thought i had calmly considered it safe, yet now i feel i didn''t because of my greed. thankfully, the rain is still strong, allowing me to use redistribution constantly. after a brief rest and some heated arguments, we continue moving back, still a few hours away from the city. as we proceed, i stop using perception to sense the ranged projectile; instead, i look for similar ones that killed our leader - the ones triggered by thin threads of mana. i continue to boost [mana perception] with surge, and even though my head hurts and sweat runs down my face, i keep sending it into our surroundings. [focus] helps a lot. i don''t notice the first one in time, and the man who wanted to leave first dies, his lower half separated from his chest. he dies looking surprised at his legs lying apart from his body. then we have to fight weredeers. i dodge the monster''s rush, and as it passes by me, a sword made of [armament] appears in my hand, and i slash at its neck, leaving it to bleed. not having enough time to dodge another one, i fire up redistribution again, absorb as much energy as i can, and then disrupt the protective barrier around the were-deer, finishing it by turning the sword into a spear and stabbing it through its neck. with the absorbed energy, i propel myself to rejoin the running group, dodging to avoid the flames that one of the men is shooting at the monster behind me. even in this situation, i use a bit of perception to observe his skill. another part of my mind focuses [kinetic redistribution] in the same direction, instantly releasing all the energy i absorbed, repeating this multiple times. the notifications ring in my head as the projectile grazes my side, leaving a deep wound there before hitting the ground behind me. with a groan, i fall to my knees, releasing all the energy i was able to absorb, and a strong shockwave hits the trees around me, sends smaller stones flying, and makes thinner trees bend under pressure. it takes me a few seconds of effort with both parts of my mind to calm down my mana and get over the pressure of using so many skills so rapidly. unfortunately, it''s not the end. the weredeer hits my body, and only at the last moment am i able to create a translucent armor to soften the impact. i fly through the air and then roll on the ground, unable to even focus on absorbing that energy. the armor around me disappears, and i crawl on the ground, trying to get as far away as i can from the monster. i feel it charging at me again and i pull out the dagger from behind my belt. slowly, i get up on my feet and turn towards the monster. the rain continues to beat my body, the ground is slippery, and it''s getting darker, more like night than afternoon. the lightning sounds nearby, and i send one pulse of mana through my body at the last possible moment, just enough to jump to the side and then bury the dagger into the monster''s eye as it passes by me. roar. it swings its antlers, and i dodge by falling to the ground. another pulse of mana, just enough to make myself faster and slash against the monster''s neck. the dagger is only weakly coated in [oscillation], but it''s enough. a deep wound opens on the monster''s neck, and blood falls on my face. another pulse of mana and i stab into the monster''s neck. then again and again. the blood covers my body and mixes with the water from the rain running down to it. i make [oscillation] move faster while using as little mana as possible. multiple notifications. i dodge to the side, and the monster falls to the ground, dead. forcefully calming down my breathing, i stand up and move to the side, ending up leaning against a tree. my head hurts and the world spins around me. the roars of monsters bring me back to reality, and i send perception into the area, not feeling any humans close to myself, only weredeers at the edge of my detection. i am alone. Chapter 78: Following the thread chapter 78: following the thread [lvl 36 > lvl 37] i pause briefly to invest my stats. after a moment''s hesitation, i put them into mana; i don''t believe any other stat will help me at this moment. i quickly skim through the notifications, paying no mind to the ones about kills. [focus - lvl 14 > focus - lvl 15] [mana manipulation - lvl 14 > mana manipulation - lvl 15] [oscillation - lvl 9 > oscillation - lvl 10] [armament - lvl 8 > armament - lvl 9] [disruption - lvl 4 > disruption - lvl 5] for a moment, i summon my status window while starting to run towards the area with the least amount of monsters. [name: nathaniel gwyn] difficulty: hell floor: 2 -mana infused kingdom time left until forced return: 4y 318d 021h 51m 03s traits (1/3): mana circuit (passive) lvl 37 strength: 14 dexterity: 15 constitution: 40 mana: 100 [primary class: mana channeler] [sub-class: unavailable] active skills: focus (dual focus) - lvl 15 mana manipulation - lvl 15 mana perception - lvl 14 oscillation - lvl 10 kinetic redistribution - lvl 9 it''s already night and i''m mostly navigating with the help of perception that only feels mana and the little light that the moon offers. unlike earth, it''s bluish, giving the night an unusual hue. at the edge of my reduced perception, i feel another signature that i identify as a weredeer and stop leaning against the tree, stepping a bit away from it. one of the mana orbs that hover around me starts orbiting me and slowly increasing its speed. i found it''s much better to increase its speed this way instead of using a surge that puts too much pressure on me in this state. sure, it''s annoying and it takes a bit longer, but the result might be even better than just boosting it. i just anchor the bead to my body and push it to make it spin around me. i let the weredeer get closer and then sling the mana bead at him. it hits the monster''s face, tearing off a chunk of its head as big as my fist. my accuracy is only getting better and it''s enough; the monster falls down dead. [you have defeated a weredeer - lvl 36] i already invested my skill point into [armament], knowing that it would probably have a more difficult bottleneck as i have a feeling that i am closer to leveling up [kinetic redistribution]. also, the second skill is something that i think is better, and i know i would regret, using the easier way to master it instead of doing it my own way. so even as i barely walk and mana continues to threaten to ravage my body, i keep continuing to absorb the energy of a single raindrop out of the thousands that continue to fall around me. at some point, i find the corpse of one of the men that was in our group. his body is mangled, limbs torn off, and there isnt enough of his face left for me to identify, but i remember the dagger that lies nearby. i grab it and continue without looking back. the blade still seems to be in good shape. a few minutes later, i find another corpse. half of its body is missing, the wound looking similar to the one the sniper''s projectiles caused. it''s been a few hours since i concluded this is the work of a human, not a monster. probably someone paid to deal with the competition. someone hired to kill the man that led us and to leave no witnesses. the sniper must also have some ability to at least affect the monsters a little bit and they are not too high level, otherwise we would be dead already. they must have planted the triggering mana projectiles around us as we were pushing forward and then started using the super ranged sniping skill, probably with a long preparation time or some setback that doesnt allow to use it quickly. or it''s just to mess with us. i''ve learned to detect the threads of mana and this way avoided three traps. at the last one, i even climbed on a tree and observed the mana projectile, not too much out of fear to not trigger it, just enough to learn that there are two parts to it. one of them is a huge amount of mana that is compressed into an elongated sharp shape, somehow made to not leak mana. the other part is the trigger, a mana thread that will activate something that will send the arrow flying at the place where the thread of mana touched the person. i already have multiple ideas of how i can use this to improve my skills or to help me in creating a construct. thanks to tracking mana threads, i find the one that is slightly different, even thinner, and leading somewhere else. there are no projectiles around. so i reduce the mana my body radiates. i slow my mana heart the same way i did when i killed emeric, and i reduce the area of my perception by a lot. and i continue to follow the thread of mana, slowly, carefully, concealed in the rain and the darkness that blankets the area. the wind continues to howl around me, sending leaves swirling and making the branches creak. soon, i reach a small clearing, tucked away behind a line of trees. there, i find two people, a man, and a woman, standing in between the wilderness where we went and the village. even through the rain and darkness, i recognize the figure of one of the men from the group. the vice leader, bram. [blade sentinel - lvl 51] [phantom sniper - lvl ?] i take a small step to the side and only too late do i realize that i have torn a mana thread even thinner than the ones from before. my surge fires up and both parts of my mind focus on redistribution. this time, i don''t hesitate and reach out towards the forceful wind that keeps roaring through the area, causing the trees around us to groan under its strength. i absorb the kinetic energy from the wind, almost instantly filling up the amount i can control. i hear them scream something and turn towards me. mana projectiles form around the sniper and the traitorous vice leader charges at me. when he gets close, he hesitates for a moment, recognizing my face. i do not. his head blows off, hit by the kinetic energy i absorbed and i refocus my attention on the sniper. Chapter 79: The Second Skill Upgrade chapter 79: the second skill upgrade using the remaining kinetic energy, i propel myself forward, my hand holding a knife covered in oscillating mana. i read the direction of the projectiles that the sniper fires at me, a much weaker version of the skills she used to kill so many of the group. i dodge two and block the last one, barely avoiding breaking my hand. meanwhile, i once again absorb the energy of the rain and mold it into as thin a cone as i can, shooting it at her. she dodges it but a few orbs of mana start spinning around me faster and faster. i dodge another projectile and, unable to dodge the second, let it pierce through my thigh and sling a mana orb at her, forcing her to dodge again.??vl?1n. this time, tens of projectiles appear around her and all fly at me. my surge bursts forth and i put everything into [disruption], causing all the quickly formed projectiles to disappear like candles in the wind. i sling a few more orbs at her and boost them with surge and even the kinetic energy i absorbed. the trees and the ground around the woman become trashed and multiple projectiles hit her. the woman finally staggers, putting a hand on her chest and then looking at her bloodied palm. she screams and again tens of projectiles form around her. at that moment, another orb made of mana hits her and she staggers again, half of the projectiles disappearing. still, she clenches her teeth and the remaining ones fly at me. once again, [disruption] flares up and the projectiles disappear. all other than one that she made denser after seeing me cancel her attack before. the projectile hits my arm, which i barely cover in [armament], and i hear the bone crack. the force of the attack sends me to the ground, but i quickly absorb more energy, using it to propel myself back onto my feet and towards the woman who is already preparing for another attack. coming at her faster than she expected, i tackle her, both of us rolling on the ground. a quick jab hits my armored chest and another one is aimed at my crotch. i block this one with my broken hand. then, i swing my head and hit her nose with it, breaking it in the process, causing blood to splurt out. i repeat it. and again, until another hit nearly breaks my [armament]. around my hand, i barely create oscillating mana and stab it into the woman''s chest, making it oscillate as wildly as i can, tearing her flesh while her hateful eyes stare at me up until the last moment. then she dies. [you have defeated the phantom sniper - lvl 72] two level-ups and i put all stat points into constitution, rolling on the ground to lay next to her, my heart beating wildly and mouth gasping for breath. i rest for a minute while the rain continues to fall on my body and face, washing some of the blood off, then i send a pulse of mana into the surroundings, not feeling any monsters close. still, i let one part of my mind monitor my surroundings, already knowing about the monsters that can mask their signature. with the other, i open the notifications. congratulations! you have completed the side quest and received a skill upgrade token. currently, there are five skills available for upgrade. choose wisely! i pause for a second, really wanting to see all the options, but i know i cant right now. i''ll check them later to see the possibilities. right now i need to get my mana under control. i cant continue to rely on [focus] to handle it all the time. even now, one entire [focus] keeps it at bay and a bit of another as well, not allowing me to use the skills as much as i would like to. so i glance over the options for [mana manipulation]. the man is still alive as i get to him, carefully monitoring him with my [mana perception]. there are multiple questions i could ask him. for example, i could ask him why he tried to kill me. but the answer is obvious, he was with the two i killed before. another question i could ask him is why they attacked the group. why did they all have to die? however, there is one thing i''m particularly curious about. who did it? i want to know information about this person, their power, and the number of their men, in case they decide to cause more problems for me. other than that, i do not care. i am not interested in the reason why everyone in that group had to die. it''s surely something similar to what happened to me when i used to hunt with aelric. before killing him, i get another use out of the man. he already tried to take my life, so i show no mercy. with my improved [mana manipulation] and [disruption], i send my mana inside his body. unlike sophie, i do not have [mana infusion], but the result is similar. i use him to practice creating constructs and to test a few theories i have. after the third test, he dies. a temporary construct messes with his mana pathways in a harmful way, causing an uncontrollable flare of mana to damage his insides. but i learn a lot. when ruby appears near me, i attack her, not recognizing her at first, but she just hits my chest, almost gently, sending me staggering backward. immediately, she gets drenched in the rain but she doesnt seem to mind. she looks down at the man near my feet and then back at me, seemingly unbothered. "you look like shit," she says. yea, i bet. "well, it''s raining," she says as if she only noticed it right now. "are you done here?" i just nod, too tired to talk. the redhead then steps near me. my [mana perception] fires up and i watch, knowing that something amazing is going to happen. with me by her side, she takes another step and immense mana erupts into the surroundings. the view in front of us disappears and the world by our sides seems as if shrinking. the mana, the world, everything moves so crazily and so complexly that i can''t even dream to follow right now. my head spins and i have a feeling as if someone pulled a carpet under me and stagger forward. instead of into the mud, my feet step onto the wooden floor of a nice-looking room that we are inside. the silence after hearing the thunderstorm and the rain for so long feels deafening. with a tired sigh, i slide onto a chair nearby, too tired to even care if i am dirtying it because of the mess on me or not. then something sounds in my head. (asshole!) the heck!? Chapter 80: Your world sucks chapter 80: your world sucks the small body of the best doggo hits my chest, making me let out a quiet groan of pain. yet, i still hug the corgi and keep him close to my chest while carefully petting him with my now slightly healed arm. (asshole! asshole! asshole! asshole!) yes, yes, i missed you too. also, we will have to put some parental control on your access to the community; you are learning bad words from those guys there. master wanted me to buy this creature from henry as well. oh no. do i want to know? he did cost 10 gold, she says anyways. how much did you pay for real? two gold? henry wanted 4 but i blackmailed him, knowing that he sold you to emeric to die. damn. you must be super rich, why don ?t you invite me for dinner? maybe if you grow your hair a bit and dress up nicely, she giggles and comes closer to also pet biscuit and he lets her, just like that. huh? seeing something on my face, ruby says, i fed him a bit from my dinner and he immediately became super friendly. biscuit! stranger danger! so how did you find me? master left a resonance imprint on you and gave me your mana signature and i just tracked it. the heck? that sounds so cool! can you teach it to me? that''s what interests you? you are not complaining that we are tracking you or asking why i went to take you back? i expected something like tracking and you either went after me because you wanted something annoying or master told you to do so. it also could be because you felt my state and didn ?t go to check on me. but it doesn ?t matter. please teach me. maybe in the future, i will use it as my bargaining chip, she smirks and lets go of biscuit who sends a message to her. (asshole!) good boy! go and get her! your dog... creature is kinda rude, you know that? hey! he can hear you! do not listen to her, biscuit; you are perfect the way you are.??vl?1n. he keeps saying that, i almost threw him out of the window when he said food, asshole! but never mind that. we will be leaving stonehaven. can you tell me why? yes, it''s because of the war. frontlines will move here soon enough and master doesn ?t want to get caught in all of that. simple as that. i continue to pet the corgi, who is slowly closing his eyes and his breathing is calming as i continue to hold him. i heard a few things here and there, but can you tell me who is fighting against who? i would rather have accurate information. she thinks for a second and then just nods. we are currently what is known as the mana-infused kingdom and we are at war with the solaris empire and to be honest this kingdom is kinda screwed. once again, it makes me curious how many floors the tutorial has. it''s hard to guess now, but after the end of the second floor, we should have a better idea. now i only have to find out how to survive this war. from how it looks now, it seems that the champions and paragons will go wild and mess up as much as they can while the mad emperor, sophie lookalike, will mess with the remaining few. but, can you call that the end of the world? just humans will disappear and after a few years, life will continue as the planet will still be here. i bet the system did cook up something really spicy. it fills me with curiosity and worries at the same time. the end of this floor will probably be the most dangerous, just like the end of the first floor. well, at least i have some time and the option to get stronger. lvl 39 strength: 14 dexterity: 15 constitution: 46 mana: 100 my stats are nice to look at, but i need to level up a bit more to get those spicy side quest rewards. floor quest: witness the end of the world. rewards: skill upgrade token 20 stat points increased daily limit of community usage tutorial difficulty change token side quest: reach level 50 reward: trait strengthening token i still haven''t received another side quest instead of the one i got my skill upgrade from, but as always, i can only wait and train. even now, i continue to practice moving my mana. with upgraded [mana manipulation] it has become much better and i can somewhat ignore the missing mana circuit part in my missing arm. it''s still a mess but it''s much better now and my flow has improved. somehow, i also think that dealing with all these troubles with the missing part of the mana circuit is helping me level up [mana manipulation] a bit more. still, i want my arm back. so, lily, you''d better put some effort into it so i can freeload on your amazing skill. i also found out a bit more about healers and it looks like they are totally like nobles among gifted people. most of the time, powerful nobles snatch them up, the king also keeps one or two, and the rest are taken away by the temple that uses them to prolong the lives of people that are rich enough to pay. yup, it seems like healers can get to such a level that they are able to prolong lives. if lily gets back to earth, she will either become insanely rich or they will try to kidnap her or use her. but for that, they will have to go through me. now, seeing how useful healers can be, i am even more decided to keep her close to myself and risk a bit more to keep her alive. at least i will try. i am not that good at dealing with people. but hey, she can use me to stay alive and i will use her for healing. it''s a win-win situation. i just need to hope that she will see it that way as well, and for that, i need to become more powerful. strong enough that she will feel safe next to me so i can keep her by my side without letting anyone lay hands on her or take her away. so, that''s that. i know what i want, and i''m sticking to the plan. one step at a time, let''s see where this crazy tutorial takes us. Chapter 81: Scary blonde chapter 81: scary blonde pov maya jones i slip into [focus], and everything goes too quiet for comfort. my senses go into overdrive, picking up details that make my head pound. unsettling feelings, like fear, weaken. yet i hate it, every time i use this skill, it feels like i''m leaving a piece of myself behind. i notice the monster''s left leg twitch and i dart to the left, quick and instinctive. the monster mirrors me, springing my way with its left leg as the launch pad. the world around me dulls down, and all sounds not needed for my focus just quiet down. i''m face-to-face with the monster now. its ugly mug is all snarls and drool, revealing jagged teeth. i can hear its harsh breaths, and then its blood spills as i drive my spear into it. my [armament] flickers around my chest, but i just [focus] more to keep it up. [focus - lvl 6 > focus - lvl 7] i lash out with my spear again as the monster''s claw scrapes against my armor, and it finally drops. [you have defeated a goblin - lvl 22] when i check my notifications and see a level up for [focus], my mood sours. i don''t want to level up this skill anymore. unlike some of my other skills, it''s extremely difficult to level up, and i dislike it despite its usefulness. it''s scary. i let out a breath as i exit [focus] and survey the area. we''re nearly done here. a mana signal from one of our leaders reads "get back" and i start back towards our camp. halfway there, tess joins me, greeting me with a small smile which i return. "you look off, something happen?" she asks. i sigh. damn, she''s good at reading people. been that way since we hit this floor. she''s got a knack for it, not unlike nathaniel. but she''s different, she doesn''t mind getting up close and personal after reading them. "this goddamn skill creeps me out." "oh, the [focus]?" "what else? why the hell did i even get it?" "don''t you like our theory that everyone got two starting skills that fit them best? one rare skill and one a bit more common and easier to level? i still think your skill suits you." the young blonde nimbly jumps over a log in her way and lands so softly that i suspect she used her skill to soften the impact. great, now i''m being comforted by someone six years younger. "forget about it, tess. i''ll deal with it on my own." "sure! you can ask me for help if you feel like it," she smiles. "i''ll at least listen to you if not anything else." she''s so different from how she was at the end of the first floor, so different from when she was around nathaniel. tess is friendly, smiling, and helpful. it''s unnerving. nathaniel, at least, didn''t pretend. he just continued to walk around with his emotionless face, avoiding people as much as he could while carefully watching everything with eyes that made you feel like an interesting animal he was observing. but tess? she''s like a cat toying with a mouse. she can act, pretend, smile, and charm with her innocent face. like a chameleon, she adapts her behavior to survive different situations. with nathaniel, she mirrored his demeanor, handling annoying people on his behalf while showing them a different side. now, she does the same with me. and i can''t help but be drawn in by her flawless performance, how easy it would be to forget. swiftly and without hesitation, she changes her expressions and behavior to gain the upper hand. she plays her part so well that i don''t even know who the real tess is. [you have defeated a razorwing - lvl 56] [lvl 44 > lvl 45] as many times before, it almost feels like cheating. the birds don''t have too much defense, so my projectile practically obliterates them, flying at them too fast for them to react. at the start, they were able to react, but then i took some inspiration from the sniper who tried to kill me. i made the projectiles as dense as possible and tried to reduce their mana signature as well. throwing them just by boosting them with mana doesn''t make them travel that fast, but after orbiting them around myself a bit and then slinging? so much faster. i like it even though the preparation takes longer. i detect another three presences, and this time they''re flying right towards me after a detection washes over me. oh, it''s these guys. five balls made out of mana appear around me and start emitting a humming noise as i begin spinning them around my body. the first monster dies before it can try to dodge. [you have defeated an ironbeak - lvl 53] the second one dodges my balla and charges at me. the bird, larger than me with a massive beak that''s glowing and covered in mana, hurls some mental skill at me, trying to stun me. but i [focus] more and push against its mana. i absorb the kinetic energy of one of the balls orbiting around me and use it to propel myself away. the ball, now devoid of kinetic energy, hovers in the air, and as the monster reaches the spot where i was, it expands. tens of thin threads made out of mana reach out towards the monster and entangle it, causing it to halt. immediately they start tearing even without the monster using much force. before it has a chance to break free, another ball flies in and explodes its head. [you have defeated an ironbeak - lvl 52] the last one just flies in the air and caws at me, so i make my projectiles spin around me even faster. the two remaining projectiles start emitting a whistling noise as they tear through the air, and i boost them with [mana surge], immediately making them smaller and denser, and release one at the monster. it barely dodges it, but while doing so, i absorb kinetic energy and propel myself high in the air, right towards the monster. is it reckless? yep. is it fun? totally. i reach it in a split second and slap the poor monster, probably making me the first human to ever do that. the consciousness disappears from its eyes, and i grab its neck with my arm made of mana, and both of us fall down. before we hit the ground, i absorb the kinetic energy of both of our bodies, and we slowly land. the excess energy explodes into the surroundings. "that was so freaking fabulous," i immediately hear from ruby, even before i can congratulate myself, "another one for your testing?" "yes. lately, they''ve barely shown up, so i''m glad i was able to get this one." i pull the bird behind me while boosting my body with a bit of mana. "yo, did you do something to make biscuit come and complain to me?" who? me? no way! "don''t look at me like that, nat, he''s only copying your behavior and learning from you," the redheaded woman just sighs. "anyway, master is here, and she wants to talk to you." Chapter 82: In the Darkness chapter 82: in the darkness she radiates absolute confidence as always, even while sitting in a cheap wooden chair in the middle of the small, simple room. the moment i enter, her eyes land on me. i don''t even feel her mana, yet i know i am being probed. [you have defeated an ironbeak - lvl 54] a notification sounds in my mind, and i realize that she just killed the monster i left outside. without a single move. without any trace of mana from her. "are you satisfied with your growth?" she blatantly asks, and i immediately know that there is only one answer i can give her. but why is she asking me that? i am growing nicely, improving my skills, and even gaining some levels. actually, quite a few levels. i am safe, i have food, and even someone to talk to if i wish to do so. the view is goddamn amazing and there''s even this silly dog i can bully and learn from. the bed is comfortable and i can take warm baths. "i am not." it sucks. even though i am safe, i feel like a prisoner, unable to get away from ruby and she doesn''t let me go far. my growth is slower and in the back of my mind, i start worrying about whether i will be strong enough to survive the end of this floor. "not at all." the monsters here, even ones higher leveled than me, are easy to kill. there''s no challenge, no risk. nothing to make my blood flow. nothing to push me hard enough. "good." her mana hits me like an avalanche and i feel her doing something to me, something i can''t even track. it makes me curious and annoyed at the same time. she then turns to ruby. "your gift," she says simply, and immediately the redheaded woman activates her skill, the one she used to teleport us through vast distances, making space in front of her shrink, and bend. and then, i feel the gray-haired woman do something i didn''t know was possible. she connects to ruby''s skill with an ease i can''t fathom and she feeds it mana, she takes over it and supercharges it, making it much stronger than it should be. she also does something else that i can only explain as changing coordinates. her immense mana that makes my body shiver engulfs the room and then i feel a push from behind my back. soft, almost gentle. "it was annoying to watch you hunting here so safely," she says. watch me? well, it''s not like i''m not in it right now. i''ve already walked quite a distance and there''s still only pitch-black darkness, not a single speck of light. it''s cold, it''s wet, and i''m careful with every step, continuously reaching out with my hand to avoid hitting the wall. i continue to force myself to breathe slowly and deeply to not panic. it''s harder now that i can''t use [focus]. for the first time in a long time, i start feeling some fear. but it''s bearable. i''ve been through worse. what the fuck! it''s already been like ten hours? no sign of the monster and my mana is getting worse and worse every time i get better at handling it. [focus - lvl 17 > focus - lvl 18] [mana manipulation - lvl 19 > mana manipulation - lvl 20] i''ve leveled up my skills again, but it just doesn''t stop. it''s getting worse. every level-up only increases the time i can hold on but is unable to stop the poison. still, i did learn a lot and improved my control and my handling of mana. i can now more easily make it flow the way i want, hold it at bay, and direct it to places inside my body. but can i level up fast enough to stop it or will i need to try something else? yep, i can''t hold on. another 10 hours pass and i stop moving, putting my entire mind into handling my mana. thankfully, the monster doesn''t attack me but i still keep a small part of my mind ready to fight back when it happens. when it attacks again, i will tackle it and take hold of my mana for a second, strengthen my body, and quickly finish it. that will teach him. the main problem now is my almost uncontrollable mana. for the first time, i feel a hint of fear from it, realizing how dangerous it is. there might even be some regret for not putting more points into constitution. but i won''t give up. it''s my mana. it''s my body. i will push through as i always have. okay, screw it. i don''t think i can hold on much longer. let''s risk it. let''s finally create a construct. Chapter 83: The First Construct chapter 83: the first construct first, i forcefully take control of my mana, straining my brain to do so. but i already know what to do. i tried it on the man who wanted to kill me; i also tested it on so many monsters. i gave it a lot of thought and testing. so, it''s time to do it for real. i take a wisp of my mana and use it to etch the construct inside my body. then i add more and more skills to do it. i use [mana manipulation] i use a super weak version of oscillation [oscillation] then, [mana surge] fires up, boosting my [mana manipulation] as i am creating the construct. it''s not exactly like sophie''s; it has similarities to my trait, and mana circuit as well. while doing so, the world outside of my mind becomes distant thanks to my deep [focus] and i feel a few more stabs at my body, the monster delivering the poison again. but i ignore it, and i ignore the mana that starts tearing through my body as i have to focus on creating the construct. every fiber of my being screams against the onslaught of mana, yet i grit my teeth and endure. i''ve always known that this would be no easy task. it feels like a maelstrom is raging inside me, wreaking havoc on my internal organs and threatening to consume me. the raw, wild energy of mana refuses to be tamed. yet as the world around me fades into the background and my existence narrows down to this singular task, there''s a sense of calm that permeates my consciousness. like the eye of a storm, calm amidst the chaos. the sensation is surreal like i''m observing myself from outside, detached from the pain. the harshness of my environment, the cold stones under my battered body, cold air, it all become secondary, put to the back of my mind. i can almost visualize the intricate patterns of the construct, its complexity resonating with the very essence of my being. the inelegant yet beautiful pathways. in the end it''s not only about surviving and taming my raging mana, it''s about creating something new. something mine. i''m just pulling strings of energy, shaping it, crafting it. it''s a task that pushes me to my limits, a constant struggle against the raw, untamed force that is mana. my arm twists and cracks, blood starts flowing from my nose and ears, one of my ribs breaks, and bruises start appearing all over my body. but i do not let it bother me. i continue to focus and slowly, carefully etch the pathways for the construct on my bones, connecting them to my circuit as well. the construct slowly comes into existence and i make it stronger and more resistant against skills such as [disruption]. i cover it in my mana, i hide it under my circuit. my ears ring and i feel lightheaded. the pain of creating the construct is even worse than the pain of my body being ravaged by my own mana. it takes a lot of time - it feels like days, but in the end, i succeed. a notification lights up. my first construct is as simple as this - the maximum i can do right now. congratulations, you have created your first construct. the name will be kept as such and it will be shown in the status under active skills and over passive skills. well done! you have acquired reinforcement (construct) the versatile enhancement that uses mana to bolster the user''s physical, and mental abilities. by infusing specific aspects of their being with mana, it can improve strength, agility, defenses and mental resilience, providing overall support and stability for the user immediately, i feel the pressure of my mana lessen, and quite a bit of the amount starts flowing inside the construct and through the pathways i created. i feel my body strengthening up, almost the same amount as when i''m strengthening it actively. the efficiency is not that good and it''s wasting a lot of mana, and it''s running the entire time instead of how i liked to use it - by sending pulses of mana through my body to strengthen the parts i wanted. but it''s a start. i am sure i can improve it in the future. i like that it''s boosting multiple things. physically, thanks to my experience with boosting my body. mentally, thanks to my [focus] and the fact that i wanted it to give me some resistance against mental attacks and the testing i did on all those razorwings that had some sort of mental attacks. but finally, some pain alleviates and the mana i have to deal with right now lessens. maybe 20-30% of it flows into the construct. slowly a fire starts glowing around the monster. just a few wisps of flames here and there around it but soon it''s set ablaze. before they can burn me, [disruption] clashes against the monster, making its flames die off. the monster screeches and tries to do it again. and i watch. [disruption] i watch. [disruption] i track the flow of its mana, following it carefully. watching as fires come into existence. [disruption] unfortunately, the monster stops after a while, totally out of mana and not even screeching anymore. so i grab its leg and swing the monster against the wall. crack and again. crack. splat. [you have defeated a venomous needle imp - lvl 40] i wait for a bit, but nothing happens. i''m still here, and there''s no portal. okay, granny, let me show you what i am capable of. [perception] fires off, and i start walking deeper inside the web of tunnels. pov maya jones "he has a sister?! yes, she''s five years older than him. damn, it''s hard to imagine that guy having an elder sibling. i know where you''re coming from, but just imagine a female version of him, only more sociable and significantly less forgiving. the young blonde silences. that sounds terrifying. more than you think. Chapter 84: Tunnels chapter 84: tunnels venomous needle imps? they''re super easy to deal with. weaklings. fodder. trash! yup. easy. [perception] locates them pretty easily, and in the encompassing darkness inside the tunnels, i can fight them without much trouble, even when they start using their fire skills. i dislike narrow corridors that don''t allow me to move as much as i would like, but it''s doable. after what feels like another day, the poison from the monster finally disappears, and it feels as if someone lifted a massive weight off my shoulders. moving mana is now so much easier. so, i let another imp stab me with its stinger. yes. i did that. and then two more imps. oh. one more after that. construct helping me to keep my mana under control? well, i can turn it off if i want to, right? so yeah, i did that too. darwin''s awards? i have a full room of them at this point. obviously, i''m not that suicidal, so i turn it back on if it feels like too much, but i improve more and more. once again, i am confirmed that i improve the most under pressure, under life and death situations where i have no other choice but to get my shit together or die. partly, i blame it on my greed for more power, for more mana, for my goal to get to the level of people such as champion keiron who can stop an entire empire from attacking the kingdom just by existing. from his vantage point, what does he see? what does this world look like when you''ve got that kind of power coursing through your veins? and mana, that elusive, powerful force C what does it feel like for him? is it a wild river he''s tamed or a familiar old friend? i want to know. more than anything, i want to stand where he stands, where he and the most powerful of this world stand. i want to see the world through their eyes. i crave that knowledge, that power. the very thought is like a fire in my veins, pushing me on. another reason is also my need for survival. it sounds counterproductive, risking my life to survive, but the stronger i become with an acceptable risk - judged by me - the higher chance for survival. that''s why i do it. [you have defeated a crimson imp - lvl 54] [lvl 46 > lvl 47] [mana manipulation (advanced mana manipulation) - lvl 21 > mana manipulation (advanced mana manipulation) - lvl 22] more mana! good. once again, i activate my construct to help me handle my mana which is becoming unstable because of the poison, and after a long while, i check the quests. floor quest: witness the end of the world. rewards: skill upgrade token 20 stat points increased daily limit of community usage tutorial difficulty change token ok, this one is still the same, what about side quests? side quest: reach level 50 rewards: trait strengthening token this one is close enough, and i am already curious about the strengthening of my trait. it''s called strengthening and not upgrade, does it mean i won''t be able to pick an additional effect for it? probably? oh, and the new side quest i just acquired also seems nice. it''s already been days, and the darkness continues to make me feel uneasy. the constant battles and the oppressive atmosphere are taking their toll on me. yet, somehow, i find solace in my progress, in the knowledge that i am growing stronger with every challenge i overcome. as i chew on the raw meat, my thoughts wander to ruby''s master. what kind of person is she? how powerful is she? i''ve encountered beings with one or two question marks next to their levels, but is there a higher level of power that even goes beyond that? is she a champion of the kingdom, a paragon of the empire, or something else entirely? i want answers to these questions. the mystery surrounding her strength only fuels my desire to grow stronger, and to be able to stand on equal footing with such powerful individuals. my ambition and my instinct for survival drive me forward, pushing me to take risks and challenge myself to reach that place. one of my goals is to complete the side quest. i am particularly excited about the potential rewards - trait-strengthening token and the chance to get a new passive skill. the thought of strengthening my abilities is incredibly appealing, and i can''t help but wonder how much stronger i could become with the right combination of skills. as i ponder my goals and my growing abilities, i can''t help but feel a sense of pride in my progress. my mana has increased significantly, and my constitution has improved as well. my skills are leveling up, and i can feel myself becoming stronger with each passing moment. but i know there''s still a long way to go, and i won''t stop until... until... i don''t know. i''ll think of it when i get there. meanwhile all this time, i''ve been trying to come up with a way to punch ruby''s master right in her face. unfortunately, i can''t even imagine such a situation. she''s just that powerful. up until now, i''ve met... oh, an imp. an orb made of mana appears near me, and i boost it with [mana surge] and [mana manipulation]. it accurately hits the monster. [you have defeated an imp - lvl 59] so, up until now, i''ve met people who were one or two question marks. one question mark meant that they were at least 20 levels higher, but at what point do they turn into two question marks? the questions! it bothers me not knowing. tell me, spoil everything. i need to know! ... nothing? okay. another thing, can''t these tunnels become wider? i don''t like the feeling they summon in me. i''ve never had claustrophobia, but damn, at this point, i might get it, and probably only thanks to [focus] do i function properly. i take back every complaint i had about the skill. at this point, i''m nearly sure that it''s most likely one of the most op skills i could get. lily''s [disintegration]? screw that. mr. [focus] all the way! that reminds me of the community and in the chilling darkness of the tunnel, i open the community feed, my heart skipping a beat. a sense of loneliness hits me, reminding me of the isolation. as i stare at the list of messages, i feel the overwhelming silence of the tunnels close in around me. but in this isolation, i find some calm as well. it allows me to focus solely on my personal growth, on my own journey. i tap out a short message on the screen. noname (hell, group 4)- i am fine. immediately after, i close it. reading messages from others while i''m trapped in the tunnels doesn''t feel that good. [lvl 47 > lvl 49] after a bit more time passed my mana increased by three points just from struggling alone and then 6 more from level-ups. constitution also went up by two points without even leveling it up. that just shows how much pressure it all put on my body. as for skills [mana manipulation - lvl 22 > mana manipulation - lvl 23] [focus - lvl 19 > focus - lvl 20] [perception - lvl 11 > perception - lvl 13] [armament - lvl 12 > armament - lvl 14] at this point, i started to get a feeling that that''s all i can get from here. i activated my [perception], sending out invisible waves through the dark, damp tunnel. as the waves returned, i sensed the chilling presence of a serpent-like creature nearby. i could feel the outline of its massive body coiling around itself, and the hardness of its iron-like scales. the shape of its fangs, seemingly dripping with venom, emitted a sinister aura as i felt the creature''s overwhelming mana. oh boy, i was wrong. Chapter 85: Serpents and Imps chapter 85: serpents and imps i hope that the imps i killed weren''t the serpent''s pets. the monster slithers through the tunnels that are now wider, proceeding to gobble up a few detected imps. never mind. my [perception] is now terribly limited, and i send smaller and smaller pulses of mana, hoping that the serpent won''t be able to detect me. it''s as if i''ve swapped from using a flashlight to using a smartwatch display to light a massive room. but i don''t despair; my senses sharpen, and i make threads of mana even smaller and thinner. [perception - lvl 13 > perception - lvl 14] slowly, i control the mana inside my body, slowing its flow and the amount i''m generating. carefully, in a similar way to how i did when i killed emeric. breathe in slowly. breathe out. carefully. gently. i barely sense movement in my surroundings and this time i hear a massive body moving in the darkness around me. i feel a presence within arm''s reach, and i feel the pressure it makes as its body slithers next to me. more. hide it more. control it more. [mana manipulation - lvl 23 > mana manipulation - lvl 24] the movement stops, and for a long moment, i just stand there, ready to fire up the entirety of my mana if i get attacked. but nothing happens, and slowly the body next to me starts moving again. at some point, parts of its body hit me, and i stagger and almost fall, with my nerves on edge and ready to fight. but the monster doesn''t notice, and it slowly disappears deep into the tunnels. and i slowly follow it. a few hours pass, and i continue to slowly walk behind the monster. my [perception] improves more and more, yet without any level up as i continue to feel through it how the massive serpent deals with other monsters in the tunnels. i''m still hiding my mana, getting even better at it. the serpent is savage; it''s fast and doesn''t hold back at all. every attack feels as if it''s using the full power of its body and mana, and it easily tanks every counter-attack. currently, i have no idea what the monster is called or how high its level is as i still can''t see because there is no light, but from watching it and sensing its mana, i guess it''s a question mark. yet, i still track it while hiding my mana and limiting my [perception]. everything else doesn''t matter. right now, i need to find its weaknesses, to learn its patterns and how it reacts to this or that attack. and then, when i think i am ready, i will hunt it. slowly, i start collecting mana inside my body, in my mouth, on my tongue. the same way i did with emeric. a small bead of mana forms right over my tongue, and i continue to feed it mana, making it denser and denser without increasing its size. one part of my [focus] isolates it from the rest of my body, making sure there is an area around the bead that won''t let any mana signature pass. the second part of [focus] continues to feed it more and more mana, making it denser. meanwhile, i''m sticking close behind the monster, trying to speed up. even though i''m dumping a ton of mana into the bead, there''s still a lot left. some of it''s being sucked up by a construct and sent back into me. but it can''t hide it all. soon, some is going to leak out, and that''s when the monster''s gonna sniff me out. carefully, i speed up, moving closer and closer to the serpent and preparing to attack, preparing for the fight that might follow. my heart is beating wildly and calming feeling of mana moving through my body washes over me. [oscillation - lvl 12 > oscillation - lvl 14] [armament - lvl 14 > armament - lvl 16] congratulations! you have successfully completed a side quest. you have acquired a trait-strengthening token. with a loud sigh, i step back and lean against the side of the tunnel. where the hell did this little fucker come from? my heartbeat slowly slows down as i calm bit by bit, only now realizing how close i was to death. while on guard, i invest my stat points and then start to think. should i strengthen my trait? what will happen if i strengthen mana circuit now when i am missing part of it? what will happen after i get my arm back, and the strengthened circuit doesn''t apply to it? what will happen if i get my arm and it doesnt have a circuit at all? okay, let''s wait a bit with using it. there is also an option to use it for another trait that i might get, and that might be even better than the current one. as the system said, i can have three of them. i wait a bit longer, but there are no signs of ruby or her master. i guess she is not done with me yet. but hey, at least i now have a snake to eat. should be better than imp. more time passes. a few more days in the darkness of the tunnels. each day seems longer than the one before, and the tunnels somehow feel even darker and more confined. [lvl 50 > lvl 53] [perception - lvl 14 > perception - lvl 15] [armament - lvl 16 > armament - lvl 19] [oscillation - lvl 14 > oscillation - lvl 15] a few more imps died in my hands, some even higher leveled than the one that killed the serpent. it took what feels like a few days, but it''s hard to guess. i can use the countdown to forced return to measure the time? i call bullshit; there''s no way i am here that short. it feels much longer! currently, my [armament] is stuck at level 19, probably another bottleneck, but not as massive as from level 9 to 10. some other skills leveled up as well as i continued to try to use them only and as much as possible, making me a step closer to acquiring a new passive skill. damn, i really hope for something super nice. taking a step to continue to walk through the tunnels, i feel the well-known mana behind me and stop, quickly closing my eyes as the light blinds me for a second. i recognize ruby''s mana, and there is a small crystal floating near her, letting out a soft, yellowish light. well, you still look like shit, her voice is soft, and i can hear a hint of a smile in it, not laughing at me, just teasing me a bit. at this point, it seems like she uses the same greeting every time she meets me. mana flares up from her body, and both of us are moved somewhere else, a place i quickly recognize as the place where ruby''s master sent me. she is sitting in a chair nearby, her carefully controlled mana signature barely letting out some presence. there is something in the atmosphere that stops me from saying anything. are you and the others really drifters? she asks. Chapter 86: Beyond Human Comprehension chapter 86: beyond human comprehension i sigh heavily and sink slowly into the chair, my eyes shut tight against the light i''m not accustomed to, while i use [perception] to examine my surroundings. she doesn''t seem to mind. "i''m not sure, that''s just what you guys call us," i respond truthfully. "and what do you call yourselves?" she scrutinizes me, and i can''t help but think she''s using her mana to probe me without me even realizing it. i begin to gradually open my eyes, carefully adjusting to the light. i repeat a phrase i''ve said many times before to numerous people, the test i did to see their reaction, "we''re from earth and we got stuck in the tutorial. this world, your world, seems to be part of that tutorial. you are either being manipulated by the tutorial or more likely, you''re not real at all - just copied over and over again for a purpose that''s unclear." just like before, her reaction mirrors others'' - it''s as if she doesn''t hear or can''t understand what i''ve just said. well, i guess that''s it, let''s try... "you said something, but i couldn''t make it out. repeat it." chills run down my spine, and despite the blinding light i''m not used to, i force my eyes open and gaze at the elderly woman before me. for the first time, her brow furrows, and i can sense her mana slowly intensifying. it''s as if i''m sitting next to a nuclear reactor. slowly but surely, i can feel more of her mana, applying pressure, and studying me. it expands into the world around us, creating an eerie silence that engulfs a larger area than i can comprehend. the entire kingdom? the whole continent? her mana, released now, radiating an intense pressure that was steadily growing. the room trembling in the wake of her raw power, each vibration chilling and reminding me of the force she holds. the world around us responds to her, terrified tremors echoing beneath our feet. i feel as if i''m standing on the edge of a cliff, one misstep away from sure death. "repeat it," her voice is firm and leaves no room for refusal. as i repeat my earlier words, her mana pressure increases. the ground beneath me starts to tremble more, and i hear a loud, cracking noise from the outside. the air becomes heavy, making it hard to breathe. "again." i repeat it once more. the sounds from outside give the impression of a collapsing mountain, and it''s noticeably darker than before. the noise of a cracking stone is almost deafening, and the whole house shakes. this continues until she intervenes, seemingly isolating whatever is happening outside from the events within the house. after all this noise, the silence is almost deafening as she speaks, "i can''t hear it," she whispers, her voice more for herself than for me, evident confusion in her tone. "miss..." i begin cautiously, and the formidable presence disguised in human form in front of me slowly redirects her attention towards me. slowly, delicately, i utter what i intended to say, "have you met other drifters besides me and my group?" this is holding back? i pull biscuit closer and begin to stroke his tiny head to calm myself a bit. no words echo in my head, and for that, i''m grateful. it seems i drastically underestimated the power level of some people here. survive the end of the world? at this rate, i''ll consider myself lucky if there aren''t many more people like her. "just get some rest and i''ll wake you in a few hours, okay?" the redhead leaves the room, leaving me alone with my always-hungry friend. time to sleep. i lay down on the bed and slowly close my eyes. recalling the darkness of long tunnels filled with unseen monsters, i decide to leave the lights on and gradually drift off to sleep, comforted by the warm body beside me. pov hadwin harper the woman standing before me appears to be in her fifties, maybe even sixties. she has gray hair and is dressed in a black and white suit that, in my opinion, would be more suited to a man. despite her age, she moves with surprising agility, exuding an unwavering aura of confidence. however, i notice a tiny crack in that confidence as i recount my journey here. just like the others i''ve attempted to explain my situation to, she seems unable to grasp the concept of the tutorial and everything it entails. for a fleeting moment, fear grips me as i consider how she might react and what she wants from me. "harper, what the hell did i tell you? turn off the light and go to sleep!" my commander bursts into the tent. he freezes in the middle of his step after spotting the woman. "who, the fu--" in an instant, he''s reduced to a bloody mess on the floor, his life extinguished before he can finish his sentence. "repeat it," the woman commands, and i quickly comply. her annoyance is more apparent this time, but she finally speaks after i''ve finished. "go through the tear," she orders, slashing the air with her hand. it''s as if she''s torn open the fabric of reality itself, revealing a different place on the other side - a simple, cozy-looking room. quickly to not agitate her more, i step through. the tear closes behind me, leaving me alone in this new place, with the crazy gray-haired woman nowhere in sight. soon, i hear footsteps approaching from behind the door. it swings open to reveal a young woman dressed in a white, long-sleeved shirt and black pants. her hair is a vibrant shade of red, and her eyes have a peculiar yellowish hue. "god damn it, master. you always make me do such annoying things," she sighs as she sizes me up, "well, i''m sure nathaniel will be happy," she says, her smile growing wider. oh no. Chapter 87: Hadwin Harper chapter 87: hadwin harper pov hadwin harper it''s hard to wrap my head around it. a telepathic corgi, a psychopathic armless young man, and a mysterious redheaded woman all sit around a simple table. the corgi persistently begs for food, while four purple arms made of mana hover around him, attempting to snag any unattended food. the young woman eats slowly, continually teasing the young man without a hint of concern for his silent resentment, which is visible in his eyes despite his unchanging expression. nathaniel just sits there. from the place where his arm used to be, a new one grows, made of mana. its pale blue light shines, and he moves it around, bending it at the elbow, twisting the wrist. even the fingers move, making it all look incredibly difficult. they all seem accustomed to each other''s company, looking almost like a group of siblings. and i''m just sitting there awkwardly. occasionally, nathaniel glances at me for a moment but doesnt say anything. "nat! you suck at this. look, it''s simple! the young woman continues to tease him while two mana arms float around her, behaving exactly as normal arms would. and she does it with such ease. (asshole!) the corgi continues to shout his new favorite word. even though his mana arms aren''t as perfect as the woman''s, they come close. they both continue to tease the young man, who watches them quietly with curious eyes. at this moment, he doesnt seem like the homicidal man i''ve always taken him for. he appears more like an older, patient brother being teased by his younger siblings. biscuit, you''re a good boy, but enough is enough. no more of your favorite snacks. also, move your mana arms a bit slower so i can observe them better. they''re not as good as ruby''s, but it''s easier to learn from slightly worse versions than from her nearly perfect ones. and ruby, just wait. i swear i''ll steal the entire batch of sweets you''re hiding in the living room. i know you''re saving them for later and that they were super expensive. my revenge will be terrifying. i notice hadwin watching me, but i don''t acknowledge him and let him continue observing. right now, i dont know what to do with him. he seems to have been sent here by ruby''s master, so hurting him is out of the question. i''ll just wait and see. i have time; there''s no need to rush. the afternoon slowly turns into the night. at some point, ruby brings some alcohol and encourages us all to drink it. it tastes like a mix of strawberry and basil. it''s cold, and i really enjoy the taste. as i continue to sip it, i observe the people around me as time passes. at some point, the corgi falls asleep, and ruby leaves. i end up in the room with hadwin and biscuit''s head on my thigh. i continue to caress him while my mana arm clumsily holds the glass of alcohol, and i drink. "will you hear me out?" hadwin asks. our eyes meet for a second. he''s serious. i nod and wait curiously for him to continue. it''s about the deal i want to make with you.??vl?1n. interesting, does he think that i would be interested? allow me to explain. tell me, nat. do you want to know my real name? please, don''t call me nat. not really. she''s still smiling, but i see it''s not as genuine as before. thats so like you. she lifts her hand and pokes my nose, similar to how i boop biscuits nose. it doesn''t matter what her real name is. i will always remember her as ruby. a poor woman imprisoned and used by the system or maybe not even real. just one of the multiple copies of ruby. one of many. you have a scary look on your face. i guess? somehow it doesnt feel good. i don''t like it. nat, don''t ever become like my master, please, she says after a short pause for thought. her face is serious as she looks at me, holding my head with both her hands while laying down on my lap. she makes me look at her, don''t let yourself be seduced by her power, by her mana. she''s so lonely, so cold, so scary. i wouldn''t like for you to become like that. she pinches my cheeks, just stay the way you are now. maybe try to smile a bit and show your affection to other people more. that just doesnt sound like me. she pinches harder. oi, that hurts. i try to grab her hand, to move it away, but i cant budge it an inch. she is so much stronger. i sigh and let her continue to pinch my cheeks, and she smiles victoriously. after a while, she stops, bored by my lack of reaction. a quiet laugh emanates from her. we have an entire room free. there are so many places to sit at, yet we are so close to each other. you''re the one to blame. it feels comfortable, you know. she adjusts herself, making herself more comfortable while the fire continues to crackle in the fireplace. she picks up the bottle, takes a sip, and spills a tiny bit of alcohol. she then laughs a bit. oops, i just spilled alcohol worth one gold. cold sweat starts running down my back. worth how much? you''re a good listener, she closes her eyes after putting away the bottle and her voice becomes quieter and softer, i know you wont tell anyone, and your presence is so calming. you''re so incredibly weak, yet you always seem to know what you want and what to do. i''m jealous of you. she pauses and out of nowhere says: pet my head the way you do with biscuit, and i''ll subtract 10 gold from your debt. i immediately start doing so, gently caressing her red hair. she shudders under the first touch, but then a small smile appears on her lips. i like this smile. it feels much more honest than any smile she''s shown up until now. she''s like a small child pretending to be strong, but i know the truth after spending some time together. deep inside, she''s just another unhappy soul, too weak to be true to herself. lately, she''s been nice to me and even taught me a few things, so let''s give her a little extra. i lean closer to her ear and whisper, i will never forget you. she freezes, her eyes opening wide, almost scared, surprised and not knowing how to react. i burn that view into my memory and cover her eyes with my hand. i will never forget this lonely young woman who likes to pretend she''s brave. not even if she''s just another fake, one of the many. Chapter 88: Strengthened Trait chapter 88: strengthened trait behold! my strengthened mana circuit! congratulations, your trait has been strengthened. mana circuit (passive) this integrates a network of mana channels throughout the user''s body, optimizing the distribution of mana and amplifying the power of their mana-based abilities without additional mana consumption. this enhancement allows the user to draw upon their mana more efficiently, resulting in more potent spells and abilities while reducing overall mana expenditure. increased mana density: the mana circuit can now hold a greater density of mana, effectively increasing the user''s mana capacity and the power of their mana-based abilities. there were no options, and it just straightforwardly strengthened my mana circuit. the effect seems nice, so i dont complain. what made me change my mind and use it? perhaps it was rubys lonely figure as she sat in front of the fireplace. or maybe it was the realization that things never go the way i want them to. i just want to be as prepared as possible, even if it means making a mistake or two in the process. as of now, everything seems fine. my body feels more composed and my mana puts less strain on me as my enhanced circuit alleviates some of the effects. but as i lay in bed, barely holding back screams of pain as my trait continued to strengthen, i think. what are the limits of the system and how far can it change my body? as many times before, it all feels just like a start. a small step towards a bigger goal. and the journey to that point is mine to make. i wave a piece of meat in front of biscuit while he continues to try to grab it with his four mana arms. every time he is close to grabbing it, i use [disruption] to cancel his maa arms. the corgi doesn''t seem happy with that and barks a few times while trying to jump and grab it. i am teaching him, right? yup, totally teaching. i''m not being petty and taking revenge for last night when he continued to create mana arms to make fun of me while i tried to practice creating my own. totally teaching him. i don''t know what kind of system he got, but he better learn to put some stats into physical attributes! after a few more minutes, i just throw it at him and he grabs it, instantly running behind the couch to hide and eat it. you little twerp, i wont steal it from you now. as for things he did to survive? who am i to judge? i still remember the weight of pieces of emeric''s body. i still remember the sight of ethan, who i had thrown, flying through the air towards the cinderbear. people are difficult to deal with. emotions are difficult to deal with. so, as the newest member of our small group, it''s up to hadwin to cook. i decided it, and the man just looks at me, and i am sure he sighs somewhere deep inside, but then he just cooks. ruby sometimes disappears for a day or two and eats outside, but we have some food here. and that''s good because we are once again in the middle of nowhere. the cottage we are staying at is nice and well-equipped, but on every side, there is nothing, just plains of grass that sway in the wind. no monsters, no humans. i blame ruby''s master. her behavior became all weird after the last time we talked and when she destroyed an entire mountain range. so i do what i can when i can''t level up. i try and try to improve my skills. my mana arm is coming along nicely, and i can move it in the elbow pretty well and the fingers are getting there as well. i can already grab some things. yes, i do not have any feeling in the arm and have to continue to watch it, but i am getting used to it quickly. now that i strengthened my trait, controlling my mana becomes easier and i dont have to put my entire [focus] into handling it. currently, i am using one [focus] to handle my mana and control the arm made thanks to [armament] and [mana manipulation] while the remaining part of [focus] is free to do anything i want. so i observe my construct but i do not dare to make any changes to it. now, that i am out of the tunnels, i have a feeling that i was a little bit too reckless or brave to do it, and as i observe the result, i come to realize how a little mistake could have killed me. but hey, it worked out pretty well. yup, the construct is kind of wasteful and not that efficient when it comes to turning my mana into some kind of effect, but my mana pool is big enough to handle it without me even realizing it. plus, it''s a passive effect that boosts my body in a similar way to boosting my stats. and if i ever need more mana i can turn off the construct. i like it. i like it a lot. already i am coming up with ways to improve my current construct and increase efficiency and can''t help but feel some excitement while imagining what i can do in the future. the goal for the future is to have multiple constructs i can turn on and off and have them run in the background. i can prepare a construct for many different situations or types of opponents and then use the ones that will be needed and have them run passively. finally, i found one of the uses for my ever-increasing mana! i also come to realize that my construct bears a little bit of similarity to my [focus]. just instead of part of my mind taking care of it, it''s the circuit i etched into my body. this is something i have to think about. but now i need to practice a bit more. i''m really close to finishing the side quest, and the reward - a new passive skill - is within reach. Chapter 89: New Passive skill chapter 89: new passive skill okay, one question first: why is hadwin such an exceptional cook? i mean, seriously good. yes, i understand the stereotype of american dads being grillmasters, handling barbecues for multiple families while casually sipping cheap beer, and hadwin seems to fit that image perfectly. but honestly, his cooking skills astound me. soup? he''s got it covered. main dish? his grilling skills are top-notch, always serving up tender and juicy meat. he can even whip up a dessert, spending just one or two hours each day experimenting to get accustomed to the kitchen appliances here that run on glowing stones imbued with mana. currently, i''m even more pleased with my decision and am considering letting him take over cooking duties. as for the mana stones so commonly used here? i tried examining one, and ruby laughed at me for several minutes as i continued to scrutinize it. she explained that even she can''t discern their structure or the intricate mana pathways etched inside each stone, similar to circuits. she mentioned that many stone manufacturers incorporate fail-safes and traps to prevent their competition from replicating them. to put it bluntly, i can''t make heads or tails of it with my current skills and decided to give up. just to be safe, i took a few of them, and ruby added their cost to my running tab. right now, though, it''s mostly an inside joke between us; i don''t think anyone really cares about the gold anymore. finally, i lift the corgi into the air using both hands, one normal, and the other formed from pale blue mana. it''s solid and lacks sensation, but its mobility is vastly improved. the corgi looks at me, surprised, mouth slightly agape, tongue lolling out. oddly, he seems to be enjoying the experience, his tail swinging side to side, and his free-hanging hind legs flailing slightly. he also forms two arms from purple mana, which reach out to gently pet my head, similar to how i pet him. (good) hey, you little rascal, just how intelligent are you? are you mocking me? making fun of me? his face seems too innocent, and i''m in too good a mood due to my success to argue. i let him down and put him on the ground. immediately, he turns and dashes towards hadwin, who''s once again busy cooking something. (asshole!) he sends towards the older man. how many times did i tell you not to call me that? you''re smart enough to stop it by now... i tune out the rest of his grumbling. who do you think taught our precious biscuit to continue calling you like that? yes, it was me! nathaniel gwyn! "..." yes, i am aware that i''m being petty. but back to more important matters. by successfully creating an almost human-like arm made of mana, two of my skills leveled up. [focus - lvl 20 > focus - lvl 21] [armament - lvl 19 > armament - lvl 20] i even managed to break through the bottleneck in [armament], which is a significant accomplishment. as if to reward me, i completed my side quest! side quest: get 3 skills over level 20 rewards: passive skill of your choice there''s also a potential downside to chaotic pulse. what if i can''t turn it off like my construct? what if it prevents me from receiving healing from lily or disrupts others fighting by my side? sure, it could enhance my abilities, but it might hurt me just as much. plus, i already have [disruption], so do i really need a passive version? the final option is cerebral harmony, which might be my favorite. it''s definitely linked to [mana manipulation] and possibly [focus]. right now, i don''t have many issues with my mana thanks to upgrading [mana manipulation] and the construct i''ve created. but in the future, this could allow me to infuse more mana into my stats without worry, and even help me utilize my skills faster. it could speed up my skill-learning process, improve multiple skills, and even let me work better with constructs, which is probably the most significant boost i could receive at this point. however, adaptive physiology also sounds promising. it too could enhance my handling of constructs and simplify their creation. with too many good choices, first-world problems strike once more! but who am i kidding, it''s obvious which one i will pick i select cerebral harmony (rare), close my eyes, and brace myself for the impending pain. and oh boy, does it come. it feels like red-hot nails are being hammered into my brain. i feel as if i might break my teeth from how tightly i''m clenching them. sweat pours down my body as the system alters me, fortifying me and better attuning me to mana in preparation for the passive skill. gradually after what feels like too long, the pain subsides, and i exhale deeply, opening my eyes. i see my shaking hand, wet with sweat, pressed against my forehead, and i begin to calm down. sensing my distress, the dog runs over and nudges my leg a few times. he continues doing this until i pet his small head, then he looks up at me, his smart eyes slowly blinking. i pet him again, gradually coming to the realization that i have a soft spot for animals or people that show me affection. it makes me feel warm inside, albeit slightly uncomfortable, unsure of how to react. it compromises my ability to make rational decisions. yet, there''s nothing i can do. i am vulnerable when faced with unconditional affection. i acknowledge this. i understand that it''s a weakness, one i should perhaps overcome, but at the same time, it feels precious to me. to my amusement, one word sounds in my mind. (asshole) yet, it sounds soft, almost gentle. god damn it, you little jerk. i ruffle his head gently while internally smiling, even though it''s likely, not noticeable on my face. once more, the corgi slowly blinks at me before scampering back to hadwin. i recline, laying down and looking at the ceiling. my mana is even less of a concern now, and i release some of the [focus] that kept it at bay. it feels as if i can move it more easily, as if before there was some delay, some lag, and high latency. now it''s smoother, and the mana moves almost exactly as i will it to move and does what i want it to do. i conjure a translucent arm at the stump of my left arm and reach out towards the ceiling. the mana fingers move skillfully, almost exactly like real fingers would. yes, i still have to maintain one [focus] just to use the mana arm, but the difference is significant. the arm even looks more human-like and is shaped very similarly to my right one. i will it to extend, and the length of my arm increases. i concentrate, and the fingers become longer with something resembling blades at the tips. the hand becomes bigger, and the arm more muscularthough it doesn''t actually change its strength. then i let it dissipate and create a small orb of mana, which i let hover above me. i condense it further and further, start shaping it, dividing it into many smaller ones, and causing them to spin. for a while, i just lay there and practise. Chapter 90: A View from Above chapter 90: a view from above noname (hell, group 4) - i''m fine. sset (hell, group 4) - same here. strongestone (hell, group 4) - i''m trying to level up as much as i can. grumpy (hell, group 4) - noname, i yoinked some gold for you! it was easier than i thought. i don''t have the heart to tell lily that i probably won''t be needing it anymore, and just praise her for the good job. while reading other messages and hoping for some useful information, i think about sophie. up until now, i haven''t seen her in the forum, not even the twins or her sister. are they all unable to do so, or they just don''t want to and continue to watch what others write? the second option is something i think is more probable. i close the forum and look at the five orbs orbiting me. they are now bigger, almost like a golf balls, and their shade of blue is darker than before as they spin around me. every orb has its own orbit, and some of them spin clockwise, and some counterclockwise. sometimes, i focus on one of them and absorb its kinetic energy, which i then use to boost the spinning of other orbs that are anchored to me and orbiting around me. what should i do with sophie in case both of us survive the second floor? will i even meet her on this floor or have to wait until the third one? if yes, what then? should i take revenge right there? i could; i can put her sister to sleep and then do it so the little girl doesn''t have to watch it. sure, she would hate me then and stay nearly alone, relying on herself and the unreliable help of some strangers. it would make me feel sour, but i can do it if i decide to. another option is keeping her alive because of her questionable usefulness, but in that case, it''s something that could continue to be used as an excuse until the end of my life. i just think that her skills are just that useful and she is worth keeping alive. can i forgive her? i think so. as always, strong feelings slowly dissipate with time, especially now that i haven''t seen her for so long. and from the start, it wasn''t that she actively wanted me dead, she just put herself and her sister first and proceeded accordingly. that''s something i can understand. so, it is risky to keep her alive? absolutely. on this floor, the emperor of solaris empire is a mind mage, manipulating people who are strong enough to be compared to an atomic bomb back on earth, hell, they might even be much stronger. a single man able to manipulate the masses and control such powerful people. it''s extremely dangerous. i sigh, yet i am slowly getting bored. yes, i am getting better at using my skills but every time i grew and improved, it was in life or death situations. sure, i could also improve in safety while learning from a teacher, but that''s not something i have. in the end, i exit the cottage and look around. we are in the middle of nowhere and as far as i can see there is only a flat grassy plain. no trees, no mountains, no hills, nothing. just a grassy plain for miles away. it feels somehow unreal, fake. i stand there and [kinetic redistribution] fires up, and i use it to absorb all the energy from the swaying grass around me and the gentle wind. i slowly increase the area and absorb more and more, being able to do it thanks to my now activated reinforcement construct and my new passive skill. a massive area around me becomes motionless and quiet, then i use all of this energy to propel myself high in the air. while floating up there, i absorb more from the wind around me and push against the air under me, it''s terribly inefficient in comparison to pushing against something firm, but i still propel myself higher and higher. soon, i reach the height of the tip of a skyscraper and look around. from this height, everything looks different. the grassy plain below is a flat, wide expanse of uniform green, like a huge outdoor carpet. the sunlight reflects off it, giving it a soft, muted glow. the horizon seems to curve subtly, a reminder of the planet''s roundness. yet i see no movement, nothing but the flat green stretching out in every direction. it''s quiet up here, away from the world. the sky above is a deep, clear blue, unmarred by clouds. i''m alone in this vast space, the silence only broken by the soft rustle of the wind against my clothes. despite the simplicity, or perhaps because of it, there''s an undeniable beauty to the view. it''s a stark, raw kind of beauty, the kind that makes you feel small and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. it''s humbling and awe-inspiring in a way that''s difficult to put into words. i just float there, taking it all in. then i start falling down and absorb more to keep myself high up and feel myself calming down even without my skill activated. the view is something i would never ever be able to see if it wasn''t for mana, and i love it. i start falling down again and this time i don''t fight against it. the air continues to hit my clothes and body and i can hear it next to my ears, and i am falling down faster and faster. when i am not that far away from the ground, i absorb my own kinetic energy and immediately start slowing down until i gently land on the ground, the remaining energy i shoot towards the sky and breathe out. everything looks so normal again. i get ready to do it again when i feel massive mana from inside of the cottage, the mana of ruby''s master. i start moving there and inside the cottage, i find four people. an old, grey-haired but immensely powerful woman, two twin boys, and kim. Chapter 91: Its your turn chapter 91: it''s your turn "hello, nathaniel," kim says quietly. from his stance, it''s easy to see how nervous ruby''s master makes him. moreover, is she collecting us like poke?mon? at this rate, she''ll collect us all in no time. the gray-haired woman''s eyes scan me over, and her brow furrows a bit. "ruby," she says simply while walking outside. the red-haired woman gestures for us to follow her as well. there, the older woman swings her arm and a tear in the air appears with a sound akin to tearing iron. inside the tear is a different place, and i notice monsters. [ember serpent - lvl ?] [mireblood troll - lvl ??] [thornclaw lynx - lvl ?] and there is also this one. [vortexfang hydra - lvl ???] oh boy, i guess that makes her stronger than a triple question mark. then my eyes move back to the hydra. the scales, a haunting blend of deep green and blue, are practically pulsating with mana, a tangible aura of energy that sends shivers down my spine. the air around the beast crackles, making the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. the way it moves, with a grace that betrays its enormous size shows its strength. the ground shakes with each step it takes, and i can see the raw power in the way its muscles ripple under the scales. it''s too strong, way too strong. i''ve faced my share of monsters before, but this is on a whole different level. i''ve got a sinking feeling that i''m way over my head here. [focus] i activate my skill and look away, still breathing heavily and relieved that there is an even stronger monster between me and the hydra. n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. that monster, resembling an older woman, steps inside the tear, and the hydra immediately attacks her only to be killed a moment later. i dont even know what happened, but hydra dies as if someone much bigger grabbed it and tore it to pieces. pulling out its heads, its legs, and pieces of its body in the same way you tear paper to pieces. once again, i am reminded of how terrifying the woman in front of me is. she then reaches out with her hand and throws one monster through the tear, where it lands just steps away from us, also terrified and not even thinking about attacking. [thunderhowl warg - lvl ?] its body hums with a subtle but distinct mana. it''s certainly powerful, maybe even more so than me, but it doesn''t feel impossible, unlike the hydra. the air around it tingles with the electricity it generates, and every time it quietly howls, it''s like a crack of thunder that echoes through the air. the woman steps back through the tear and closes it. i feel a hint of mana from her towards ruby. have him fight the monster until i am back, short pauses only. similar level to this thing, she looks at the warg that just squeals and steps even further away from her, after a while, pick stronger ones. she then slashes her hand through the air and disappears into another tear. [you have defeated a thunderhowl warg - lvl 84] [lvl 51 > lvl 52] quickly, i glance over the notifications and invest my stat points. [focus - lvl 21 > focus - lvl 22] [mana manipulation - lvl 25 > mana manipulation - lvl 26] [armament - lvl 21 > armament - lvl 22] [oscillation - lvl 15 > oscillation - lvl 16] there is also a new side quest: side quest:reach level 75 rewards:upgrade token huh? not skill upgrade token, just upgrade token? does it mean i can upgrade anything i want? class? skill? trait? maybe? interesting. very interesting. another one? ruby asks a small smile on her lips. i guess she was bored too. do you have to ask? i throw back at her and the smile becomes bigger. she knows me at least that much. i tried to be nice, i was told that i was acting like an... well, as something unladylike, i refuse to repeat such a word. you might know the guy who told me that. obviously, i know him. it was me! the air in front of ruby ripples and a monster appears out of nowhere, confused and looking around. the redhead woman''s skill is much more delicate and relies on technique instead of the brute force of her master. [thunderhowl warg - lvl ?] the warg slowly starts looking around while letting out quiet growls. electricity starts flickering on its fur and a sense of danger fills out the surroundings. hadwin, it''s your turn. i turn to the man. the older man''s eyes look as if they are about to fall off, and even though he does that, i feel him charging more and more mana, also getting ready to fight. i will help him, but for now, it will be better to try to make the man stronger as it will help me on the third floor as well or even at the end of this one. but hey, why are you looking at me like that? we had a deal, didn''t we? well, we missed the regret bus. next stop: acceptance! Chapter 92: Shameless chapter 92: shameless pov dennis dalton i continue watching as nathaniel and hadwin grapple with the monstrous wolf-like creature, right after nathaniel killed the first one. he''s just killed a monster with a question mark over its head. alone. just how strong is he? (he''s crazy), i hear aaron say in my mind, using our [connection]. i can''t help but agree. ever since two days before the end of the first floor, i''ve held a dislike for him. the memory of his cold eyes lingers as a bad memory. (damn it, why did we have to end up here? who the hell was that crazy woman?) i send. (dude, i wasn''t even able to see a question mark over her head, she''s scary) i once again find myself in agreement with my few minutes younger brother. (let''s try to keep a low profile as much as we can. we can also suck up to hadwin a bit; the old man might still think he can manipulate us.) (yes, let''s do that!) the giant monster hits hadwin with its paw, sending him rolling on the ground where he slowly gets back on his feet, seemingly not seriously hurt. (damn, haddy is even tougher than before!) i hear from aaron. the warg shoots some lightning at the older man which dissipates, and soon he charges again, having no other choice as nathaniel continues to watch him. (do you think this psycho will want us to fight as well?) just thinking about this sends goosebumps all over my body. i watch as the warg bites at hadwin, only to be repelled by some of nathaniel''s skills. then the translucent arm that he has instead of his missing left arm disappears, and two massive arms made out of mana appear at his back and reach towards the monster, which is too slow to dodge. the massive arms hold the monster while nathaniel says something to hadwin, and the man attacks again. (maybe he can power-level us; he''s helping hadwin a bit.) (we can suck up to him, apologize, and stuff. that could be good for us; and we can be quite useful.) i try to say more, but then i hear someone else interrupting our connection. (asshole!) (what the heck?) (the heck?) only then do i realize that the connection is coming from the cheeky corgi that nathaniel likes so much. how is something like that even possible?! finally, the warg dies. [you have defeated a thunderhowl warg - lvl 82] hmm, how to say it... i expected hadwin to do a bit better? sure, the monster is well over my level, but it''s just a normal one, not a "named" one. maybe i''m the problem? "god damn it," the older man is covered in sweat and breathing wildly while holding his fractured arm. "hmm? if i had to guess, the hydra was around 350, and the troll maybe 160?" so it''s not like over 100 equals one question mark, over 200 equals two, and over 300 equals three. maybe up to 150 equals one mark, 150 - 300 equals two marks, and 300 - 450 equals three marks? damn, that would make ruby''s master over 450 and ruby over 150 level? heck, maybe there are 4 question marks, and her master over 600? well, that''s scary... that''s a lot of stats and experience. it''s a league i can''t even properly imagine right now. what level champions and paragons are? this is something i''m super curious about, now that i''m sure ruby''s master is someone in a similar league to them. hopefully. otherwise, it would be too scary to imagine people even stronger than her. why the hell are there such strong people and monsters on the second floor? isn''t it bugged? sure, we don''t have to destroy the world, we just have to survive until the end. maybe it''s just to show us what will be possible in the future? to set goals for ourselves and to etch into our minds what could happen to earth in case we return and are able to retain our powers. that sounds plausible. up until now, the system hasn''t been too nice or helpful, but there''s some twisted logic to everything we go through. one of the biggest hints is the name "tutorial." we''re being trained, being prepared for something. something that will likely happen after we return to earth. maybe the real "game" will start then? well, anyway, we still have a few years to go. [stone troll - lvl 23] [blood troll - lvl 46] ruby summons the monsters. the first one is for the twins and the second one is for hadwin and kim. i once again ponder the place where she is "taking" them from. she got the coordinates from her master, but there is a weird mix of monsters. is it a regular forest somewhere? is it something else? "this one is for you. it''s close to one hundred, so be careful." before the monster attacks me, i ponder about how she knows. the natives of this floor don''t seem to be able to see the text hovering over the monsters or humans'' heads the way we people from the tutorial do. so, maybe they have come up with their own ways to measure it? maybe by checking the mana signature? [ember-eye warg - lvl ?] i jump backwards as the monster lunges at the place where i used to stand. it''s smaller than the warg before, but much faster, and my [kinetic redistribution] doesn''t seem to slow it at all. it also doesn''t absorb any energy, and my [perception] feels some sort of barrier close to its skin. i continue to observe it, but i''m unable to discern much more. it seems to disrupt my [perception], and when i shoot small beads made of mana at it, they disappear after touching the barrier, seemingly working in a similar way to [disruption]. damn, that''s quite an interesting way to use it. are there any advantages in comparison to the way i use it? unable to fully dodge, i create armor around my body, which disappears after the monster''s shoulder hits me and sends me rolling on the ground. i absorb more energy from the wind, from the swaying grass and use it to propel myself high into the air. the monster''s orange eyes continue to track my movements as i start falling down. my translucent left arm made of mana continues to grow more and more dense, taking on a darker blue color. i create a single orb that i make orbit around myself while i feed it more and more mana, making it denser and stronger. surge activates, and the orb turns into a blurry shape, seemingly instead of an orb orbiting me, there is a hoop around my body. i feel a wave of disrupting mana from the monster the moment i land, but i shoot mine against it. the skills collide, the monster''s winning, but lessening the impact of its disrupting skill on me. i dash at the monster and then, instead of slinging an orb at it, i absorb all the kinetic energy from the orb that was spinning around me, immediately filling the amount i can handle. the orb elongates and turns into a spear made out of dense mana, and i use the absorbed kinetic energy to propel myself right at the monster. Chapter 93: Blazing Confrontation chapter 93: blazing confrontation i boost the spear with absorbed kinetic energy and stab right at the monster. its disruptive field flares up and the spear becomes less dense, but the warg is unable to totally cancel out the fast stab, and the spear goes right into its chest. a loud howl echoes through the surroundings as the spear in my hand, along with my left arm made out of mana, disappears. but i already expected that. i use the remaining energy i hold inside my body, which the monster wasn''t able to absorb, to propel myself closer and kick the wound on its chest. another howl ensues, and i [focus] as the monster attacks. i read its movement, its repositioning, where the warg looks, its open mouth, the twist of the neck. i duck right under the bite and with my body strengthened by mana and constructs, i kick the wound again, this time with my knee. immediately, i fire up my [disruption] and boost it with [mana surge] as much as i can, sending a pulse of disrupting energy against the monster''s neck, using the moment of distraction as it howls in pain after my attack. the field around the neck disappears, and my hand coated in oscillating mana cuts in, wreaking havoc on the monster''s flesh. the warm blood spills on me, and i am forced to dash backward, stepping even further back. the grass in a massive area stops moving and the wind quiets as i absorb all the energy while making a slow circle around the monster, having time on my side now that it''s bleeding so much. slow breath in. breath out. calmly, i force my heated body into a state of calmness as i wait, carefully observing the wounded monster. then, i reach out towards the sun and the warmth of its rays that fall to the ground, trying to absorb the thermal energy it provides. i fail, and my hold on kinetic energy loosens. the grass starts swaying again, the wind blows again, and at the same moment, the monster attacks. the field of disrupting mana around it is already gone, replaced by smoke that slowly flows out of the monster''s fur. the smoke is dark black with tints of gray and it leaves a trail behind the monster as it dashes at me. the moment it gets close, i send all the absorbed kinetic energy at its head which disappears, turning into smoke. what the heck? i absorb more and quickly move to the side. two massive mana arms form from my back and push against the monster that turns its entire body into smoke. [disruption] fires up and the monster materializes again, to my left. immediately, it attacks again, biting at me. i use [disruption] quickly, followed by a stab with a spear made of mana. finally, the attack lands and the spear goes through its neck. i continuously disrupt its mana and that continues to cancel the monster''s attempts to attack or run. i shoot a cone of absorbed kinetic energy, exploding its head. the smoke disappears and the dead body falls to the ground. [you have defeated an ember-eye warg - lvl 89] [disruption - lvl 8 > disruption - lvl 9] [mana surge - lvl 7 > mana surge - lvl 8] at that moment, spikes elongate and one of them even reaches the corgi, stabbing its leg a tiny bit and drawing out a drop of blood, before quickly retracting while the hedgehog continues to hiss and jump on the spot. the best doggo looks down at a drop of blood on its leg and then back at the hedgehog. oh boy. immediately, a cute small growl escapes biscuit''s maw and he barks. five tentacles appear, growing from its back, quickly growing bigger while spinning wildly. even biscuit''s eyes seem to take on a bit of a purple glow, and he moves closer, thrashing the ground and the hedgehog, continuously pumping more and more mana into the tentacles, making them denser and bigger. when he finally calms down, there is nothing left of the hedgehog and he looks towards me. (gone) i hear in my mind. yup, good job, you defeated it! (food gone) ... god damn it, biscuit. the monster i''m fighting now is slightly weaker than the warg i fought before, but its a monster that uses fire attacks. i was able to ask ruby to do it for me and she actually did so. i feel that i owe her once again. i truly appreciate the things she does for me. after spending some time together, we learned a bit more about each other''s personalities and learned to respect them. ruby doesn''t blabber that much about things i''m not interested in, and i try to entertain her a bit when she feels bored. i talk to her, and give her my opinions, feeling much more comfortable about our conversations now. i cancel out these thoughts and focus back on the monster in front of me, still surprised by the variety of monsters from this place. [scorching salamander - lvl ?] i dodge its burst of fire, feeling the heat on my skin even though i''m protected by [armament]. at the same time, i reach out towards the flames and try to absorb their energy. i [focus] and try to apply everything i''ve learned up until now about redistribution and fire attacks. i move my mana differently than when using [kinetic redistribution], all because of all the testing i''ve done, all the nights i didnt sleep and kept practicing on the fireplace, on the flame radiating from the glowing mana crystal. all the tests i have done in the darkness of the tunnels. i fail and my mana shatters in the air. the salamander collects mana inside its body and then releases it all at once, molding it in a confusing way. instead of a fire attack, a strong flash of light comes into existence, blinding me and making me close my eyes and rely on [perception]. i continue to track the monster''s mana, its position, and the way it uses its skill, and i do it until the massive area around us is rid of grass and the ground glows as if it''s made out of lava. the air wavers, showing how much heat there is. and at that moment, i finally reach out towards the wisp of the monsters attack and absorb it, hold it, mold it, and release it while my mind goes into overdrive. finally, a notification sounds in my mind. Chapter 94: Milestone reached chapter 94: milestone reached first, i release the absorbed thermal energy in an uncontrolled explosion of heat. then, i dash towards the salamander, covering my entire body and head with pale blue armor. a sword made of mana appears in my hands. the sword has a blade longer than me, and i coat it in widely oscillating mana, straining my mind and [focus]. the heat becomes stronger closer to the monster, and it even tries to blind me with another flash, but i''m still keeping my eyes closed since the first flash, and continue to track it with [perception] only. [disruption] activates, canceling some flames and the lava-like skill that covers the monster''s body, making it more durable. a sword with an oscillating blade cuts through the monster''s head, killing it instantly, and i jump far back to exit the still-hot area while canceling out my skills. good, let''s see. your skill [kinetic redistribution] evolved into [redistribution]. [kinetic redistribution - lvl 13 > redistribution - lvl 8] [you have defeated a scorching salamander - lvl 83] [lvl 52 > lvl 53] not again. my levels! sure, i know that my skill upgraded to a better version of it - or combined with a new skill i acquired and the higher-tiered skill couldn''t just stay on the same level. it''s not properly showing my mastery over it. but damn it stings. another thing is that this time it was easier than before, clearly the effect of my new passive skillcerebral harmonyshowing. manipulating my mana just feels much better, much more connected to my thoughts and to my will. it was a good decision to pick it, even though i am still not over losing adaptive physiology - that skill sounds so goddamn good. to try it out, i reach out towards the field of molten ground and absorb some of the thermal energy that still radiates into the surroundings. it feels so different and yet so similar to the old skill. i mold the mana and the [redistribution] helps me to collect it, and turn it into a small flame that flickers on top of my palm. immediately, i realize something amazing. the flame vanishes and i absorb all the kinetic energy i can, the grass stops swaying and the wind becomes calmer. then i turn all that kinetic energy into a thermal one while my heart is beating wildly from the excitement. the efficiency is terrible, the waste is huge, it''s slow, and feels bad to use. but i do it and instead of a thin cone of kinetic energy, i release a cone of heated air that flickers and burns more of the grass. with excitement that i haven''t felt in a while, i turn to ruby. hey, do you have more of these salamanders? pov sophie martinez she is here, we have to go! how the hell did she find us and what does she want now? we didn''t do anything to catch her interest! it doesn''t matter. guards won''t slow her for too long, just grab what you can and get ready for [transport]." i watch people with two question marks over their heads panic. the people i thought of as being so strong, now seem like normal humans, losing control, screaming, panicking. i and the others are led to a room in the far corner of the facility, and i make sure to hold izzy''s hand firmly. leave behind the spell of disruption, we can''t allow her to track us! more screaming, more panicking. then i feel the ground shaking, the air itself feels heavy and it''s getting hard to move. enchantings on the wall start glowing all around the facility. defensive enchantments they were so proud of. armament - lvl 22 mana surge - lvl 9 disruption - lvl 9 yes, a few of them have super high potential but i can''t help but feel greedy, starving for something that finally and for the first time allows me to completely use my reserves. but step by step, the next goal is rewards for this side quest. i already have a few ideas on how to use the upgrade token. kim is doing really well and quickly growing. in the past few days, he even seems to have become friendlier with others, especially thanks to hadwin, who to them seems to be someone older, and smarter and they can''t help but look up to him slightly, even the twins. all of them are young men, boys, still affected by thinking from back on earth where it''s normal to show respect to the elders and maybe even listen to them. but it''s not just it. i can see hadwin smartly dealing with them. a compliment here and there, help here, every time seemingly honestly interested and listening to them when they complain or being happy with them. partially it''s a mask he puts on but i see that from a small part it''s the way he is and i realize that there might be some truth to the words he told to me. yet, these two little twin jerks better not think they can trick me. i''m not as gullible as hadwin. overall, this all is good for me as they are getting trained to work together. with hadwin in the role of tank, the twins can use their skills to confuse the enemy keeping the group connected telepathically. while kim fills the ranged support role. the 15-year-old boy even learned to use [gravity well] to affect only the monsters. unlike me, who is using so many skills, it seems that he is trying to focus on his two favorite ones and strengthen them and make them as versatile as possible. it''s not a bad idea. i close the community after checking on others. two more people from hell difficulty died. we don''t know who, only learning about it thanks to the number that now shows two people less: hell difficulty 51/250 over the duration of the second floor, we came to the decision that there are probably 10 groups in hell difficulty, each starting on the first floor with around 25 people. whitewing of the 1st group with 15 people. idk of the second group with 4 people. group 4 with 10 people and one corgi. alone in group 6 with savant being the only one remaining. theguild of the 8th group with 9 people. that means there are 13 more people we dont know about as they never used the community. there are most likely some groups that got killed off in their entirety but yet there are still 13 more people in hell difficulty and it makes me think about what might have disallowed them to enter the community. hours turn into days and we fall into a nice schedule. wake up, train, fight monsters, eat, fight monsters, rest, fight monsters, dinner, sleep. that''s it. it''s nice but only until we get the message from the tutorial. attention, a milestone reached. entry into irreversible narrative progression has been detected for all the groups. in accordance, the community interface will now be deactivated for all groups within hell difficulty of the 5th round of the tutorial. Chapter 95: Restored chapter 95: restored attention, a milestone reached. entry into irreversible narrative progression has been detected for all the groups. in accordance, the community interface will now be deactivated for all groups within hell difficulty of the 5th round of the tutorial. well, that''s interesting, isn''t it? it seems that the end of the second floor is getting closer and closer. nathaniel, did you get the notification as well? kim moves closer to me, breathless and with small wounds all over his body. i also feel that he is under the effect of his [gravity well], using it to increase gravity on him and to train. i''m kind of jealous, but he does the same every time i ask him, so i forgive him. he still doesnt feel as comfortable with me and i see that he is still not over kevin''s death. but i guess that''s something only time will solve. did you try to access the community? i ask. he nods, i cant join it and aaron and dennis are the same. i''ve already tried it too, and i had the same result as he did. that''s it, i guess. more information would be nice, but it just wouldn''t be the system we love and hate. mostly hate. my level is currently 68 so i still need a bit more for that side quest. side quest: reach level 75 rewards: upgrade token and as for the main quest. floor quest: witness the end of the world. it talks only about witnessing. the first floor''s floor quest was to survive. so does it mean witnessing is safer? or is it just the weird way the system said it? another thing is, is the end of the world the same for every group in hell difficulty? there could be things that they or we do that would change it for the group and blocking the community probably serves to make us focus on our quest. overall, the community feels more like moral support than a place to share information. sure, we can exchange tidbits of info but the system censors a lot of it. so i have a feeling that the community serves just as a place to vent and not feel alone. still, would the system be so caring after putting us here and in such danger? well, there is no time to worry about things i can ?t change. ruby, level 110 for me, if you will, i ask the redhead. i just need to become stronger, prepare as much as i can, and then give it my all. but first, the goal is to level up and improve my skills as much as i can. [shadewalker panther - lvl ?] the shadewalker panther emerges, its sleek figure slowly becoming visible. its fur is a deep midnight black as if absorbing light rather than reflecting it. its lean, muscular body moves with graceful stealth, each step soft and calculated. the panther''s eyes gleam a vibrant green, radiating an eerie glow. its tail sways low and controlled, a silent metronome ticking off the seconds until an attack. what i can feel from it could be best described as lethal elegance. i gain four more levels and a bit later rubys master appears again, this time with a young, petite, black-haired girl. lily seems to be terrified and immediately runs to me, for a moment it looks like she will jump into my arms but she sees my face and pauses for a moment, slowing the walk and stopping near me. there are some tears in her eyes as she looks towards rubys master. nat, she just appeared in my room, just out of nowhere and then she kept asking me questions and just brought me here. what''s happening? be quiet for a moment, okay, lily? i take a step towards the grey-haired woman, keeping lily behind me. i dont think she would hurt her but it should make the girl feel safer. briefly, our eyes meet, her firm gaze meeting mine. i can see that she still hasnt given up, still desperately looking for an answer. for a moment i feel pity and realize the situation she is in. just how many copies of her were made before for other people in the tutorial? tens, hundreds? a copy of a once proud and powerful woman turned into the toy of the system. back prompt for this stage. push him harder. that''s the only thing she says to ruby before she disappears again. i put some time into calming lily down. i talk to her carefully, making sure she feels safe. slowly, i can see her getting calmer. the fear starts to leave her eyes and she becomes less anxious. she starts to become more cheerful and i can''t help but notice she''s got something on her mind, something she''s eager, almost impatient, to share with me. so, i steer our conversation in that direction, patiently and slowly until she feels ready to spill it. eventually, she takes a deep breath and finally says what she''s been holding back. i think i can restore your arm now. her smile is bright and like a child, she reaches out and puts her hand on my shoulder. i barely stop myself from stepping back. what? all of this feels strange. it just came out of nowhere, too quickly. i already have my own plans on how to deal with my missing arms. i got a new skill. i feel her mana trying to enter my body and for a moment i let my mana fight back, pushing hers away, but in the end, after looking at her i just sigh. sure, i''m worried about the circuit, flow, and all this stuff, but the longer i wait the worse it will become as i will most likely continue to grow stronger faster than lily. her eyes meet mine and i can see no bad intentions in them. just simple, gentle kindness and a small smile on her lips. "you must have suffered a lot," she whispers. i feel her mana probing my body as she uses more and more of it, preparing to heal me. strangely, i sense some connection between her and my body. what is she doing? this skill is called [sacrifice] she says. called what? immediately my mana rouses up as i try to stop her, but it''s too late and my mana barely detects her mana as something dangerous now that i let it in. "be a bit more careful and take care of your body, okay?" her smile is so gentle that it makes me feel guilty. warm mana engulfs my body and at amazing speed, i see my left arm growing. bone, nerves, veins, flesh, circuit, mana pathways. everything appears and looks exactly the same as in my right arm. as if it had never been obliterated, my left arm is restored to perfection. the only difference is its striking paleness, the new skin never having been exposed to the sun. amazed by the result i am late to notice and lily''s body falls against my chest, breathing and seemingly okay but unconscious. but i notice one thing. an empty sleeve of her dress at the place where her left arm used to be. Chapter 96: Stupid girl chapter 96: stupid girl pov kim min-jae they''re too far for me to hear exactly what they say, but i feel some mana from lily. that warm mana she often used to heal all of us with that smile of hers. i feel as if something got stuck in my throat and i blink my eyes multiple times to get rid of the tears. what should i do? how can i look at her the same way as before knowing... god damn it. i shake my head and get rid of the bad memories. there''s nothing i can do now. at that moment, i see lily lose balance and lean on nathaniel''s chest. her body then slowly slides down his body and ends up at his feet. he didn ?t even try to catch her. i still feel her mana but she seems to be unconscious. as if by reflex, i take a step towards the duo but immediately, i stop in the middle of taking that step. nathaniel''s mana explodes into the surrounding and for the first time since his fight with hadwin, his face gains some expression. anger. you stupid girl! he screams towards the girl at his feet and his mana reaches even me. dangerous, vicious, and cold, yet still under his control even in this state. two massive arms made of mana appear on his back and then slam towards the ground, seemingly about to crush lily''s head, and the ground cracks under their strength, sending some dust and pieces of ground and grass into the air. do not dare... he cuts off, do not dare... he cuts off again and even more mana fires up around him. fuck! one more scream and then all the mana disappears as if it never existed, immediately his face is back to his emotionless mask and he bends down only to pick up lily. he holds her gently, carefully, as if she is made out of glass. [focus][focus][focus]! fuck, i give up! the [focus] just straight up refuses to get rid of the feelings that are right now confusing me. i hate it. deep, slow breath in. hold for a few seconds. breathe out. repeat. good.??vl?1n. i glance at lily ?s face and the emotions are all back. how should i react when you treat me with such kindness? why are you trying to get under my skin so much? i hate you. i hate people like you. just use me. simple give and take. make me get hurt instead of you so in exchange you will be healing me. don''t do this. i gently put her on the bed inside of the house and look at her for a while and then at my restored left arm. even only a few moments after restoring, i can feel how much better my mana flow is. the arm is perfect. okay. okay. [disruption] fires up but it''s not enough and the effects hit me, so i use one [focus] to keep it running constantly, creating a disrupting field around my body. another notification. the pale blue mana shines around the troll in the black-and-white world of [focus]. i create a long sword. the mana it''s made of is dark blue, the sword more dense than ever before. then i apply [disruption] to the blade and try to add [oscillation] as well but backlash hits me and i feel mana clash inside my arm, sending pain through my body and canceling the skills. so i only use [disruption]. i feel heat spreading through my body as i send even more mana to my construct. my muscles tense up, feeling stronger than ever before. the sense of speed is stronger than ever before as i dash towards the troll. in the monster''s hand, an axe made of blood and mana appears, radiating a pale red light. the same as the troll''s eyes. roar. he challenges me and i just [focus] more, watching its body, perceiving its mana. at the last moment, i dodge to the side and absorb all the energy that would''ve otherwise created another crater in the ground, using it to make myself move even faster. [mana surge] boosts [disruption] around the sword and i forge it to a thinner and thinner shape, slashing against the monster''s leg. the sword slashes through the barrier, disrupting mana and tearing it as if it''s nothing, and the sword made of [armament] lodges deep inside the monster''s leg. for a moment the disruptive field strengthens even more and i switch to oscillating mana, cleanly cutting off the monster''s leg and at the last moment dodging a swing of its arm that i felt with my [perception] the monster falls to one knee while roaring. orbs start spinning around me again and this time i cover their surface with [disruption]. before the monster gets a chance to stand up all five orbs sling towards its face, blinding one of its eyes and leaving more wounds on it. more mana explodes from its body and i feel pulled towards it only to immediately get hit by one of its arms, sent flying away and rolling on the ground. my head is spinning as i didn''t have enough time to react. when i get back on my feet the troll is in front of me, somehow shortening the distance between us even on one of its legs. another hit lands on my body but this time i brace myself, strengthening my body to the max and groaning with pain as my muscles feel they are about to tear. the kinetic energy i absorbed turns into thermal and a thin cone of yellow flame roasts the troll''s head, making it stagger backward. an axe made of mana appears in my hands, massive, and the blade of it is covered in wildly oscillating mana. the grass stops moving around me and i boost the swing with all the kinetic energy i have, cleaving the axe deep inside the monster''s side. roar. i''m pulled towards the monster again and this time i let him do it, even boosting myself again. the axe turns into a massive spike whose entire size vibrates. at the last moment, i use some absorbed energy to push against the monster''s swinging axe and dodge it to the side, finally burrowing the spike inside its neck. [oscillation] runs wildly, wreaking havoc on the monster''s flesh and i push more and more mana into the spine and with a push of [mana surge] enlarge it, finally separating the troll''s head from its body. when the notification sounds, i fall down on my bottom, breathless, my head ringing. [you have defeated a mireblood troll - lvl 116] [lvl 73 > lvl 75] congratulations, you have successfully completed the side quest. you have acquired an upgrade token. choose carefully! Chapter 97: [Dawn] chapter 97: [dawn] i close the notification screen and think a bit more. for a short moment, i glance towards where lily is, and my decision becomes cemented. if it works the way i think it works... good, it''s decided. i''ll wait a bit longer before using it. i push myself up with absorbed kinetic energy and shake off the stiffness from my arms and body. my mana is already close to full, and it flows so beautifully through my body, it can''t even be compared to before. together with my two passive skills and high leveled mana manipulation and trait, i almost don''t feel the pressure on me. still, my body complains a bit and it''s physically difficult and dangerous to handle all of it and keep using so many skills, yet i always knew about it. my current road leads to a build that could be called a glass cannon. it''s something i picked myself up after thinking about it a lot and knowing the consequences. it''s something i could have easily avoided, yet i push even harder. if i die, it will be my fault. if i reach my goal, it will be only thanks to me. that''s how it should be and if the time comes i won''t blame anyone, only myself. but not for picking this way. i''ll blame myself for not putting enough effort into it. pov tess hansen follow me, i say shortly to maya and this time i do not smile. thankfully, she listens to me, hearing my serious tone. i use a prepared excuse to the guards and we pass by them, and then by another pair. soon we are almost out of the camp and i lead us away from it. it''s all as we theorized. the notification we got before community closed was a signal that only a few days remain, in the same way it happened on the first floor with the disappearance of the suns and when the rain came. staying with the others is not safe anymore, numbers mean nothing in the face of what the system has prepared. tess... maya starts, but i gesture to her to stay quiet as we meet the last pair of guards. oh, hello tess, the woman smiles at me. she is 10 levels higher and someone i was able to befriend. words stop in my mouth as i see her face and read her expression. she knows something i do not. i''m sorry, i can''t let you leave. orders. do not bother trying to give me some fake orders. so that''s it. miriam, please, just let us go, i give her one more chance because of the nice way she always treated me. i''m sorry. miriam says. i''m sorry too. a projectile, composed of mana and lightning that i had been preparing, pierces through her forehead. this instantly kills her and the same attack strikes the man who had been guarding alongside her. [lvl 65 > lvl 66] i ignore the notifications and turn to shocked maya while i feel a mana wave from the camp, leaders informed of two killed guards. follow me, i say one more time and i enter the forest, boosting my movements with [psychokinesis]. i do not even look back, knowing that she will do just that. pov sophie martinez [geas] works the way i wanted it to and the woman with a question mark over her head leads us outside of the main city of the empire. she is the strongest one from the group that was able to escape and i was able to put [geas] on her after using [mana infusion]. about lily... i said it already, i can''t help. i''m not a healer but from a quick look, i can say that it''s an aftereffect of using a too-strong gift or something similar. they can be quite taxing. biscuit is already on the bed, laying against the girl, looking around almost protectively. i look towards her once more and leave the room together with ruby. hadwin, kim and the twins are finishing their monster when it happens. a wave of mana washes over me and then another, it repeats multiple times, each wave stronger than before. they are not targeted at anyone in particular, just rushing through the air at a terrifying speed. i feel an urge to vomit due to the overwhelming amount of mana, and when i glance at ruby, her face appears sour. so that''s how it ends. ruby says. what? another wave of mana hits, and this time even the ground shakes while the sky darkens. suddenly, an orange hue appears out of nowhere, making it look as though the sun is about to seta beautiful dawn. then, i also hear it: a deep, reverberating noise that sounds as if the very air itself is vibrating. ruby, what''s happening. even i myself don''t recognize my voice, it''s tense. am i scared? that''s tristan''s [dawn]. to reach so far with it he must have powered it with the ''sword of aeons''." she turns to me as if knowing what i''m thinking. the ''sword of aeons'' is the greatest mana capacitor there is and yes, tristan is on a different continent. the mana now starts to roar louder and louder, like a beast waking from a deep sleep. like a bomb slowly charging up to explode. nat, whatever happens. thank you, i''ve enjoyed our time together. her face is happy and sad at the same time as she looks at me. you are the first person that i can call a friend in a long time. what are you even talking about? don''t mess with me. be clear! a tear opens in the air and ruby''s master steps through. her clothes are charred and torn; her arm bleeds and a chunk of flesh is visibly missing. behind her, within the tear, i notice a man''s body. i recognize his faceit''s the same as the statue i saw with ruby. champion keiron. but this time, it''s not carved stone but real flesh and skin, and the man is dead. "i''m glad we became friends, despite how it all started." the smile she offers is the most genuine i''ve ever seen on her face. ruby, don''t talk like that. the gray-haired woman steps closer, her mana circulating around her. it all sounds too much like final words. ruby extends her hand towards me and the tips of her fingers brush against my cheek. she caresses it gently. "i hope you came to enjoy..." "yes," i say hastily, a feeling of unease washing over me. despite this, she smiles. just then, her master''s mana surges towards us. Chapter 98: Let the world behold my mana chapter 98: let the world behold my mana before i can say anything else, the gray-haired woman speaks first, thank you for everything. now, please, rest peacefully. then, ruby vanishes into fine particles. the world feels like it has stopped. my body turns cold instantly as if someone drained all life out of it. i feel lightheaded, and it''s as if something''s lodged in my throat.n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. my mana explodes for a brief moment. it literally explodes, all of it. yet, a simple glance at the woman in front of me, at her mana, makes me stop. [focus] all my emotions are pushed to the back of my mind. [focus - lvl 24 > focus - lvl 25] [focus - lvl 25 > focus - lvl 26] good job holding it back, little pup, the gray-haired woman looks at me. this time, her face isn''t the calm mask i''m used to. there''s a small, yet noticeable hint of madness in her expression. without her even moving her arm, a tear appears in the air and a monster steps through. [cinderbear- lvl 60] as soon as the beast appears, an oppressive aura fills the air. flames dance across its body, weaving in and out of its gray fur. its eyes glow like smoldering coals in the dark. a low growl rumbles from its throat, resonating through the air and reverberating deep within. before i can react, i see the monster charging at the others while her mana grips me, pushing me through another tear. from where we stand, atop the cliff, the city sprawls before us. its towers stand tall and proud, clawing at the sky with smaller homes nestled in their shadows. a thick wall imbued with mana surrounds the city. despite the distance, the city life stirs a swirl of color against the white stone. under the fading sunlight, the city takes on an ethereal glow, magic-infused lights flickering from windows, casting an inviting glow against the twilight. the city is full of life and resonating with magic and stands there, unaware of the impending doom. i have killed almost everyone i knew and had some relationship with. my descendants, my disciples, my friends, my grandson keiron, her eyes barely show any emotion as she says this. it''s better to put them to rest than... whatever this is. the city looks so peaceful as we observe it from a cliff. now i only need you to witness everything. but before that, she disappears, not using a tear, she just moves that fast. she lands in the middle of the city, creating a crater under her. her mana explodes, shattering the ground under her feet and i feel multiple monstrously powerful people fight against her. a pillar of orange light quickly turns into a dark cloud. the sky is still a dark orange, reverberating under the influence of the man named tristan who is probably hundreds of miles away. i can''t hear anything, her laughter strengthens and her eyes turn to me, i can''t rewrite your mind, i can''t copy my subconsciousness to your brain, i can''t exit this planet. i don''t hear what you say, and even some of my thoughts feel off. she pauses. it''s disgusting. her mana flows into the room. my mind should be mine alone! she screams. even now she is under the control of the system, unable to do anything, unable to come up with a reason or properly understand the situation. even as powerful as she is, she is unable to do anything. a brooch hits my chest and i catch it. this is the ''peacekeeper,'' the strongest defensive item in the world. the item is heavier than it looks, giving off a sense of safety. it''s just a silver oval, nothing fancy, but it''s carved with lots of tiny patterns filled with mana. the engravings buzz a little when i touch them and when my mana reaches out, the peacekeeper pushes back with a huge surge of energy, almost enough to knock me off my feet. it''s powerful, really powerful, but it''s holding back, ready to activate when needed. my eyes meet hers. my name is lissandra and i''m the first and last absolute. my mana is the most powerful in this world. deep like a dark ocean, more viscous than hurricanes on the ruined north, colder than southern seas, and vaster than the plains of the abandoned continent. i''m the most powerful being in this world, and i''m a fake. her words hang heavy in the air, a declaration of her existence. she stands as the embodiment of unparalleled power. each syllable uttered seems to vibrate with power, sending ripples through the space around her. there''s a bitter bit to her voice. her mana continues to charge, only to be pulled back to her and flow somewhere deep in her mana heart. i can''t fight back even with my powers, and i can''t escape. more and more mana rushes to her and the item in my hands starts to let out mana, fighting against mana from her. the sheer volume of her mana is astounding, an ocean of power that threatens to overflow and engulf everything. the air around us crackles with raw, uncontrolled magic, the oppressive weight of her mana making it hard to breathe. it''s like being trapped in a storm, surrounded by thunderous waves of pure, unbridled energy. she is like the core of a star, generating more and more mana and immediately absorbing it while terrifyingly delicate patterns of mana appear all over her body, etched by herself deep into her own skin. her voice trails off into a bitter laugh. "i feel hollow," she continues, her face a haunting, full of torment. "i''ve lived centuries, commanded power beyond measure. yet there''s something missing, something incomplete." her gaze drifts towards me, her cold eyes reflecting the dim light of the underground room. "every person i''ve ever known, every place i''ve ever been, it''s like they''ve been reduced to echoes... shadows." her hand clenches into a fist, raw power humming around her. "i''m nothing more than a ghost. a fake trapped in a reality that isn''t mine." a dark smile twists her lips. "but, no more. if i am a fake, if all this is fake, then let the world behold my mana." and then, with absolute confidence, she speaks. i''ll destroy it all. Chapter 99: [Singularity] chapter 99: [singularity] attention! narrative irregularity detected. the current difficulty has escalated, now verging on %e^*@d difficulty. the present difficulty level doesn''t align with the pre-set configuration. the floor quest is nearing completion. the deviation is within permissible limits. reward reduction will be minimal. congratulations! you''ve successfully completed the second floor''s main quest in the fifth round of the tutorial for hell difficulty. an entrance to the third floor has been created. a hole in the air, similar to the entrance that appeared after i completed the first floor, materializes next to me. the woman in front of me, lissandra, continues to charge more and more mana, looking at me and not even noticing the entrance. her eyes dont even glance towards it. she is not feeling anything, not even with the room full of her mana, and even as she stands so close. that look of pity you''re giving me is annoying, little pup. the defensive item she gave me already works at full power, shielding me against her mana. i''m sure i would be long dead if not for it, overwhelmed by the pressure. and now, the choice stands in front of me. i can keep an extremely powerful defensive item. the most powerful defensive item on this planet. with it in my hands, the next few floors of the tutorial would become so much easier. or i can stay. the hole, the door, the entrance to the third floor hangs in the air next to me, and i see what lies in front of me. just like back on the first floor, i take a step. away from the door, closer to the woman in front of me. the woman who killed ruby. the woman who murdered everyone she considered a friend, a family member. all without a hint of hesitation. all at the moment she fully accepted that she is not real. i want to know more, i want to hear more, and i want to see more. even if it means sacrificing an item in my hands, i''ll gladly throw it away just to be able to satisfy my curiosity. even as powerful as she is, she is still only a toy in the hands of the system, so i want to observe more of it. for my own future. you are different than me, so i have only one request for you, she says. i watch as she does something similar to when i created a construct. she etches circuits and pathways into her body. they are as thin as hair and intricately complex to a dizzying degree. the pattern is so complex that it''s hard to believe that something like this is possible for a human. watch my last moments and the last moments of this world. etch it all into your memory and live on as proof of my existence and of my determination not to be a slave to whatever this is. i hate her, my blood boils as i look at her, still remembering the last moments of the pitiful red-headed woman. what was her name? and more amazingly, the woman in front of me too. her eyes now burned out, her skin charred and her figure even thinner than before. turned into a glowing shape only barely similar to that of a human. yet i still feel her mana on me and she continues to make sure i watch. lissandra dies. her perceiving touch on me is gone. her brain unable to endure all this mana. the woman sacrificed her family, her friends, her body, and her own mind to reach her goal. it''s the single most captivating sight i''ve ever witnessed. a resolve so unyielding, it''s willing to shatter its own mind upon making a decision. my eyes are glued to it, heart pounding, shaken by her absolute and unhesitating resolve. without hesitation, she slowly lost more and more of herself, as if wiping out her mind. memories, thoughts, she gave it all up without a second thought, turning her body into a massive mana battery that continues to absorb mana from the world even now. her heart is still beating, kept alive by an intricate web of circuits that cover what remains of her body. the shield around me starts flickering, and i move closer to the entrance, yet i still watch as what remains of her finally activates the skill she had been charging the entire time, feeding it with mana. [singularity] the skill activation is sudden, almost unfathomable. a core of darkness is emerging from the center of lissandra''s remains, akin to an obsidian pearl birthed from a shattered star. it starts small, a mere point in space, but it''s growing, nourished by an incessant stream of mana from the battered body. the shadows around it are warping and twisting, drawn towards it as if into a vortex. the ground beneath it is buckling, groaning, and eventually shattering, unable to resist the unfathomable gravitational pull. it''s like watching a star collapse in reverse, a world-ending event happening in slow motion. the singularity, a black hole in its rawest form, is being unleashed. space itself starts to bend around it. looking towards where she stood one more time, i step through the portal when i feel the item in my hands turning to dust. the entrance behind me closes and so many notifications ring in my head. i have to shake them off, needing a moment to calm down, to absorb what i saw. i look around, finding myself standing alone in a vast, desolate landscape. the remnants of what once must have been a bustling city lay in ruins around me. a cold wind cuts through the silence, carrying with it the scent of burnt wood. in the distance, a small figure stands against the grey sky. a young girl, barely ten, with flames flickering around her body. but i do not have time to rest. a circle of blue flames surrounds me, slithering like a serpent, the heat palpable on my skin. without any hesitation, the flames attack me and my [redistribution] activates. Chapter 100: You will owe me chapter 100: you will owe me very quickly, i realize that my current skill at handling thermal energy is not enough. so, instead, a wave of disruptive mana explodes from me at the center, only further boosted by the surge. for a long moment, the energies clash: blazing blue flames against an invisible force trying to cancel them out. surprised, i push even more, feeding the skill with more and more mana until the flames finally dissipate, leaving burning pieces of wood from the ruined building nearby. the young girl, isabella, looks at me with a surprised expression. oh, you are still alive. you what? [perception] fires up but there are only two of us as far as i can feel. did sophie not survive on the second floor? where is your sister? i don''t know. i appeared here alone, she seems to be surprisingly calm. sigh, i can''t be dealing with kids now. use difficulty change token and move to easier difficulty, i just say, still shaken from the end of the second floor. i need some time alone to process it all. sophie said that we will stay in hell! huh? that''s surprising. also, god damn it. what now? i can''t leave her alone, she''s just a kid. even i am not such an asshole. haaa, so annoying! you know that your sister did something to your brain? she probably controls you or changed the way you think, i say to her. just a short probe was enough and the girl didn''t even notice my mana scanning her. what i found is something similar to the construct sophie put on me so long ago. yes, it''s different and feels much more delicate, but the base is the same. i can remove it, you will get back to normal. [disruption] and [mana manipulation] should be enough to deal with it.n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. it''s fine, i know about it, she is smiling at me while saying so, and with a few short steps, almost like small jumps, she gets to me, looking up, you have your arm back, she pokes my restored left arm. that''s another reason i can''t be dealing with her. lily still should be unconscious if she even survived the end of the floor. i already checked the community and the hell difficulty seems to have even more people than before. i blame it on dumbasses that have passed here from easier difficulties, a few of them already spamming the community. what gives me hope is that biscuit is one of them so hopefully, others are fine too. tess also answered but there is nothing from hadwin, twins, and kim, not even sophie looking for her sister. it''s all one huge mess. follow me, i say to her and start walking while my [perception] continues to fire up as far as i can. i even use [redistribution] and energy from spinning mana orbs to get as high as i can, trying to see if i could spot anything. the girl gives me an excited little scream asking me to take her and after a bit of thought, i take her on my chest and start quickly moving through the desolate third floor. propelling myself high into the air, i look for anyone. the third floor seems to be one big massive city. it''s stretching as far as i can see, even as i am high up in the air. just building after building and streets that are either made of ground dust or cobblestones. a huge percentage of buildings, nearly all of them, aren''t higher than two stories tall, and only once in a while a taller building appears. the city is in a desolate state. some of the buildings are crumbling, some are burned, others are destroyed. carefully watching our surroundings i open the notifications. congratulations! you have cleared the 2nd floor of the hell difficulty tutorial. welcome to the third floor: saint''s eternal bastion. you have acquired: skill upgrade token. tutorial difficulty change token you have acquired 20 stat points. you can now use community with a time limit of 15 minutes per 24 hours. hey, where is the cute small doggo that was always with you? i want to pet him. isabella pulls on the cloth of my shirt. are all kids like this? trying to kill you and then immediately acting so friendly to the first person they meet? i can understand the first part, it might be sophie''s doing, trying to keep her little sister alive, but the second? i push them out and then look down at the stone in my palm. emberstone (uncommon) -a small, smooth mana stone that emits a gentle warmth when activated. perfect for keeping hands warm in cold weather. could be useful, i''ll see later how can i use it, now then, let''s upgrade one of my skills. focus (dual focus) - lvl 28 mana manipulation (advanced mana manipulation) - lvl 28 perception - lvl 22 oscillation - lvl 18 redistribution - lvl 13 armament - lvl 23 mana surge - lvl 10 disruption - lvl 12 first, i try to use it on focus and mana manipulation. impossible to upgrade already upgraded skills at this moment! obviously. this is the system i both hate and love. there is no way it would be that easy. damn it. well, there are 6 skills over level 10 so 24 options? step by step! first, i need to check [redistribution], [perception], and [disruption]. congratulations! you can now upgrade your level 10 skill by using the skill upgrade token. currently, there are six skills available for upgrade. choose wisely! [redistribution] surge absorption:enhance your ability to absorb larger, more potent surges of energy, increasing the limit of energy you can store. symbiotic transference:learn to transfer the stored energy directly into physical strength, endurance, or speed, increasing combat prowess. force field creation:learn to release absorbed energy as a protective force field, offering defense as well as attack capabilities. energy imprint: develop the ability to leave an imprint of your absorbed energy on objects or areas, creating traps or delayed effects. [perception] mana echo reading: enhance your skill to perceive the residual trails of mana, enabling you to track past magical events or spells. kinesthetic perception:hone your ability to perceive the movement and position of your own body, increasing agility, balance, and accuracy in combat. perception shielding: upgrades the skill to mask one''s own mana perception, making it more difficult for others to detect or trace your mana-sensing activities. mana flow analysis:develops the capacity to identify nuanced patterns and rhythms in the movement of mana, offering deeper insight into how skills are invoked and controlled. [disruption] disruptive echo:master a technique to leave a lingering disruption in an opponent''s mana flow, causing intermittent disruptions even after the initial contact. disruption infusion: improve your ability to infuse your own spells or physical attacks with disruptive energy, adding a disruptive effect to every action you make. disruption wave:increase your ability to disrupt mana over a wider area, affecting multiple opponents or a larger magical structure. mana lockdown: enhance your skill to create a sustained disruption that prevents the opponent from using their mana for a period of time. damn it, this is going to be a hard decision. Chapter 101: Dumb sometimes chapter 101: dumb sometimes okay, first things first, there are a few upgrades i really like! like, really really like. symbiotic transference:learn to transfer the stored energy directly into physical strength, endurance, or speed, increasing combat prowess. that''s some goddamn amazing options for [redistribution]. right now, i can absorb kinetic and thermal energy, but in the future? i could just end up standing in the middle of dozens of attacks, continuously boosting my body. isn''t that goddamn cool? and this one for [perception] too, mana flow analysis: develops the capacity to identify nuanced patterns and rhythms in the movement of mana, offering deeper insight into how skills are invoked and controlled. one of my biggest strengths is the ability to learn and nearly copy plenty of skills; this would take it to another level! even helping me to improve my existing skills much faster. i already have trouble deciding between these two skills. as for [disruption], most of the upgrades sound like something i should be able to learn on my own, hell even the other two skills have plenty of upgrades i can learn on my own. okay, onto the next ones! [armament] mana materialization:develop the skill to compact and solidify mana to a greater degree, increasing the durability and potency of the created armament. transient armament:master the skill to instantly form and de-form weapons and objects, adding an element of surprise and adaptability in combat scenarios. spectral armament:upgrades the armament skill to create semi-physical armaments that can phase through objects or attacks, adding a new layer of strategic options. intelligent armament: an upgrade that enables armaments to possess a level of autonomous action, allowing them to react to changing circumstances in combat. [oscillation] oscillation overdrive: master the ability to overload your oscillation, creating a massive wave of force to overwhelm enemies. oscillation intensity control:enhance your ability to control the intensity of oscillation, allowing you to vary the sharpness of your weapons as per the requirement. oscillation ripple:develop the ability to generate rippling oscillations, creating waves that propagate through objects or the environment. vibrational shields:develop the ability to generate a shield of oscillating mana, deflecting physical attacks by vibrating at ultra-high frequencies. [mana surge] surge amplification:enhance your ability to generate larger, more potent surges of mana, increasing the power of your spells. surge adaptation: develop the skill to adapt your mana surges to different types of magic, providing versatility in casting. surge sustainment:learn to maintain a boosted mana circulation over longer periods, increasing the duration of enhanced skills. surge resilience: master your body''s tolerance to high-speed mana circulation, reducing physical exhaustion and potential damage from a surge. oh my, spectral armament and intelligent armament look amazing. especially the second one. it kinda reminds me of the way the sniper from the second floor used her mana arrows. even now, i can imagine so many ways i could use these skills, yet i still wasn''t able to replicate them. [oscillation] is kind of a disappointment, sure some uses are things i didn''t think of that much but they again mostly sound like something i could develop on my own or even use right now with the help of [mana surge]. as for [mana surge], i like surge adaptation, as of now i wasn''t able to use the surge for absorbed kinetic or thermal energy, the energy is somehow different from mana. that could also be a huge boost, especially if i improve the way i absorb my own kinetic energy from the orb stat i spin around myself. surge sustainment could be good as well, with time and some learning it could almost work as a passive boost, but that''s also something i believe i can reach on my own. sure, it will take longer, but i will get there. and surge resilience? i am a man! i like to live dangerously. famous last words? totally. as for the [floor quest]. floor quest:put the saint to final rest. rewards: shop skill upgrade token rare graded gear of your choice 30 stat points well, i guess we are hired killers now? still, the system is quite a joker sometimes, so i wouldn''t be surprised if there is a surprise or two along the way. and the rewards? the shop is clearly the most interesting one. we already got a community so having a shop is interesting, does it mean we can sell stuff to other people? buy from them? will the system be selling us stuff? sounds quite fun. i continue to think, to keep my mind busy as we move faster and faster. my mana easily able to handle all this expenditure. you are sad. the little girl says out of nowhere. am i sad? there is no chance, i didn''t even like that granny monster, and as for ruby, i knew her for what? a few weeks? there is no way i''m sad. it''s okay, you can cry if you want, i won''t tell anyone, not even soph. silly girl, what are you even talking about? you are trying to forget so hard, she giggles, old people are silly. oi, i am not even old. even soph tries to act so bravely. i love her, but she is so dumb sometimes. another giggle and she pats the top of my head, this time more gently. i cry too. she whispers as if telling a secret, i remember crying when mom didn''t allow me to pet the neighbor''s huge dog... the girl continues to chirp. and i listen, i listen carefully, her silly chirping making me not think about useless stuff. pov kim min-jae i dash upwards, making my body lighter with [gravity well] and then using [telekinesis] on a small tower near me. as the tower is too heavy for me to pull i get pulled to it instead and quite fast because of my lighter weight. i continue to do it over again, pulling myself towards the ground, roof, and wall of the house. it''s still not as fluid as i would like it to be but it feels amazing, almost as if i am flying, the trait i picked on the first floor finally showing some of its uses. for a moment i stop on one of the roofs and look at the wound on my leg. it''s healing quite nicely, yet it''s still bleeding a lot. a last gift from the cinderbear we killed together while the world around us was ending. i still have the memories fresh in my mind. the sky had that sunset-like glow, but it felt like it was about to drop on us. i remember the intense pressure, terrifying, and also my chest barely moving under all this pressure. it was terrifying, easily something i can call the end of the word and all caused by a single man called tristan and his [dawn] as the red-headed woman said before the scary grandma killed her. but before everything came to an end before we met our impending doom, something even stranger occurred. the second floor abruptly ended and the entrance to the third floor appeared. the entrance we immediately used to escape. as for what happened afterward? we all got split. i push open the door, stepping into a house that appears to be in considerably better shape than its neighbors. the stairs groan under my weight as i walk upstairs, eventually reaching another door. as i open it, my eyes fall upon an unconscious body, an arm missing, sprawled out on an old, dust-laden bed. but why did i have to end up with her? with the girl that killed my friend. Chapter 102: Beneath the Childs Smile chapter 102: beneath the child''s smile "okay, it''s decided. i can''t put off this any longer, and it''s better to just pick the upgrade now than wait for who knows what. yes, focus and mana manipulation might upgrade at level 30, knowing how much the system likes rounded numbers, but damn, these two skills just sound so nice. symbiotic transference:learn to transfer the stored energy directly into physical strength, endurance, or speed, increasing combat prowess. mana flow analysis:develops the capacity to identify nuanced patterns and rhythms in the movement of mana, offering deeper insight into how skills are invoked and controlled. but in the end, i go with symbiotic transference. and while i clench my teeth against the pain, i think over my decision. it wasn''t easy at all as my skill of learning other people''s skills is one of my strongest points and it could even help me to improve my current ones.n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. yet i think i made the right decision. with this upgrade, i should be able to ignore strength, constitution, and dexterity even more! yes, the reason is as silly as that. i won''t need to waste my stat points and instead, i can absorb external attacks or kinetic energy from my orbs to boost the stats i need! hell, in the future when i learn to use [redistribution] better and absorb more types of energy, it could become a nearly passive skill, making my body stronger the more the opponent attacks me. damn, it sounds cool as heck! i excitedly test it for a bit and it''s as i thought. currently, i can only change kinetic energy to one of the stats, it''s too hard to boost multiple stats at once. but that''s fine, it would be too boring if it were so easy. and yeah, mana flow analysis is totally the next upgrade and heck, there better be something super, super good to make me change my mind and pick something else. i check the community and write one sentence for the 10th time today, each having a 30-minute pause in between. noname (hell, group 4) - strongestone, you have 5 seconds to answer. now, after checking the community for a bit, i''m sure that he ended up with lily so he better not try some shit or he is done. i''m sure he knows it, but i better remind him. strongestone (hell, group 4) - i''m with grumpy. finally, and as i thought. noname (hell, group 4) - after a while, the buildings are in a better state, try heading that way. soph (hell, group 4) - how is isabella? noname (hell, group 4) - we might all meet sooner or later if we all head the same way, towards what feels like middle of this city. soph (hell, group 4) - noname! strongestone (hell, group 4) - ok... you better not try anything funny. i owe lily too much. having her die before i pay her back would feel way too sour. ciphermind (hell, group 4) -noname, we will meet you there too :) i''m curious about the skills of people from the hell difficulty, lol. frostfall (hell, group 4) - lol, me too! i ignore two of the three guys that got to our group from hard difficulty and send a short message to sophie, telling her that her sister is safe. the little girl still refuses to join the community because some time ago sophie told her not to do that. okay, time to check my beautiful status. [name: nathaniel gwyn] difficulty: hell floor: 3 - saint''s eternal bastion time left until forced return: 4y 274d 16h 31m 30s traits (1/3): mana circuit (passive) lvl 75 strength: 20 dexterity: 19 constitution: 67 the remaining gear is mostly the same and i leave them behind. a minute later, we find what killed the group of men. we spot a group of 20 or so rats the size of small dogs. [rottenfang vermin - lvl 39] most of them are around this level and most of them look sick and diseased. some have big wounds, some are missing limbs. "ewww," the little girl says what i am thinking. not having any wind to absorb, i make three orbs of mana and spin them around myself and after a while, i absorb their energy. after moving closer, i change it, and a vibrant dark yellow flame comes into existence, created from a point in front of me. keeping it alive by creating more orbs and absorbing more energy, i burn the entire group. [you have defeated a rottenfang vermin - lvl 36] [you have defeated a rottenfang vermin- lvl 38] [you have defeated a rottenfang vermin - lvl 34] "my flames are better," the cheeky little girl complains. pff, as if! just wait, give me a month or two, you little brat! i''m sure that you have some fire skill, but i am a master of doing things the junky way. my poor man''s flamethrower shall win in the end! more rats come our way and this time i absorb thermal energy from my fire that set on fire a building close by, making the yellow flame disappear, and then use the energy to boost my mana orbs, obliterating the rats. all while holding a kid in my arms! easy. we start moving again and i ask a thing i was a bit curious about. "so, you said that i am safe, right?" "yup," the girl continues to pull on my shirt, bored of being just carried around, but i learned to ignore it. her answers might help me to understand her skill better. "is sophie safe too?" "sophie is the safest! even if she is super sad and trying to hide it, she is safe! soph is..." "...is really stupid sometimes," i finish up. the girl giggles and nods. she still refuses my offers to remove sophie''s construct or whatever it is from her brain but i still don''t know if it''s because of how sophie set it up or because of the girl''s decision. it makes me curious. i couldn''t imagine letting someone mess with my mind even if it was my closest family or a friend. the problem might be on my side but at the same time, it might be a little girl who is weird. "but you still attacked me the moment i appeared near you, even though you said i''m safe?" "sorry for that! i was a bit nervous, a few bad guys attacked me before." that makes me stagger and i stop, looking at the girl in my arms. "they appeared out of nowhere and were super scary. they told me to come with them." i already know where it''s going. "but sophie told me to never leave with strangers!" i don''t know what to say. "so i burned them!" she smiles while saying so "and only then did you appear." there is not even a hint of regret as she says so. a ten-year-old girl says it in a similar way to how she talked about the cute dog she met a few weeks ago. Chapter 103: Desolate Remnants chapter 103: desolate remnants the city is massive. it reminds me of a medieval-age set up with wood and stones used as the primary building materials. the insides of the buildings all seem as if someone left them in a hurry, with years or months-old food on the tables. layers and layers of dust cover everything, the floor is creaking under our steps, a result of the weather that got in through open doors or windows. there are some entire streets that are totally destroyed, either by something resembling an explosion or by fire. and the city just continues to stretch on and on, seemingly forever. with barely any signs of life, only diseased rats with bodies covered in pus and riddled with holes that nearly allow you to see through them. there is no water and it doesn ?t seem that it is going to rain soon. so yes, the side quest seems to be the best way to get some food or water. i watch as isabella''s flames burn another group of rats with ease. the main reason i let her fight is to observe her skill and allow her to gain rewards from side quests as well; she got the same one. they smell, she complains, and i can ?t help but agree. while her flames dwindle, i wonder, why hasn''t the city burned down yet? the buildings are fairly close together and the roofs seem pretty flammable. one would think that it would be super easy to set such a city on fire now that we don''t see anyone stop the flames. yet, somehow, the flames flicker out from existence after a while, either a work of the system or something else. who were the men that wanted to take you away? the girl just shrugs her shoulders and, even after further questioning, i''m not sure if they were from this floor or some people from a different difficulty. while she continues to burn the vermin, i also think about my new construct, already preparing its base in my mind. given a little bit of time, i''m sure i will be able to finish preparing something nice. just in time to take care of my once again complaining mana and its effect on my comparatively low constitution. with how i go about things, i''m sure i will continue to have the same problem. i pause my thoughts when my [perception] catches a stronger monster. move behind me, i say and the little girl listens, also preparing some mana. with her standing so close to me i can ?t spin orbs around my body, so i make them spin a bit higher, around my head, ready to turn their energy into any form i might need. the monster reveals itself, a misshapen figure shambling out of the shadows of the alley. it is tall and has slender, elongated limbs culminating into grotesque, clawed hands. its flesh seems to ripple with a sickly, pulsing aura of raw mana. the glow of green light in its eyes gives off an almost tangible power. it''s repulsive, the sight of it makes my stomach churn. but it''s strong. it''s going to be a tough fight, i can tell, clearly tell. a named monster. [alghoul - lvl 89] feeling something, the girl quickly jumps backward and moves as far away as she can, focusing more mana around her body, ready to defend herself. sophie taught her right. then, while the monster is falling to the ground, i let go of the sword and [disruption] at full power, boosted by the surge, that encompasses the area, finally stopping the monster from regenerating. for a few more seconds, i continuously boost and use the skill, straining my brain to the point it makes me feel lightheaded, and then finally the monster dies. [you have defeated the alghoul - lvl 89] [lvl 75 > lvl 76] [redistribution - lvl 13 > redistribution - lvl 14] [disruption - lvl 12 > disruption - lvl 13] on the edge of my perception, i catch two more signatures moving at incredible speeds and a few moments later i identify them as monsters of similar strength to the ghoul i just killed. i''m tired, my body hurts and i still feel lightheaded, yet... i burrow my feet into the ground, making orbs made of mana spin around me, this time i make them as big as baseballs, anchoring them to my body and making them spin around me. i add more and more of them until there are a dozen spinning, straining my [focus]. the world loses even more of its colors, becoming quieter, making me only hear the now quiet sound of whistling orbs and see the glow of my mana. finally, after a long while, i feel like a challenge is in front of me, missing this sense of danger that sharpens my thoughts, makes me forget all useless stuff, and just lets me move my body, my mana. i bounce on my feet a few times and shake off some tension from my body while continuously watching two signatures that move straight towards me. three orbs slow down, quickly replaced by two more. yet, there isn''t even a dent in my mana reserves. three more orbs lose their kinetic energy and i feel my body creak under the strain of all the energy i''ve absorbed, ready to redistribute it. finally, two monsters appear. one on the roof and the second one on the ground. both are ugly, diseased-looking, covered in open wounds, and sickly. yet their mana feels dangerous as it dances inside their bodies and on their skin. [gutter gargoyle - lvl 86] [rampart revenant - lvl 91] both of them are easily identifiable as named ones. at last, my excitement begins to surge. my heart throbs with audible beats, my muscles tighten, and my mind becomes more focused. i shape all the accumulated energy i possess, condensing it into a slender cone of thermal energy, which i then launch towards the monster on the ground. the cone narrows progressively, transforming into a brilliant column of thermal energy. it strikes the distant monster, several buildings away, in an instant, resembling an arm-thick laser more than a flame. Chapter 104: Dusty Triumph chapter 104: dusty triumph my thermal attack hits the revenant, burning its arm and completely stripping it of flesh, revealing the bones. the monster, covered in ancient-looking armor, jumps away, emitting creepy noises. the wound i''ve inflicted appears to be bubbling; the flesh pulsates and some liquid keeps leaking out. yet the wound doesn''t regenerate, most likely the monster is unable to. it dodges my orbs that deal massive damage to the building behind the monster. but i''m already close, my body boosted by my new skill upgrade, all focused on speed. my sword, coated in vibrating mana, slashes across the monster''s body. i absorb the kinetic energy of its counterattack and propel myself away, a gargoyle crashing where i used to be. two monsters collide, letting out creepy noises, and even slashing against each other. in that moment of confusion, another thermal attack, similar to a flamethrower, hits the monsters, and i maneuver it, making deep burns into their bodies with strongly concentrated thermal energy. the world becomes so quiet, so unmoving as i enter an even deeper state of [focus]. feeling mana behind, i move to the side, just in time to avoid the revenant''s attack. still, a shockwave or something similar hits me with terrifying power and i am sent crashing into the side of one of the houses, barely able in time to absorb some energy and convert it to make my body stronger, under my [armament]. another invisible attack crashes against me, sending me deeper inside the house and i taste blood in my mouth; i have a broken rib. even in the state i''m in, i continue to track isabella and the monsters, and fortunately, both are focused on me. the roof crashes and pieces of wood and stone slow down to a crawl as i absorb their energy, along with some from the gargoyle that crashes through it. two orbs turn into a shield and block some power of the attack while i shoot a flame against the revenant that dashes at me. again, i am sent flying by an invisible attack that is clearly magical, yet i''m unable to grasp it. two orbs sling towards the revenant, dealing some damage and reading where it looks, i propel myself to the side and the floor where i stood explodes into a crater. another thermal attack burns into the revenant''s head, melting off half of it, yet the monster seems like it didn''t notice and dashes at me at the same time the gargoyle does. [redistribution], boosted by the surge, comes into existence and both monsters slow down while i convert absorbed energy into speed, rushing at them with a sword covered in oscillating mana. the revenant loses its head and i cut apart its chest. [you have defeated the rampart revenant - lvl 91] then the gargoyle grabs my arm with surprising power and speed, the tattoos glowing on its body. my arm immediately breaks, like a twig, and pain washes over me. i''m unable to move while the gargoyle prepares to hit me. letting my mana loose and absorbing energy from the remaining orb, i convert it into kinetic energy and explode a third of the monster''s head while i start feeling lightheaded, my ears ringing. my hand coated in [oscillation] burrows itself deep into the monster''s head and i scramble its brain. with a last-ditch effort, the monster lets go of my arm to attack again, still somehow able to move, yet i do not stop. i push more and more mana into the monster''s head and quickly, the head disappears, devoured by wildly oscillating mana. finally, the body falls to the ground. [you have defeated the gutter gargoyle- lvl 86] [lvl 76 > lvl 77] [oscillation - lvl 18 > oscillation - lvl 19] i look at my left arm that is hanging along my body and sigh. at this point, i think it''s personal. i''ve even stopped counting how many times i''ve had this arm broken or blown off. wooden shield (common) firestarter (common) spear (common) emberstone (common) air purifier (common) ... and it just goes on, around 100 items available to pick, all of them in common rarity. there is no food, there is no water. also, i really don''t like that there are so many items that could be used to keep people warm. i take it as a warning that some parts of the day or some parts of the city might be cold. in the end, i pick one and immediately check it through the system. air purifier (common) a small, green mana stone. infuse with mana to cleanse the surrounding air. effectiveness depends on mana input. ideal for purifying toxic environments. interesting, isn''t it? i got to learn a bit more about mana stones, they start to seem more and more useful and even back on the second floor, i saw so many uses they could be put into. as for my decision? i still think that the offered items are items that could be useful for this floor. as for keeping myself warm, my body, even as i do not put as many points into my constitution, is strengthened and able to endure some cold. if we were on earth, i''m sure i could ignore the coldest weather other than the most extreme one. purifying the air might be useful, even the monsters we fought up until now show that. all of them are decaying, close to being called undead, and nearly rotted. the problem will be food and water. yes, i''m sure with my strengthened body, i can endure for plenty of days of not eating, not drinking, and not sleeping, even with my increased required consumption of calories as my body strengthens. so, a few days are okay, but the first floor took 1 month, and the second took two months, so maybe the third one will take three? maybe longer? so yeah, it seems like food and water will be a real problem and options like eating the monsters might be a terrible idea as eating them might cause more harm than it''s worth, seeing how decayed they are. "isabella, try to save your water," i say as i turn to the girl and she nods and immediately puts both of her hands behind her back. i don''t even have to check to know that she already drank all of her water. biscuit, god damn it. oh, a force of habit. as for the new side quest? side quest: kill 200 enemies rewards: common gear of your choice food and water rations well, if the requirements to finish the quest will grow the way they do now, things will become... interesting. Chapter 105: Fragments of Lost Memories chapter 105: fragments of lost memories easy difficulty: 1368/2000 normal difficulty:903/1000 hard difficulty:293/500 hell difficulty:54/250 community tournament (currently unavailable) the community''s numbers look like this. even hell difficulty gained some new people, although some of them died. looking at it, around 200 people moved from easy to normal, around 60 from normal to hard, and around 10 from hard to hell. our group gained 3, and they seem to be pretty active in the community. to my taste, they seem to be too confident and cocky, making fun of hell difficulty and saying that they are the strongest ones from hard difficulty, not even understanding why they didn''t get here instead of hard. but hey, you do you. if you do not bother me, feel free to do whatever makes you happy. i sent one more message to the others. i describe to tess and sophie where i am, even though the city barely has any points to use as landmarks. and i also made sure that kim and lily are safe before turning it off. now when i think about it, sophie is with tess and dennis, so should i be worried about tess getting under control of sophie? pff, as if. knowing tess, i would be more worried about her making a harem out of maya and sophie. that girl is scary; it''s almost funny that she asked me for help back on the first floor. i''m hungry, i hear a quiet voice next to me. hello hungry, i''m nathaniel. the girl didn''t understand and only looks at me, slowly blinking. i''m not appreciated here at all. now i''m hungry too and already regret poking fun at the little girl. sure, i can handle it easily for more days but it''s kind of annoying to walk around with an empty stomach. one of my best characteristics is that i become grumpy when i''m hungry. yup, i said the best. anyway, even hours later we continue to be in the same city. just in case, i did leave a few marks here and there and it doesn''t seem that we are moving in circles - hopefully. the city is vast and no matter how many times i propel myself high into the sky, i can see no end to it, but hey, at least it makes the little girl laugh and scream with excitement. and no, i won''t do it again, the view is not even that good. nope, i don''t know where the doggo is. no, i don''t know if he would like you. i''m hungry too, but hold on there, a few more monsters and another reward will be here. yes, it''s getting colder and darker. i don''t know where sophie is. shouldn''t you be asking it a bit sooner? maybe before asking where the doggo is? yes, yes, also now i''m worried about putting you together with biscuit. seeing how you act now and knowing that suspiciously smart dog, i''m sure he would have a bad influence on you. do you think soph is pretty? an atomic bomb of a question comes flying, and for a moment i can only stare at the girl. ehm? what? yeah, i think shorter hair did fit her better," she continues. what are you even going on about? do you not remember me or soph at all? soph going to the same gym as you all the time, and long ago you even met me here waiting for her and you taught me to use the water dispenser thingy. i can''t remember at all. the girl disappointedly shakes her head while i think over it. i do realize that i tend not to care about people or useless stuff, quickly forgetting them, but i should remember at least a bit of it. i also didn''t remember damon. what comes to mind is that sophie, while putting a construct on me, deleted some of my memories, probably not even knowing and by mistake. as i think about it, cold sweat runs down my back, having nothing to do with the weather outside and the strong rain that runs along the streets. there is one scary question that stays on my mind. how much did she delete by messing with my mind? what did she take from me? you feel scary, isabella''s voice is quiet and pitiful as she says so, and i force myself to calm down while clenching my teeth. i remember my mom and i remember my sister, these are the most important. i also remember my father but he''s long dead, and i''m happy that it is that way. everything else doesn''t matter that much. i open the community and type. noname (hell, group 4) -sset, how many family members or friends do i have? or people that are important to me? i''m sure she would know at least something and thankfully she is there. sset (hell, group 4) -you have a mom and a sister, and i think they are both really important to you. no friend i can think of, no pet, no other family you are close to. slowly my beating heart calms down and murderous thoughts that flash through my mind calm down. i do realize that i might be missing some important memories, i do realize that. but at least somewhat i trust tess, and what she says is the same as what my current memories are. i breathe out, noticing that my breath is shaking. noname (hell, group 4) - thank you. sset (hell, group 4) -no problem, hang in there. when the community turns off, i look back at the little girl that continues to look at me with big eyes. she still seems not scared but disturbed, you can''t hate sophie, her voice is so soft, so quiet. and for that, i have no answer, so i don''t say anything. Chapter 106: Most normal one chapter 106: most normal one how can you seem so cold even when you''re wearing warm clothes from the system? you have a powerful fire skill, can''t you use it to keep yourself warm? sigh. i take off the warm jacket i got from the system and put it on the little girl. she looks at me the entire time with wide eyes. "t-thank you." yes, yes. i also make a few orbs spin around, slightly altering their shape so they cut through the air easier and don''t emit a whistling noise. i start converting their energy into thermal energy and carefully, gently release it into the surroundings, much like how a radiator emits heat. the cold wind continues to blow outside and it''s become really dark, only the fireplace illuminates the room with its gently flickering and crackling flames. as i do so, i continue to examine my restored arm, well, now my broken arm. other than that, it seems fine. the skin covering it is pale and the arm is hairless, but it''s perfect. the circuit, mana flow, and even its strength are the same as my right arm. all this only makes me feel more bitter that i''m not with lily to repay her, but hey, kim is somewhat reliable, and when we finally group up, i''ll make sure to repay her. such a stupid girl. who in their right mind sacrifices their arm for some odd-looking psychopathic guy???vl?1n. actually? arent i the most normal one here? even the dog is weird, with his suspicious mastery over mana and telepathy. damn it, if i''m the most normal one, the system might have a problem. as for lily, i''m sure she can restore her arm. hell, i''m certain that restoring her own arm is much easier than restoring mine. still, that doesn''t diminish what she did for me. silly girl. haaa, i''m bored. "what are your skills?" i ask the little girl sitting across from me, only her head visible from under the jacket i gave her. "not telling!" "i''ll tell the doggo to play with you a lot," sorry biscuit, i will sell you out because of my boredom. "n-not telling!" this time there''s a bit more hesitation in her voice. "he can even talk to you telepathically and you wouldn''t believe how fun it is to boop his snout," i pause, "it''s surprisingly big and soft, yet when you boop it, it''s cold to the touch." "no!" she shouts. i stop teasing her, feeling surprisingly slightly better, "i''ll tell you my skills in exchange if you promise to keep away from sophie." i can tell her about two of my skills that sophie already knows, just giving her the names. "i don''t believe you, you already lied about your level!" oh, that''s true! i recall my moment of victory over someone over 10 years younger, still somehow proud of myself. hey, kinetic, thermal energy, seeing that the skill doesn''t specify further, it''s not that hard to imagine that i might be able to do it with more types of energy, it all lies in the effort i put in and my talent. yes, [redistribution] relies on absorbing energy, holding it, and using it. it''s a perfect counter-skill. but! what if i get to the point where i can redistribute mana? what if i get to the point where i can redistribute not only external mana but my own mana? turning it into different kinds of energy. that''s one of the ideas. another idea is for a construct that would absorb external mana and turn it into my own. both of these ideas seem terribly difficult, but hey, i''d better set some ambitious goals now than just aimlessly move around. for now, i want to focus on creating a second construct instead of improving the first one. the reason being that if i improve the first one, i''ll have to deal with excess mana again, so yeah, a new construct to help me handle mana, to allow me to invest more stats into it until i get to the point where i can handle more of it. for that, another triple or quadruple focus would be amazing. or maybe some upgrade for [mana manipulation]. damn it, even upgrading my class or getting a subclass could help. i haven''t forgotten about my upgrade token, but i have plans for it and am worried that upgrading the class or upgrading the mana stat would spend it, i just don''t test it and save it for now. there''s something i need to take care of first before using it. "what do you like?" huh, that''s a weird question out of nowhere. i turn back to the girl and sit down. while both parts of my [focus] continue to train moving mana and to shape it, i look at her. "i like to stay up late. when everyone is already sleeping and it''s really quiet outside." i answer her honestly, and somehow i miss the feeling of being able to do that. the feeling of just laying in my bed and not wanting to go to sleep. "that''s what old people do!" oi, listen here you brat! "i like cute animals!" she says simply and looks at me as if expecting me to continue. haa, fine. "i like to drink a glass of perfectly cold water during hot summer days." she giggles and nods as if agreeing with me, "i like when sophie caresses my hair." "i like going to sleep after a shower and into freshly washed sheets." "i like my mom!" isabella says, and i can''t help but feel some amusement over her childish energy and excitement. there''s something amazing about the simple innocence of little kids. "i like my mom too," i say in response and continue to listen to her chatter until the weather clears outside. we get out, finding out that it''s already warmer now that it''s day. the monsters start appearing again, and i can feel their mana signatures all around us. i also realize one thing: the monsters are getting stronger the better the houses around us look like. rats, gargoyles, alghouls. all of them are a tiny bit stronger than at the place where we appeared. then i feel a touch of mana on myself, someone probing me, sensing my signature. only when another group of monsters starts moving towards us from the edge of my perception, do i realize that now the monsters able to locate us have started appearing as well. Chapter 107: Dumber than Soph chapter 107: dumber than soph we burn the first group that reaches us. even isabella helps, as there are just so many of them. tens of rats led by some weird, bipedal monster. [parasitic wererat - lvl 76] it''s not a named monster, but somehow it''s controlling all the rats and even using some probing skill, able to detect either our mana or our presence. obviously, i kill it first, but the scanning still continues and one of the rats screeches, turning into a wererat. [parasitic wererat - lvl 75] i kill it again, and the same thing repeats. the decaying rat monster screeches and its body bulges. i feel a lot of mana as its body enlarges, the monster getting on two legs, and its face and tail lengthening. [parasitic wererat - lvl 74] i see how it is. this time, i put more time into creating a mana orb, and then i throw it at the group. it enlarges into tendrils of mana coated in [oscillation]. the wererat dies again, and plenty of monsters too, the remaining ones burned by isabella''s flames. hmm, there sure is room for improvement. making an orb so it unfolds into oscillating tendrils of mana takes too long, and the skill doesn''t even damage that big an area. feeling a lot of presence from all around us, i jump high in the air while holding the little girl in my arms. i continue to absorb the kinetic energy of my orbs and propel us higher and higher, and then in the air, i continue to propel myself ahead and up to keep us in the air. it''s junky it''s difficult, and i''m barely able to do it while we continue to jump up and down and being propelled ahead and to the sides. i let us fall on the roof while absorbing the kinetic energy of our fall, and multiple orbs shoot against a group of gargoyles flying at us. some of them end up with destroyed wings and fall down, continuing to rush us on their feet, while others dodge and continue to charge. i boost orbs orbiting around me and sling them again, this time aiming carefully and boosting them with a surge. more of them die and a blue flame slithers around us, rushing at the gargoyles that are moving on their feet. then we move again, this time i jump from roof to roof, only using [redistribution] to boost my strength and rush mana through my body, making it even stronger and faster on top of the new upgrade of [redistribution]. isabella lets out excited screaming noises as we continue to run at a speed that feels fast and exciting even to me, jumping from roof to roof. one of the orbs turns into a small shield and blocks a projectile attack that flies at me, and i avoid to the side, avoiding another one. [disruption] fires up and cancels the attack that comes at me from the shadow of one of the chimneys. an attack reminding me of a weird tendril made of dark black mana. three projectiles sling at the monster that i can''t see, but i can feel its presence and it dies, revealing a body that reminds me of a bat. [chameleon bat - lvl 66] and it doesn''t stop. there are more and more monsters coming at us from all sides and i constantly feel waves of mana that continue to track our presence. another tendril made of black mana reaches me, but this time i''m too slow and end up with a deep cut on my leg, at the last moment moving my body a bit so it hits me instead of the little girl in my arms. i absorb more energy and turn it into even more speed, feeling my body heating even more, the sweat already running down my back. the new side quest is this. side quest: kill 400 enemies rewards: common gear of your choice food and water rations look similar? yeah? because it goddamn is! only the number grew bigger. what the heck? how many monsters will i have to kill in a few days to get some food? thousands? then there is also another side quest: side quest: reach level 100 get 3 skills over level 30 rewards: skill upgrade token so is this skill upgrade token different, allowing me to upgrade my already upgraded skills? will completing this side quest allow me to upgrade my level 30 skills? or is it just a normal skill upgrade token and i can ?t upgrade already upgraded skills? currently, from my experience with the system, i think that to upgrade an already upgraded skill it needs to reach level 30. i can be wrong, obviously, but the system likes rounded numbers and i wasn''t able to upgrade them at level 20 something. plus there is a side quest now, similar to the one i got so long time ago. that''s why i believe that i''m right. i slow down and sit on the roof, letting the girl out of my arms. for a moment, i just rest while still keeping my [perception] running. just a little bit of rest. "you are also dumb, maybe even dumber than soph." i hear from isabella. here we go again, dissed by a 10-year-old. "just a few minutes and we can move again," i say to her. i filter out her words because i catch something with the edge of my perception. a mana signature, but this time it doesn''t feel like any of the rotted and decaying monsters, it feels like a human. Chapter 108: The trio from Hard Difficulty chapter 108: the trio from hard difficulty there are three of them, two men and one woman, all of them around my age. i quickly identify them as people from hard difficulty, the main reason being my inability to see their levels. well, either i can''t see them because they are also from the tutorial, or their strength is at a similar level to that of lissandra. seeing them fight, i''m more inclined to believe that they are from the hard difficulty. they aren''t doing badly at all, and small groups of rats are dealt with by them. yet, i can see that they are weaker than everyone from the hell difficulty, even isabella could probably take them on. still, i watch curiously, wanting to see the difference between hell and hard difficulty.n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. from the mana i feel from them or seeing their movement, it doesn''t seem to be that the stat points are the main difference. their bodies, and their mana, seem to be on a similar level to some of the weaker people from our group 4. what differentiates them the most is their poor use of skills and mana. how to say it? it feels super amateurish if i can say it that way. they rely on their skills to do the heavy lifting without trying to understand them properly or try to help them, expand them. so it ends up with them using them in a basic way. one of the men is using spears he creates from ice, they don''t seem to be that strong but he can create them fairly quickly, replacing the broken ones while keeping rats away from them. sometimes even throwing them. he also seems to be somewhat strengthening his body. but every time he does so he loses balance a bit, totally unable to properly control it. the woman does something that stops monsters from using their skills or mana and then uses a bow to shoot them, creating projectiles out of her mana. the projectiles are weak and some of them even dissipate in the air before reaching their target. her accuracy is terrible and she repositions every time monsters move even slightly closer to them. the last one is the most interesting. he continues to watch and i feel his something similar to my [perception] with the difference that he doesn''t seem to be able to perceive mana. but there is something that makes him super precious in my eyes. the man uses some water-based attack. it takes a lot of mana from him, i can see and the total amount of his mana isn''t that big, but he creates small blasts that he calculatingly shoots at the monsters, hitting their eyes as he is predicting their movement. well, well, well, isn''t that great? wanting to make the best possible impression i continue to observe them from a distance, moving carefully so they do not notice me, only luring a bit more monsters towards them. more and more rats rush them and the trio seems to slowly become more and more nervous at the sight of the neverending wave of monsters. when i feel stronger ones moving towards them i dash against them, finishing them before they get into the range of their detection. we don''t want some pesky alghoul to hurt my water dispense... ehm ehm... hurt my future colleagues. i will let them fight more and more rats until everything seems desperate and only then, at the last possible moment, and with mighty mana around his shoulder the man will appear. nathaniel gwyn! the man, the myth, the legend! oi, what asshole is still spreading it around, even to rookies? savant? i bet it''s savant! whatever, we better hurry. let''s leave first, stronger monsters always appear if you kill enough rats, i say and it''s not even a lie. it always happens. usually, alghoul and gargoyles appear and then if you deal even with them chameleon bats and wererats. s-stronger than this? the guy that used weapons made out of ice asks nervously. is he dumb? did he think this is all? obviously they would be stronger, don ?t forget where we are, the man with water-based skill tells him impatiently, you can call me cipher, he can be frost and she is goldie, he says, not using real names but the ones people use in the community. nearly everyone does that and people don''t give out their real names. some of them like me for a reason that the system offered it, even while knowing our real names so there might be a reason for that. follow me, then. i start slowly running and they quickly join. huhu! i did pretty well, didn''t i? the first impression is always important! from their pov, i''m super strong and even saved their lives. still, i don''t mind even if they only want to use me, i want to do the same. seeing that they are able to follow i speed up a bit more while continuously watching our surrounding and people following me. their physical stats seem to be nice. surely even higher than mine if i''m not using mana or [redistribution] to strengthen my speed or strength. so is the difference only in skills? i can''t wait to find out! the system always was a mystery and other difficulties too. what floors are they getting, and what rewards? what are their levels, and how many groups do they have? and much more. finally reaching one of the higher buildings i open the door and enter, quickly closing it as they get inside. isabella, as a few times before, creates a small orb of blue flame that hovers in the air and creates some light. a bit more training and she will be able to use it to heat the room. all thanks to my mentorship and boredom! so yeah, my portable heate... little girl gets off my hands and sits on the sketchy-looking chair that creaks under her and then i turn to my portable water dispen... man with water skill. show me your skill, i say, impatient and super curious. hey, i did hold back for a pretty long time, right? what? the man says and takes a step back, mana already swirling around the trio. uh? did i say something wrong? Chapter 109: Poker face chapter 109: poker face flames flare up around isabella, the girl most likely acting on her own or under the influence of sophie''s skill, assuming she''s in danger. without any hesitation, the flames intensify to the point where we can feel the heat, and then she attacks the three newcomers. my [disruption] skill, boosted by a surge, activates, and her flames die off before reaching the trio. then, before she has a chance to try it again, i smack the back of her head without saying anything. the little girl looks at me with a hurt look on her tiny face, i have to burn them, they tried to attack me! she complains. god damn it, izzy. i don''t know if it''s funny or scary, it''s kind of hard to judge it properly while having my [focus] continuously run in the background ever since the end of the second floor. they did not try to attack you, so calm down, okay? she pouts, looking somewhat cute while doing so, and without a word, she stops charging her mana. my [disruption] activates again and it cancels out the tiny flames that flicker around, slowly burning the dusty furniture. soo... i stop after seeing their cautious faces and turn towards the girl who''s completely ignoring me. it''s all your fault! you want me to use my skill to get you water, that''s why you saved us. oh! finally someone at least slightly smart. the man who named himself cipher continues, there were more monsters back then, did you... ouch, maybe too smart. poker face time! looks like you did, he says. god damn it. how do you want me to trust you now? he continues. we don''t have to trust each other. i just need you to create water for us, maybe your icy friend can make some ice we can melt too. in exchange, i''ll protect you. i say. i know people like you, if we don''t agree you will beat us into submission. is something wrong with my face? how did he get it so quickly? some skill? yes. i just agree, and that gets a reaction from the icy man and the woman who named herself goldie. cipher, on the other hand, seems calm, much calmer than when he was dealing with monsters. is he someone comfortable in such situations? my icy friend ?s ice isn''t able to melt into water. it will only disappear into mana after a while. i''m the only one able to create water, the look in his eyes is firm and he turns towards me, more confident than at the start. continue, i tell him. just protection won''t be enough, i know how valuable my skill is, especially after some time passes. we saw the side quests too. aren''t you a cheeky one? i want you to help us to level up and protect us, in exchange, i''ll create water for you. he continues. i close the community, what a bunch of jerks, i''ll deal with them when given the chance. i turn to the trio and they avert their glances, goldie even giggling under her nose. oh? you''re laughing at me? for the next ten minutes, i let more vermin get to her and she has to work hard to deal with them all, sweat covering her forehead and her hands shaking as she continues to shoot at them from her bow with her weak mana projectiles. laugh now, you jerk. after dealing with the alghoul, i move to the group that is under the protection of the tiny girl who burns the stronger monsters before they get to them. somehow, it''s kind of funny seeing how she complains to them that they are taking too long to deal with the monsters. we should move, it''s getting darker and there will be stronger monsters soon. i notice cipher''s calculating look. the man is quieter than before, but his eyes continue to observe everything as if taking in all the information. i also notice that he is pretty often collecting mana in his eyes, and that makes me curious about his skill. yet, i decide not to push him about it and ask. we currently have a deal that helps both of us, so with my logic, there is no need to be exceedingly greedy and ruin it. the building i find seems to be the most luxurious around, and i open the door, which creaks and thuds loudly as i close them after us. the wind has already started ramping up outside, and inside the house it''s dark, lit only by isabella''s orbs that float around, generating a little bit of heat and some light. as few times before, i get to sniffing around, looking for anything useful. thanks to my curiosity, it''s something i really enjoy, opening drawers, and checking out the rooms. inspecting all the stuff in hopes of finding something nice. it almost feels like a treasure hunt. rusty sword (common) - a weathered, dulled blade bearing the signs of time and neglect. notably aged but still capable of holding an edge. disappointed, i throw the sword away and continue to look. one day i will surely find some legendary weapon! totally. the trio and the little girl already sit around the fireplace, feeding it with wooden furniture, the room only lit by the light from the cracking fire while the building continues to creak as we hear the strong wind hitting it. i open another door and pause for a moment, feeling a weak hint of mana from inside of it. [perception] encompasses the room a few times, and then i enter, carefully and wary of possible traps. the mana comes from one of the drawers close to the bed in the corner of the room, and i create a tentacle made of mana that reaches towards it, slowly opening it. nothing happens. i step a bit closer and there is a tiny crystal inside the drawer. mana stone (common) -a simple transparent crystal, nearly void of any visible power or energy. this common item once held magical energy, but now waits to be refilled. oh! with excitement, i grab the mana stone and start studying it. sending my mana inside it. even though the item is of common rarity, i''m excited. i saw what was possible with such stones back on the second floor. people turned them into stones able to heat a room. they were used to make things lighter temporarily, they are imbued into weapons to make them handle mana better. my mind continues to study it, sending mana towards it while the world around me becomes quieter. my curiosity, my enjoyment of learning anything new related to mana, taking over. only after a long while, do i take my eyes off the stone that is now partially filled with my mana that slowly leaks out and dissipates into the air. then i realize that hours have passed and i got lost in all of it. a quick check tells me that only one of the people in the next room is awake, the rest of them sleeping, and i put the stone away. now then, it''s time to upgrade my construct and create the second one. Chapter 110: Heartbeats chapter 110: heartbeats for one more time, i check our surroundings and the room next to the one i''m in, and then i close my eyes, focusing on the flow of my mana and my body as i sit down. i cast a glance over the room again, taking in the sparse furniture and worn rug underfoot. it becomes quiet and i stop feeling the cold of the room as i delve deep into myself. slowly, carefully, i reach out and start deeply inspecting the construct i made before. now, after some time has passed, i realize even more how terrible and inefficient it is. when i inspect the construct, i can''t help but see its shortcomings glaring back at me. it''s like i used a stone tool when a scalpel was needed, making it rough around the edges, the energy moving in jagged jerks rather than smooth waves. the reinforcement construct is sucking up around thirty percent of my mana and strengthening my body, amounting to what i would be able to do with 10% instead of 30%. but hey, it''s not like i had a perfect situation while creating it. drawing inwards, i anchor my senses to the mana coursing through my veins. it''s a familiar sensation, a rippling wave of power beneath my skin. it''s not just energy, it''s a part of me - a soft, consistent hum, warm like a blanket. i [focus] and cautiously make changes to the web of pathways i had created. i examine my bones, into which i etched it, i observe how it flows and once again, with the help of [mana manipulation] and [oscillation], i make changes. i add a pathway here, and i change a turn there, slowly, carefully feeling my body and my mana while i do so, and the world outside becomes a distant memory. it''s like i''m sculpting a detailed statue out of a coarse block of stone, each chip revealing a new twist to the construct. the process isn''t smooth. i stumble and make errors, but each mistake helps me to improve. the pathways start to reflect my adjustments, a bit smoother here, a bit narrower there. okay, this pathway should go away - i scratch it with [oscillation], leaving deep wounds on my muscles and bones. it''s painful, it''s terribly painful and my mana flares up a few times as i remove the twisted pathway, but i endure it. my body will heal, the pain will disappear, so i [focus]. i know that every drop of sweat, every gasp of pain, is just a milestone in a way to my goal. the process is painful but also somehow fun, it makes me feel good knowing that i''m improving something, that i am creating something that is mine and the result of all my testing, all my observations. the result of my hard work. after what feels like hours, i stop and with a satisfied feeling, check out my construct. the flow is better, the mana flows faster, and, to my current knowledge, it looks amazing. i know i''ll find some mistakes as i improve, but right now, this is the best i can do and i''m happy with that. the construct''s name didn''t change, even the effect didn''t change, only the efficiency improved. it''s still using nearly a third of my mana but instead of feeling like i''m actually using 10% to strengthen my body, it feels like a bit over 20%. a little, but significant result. now then, the second construct, right? i take a short break, calming my breathing and excitedly beating heart. i calm my curiosity, i dim my impatience and for a minute, just focus on breathing slowly. breathe in. hold it. slow breath out. repeat. i repeat the rhythmic cycle, allowing it to ground me, to anchor me to the present. the steady rhythm sets the pace for my thoughts, calming me. as i breathe, i visualize my goal, the second construct taking shape in my mind. finally, i enter an even deeper [focus] and get to work, using all i learned from my testing, all i learned from watching lissandra etch the pathways into her body and move her mana. i remembered all i could. i perceived all i could. yet, i can''t understand it all, not yet. but, i''ll do what i can. the amount of kinetic energy i can control reaches the maximum and i grab hold of it. eh? what now? i didn''t think that through. eighth heartbeat. i groan, feeling the pressure of this energy coursing through my body. my heart, being closer to my left arm, sends more energy through it. ninth heartbeat. this is the most kinetic energy i''ve ever held and i slowly move it to my left arm that is closer to my heart. not again! i swear, if my left arm explodes again, i''ll be pissed off. what the hell is it even? is my left arm cursed? tenth heartbeat. i use all the energy i can with my upgrade of [redistribution] to strengthen my endurance and the remaining energy explodes into front of me, destroying the wall in front of me and shaking the house. the roar of the outside wind hits the house even harder and i feel it on my skin. at the same moment, i hear the screams of the people from the room next to the one i''m in. oh, i totally forgot about them. quickly, i check my arm that seems to be fine, thanks to my quick converting of some of the energy into endurance with symbiotic transference. huhu, not today! one heartbeat. the energy starts filling up again. god damn it, okay, it seems like testing can wait. let''s turn off the construct first. second heartbeat. let''s turn off the construct. third heartbeat. i said let''s turn off the construct. fourth heartbeat. fuck. fifth heartbeat. now i really start to panic. what did i mess up? sixth heartbeat. i release all the kinetic energy through the hole in the wall and think. "what the hell is happening?" someone from the trio screams from behind the door. i filter him out and it starts again. first heartbeat. why on earth won''t it shut down? Chapter 111: Victoria chapter 111: victoria once again, i release the kinetic energy before it builds up, and clashes against the wind outside. my heart continues to beat, building more and more kinetic energy. for the first time, i feel my mana reserves depleting. really slowly but surely. the construct works differently than i thought. it doesn''t only use 30% of my generated mana. well, it does, but it also starts reaching for more as time passes. currently around 35% of my mana? interesting. so, what did i screw up? forcing myself to calm down, i examine my construct and my heart, but i can''t find anything that should be stopping me from turning off the construct out of my mana flow. is the mana heart much more delicate than i thought? is it difficult to work around it and does it mess up my construct? another wave of kinetic energy explodes outside of the hole inside the room, and i ignore the roaring wind that blows into the room and hits my body strong enough to push it. the wind is just a distant sound in the back of my mind as i examine the mess i''ve made. a few minutes pass and once again the construct ramps up, taking a bit more mana than intended. now i have to release the energy every few beats and my massive mana pool depletes a bit more. will it turn off when i''m out of mana? probably, but it could also be dangerous so let''s not allow that to happen. maybe i can cut off the construct''s access to my mana... oh, i can''t. it''s now closely hugging my heart, an intricate web of mana circuits that touches the surface of my heart and beats together with it. okay. mistakes were made. let''s calmly think over the solution. using [disruption] so close to my heart doesn''t sound like a good idea. i can use an upgrade token for my [mana manipulation], but i would like to keep it as the last choice. "..." okay, i have a genius idea! i''ll create another construct! ... i''m not dumb, i swear! i''ll create a construct to control my construct. easy, isn''t it? quickly, i dive in, and another web of intricate circuits starts to form around my heart. more time passes, and now i have to release absorbed kinetic energy every two heartbeats, continuously shooting wave after wave of kinetic energy outside. the room i''m in is shaking. cautiously, and more carefully than before, i create small points, small dense points of circuits that i plaster to three places where my web of kinetic mana heart connects to my mana pathways that feed it with mana. i blend them, taking some damage as i do so, as i''m not able to fully focus on everything. after a long time, i once again feel like being on the first floor when i was unable to control my mana as it now once again thrashes my body, creating bruises, cuts, and pummeling my muscles all over. but i do not let it get in the way of what i have to do. both parts of my [focus] work on creating and implementing my third construct and i start to have to release the kinetic energy after each heartbeat when i finally hear the notification. congratulations, you have created your third construct. the name will be kept as such and it will be shown in the status under active skills and over passive skills. well done! mana regulator - a mana flow controller acting as an integral safeguard for the kinetic mana heart and other constructs. it precisely manages mana transfer rates to prevent excessive energy build-up, maintaining a consistent and controlled energy output. i also don''t like how often i have to rely on other people after messing up. i inspect my body once more. okay, this will take a good day or two to calm down, and even then my body will be hurt, but i should be able to use my mana a little bit. feeling cipher''s eyes on me, i turn to him and for a moment i do not avert my eyes, just look straight into his. i hope you are not getting any funny ideas. even in the state i''m in, i can mess you up, all three of you. his response is a small calculating smile and he moves closer, giving me a small bottle filled with water. i was able to create it while you were sleeping. taking it from his hands, i slowly drink it while still looking at him. i know the man. he is calculating. he is someone who will step over you, who will bully you, and who will enjoy doing it. but only if he judges he is stronger than you or that he has something he can use against you. obviously, he is not showing it, he may even think i don''t know it yet. but i''m sure, the man is a wolf that cares about himself only and attacks when he smells blood. but only if it will benefit him. smart, calculating, ruthless. yet, somehow it feels more comfortable than the kindness others show me. flashback - nathaniel gwyn (10 years old) a small boy with black hair and eyes of two differently colored eyes carefully opens the door and enters the room. he is in a small apartment that even though it''s clean is showing clear signs of being worn off. the apartment you would find in poorer parts of any small city. vic, victoria he whispers and enters the room, being met with the firm gaze of a 15-year-old girl that sits behind the table, giving all of her attention to the book in front of her and notes she is taking. nat, how many times did i tell you to knock? she sighs and turns to the boy, knowing that she won''t be able to focus now that he is here. do not call me nat. the boy complains, yet he still smiles. even though acting annoyed, he seems to enjoy the small teasing of his sister. he jumps on the bed, this is also my room so i don''t have to knock. the girl nods and turns around in her chair. the black hair is so similar in color to her brother, yet her behavior is more composed. a weird look for someone so young. i won everything i competed in today, he says, his face smiling, happy to share it with his sister. well, that''s not unexpected, you are talented when it comes to this, nat. the boy shakes his head, that''s not true, vic. john is faster, thomas is stronger, ben is bigger, and liam is much more talented. slightly intrigued, his sister shows a bit more interest, so how come you always win, nathaniel? she is examining him, honestly curious about his answer. do not call me nathaniel, he complains automatically, not even realizing his mix-up and not noticing a small smirk on the face of his sister, they are just lazy. they never train as hard as me, they don''t put so much work into it or practice after school. they... he pauses looking for the right words. they don''t put enough effort into it? the girl called vic, or victoria offers the answer. the boy nods, this time a bit more seriously, they are scared to get hurt, they don''t like to sweat while exercising, they always complain when their bodies are sore. he pauses, they''re weaker even when they''re stronger he finishes. Chapter 112: Natives chapter 112: natives oh boy, i swear i spend most of my time here complaining and trying not to lose my left arm. i look at the aforementioned arm; even days after restoring it, it remains pale up to the shoulder. the light here isn''t exactly made for sunbathing and i''m wearing warm clothes, but i expected at least some hint of a tan? at least on my hand. maybe it''s not as perfect as i thought it would be? lily''s skill level might not be high enough, so the arm is pale because of this. it''s a pretty mild aftereffect, i must say. noname (hell, group 4) -grumpy, is everything fine? grumpy (hell, group 4) - yes! some food would be nice, but strongestone is doing what he can, even sharing it with me! so be nice to him the next time we meet. lily. why are you even defending him now when he spent some time not even telling us that you are with him? who knows what thoughts are going through his head. silly girl. noname (hell, group 4) -your arm? grumpy (hell, group 4) - it''s growing nicely! already close to the elbow. i might try to make it more muscular than the other one >:) i wonder if it''s possible? the heck? why would you... wait... that''s a pretty good idea, isn''t it? lily, are you maybe a genius? noname (hell, group 4) -that''s smart! you should try that. maybe i can cut off my arm again and she will regrow it but stronger than before? brainiac (hell, whitewing) -noname, what the hell. don''t mess up with young girls. grumpy, you are pretty the way you are, don''t listen to this armless mana maniac. savant (hell, alone) -i bet he wants her to train to then regrow his limbs and make them stronger. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -lol, that sounds like him. foodfood (hell, group 4) - food gone :( the heck biscuit? when did you learn to use emoticons? "kitty man..." i hear a small voice next to me and with a sigh, i turn off the community, turning to isabella. yup, that''s me. the whiskers drawn with charcoal onto my cheeks are still on my face. i''m a kitty man. dang it, if hadwin or tess see me like this... "are you hungry?" i lower myself a bit, my body still complaining with every move i make. isabella nods and i send her to cipher to get water from him, it should at least help her a bit. i still need at least a few hours to be able to fight, at least somehow. [you have defeated a wererat - lvl 71] immediately the perceiving touch on us disappears and i cut off mana going to my construct - kinetic mana heart. [perception] continues to scan our surroundings and feeling another mana signature i focus on the place more. oh, so that''s how it is. i gesture to others and they quietly follow me, isabella walking close to my side. slowly, carefully we walk through the eerily empty city, only surrounded by noises of our quiet steps on the cobbled streets and the soft wind that blows into us. it''s hard to describe, but even just a city, without any monsters around, feels creepy. rows after rows of empty buildings in a city too massive to make any sense to exist. when we reach the place i pointed to, i boost my body with mana and with one kick destroy the locked door of one of the houses. my [perception] continues to watch a weak presence under one of the floors while i stop right over it. only cipher is looking around curiously, some mana in his eyes as he watches around. "this room is weird," he says shortly, probably catching some details i can''t see. but it doesn''t matter, i don''t need to know much. slowly, carefully i create a sword made of mana, a bit paler than usual, and then i stab it into the floor, sending a bit of oscillating mana through the blade and cutting through a hinge hidden under the carpet. a small door falls into the room under the floor and a few short screams sound from beneath us. human voices. [initiate ranger - lvl 12] [storm hunter - lvl 29] [disciple of elements - lvl 34] man, woman, and a level 12 girl that seems to be their daughter. i step back watching as cipher and goldie deal with them. the man is careful, trying to get as much information as he can from them while carefully watching his behavior and his smart eyes seem as if trying to look right through them. goldie is here, awkwardly trying to make some funny faces to make the girl stop sobbing and in the process calm down her parents. after a while, when they are not getting anywhere, i just poke isabella and nod towards the other girl, "why don''t you try to make a friend with her?" the girl, probably bored as well, just nods and runs there on her short legs while smiling brightly and immediately hugging the other girl who freezes, and then isabella starts chirping away. a bit more time passes and the girl and her parents calm down enough to give more information to cipher who is asking the right questions. they got split from their group because of monsters while they were scavenging around, checking the houses for useful stuff. they are careful not to tell us how big the group is or where it is, also asking us where we are from, to which cipher without hesitation says that we are also in a similar situation, but already on our own for a few weeks, our group killed by alghouls. the lie is pretty believable and he lies easily. yet, even though the parents didn''t notice it, i see some smile in his eyes, as if he is making fun of the people, laughing at their situation and their naivety. Chapter 113: Rage chapter 113: rage isabella comes closer, her eyes wide as she stays nearby while looking up at me. "i spoke with alie," she begins, referring to the girl who still shyly glances towards us, "i told her about biscuit." ah, i see. the first conversation with a different civilization is about the gluttonous telepathic dog. nice. nothing to worry about. "at first she didn''t understand what is doggo, but then i described biscuit to her a bit more," she pauses dramatically for a second, ensuring i''m listening and with a serious look on her face, "alie then became happy and... and," another pause as if she still can''t comprehend it. what then? i know it''s probably something super silly, but you are making me curious. tell me already. "she said that we can eat him!" she says, deep outrage clear in her voice, even jumping up a pitch. oh, that kind of makes sense. they must have a similar problem with food as we do, right? i wonder how they deal with it. this is the information we need to get from them first. also, i would like to see them try to eat biscuit. the little beast is more dangerous than it seems. "it''s fine, we won''t eat biscuit," i assure isabella, who seems to have already given up on befriending the other girl. i continue to listen to their conversation with cipher. the man seems to be asking the right questions, so i don''t step in. instead, i only listen to it while circulating mana through my body, bit by bit, and still carefully sending perceiving impulses to our surroundings. "we should move quite soon," i say out loud, just in case, and cipher immediately nods, only to ask them if they have any hideout or know how to get back to their group. they lie about the group, but they tell us about a hideout a few streets away. they are too scared to move there on their own because they see a few monsters around, so they hide here. but with us not giving them another chance, we start moving there. while we walk through the streets, with isabella and me probably being the calmest ones, i continue to scan for us, my skills most likely much better than those of their scout. cipher still continues to ask carefully, avoiding some questions to not seem like someone who hasn''t lived here his entire life. but i wonder, does it really matter? "how do you get your water?" i stop and turn to them, "how do you get your food?" i remind myself that they are most likely not really the same way people on the second floor weren''t real, no matter how real they seem. the moment i ask them these questions, they fall silent and their eyes widen. they even take a few steps backward and, instead, start asking questions, surprised that we don''t know something that seems to be basic here. well, it''s not like i didn''t expect that. "answer my question, or we will leave you here," i interrupt their questions, and i send a strong pulse of mana into our surroundings, this time not for perception, but to make us easier to find. like a glowing beacon pointing right at our position. "you''re crazy," cipher says, and i see that his opinion of me has changed. he probably understands me better now. the man then turns to them and repeats my questions, holding them so they won''t run away. "we get it from tunnels under the city! food is mostly from sparrows and mice!" he blurts out, nervous and scared, shielding his daughter behind him. i think his name was oliver? "okay, continue to the hideout. isabella and i will take care of the monsters." "you''re weird," the girl says to me after they leave. a cone of kinetic energy hits its head, unfortunately only making it stagger backward with a terrible wound on its face. then without any hesitation, it dashes right towards us. i continue to push against the air, buildings, and streets to dodge its strong swiping attacks that partially destroy houses, crack the ground, and obliterate a few vermin that are dumb enough to get close. another surge of flames comes out of the little girl''s hand, this time weaker than before, her reserves already dwindling. the monster dodges them easily only to be hit by my dark yellow flame, its strength still weaker than isabella''s. detecting presence behind, i turn around, my flames burning two chameleon bats sneaking up on us, giving the gargoyle time to move closer only to miss us as i use kinetic energy to push against the monster, propelling us away and slowing down the monster. it charges again, and i reach out, absorbing its kinetic energy to slow it down before dashing away once again. then i make a mistake, a small silly mistake. as i jump away, mana slips out of my control because of a sharp pain hitting my side, the aftereffect of creating my construct, and my weakened body staggers, for a moment not strengthened by mana. the gargoyle reaches us in that short moment, its massive hand swinging right at the center of my balance, the place where isabella is. a kid. small, young, innocent kid. damn, this is going to hurt, isn''t it? i throw isabella away from me, even using some energy to gently push her with my kinetic energy. still, she screams as she rolls on the ground, probably gaining plenty of bruises. my eyes stay focused on the center of the balance of the gargoyle and with my peripheral vision, i see the fist moving closer and closer, barely having time to reach with [redistribution] to absorb some of this energy and to boost my endurance through symbiotic transference. my body screams in pain even before the fist hits me, throwing me against the side wall of a house, a few of my ribs surely cracked. but instead of pain, something else goes through my mind as i get back on my feet. rage. a wild rage that is kept at by [focus] since the end of the second floor. my feeling of powerlessness during the last moments of ruby and the second floor, rage at sophie for deleting who knows what memories of mine, rage at the system that always feels like messing with us. rage at this damn monster that continues to attack me like it''s some hot stuff. and rage at me for making so many mistakes and hurting my body because of my impatience. so, i let go, and [focus], which keeps running almost permanently, always being fed by some mana to help me concentrate and forget useless stuff, weakens. i don''t completely turn it off; i just slightly weaken its hold on my emotions, loosening some of my logical thinking. the monster dashes again, while a few rats already attack isabella, and wererats continuously call for more monsters while keeping their disgusting probing on me. this time i do not dodge and face the gargoyle. the third of my mana should be fine, right? i change the setting of mana regulator and my heart thumps wildly as my eyes sharply follow the gargoyle. you are so dead. Chapter 114: Saints Eternal Bastion chapter 114: saint''s eternal bastion first heartbeat. armor made of mana appears on my body. as always it''s super simple and not very intricate. second heartbeat. the gargoyle reaches me and i use all this kinetic energy to strengthen my body, but this time not only my endurance but also my speed while my head rings and my body continues to complain. before the fist reaches me, i grab it and, using the energy of the monster''s swing, i throw it over my shoulder, against the wall of the house. the monster is send flying through the wall and into the room. without even turning around, two cones of absorbed kinetic energy shoot behind me, obliterating two invisible monsters sneaking up on isabella. another heartbeat and i dash inside the room, punching the gargoyle right in its face, making it stagger backwards before dodging under its swing and hitting its bottom chin. then i use the force of its attack to throw it on the ground, stepping on its neck. what now you asshole? did you have fun? mana explodes from the gargoyle and i get pushed away, crashing through the wall and as i stand up, the monster is already in front of me, throwing another hit at me. i watch its stance, its shoulder, and its movement, and more mana and kinetic energy flow through my body and this time i do not dodge, i slightly shift my body, letting the monster hit my strengthened arm, only so i can follow with my knee burrowing into its chest, throwing it against the wall. then i dash against it and boost my strength, hitting the middle of its face and sending it crashing through the house, and back on the streets. i absorb the kinetic energy from the falling house and use it to strengthen my body even further, again reaching the gargoyle and i burrow my feet into the ground, twist my body, and with as much strength i can muster, kick the gargoyle that crashes deep inside another house. i ignore the screams of my logical mind and my body in pain. sword? oscillation? disruption? that wouldn''t feel so satisfying. i need to move my body, i need to feel my fist hitting something. i need to vent and tear this guy apart. i lift two stones as big as my fist and throw them towards where i feel these annoying probing touches, only to boost them with a massive amount of kinetic energy. two stones fly as a rocket and in a split second both of them reach their target. two notifications and disgusting touches on my presence disappear. the gargoyle is back once again and this time i reach out and [redistribution] explodes at full power, slowing the monster to a crawl, and at the same time, i release that same energy inside my body, strengthening it, boosting my speed, increasing my endurance so it won''t break apart. one quick step and my fist hit its chest and before it''s thrown crashing into another house, i grab its arm and pull. the monster flies away and the arm stays in my hand. this time i get to the monster and before it reacts, i swing with its arm in my hand against its head, sending it staggering backwards before another hit smashes its skull, denting it inside. i let go of the arm and using the power of my body hit its head, literally tearing it from its neck and sending it flying away. adaptive physiology, i miss you. i even miss the traits i was offered, regenerative tissue, adaptive resistance and always, there is always only one person to blame. noname (hell, group 4) - bendover? i''ll fuck you up if we meet in the tournament. bendover (hell, idk) -what? i didn''t even say anything. fuck off. i close the community again, feeling slightly better. the story goes like this. once, tens, maybe hundreds of years ago, a beautiful kingdom existed. not unlike the kingdom or empire from the second floor. a kingdom full of gifted people. mages, warriors, healers, they were everywhere. kingdom full of wonders. beautiful building, tools powered by mana, healers able to restore limbs. oliver, his wife, and his kid don''t know what happened - in the end they live far from the center of the city where most of the knowledge is, but they know something happened. something bad. something that created decay. the variant of mana that takes over the monsters and sometimes even people only to make them seemingly undead, dangerous, mutate them, and twist their being. billions of people died to it, unable to fight decay and getting infected. just a simple exposure for a long enough time could be dangerous, just having too weak mana would get you infected. so billions of people got infected, farmers, workers, and most of the people that didn''t handle mana got infected first, totally ruining the food supply and sending panic through the continent. and slowly the decay grew in power, after a few months infecting even people that used to be able fight with mana. so under the iron rule of the king, they collected all the uninfected people and grouped around him, his three warriors, and the saint. the saint created a field that covers a huge area and doesn''t allow decay to infect people within that and that''s where the city started. years passed and every single human still alive that got this information moved to this city that expanded well beyond its intended size. we are currently in the outskirts of it, slums if you will, where the most unlucky collect, and the deeper you go into the city and closer to the saint and the last king the safer it is. but not everything is okay, tens of years, and generations passed and even the center of the city has to deal with decay that even changed the weather. there is no rain, food is scarce and the monsters are moving closer and closer, either through weakening the field made by the saint or the decay getting stronger. on the outskirts, no one knows what''s happening deep in the city, but it seems that the stronger monsters are able to push even deeper than where we currently are and there is no leadership, no help coming anymore, not for years. everyone left on their own in this dying world. the last city on the planet. saint''s eternal bastion. Chapter 115: Dont worry chapter 115: don''t worry pov aaron dalton damn, why me? why did i have to end up with these two psychos? once again, i have to watch as tess and sophie stand against each other, their mana flaring ominously. "it has nothing to do with logic. people don''t think logically in situations like this. it''s you and him that are not normal! sophie screams at tess. their confrontation scares me. tess is terrifyingly powerful, and sophie is too. but maybe it''s good if they talk this out like this? you don''t need to worry. if he said he will protect her, he will do it," tess answers calmly. sophie paces nervously, look, tess, i know you understand him better than me. i realize that, but i just can''t... she''s my sister. she won''t even join the community. how do i know she is fine? i only have his word. yes, but there''s nothing you can do. so bursts of emotions like this won''t help you much. i feel pressure on my mind as sophie turns to tess, her eyes deep as the ocean. if you try something on my mind, i''ll... i''ll react appropriately, tess smiles, remaining calm even under sophie''s disturbing glare. we don''t have to fight, sophie. it won''t help me, it won''t help you, and it surely won''t help your sister. tess finally stands up and takes a few short steps towards the other young woman. both of them stand against each other, their mana forcing me to take a few steps back and making the house creak. think about this: let''s say you''re able to control me, what do you think he would do if you finally meet without me being there, or if he finds something in my mind? tess steps even closer, her face almost touching sophie''s. you don''t realize how lucky you are. i know what you did to him, to his mind back on the first floor. sophie, you don''t know how much he values his own mind, his freedom. at the moment, only your current or maybe future usefulness keeps you alive, her voice drops to a whisper, but don''t worry, nathaniel and i have a deal, we work together. so sophie, work with me too, work with him. we don''t have to fight. finally, sophie pushes the blonde away, and despite having a much higher physical stat, allows herself to be pushed back. i like you, sophie, i do. so i''ll help you a bit and i''ll put in a good word for you. so don''t worry, okay? you and your sister will both be safe. throughout this entire time, tess seems like the one with the ability to manipulate others. the most amazing fact is that sophie knows it. she knows that tess is saying the words she thinks sophie needs to hear. yet, even when tess simply says what she thinks we want to hear, sophie and i can''t help but be moved by her words. she''s scary. do i have to put more stats into my constitution? the inferior stat that pales in comparison to glorious mana? probably. it''s the right thing to do, the smart thing to do. yet all the stat points from the level up went into mana.n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. must be a bug or something. i blame the system. anyway, i''ll endure it. it hurts, it''s risky, but i trust in myself and my decisions. to become stronger in the future, i will risk it now. i gave it some thought, and part of me is worried about what awaits us on the later floors, especially back on earth. if every other tutorial is the same as ours, it means that 4 tutorials have already ended and these people are most likely back on earth. people who also went through hell difficulty. i was given an opportunity and something that finally made me feel some sort of excitement and need, so i won''t go through all of this only to find out that i didn''t put enough effort into it and get stepped over by someone else from hell difficulty tutorial. yet, i wonder, what made me think that mana is the way? was it my fascination with it, this weird force that i can control with my mind? was it the feeling of its strength flowing through my body and seeing what is possible with it? partially? there is also some logic i follow. mana is used to activate and feed skills. it can be used to strengthen the body, burn things, manipulate people, or levitate things. everything relies on mana. so isn''t having a lot of mana and skills the best combination? yes, i could go for a more physical stats-oriented build, and i''m sure i would excel there, as i''m talented when it comes to moving my body. not the most talented, i never was, but i always went a step further than others, and always pushed harder. but, i hate to say it, it never made me as happy as i thought it would and right now, even in the terrible situations we are going through, i feel real. i feel like everything i do matters. okay? constructs: reinforcement (construct) kinetic mana heart (construct) mana regulator (construct) passive skills: mana flow (rare) cerebral harmony (rare) [upgrade token: 1] [difficulty change token: 1] unsurprisingly, even my other stats grow even though i''m not investing stat points into them. a tiny bit, but it''s something, right? my constitution is growing because of all the pressure i put on it. strength and dexterity, too, as they are trying to catch up to me almost permanently strengthening my body with mana. it''s not significant, just a stat point here and there, but hey, it''s free. i let out a yawn and lean against the wall. all of us are currently in an underground room, and its walls are imbued with some weird material that blocks the perception of mana from wererats on the outside. even i wasn''t able to find it. only cipher opening the door allowed me to find them and join them, along with isabella. as for the little girl, she''s already asleep, sitting on the ground nearby. i''m jealous, i want to sleep too, but i can''t because that would mean no strengthening of my body, which equals a lot of pain. so yup, looks like i''ll have to stay awake for a few more days. what? i ask cipher, who just continues to look towards me the entire time we are in. he and his group are sitting close to each other, and the opposite of them sits the family of natives from this floor. they seem to be calmer now, but still far from being friendly or trusting. the room we are in is quite cold and underground, heated by the thermal energy that i release into the room deep under the ground. why would you do that? cipher finally asks. oh, so that''s what''s bothering you. you don''t like that you don''t understand me properly, right? i can see that it pisses you off, no matter how hard you try to hide it from me. even though i like to stay on my own, i''m pretty good at reading people''s faces. something i had to learn as a kid or get beaten. good old times, right? i don''t answer him and just close my eyes and filter them out while continuing to send heat into the room and keeping my body strengthened. my eyes land on the small body of a little girl sleeping and laying with her back against the cold wall. ha, little kids shouldn''t go through this. i change the way i release the heat to start releasing it only from one side and a bit further away from me, and move closer to isabella, pulling her away from the wall and letting her lean against me. i send some gentle heat towards her small body and notice that she relaxes in her sleep, not waking up at all during my actions. only then do i remember that i had her guard me during the night while i slept. her, a small 10-year-old girl. at that time, the thought of her age didn''t even cross my mind. noname (hell, group 4) - isabella is sleeping. don''t worry, she is fine and i will take care of her. i answer sophie in the community and lean back with a sigh. being alone is simpler, isn''t it? Chapter 116: Rumor chapter 116: rumor "so, my best friend samantha did go play outside without me. even elie was there and they didn''t even call me! they also took elie''s cute cat with them, i always wanted to see it!" "wow, that isn''t very nice of them." "right? i didn''t even see elie''s cat because we all got to hell." "wow, that sucks... that''s too bad." i react automatically and little isabella continues to talk and talk while i answer her once in a while. help. help me. "i''ll tell doggo to play with you if you stay quiet for a while. maybe practice your skills a bit or something." "oh, okay! that''s already 9 times you have to tell doggo to play with me!" isabella chirps happily. you''re counting that?! also, please forgive me biscuit, it''s all for the greater good. my good. i look at isabella, little devil, she isn''t doing it on purpose, right? it can''t be. "nathaniel," i lift up my head to look at cipher then comes closer, mana focused in his eyes as he looks at me, "can i talk with you? it''s important." hmm, let''s see what he wants, "go ahead." "i need you to help me level more, i want to improve my skill so i can create more water." huh, it''s kind of logical, but somehow i don''t like the way he says it. he''s right, but somehow it feels like he came to me already knowing how i will answer as if it''s only a formality for him and i''m a tool for him to reach his goals. quite cheeky these people from hard difficulty, aren''t they? in answer, i just nod, pushing my annoyance to the back of my mind with the help of [focus]. he leaves to join his group and i notice isabella looking at me with her big eyes. "i don''t think it''s good if you push all the emotions away," she says quietly. what would you know? people are stupid, annoying, arrogant, and sometimes too dumb or smart for their own good. to deal with them, to increase my chance of survival i have to push some emotions away. so isn''t it better to think logically? to not get swayed by useless feelings? [focus] is great for that and close to level 30 i''m slowly being able to isolate certain feelings. i also run it continuously, worried that the situation with the gargoyle will repeat or useless emotions will appear again. yes, i''m a coward. i ruffle her hair, "don''t worry about it, just practice, okay?" i stand up, my kinetic mana heart still sending energy through my body that i use to ignore my wounds and i join the natives we met and cipher, freeze, and goldie. "so how can we catch these sparrows you guys here eat? and what about water?" cipher is asking natives about sparrows they mentioned when we asked them about food. noname (hell, group 4) -what do you think? savant (hell, alone) - heh foodfood (hell, group 4) - food! oh, you found some food? good job, biscuit! hadwin (hell, group 4) -noname, we are passing by some area that is covered in toxic mist. if you pass by it try to look around, we will leave some marks. noname (hell, group 4) - understood, will do the same. "so what''s the level of your skill?" i ask cipher directly and i can immediately see that he doesn''t like the question. but it''s not like he has reason to keep it for himself in this context. he requires my help and he knows i will help as i''m someone who thinks about this kind of stuff logically. "level 11," he says in the end and his group looks at him with surprise. "already level 11? wow, that''s really high, isn''t it?" a woman called goldie says. "way to go!" another man adds. all while i just look at them with a big feeling of surprise. that''s it? level 11 and they are surprised? "yeah, i did work pretty hard on it," cipher smiles, seemingly proud of his skill. hmm, is it as i thought? the biggest difference between hell and hard difficulty people will be in their skill levels and experience? "and level?" this time he pauses for even longer so i add, "i need to know how much mana you can have so you can use your skill more." i add, knowing that the way he is trying to act now doesn''t allow it to keep it for himself. the man trapped himself by asking me for help. "60," he says shortly. the heck? how is he that weak with so mana stats? i was stronger than him at around level 10-20? is it the difference in difficulty? "what is your level?" he asks in exchange and i notice the curious looks both of his partners give me. "not telling," i say shortly, feeling some amusement in the looks they give me. my attention is brought to the three natives we met. taking care of them will be annoying but they also possess some useful information so it''s not like i can ditch them before they show us how to hunt for food or how to find water. "can you deal with the three of them?" i turn to cipher and the man nods. let''s do what i do best and ditch the annoying responsibilities on other people. Chapter 117: Sparrow chapter 117: sparrow "so, your first floor was to survive in the forest for one month, but there was no deadly rain, no nights without the sun, and in the end, you only had to fight against groups of strong monsters or continue to run away from them." "yes, that''s it." damn it, isn''t it more like easy difficulty? "and the second floor?" "a mana-infused kingdom and the floor quest was to witness the destruction of the capital. it was really terrifying. they called him paragon, and he totally destroyed it in a few minutes, a city with probably millions of people" this time it''s goldie who says it, a young woman with blonde hair.n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. oh? so they even nerfed paragons? and what the heck? they call this hard? then one option hits me. is it possible that people in our difficulty were nerfed as well? did they weaken lissandra, the champions, paragons, and the emperor? that... is a scary thought. taking a moment, i send perceiving mana as far as i can and when i don''t detect anything other than vermin, i decide to stay here a bit longer and hunt. my way of going about leveling cipher and his skill is to force him to use it and to fight the monsters on his own while i help only when really needed to not take experience from him. yes, that also makes him unable to create water for us as he continues to spend his mana but if he levels up the skill, it should be worth it. an interesting thing is the way the trio of natives looks at him as he uses water to fight the monsters. their eyes are big and excitement is clearly visible in their sporadic movement and their voices as they talk between themselves. cipher noticed it as well and there is a shine in his eyes as the man surely puts his worth even higher. another thing is that goldie and the icy guy wanted to join more direct power-leveling but i quickly refused and they have to look for monsters and hunt on their own. i help them only if it''s really dangerous, a small request from cipher. he sure is a greedy one, isn''t he? he really knows the worth of his skill. i push the annoying feeling to the back of my mind with the help of [focus]. again. i sense isabella moving closer and soon she pulls my sleeve and when i turn to her she hesitates for a second and in the end, only shakes her head and leaves. okay? now then, what should i do to the alghoul that is moving closer to our position? after saying a few words of warning, i jump on the roofs with a small help of boost of kinetic energy and then send a bit more mana into my kinetic mana heart, collecting the kinetic energy it generates. i move towards the monster until it senses me and looks up at me on the roofs. [alghoul - lvl 86] soon enough green flames start glowing around the monster, flames able to corrode mana and regenerate its decaying body parts. i jump down on the street and the monster instantly dashes at me, its flames illuminating the street in sickly green light and the cobblestones under its feet cracking under the pressure. my heart thumps, generating even more energy and i step towards the monster, releasing it all in a thin cone that goes right through its middle, separating its upper and lower body. unsurprisingly, the monster doesn''t even slow down and the upper body continues to move towards me, using only its hands, while the lower body twitches with its legs, trying to move closer. two more heartbeats and i release a cone of dark yellow flame that hits the monster''s head. i continue to generate more energy, turning it into thermal energy, and then powering the flame that continuously roars and slowly starts melting the monster as its green flame slowly loses some of its power. well, not on my watch! traps? pfft, i''ll catch it easily and finally, after a few days, i''ll eat a decent amount of food. others can look, it will make the food taste even better. oh, i could also use thermal energy to try to cook it. a lot of practice is a good amount of practice! so prepare, i create a small mana orb, carefully not to leak a lot of mana, and i make it dense and firm. when we, after a few hours and a few more fights, spot another sparrow, i''m ready. the orb flies at the bird at a speed that is comparable to it. creating a beautiful line of blurred blue mana behind it as it pierces through the air, missing a few houses, and accurately aiming at the sparrow. and it misses. huh? the sparrow lazily shakes its wings and its head turns towards me. it''s too far for me to hear but it opens its beak and lets out some noise. then it gets ready to fly away. are you making fun of me? i stop hiding and 5 more orbs spin around me and then fly at the bird, boosted by [mana surge] and [redistribution]. all of them miss. ... the sparrow then lifts up and flies a bit closer, its tiny black eyes looking right towards me from the distance of a few football stadium fields. you. i release more of my mana and the bird doesn''t move at all, even after feeling it all, i only get confused looks from people with me. the orb i create now is as big as a smaller watermelon and it spins around me, already letting out a whistling noise as it pierces the air, continuously boosted by my skills to higher and higher speed. [armanent - lvl 23 > armanent - lvl 24] [mana surge - lvl 13 > mana surge - lvl 14] the orb is perfectly round and barely visible to the naked eye, instead of it looking like a blue hoop around my waist. with one last push, i release it, swinging it straight towards the animal. the orb obliterates a few broken walls in its way and in a split second reaches the sparrow, missing it by the length of my palm while the sparrow doesn''t move at all. okay. okay! this is getting personal. under the influence of my emotions i feel my [focus] weaken and i change the setting of my mana regulator to give my kinetic mana heart 30% of my mana. then i quickly transform all the energy into propulsion, propelling myself towards where the bird is. Chapter 118: Food chapter 118: food here i am, alone in the desolate city, a noble human on his graceful hunt. only my prey isn''t a powerful beast, a majestic dragon, or a sneaky griffin. no, it''s a goddamn sparrow. a bird not much bigger than the oversized pigeon, and apparently blessed with the agility of biscuit when he is trying to steal some food. i stalk my nemesis with inhuman determination... well, let''s call it a determination of a bulldozer, as i''m currently crashing into walls here and there, unable to fully control my speed. i can''t help but see the irony: a mighty me reduced to a maniac chasing down a bird. yet as i plow through the city and the walls, i think how absurdly ridiculous it all is. but! i can''t give up. at this point this is personal! i swear this little asshole did laugh after i missed the last attack. i swear this sparrow did laugh at me! i''m not crazy. i boost my body more and then push to the side to dodge one of the houses while my [perception] tracks the animal that continues to fly in between houses at dizzying speeds while all the orbs i threw at it miss. surely either something''s confusing my vision, my perception, or some sort of field is redirecting my attacks slightly. in just a short moment after the start, we pass a lot of distance and i''m leaving craters behind me as i continue to pump more and more kinetic energy to propel myself to the point you could call it flying. the bird flies inside the house and i brace myself against the impact as i come crashing inside while sending waves of perception into the surroundings to track it. it flies outside and i follow it only to stop a moment later after the bird out of nowhere doubles its speed to stop a few seconds later, looking back at me. haaaaaaaa. haaaa. i stomp once, releasing all the kinetic energy i hold, making my surroundings crack and sending a shockwave into the street that breaks all the windows and cracks some walls. then i activate mana regulator once more and lower amount of mana going to my kinetic heart.??vl?1n. my return is shameful as i run back through the streets that i bulldozed through while following the sparrow. the houses i hit, and the cobblestones i destroyed. i have lost and somehow i''m sure i feel the bird''s gaze on me as i move back to the group. where is the bird? the icy guy asks the moment i come back only to be poked by cipher who just looks at me and shrugs his shoulders. i already ate it. i say and cipher stops him once more before the man says something else. you are lying! oh no, isabella, please don''t make it worse. you didn''t catch it at all! it ran away! you can''t break a man''s pride like that. that''s just pure evil. i think it only wanted to play with you, nope, it''s just a normal ugly bag. so yeah, i got scammed by the system once more. another thing is cipher. the man is slowly pushing me more and more. he is asking for bigger things, using his water skill as a trade card. at some point i almost feel like just grabbing him by the neck and forcing him to become my personal water dispenser, but i decide against it. yes he is annoying but he is useful too, he is already dealing with the trio of natives, taking care of his group and only asking somewhat reasonable things. he knows the moment i find a better way to get water he is out and probably with a few bruises so he is milking it as much as he can, always careful to not step over the line. so i just push my growing annoyance to the back of my mind. oh, he also keeps using some weird skill. it shows itself by collecting his mana in his eyes. at first, i thought it might be some sort of manipulation skill, maybe hypnosis so i kept my reinforcement construct running and focusing on defense against mental attacks, but later after watching the movement of his mana and the man i think it''s not it. my suspicion is that it''s some skill similar to [perception], collecting information, maybe doing something else. he always uses it when dealing with me so it also might be something similar to isabella''s skills that allows her to know my intentions and partially my feelings. i could try to ask him, even force him to tell me but i find it fun trying to find it out on my own. i stop my thoughts right there, catching a similar mana signature on the edge of my [perception]. not waiting a moment later i grab the girl and jump high into the air and while being high up i push against the air, propelling us even further in a weak imitation of flying. when we reach the place where i felt a signature one word sounds in my mind. (asshole!) goddamnit, you silly dog, how the hell did you get here? biscuit runs towards me, his pink tongue sticking out and his short legs making his body wobble from side to side, the doggo seemingly shaking his butt and it wags its short tail. i ignore isabella''s excited screams and caress the best doggo of the second... of the third floor. he continues to shout in my head and it takes a while for him to calm down and then when i expectantly look at him, his head turns to a group of people, all of them looking similar to the trio of natives we met. there is some fear in their eyes and they look towards me, their eyes ticking in between me and biscuit. what is it, biscuit, your friends? what did this silly dog do this time? (food.) huh? his voice in my head somehow sounds proud and one massive purple tentacle appears from his back pointing at the group of scared people. (food!) he repeats happily. biscuit? Chapter 119: Templar Revenant chapter 119: templar revenant my eyes keep going between the group of people and the doggo that proudly shouts (food) while pointing at them with his tentacle. while i try not to think about what it might mean, isabella continues to pull my sleeve, reminding me that i promised her she could play with biscuit 13 times even though i know for sure that i promised it 12 times and she added one, perhaps thinking that i wouldn''t notice. but enough of that, there''s more important stuff going on! did the little dog hoard a bunch of people to eat them? it certainly looks like it, but the longer i observe them, the more i notice that they are not scared of him at all. and damn it, you would be scared if there was some dog herding you like a sheep and using you as food! biscuit, you will give me a heart attack one day! i grab him and lift him up, his hind legs dangling. he still looks like he''s smiling as he stares at me while slowly blinking. i shake him slightly and he only woofs at me, seemingly enjoying it. you silly creature. i sigh and put him on the ground, finally turning to the people. "what''s your relationship with him," i ask simply while pointing at biscuit who stays by my side. how can a dog look so proud? finally, a woman steps in front of the others, seemingly a bit calmer now, "are you also under the protection of the divine beast?" ehm. what? biscuit? what did you do? so it goes like this. biscuit, alone and desperate for more food, appeared on the third floor, separated from lily whom he was protecting for me. so he started looking around, not finding anyone from us and not finding any food - this is the part she didn''t tell me, but i think it was like this, but it continues. one day he found them, surrounded by a bunch of monsters, after their hideout lost its ability to hide, probably damaged without them realizing. unsurprisingly, the best doggo of the third floor helped them. he heroically smashed them with dozens of mana tentacles. the group at that point expected to die, being a prize for the great doggo after it destroyed them, but the doggo only said one thing. (food) so they understood, they remembered the legends from their parents. the legends about divine beasts that helped people, always in exchange for something. some beasts asked for mana, others asked for enchanted items, some maybe asked for sacrifice in form of living beings. biscuit asked for food. so they gave it to him, a pigeon they had hunted with the help of their ancient trap. the divine beast - biscuit was very happy with that and since then they took him as their protector. the beast protecting them in exchange for food. they said that he even defeated an weaker alghoul on his own and i''m just listening to all of it, stupefied. are they making fun of me? are they trolling me? they don''t seem to be, and even little isabella confirms it, already kneeling and hugging biscuit who licks her face once in a while, making the girl laugh out loudly from happiness. very quickly, mana is already flowing through my body when i turn to isabella and biscuit, be careful, this time a few stronger ones might pass by me. not waiting for their answer, i jump on the roof of the house only to move towards the presence i felt. did they follow biscuit''s group? are we now so much easier to detect and even without me noticing and because we are a bigger group now? i allow a bigger flow of mana towards my kinetic mana heart and the energy starts flowing through my body, strengthening its endurance as i prepare it for a fight and for bigger flows of kinetic energy. the monster appears, alone. [templar revenant - lvl ?] i can feel its named monster as it moves towards me, ancient-looking armor covering its body and creaking with every step it takes, and under it, a deceased body and bones that move it. it''s strong, i can feel that. the armor on its body starts glowing and a sword made of mana appears in its hand and to my surprise, the monster takes a battle stance, holding the sword in front of it, the tip pointing right towards me with wisps of greenish mana flowing around the blade. yeah, nope, thank you, that doesn''t look nice, this time i''ll be skipping close quarter combat, my body is a mess you know. still, i create armor around my body and continue to track the monster with my [perception] only. i also create two small shields made out of my mana that float around me while i use my mana regulator to pump more mana into the kinetic heart, now then, let''s start with some ranged thermal attack. the monster moves at the same time i start transferring kinetic energy into thermal one and takes a single step towards me, sending a massive wave of mana into the surrounding. the mana reaches me in a split second, surrounding the roof where i am and my body. at that moment my hold over mana stumbles and the transfer of kinetic energy into thermal stops, sending a wave of pain through my body from the shock, even the armor flickers. even before going through all of that, i immediately jump backwards and start running away, for a moment unable to use any skills and barely controlling my mana. the roof behind me explodes and from the dust, templar revenant steps out, and after few seconds sends another wave of mana at me, a wave of mana so similar to [disruption] yet weirdly different. the activation of my skill fails again and one of the shields hovering around me disappears as i lose hold over my [armament] creation. the monster''s eyes are glowing as it stands there and lifts its sword made of green mana high into the air, the tip pointing towards the sky. my mana activates at the same time as the monster''s and i push against the skills only to get overwhelmed for a moment and mana that i keep using to strengthen my battered and wounded body disappears for a second and the pain goes through me, a sharp reminder of my previous battles. as if feeling it the monster''s head looks towards me, barely a skull and some flesh under the helmet that sometimes could be considered beautiful and elegant. few more second pass and another attack containing weirdly disruptive mana reaches me, again targeting my mana strengthening my body. is this targeting that on purpose? Chapter 120: Hunted chapter 120: hunted okay, i knew one day i''d have to pay for my excessive reliance on mana and ignoring physical stats as much as possible. i jump from the roof and barely absorb the energy of my fall, trying to use it to propel myself. the skill fails, and i continue to run on my two legs, hearing the monster crash on the ground behind me. i grab hold of my mana and focus more, finally able to boost my body for half of a second before losing control over mana. but even that is something, and i create some distance between me and the monster.??vl?1n. i feel another wave targeting me and roll to the side, collecting a few more bruises but partially dodging the skill. this propels me further ahead, again avoiding the monster. the entire time i continue to try to enter [focus] as deeply as i can. the skill at least partially ignores the monster''s skill, and my [mana manipulation] keeps on running. thankfully, my constructs are still up and running unaffected by the monster and keeping 30% of my mana used for reinforcement and another 20% for the kinetic heart. the problem is that my heart keeps generating kinetic energy that is currently hard to deal with. but even in the situation i''m in, i stay calm. i always expected something like this to happen, so it''s not like i didn''t practice. before the monster''s mana reaches me again, i propel myself as far ahead as i can and then use all the energy my heart generated to propel myself even further, flying through the air and then crashing through the roof. here, far enough from the monster, i stop and force myself to calm down more. deep breath. hold. breathe out. i reach out inside my body and towards my mana. i grab it, i force it to move and to stay inside my body. i flow it through my circuits and my pathways. my heart beats wildly, each thump sending mana through my body and kinetic energy too. i deepen my connection with my mana thanks to my passive cerebral harmony and then [focus] on it. when the monster''s skill reaches me again, it crashes against my natural protective barrier that usually doesn''t allow others to mess with the mana inside other people''s bodies. i strengthen it and push against the attack, decoding how the attack moves, what it does, how it disrupts my skills. i pump even more of my mana outside of my body, even to the point of turning off the reinforcement construct, and the entirety of it flares up, stopping the attack at the same moment the monster comes crashing down through the roof and swinging its sword at me. at that moment, i release all the kinetic energy created by my heart and the house we are standing in explodes in a wave of energy with me in the center that even throws the revenant far away and crashing against another house. i quickly regulate the mana going to my kinetic mana heart and activate my reinforcement again before dashing away from it while forcing myself to ignore the state my body is in. [mana manipulation - lvl 29 > mana manipulation - lvl 31] [focus - lvl 29 > focus - lvl 30] [mana surge - lvl 14 > mana surge - lvl 16] who knew that bottlenecks are so easy to break through? simple, isn''t it? you just need two question mark monsters going after you like and push your body and brain to the point they break. easy. i continue to run and push towards where i think the middle of the city is located. partially because of the hope that it''s as natives said, and there is some sort of healing aura in the air the closer you are to the king and his saint. another hope is that i''ll meet someone else from our group 4. i also don''t lie to myself anymore as to why i didn''t bring two monsters back to isabella and biscuit. one monster should be okay, i would be able to protect them, but two? i don''t care too much about cipher and others - i don''t even know them and mostly used them for water, but biscuit and isabella? they kind of grew on me even in such a short time, i can''t let them die because of this two jerks. so yeah, it''s up to me. i dodge under another swing with the dagger and propel myself to the side, partially dodging the templar revenant''s attack, but still, it disrupts my skill, and i barely use a short impulse of my mana through my body to strengthen myself and dodge another stab of the dagger. the rogue revenant is quick, its reach is longer than expected - proof of that being a stab wound in my left arm that i turned towards it, rather wounding the still broken arm even further than injuring my right one. my heart beats once, and i throw all kinetic energy against the revenant, throwing it against the side of the house, and as a few times before, the monsters slow down in the air and nearly elegantly land with its legs against the wall, immediately jumping towards me. another short burst of mana and i jump high in the air, grabbing the edge of the roof with my right arm and pulling myself up only to roll to the side, but the disruptive mana still hits me, and the pain washes through my body again, making me fall to my knees. with my teeth clenched, i send another wave of mana inside my body and start running and jumping from roof to roof, already feeling both of the monsters following me. a disruptive wave of mana reaches me, and i rouse my mana as much as i can in my current state and [focus] on my control over it. it''s my goddamn mana! you won''t take it away from me! not caring about it at all, my control over mana disappears once again, and all the mana i collected inside my body goes wild once again, hurting me even more before disruption disappears, then i grab control over it again, using it to put more distance between me and the revenants that continue to track me hungrily. Chapter 121: Mage Hunters chapter 121: mage hunters it''s been already a few hours, and while running and avoiding the revenants'' attacks, i was able to level up once by burning a group of rottenfang vermin. i invested the gained stat points into constitution. hey, it''s something, isn''t it? but at the state i''m in, it feels like pouring a glass of water and hoping to save your house from burning down. i''ll die if this continues much longer. that''s something i can say with certainty. if i don''t find lily or if there won''t be a healing aura, i''ll die even if i get rid of the templar revenant that blocks me from strengthening my body. my body is just that ruined. broken bones, bloodied left arm, a few stab and slash wounds from the rogue revenant. pathways, muscles, and insides ruined by my creation of constructs and by my careless use of kinetic mana heart. the state i''m in won''t disappear after i rest for few hours. strengthening my body to ignore it won''t heal it either. so what is the solution? obviously, it''s more abuse. more mana flows inside my body, and i loosen my regulators, getting more energy out of my heart, and i seemingly carelessly handle bursts of mana that flow through my body. if i have to die, i won''t go down like a slowly dying candle. i''ll burn like a wildfire. the speed i''m moving at is now even quicker than ever before. i propel myself, i boost my legs to dash fast, while in the air i propel myself once more, my seemingly bottomless mana easily handling all of it. once in a while, a disruptive skill hits me, and a few times i crash down to the ground, barely strengthening my body against the impacts or absorbing energy from my fall, only to push myself again up and running. the two monsters continue to track me with ease and even after i put some distance between us. every time i stagger and slow down, they are there punishing me with a few more wounds or by making my mana clash inside my body. but i''m improving. while i push my body to the point of breaking, my skills break through as well. i [focus] as much as never before. turning the world around me into black and white colors where only mana shines brilliantly. [focus - lvl 30 > focus - lvl 31] i grab my mana every time the templar revenant disrupts it and i force it under my control, reducing the impact it has on my body. i also continue to try to fight against the monster''s skill. [mana manipulation - lvl 31 > mana manipulation - lvl 32] i keep boosting mana inside my body, making it flow faster and stronger to do as much as possible in the time when the templar revenant''s skill isn''t affecting me. [mana surge - lvl 16 > mana surge - lvl 18] how much blood does a human have? and how much of it can i ignore with my now inhumanly strong body when compared to a normal human? also, i''m tired, so tired. while running and jumping from roof to roof, avoiding two jerks hunting me and killing some monsters once in a while, i keep wanting to just sit there and give up. everything would be better than this, wouldn''t it? i just need to stop for a bit and it will all stop, i did enough. yup, such and similar nonsense goes through my head. but who am i? why would i give up now? i didn''t even reach my goal, i didn''t even see what there is to see. there is so much more to do. so yeah, i better get my act together and stop sobbing. just push through like you always did, filter out useless thoughts and focus. and keep going. i leveled up one more time and invested my stats into dexterity for the first time. as expected, it didn''t help much, but i tried it. i also tried to kill the templar revenant one more time, this time again the rogue swapped place with him using some sort of skill to do so. i partially expected it and still wasn''t able to finish the guy. my reward is one more wound. then i finished another side quest:kill 600 enemies i ate the little food i got and drank the water and as a reward, i picked a javelin, thinking that a physical weapon might work. i did throw it with the full power of my body and boosted it with [redistribution]. the weapon broke against the templar revenant''s armor. the system did not disappoint. the common rarity weapon was as bad as expected. and these two, don''t they have anything better to do? just leave and go hunt sophie or something. now i''m also curious how the heck are others alive when there are jerks like these two around. so yeah, just go and hunt others. but don''t worry, after i become a bit stronger i''ll come back and destroy you. oh, i will totally not let this go. unsurprisingly, the duo continues to go after me and even after stretching my [perception] as far as possible, i don''t feel others. the only thing that changes are the houses that become nicer and nicer, some of them now even with walls dyed in colors and there are no roads made from dirt anymore. all are made with cobblestones and i''m not sure, but i think i see a higher tower far in the distance. it''s hard to say if there is some ambient healing aura but that''s it, as i pass and notice a few marks that point towards the hideout the natives told us how to identify, i decide to finally risk it. mana floods my body and for the last time, i turn and dash towards the annoying duo so used to hunting mages.n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. Chapter 122: Saved? chapter 122: saved? this time all my attention is on the rogue revenant and oscillating mana appears around my hand as i let the monster reach me. i''m slow, my body barely boosted, as i only focus on enduring the disruptive skill of the templar and it does come. with the help of [focus] and [mana manipulation], i''m able to endure it and barely dodge a stab against me. at the same time i too, attack, my hand aiming right at the monster''s body. four seconds until the templar disrupts my mana again. the rogue dodges by tilting but i send a short burst of mana through my body, taking a small step back and barely avoiding another stab at me. i twist my upper body and dodge a kick aimed at my chest. the monster is faster than me, but i continue to look through its attacks while the templar, who is much slower, is getting closer. three seconds remaining. the oscillation flares up more and i kick at the monster, to which it dodges slightly to the side, stabbing towards my face. i tilt my body, letting the dagger slightly graze the side of my neck. what is another small wound at this point? two seconds remaining. i send another burst of mana through my body and this time i feign my attack, making the monster dodge to the side. only then do i use another short burst to change the direction and slash against its neck. seeing that it won''t be able to dodge, i feel the monster collect the mana, wanting to swap the place with the templar. one second. [disruption] tears apart the skill and my hand separates the monster''s head from its body in exchange for one more wound on my left arm that uselessly hangs along my body. my heart beats once and with the force of my will, i send a shockwave of kinetic energy towards the templar, throwing him away from me, only to be immediately hit by a disruptive skill that makes me lose my strengthening for a moment and the pain i''m used to so much again hits me. but this time i do not run. two more heartbeats and another cone of kinetic energy hit the templar, barely causing some damage, only denting its armor. the monster seemingly slashes through the attack. i grab one of the rogue''s daggers from the ground and i send my mana through it, making it oscillate along the blade. the templar reaches me and sends another wave of disruptive energy at me and i throw the dagger towards the monster. the skill targets the dagger and disrupts the mana on it instead of hitting me, which makes the monster tilt its head in a surprised motion. got you. this time my [disruption] hits the monster and its armor loses its glow to my extreme pleasure. how does it feel? two more heartbeats later, i release all the kinetic energy and the monster''s head explodes. notification about the kill sounds and a long, shaky breath escapes my mouth as i lean against the chimney. with closed eyes, i regulate the mana going into my kinetic mana heart and continue to use it as much as i''m able to increase my endurance. n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. as i cautiously approach the edge of the roof, i lose my balance. while falling down i absorb the inertia of my body, yet i still collapse onto the ground, landing hard on my knees. but i force myself up and get to the spot where i saw the marks and start tracking them to the hideout. interesting, i should be able to create longer-lasting mana creations in the future so this could be interesting to work with. ... a few seconds later, the pain hits my body and i realize that i dozed off and the symbiotic transference stopped working. i quickly shake my head and burrow my nails inside my closed palm to force myself to stay awake. this is dangerous, in the future i''ll have to try to create a construct that would keep using energy from the kinetic mana heart and turn it into endurance. or i could stop being a dumbass for once and pick a passive, trait, or something that would increase my endurance or regeneration, that would be nice. when i try to open the community i''m unable to do so. it''s getting harder to focus on anything other than keeping the symbiotic transference running and i even had to reduce the amount of mana kinetic mana heart is getting as i start being unable to control even the smaller amounts that i did use up until now. it''s getting colder and through blurred vision, i watch my right arm shaking, my mouth filled with the rusty taste of blood. of my own blood. the hideout feels empty, dark, and cold. just a small, dirty room somewhere in abandoned parts of a massive city on the third floor of the tutorial. so that''s it? is this the end? if it is, it''s a pretty shitty one. with my eyes closed, i let the image of lissandra show in my head. the most powerful person i''ve met up until now. not only when it comes to raw power. she easily had the strongest will out of anyone i''ve met up until now in my life. and for that only, she was beautiful. remembering her last moments, i get on my feet and stand up. i''d rather die outside, than here in this damp room. mana starts moving around my body as i open the door, sending a wave of [perception] as far as i can and feeling three presences. nice, they feel strong, dying to some random rat would feel terrible. i take a step outside of the hideout and then everything becomes black. when i open my eyes the first thing i see is the ceiling of the hideout i tried to leave and some blurred face in front of me. i just notice the black hair. huh? lily? goddamn girl, i love you. but as i start checking my body i realize that the mana that flows through it isn''t the warm mana that lily uses. it''s different and it somewhat strengthens my body in a similar way my skills do, it also calms down my mana and stops it from going wild. the person doing it is very skilled, that much i can tell. i force myself to blink multiple times my vision gradually focusing and the face in front of me unblurring. and here i slowly recognize sophie. she is saying something while stopping my mana from going wild and strengthening my body. before i realize what i''m doing, i swing my hand and punch her right in the middle of her face, sending her backward with a bleeding and broken nose. Chapter 123: You owe me chapter 123: you owe me "what the fuck!" sophie screams at me, already getting on her feet and holding her broken nose, blood flowing down her fingers. "you asshole!" "great to hear that from you, mind blender bitch," i hiss and try to stand up, only to be sent back on my ass and having to deal with my mana and strengthening my body instead of what probably sophie did up until now. "mind blender? are you dumb?" mana flares up around her and a second later a short burst of electricity hits her, causing her to twitch like she''s hit by a taser. only then do i notice tess sitting in the corner of the room, carefully watching us. "don''t do this sophie," she says to the brunette and then turns to me, "hello nathaniel, long time no see." "hey," finally some friendly face, but not having the energy to talk more, i put it all into keeping myself alive. huh, maybe sophie was doing something useful. can she continue? i look at her angry eyes and broken nose and the first thing i want to do is to hit her again and then ask her to help out a bit more. should i risk it and ask? "sophie, can you help nathaniel again?" tess says instead of me. "after he punched me straight in my face? goddamn tess, he broke my nose," her voice is slightly muffled as she says so, "and how the hell is he even moving in such a state? he should be long dead and yet he had enough energy to boost his movement with mana and punch me!" "nathaniel is in a very... bad state, i believe he wouldn''t do that normally, right nathaniel?" "i would." "..." tess pauses, "you are not helping much. can you [focus]?" "i am the entire time." tess only shakes her head and turns to sophie, "you owe him, soph, he did keep your sister alive, you know that, so stop complaining and help him too. lily will heal your nose." that finally makes sophie stop and with one hand still holding her nose, she steps closer, carefully, as if expecting me to hit her again. and she is right, it''s totally something i would like to do now. "goddamn, tess, do you see him now? he wants to punch me again." "he won''t, but if he tries to i''ll zap him," tess says shortly and turns to me, her eyes serious, "because it would be all for his own good." her words hang in the air and i just sigh and lean back, closing my eyes and feeling sophie''s hand touch me again. i boost my reinforcement and [focus] and start examining my body, looking for some sort of mental fuckery she could do to me, but there is nothing, not a single whiff of her mana near my brain or anywhere close. instead, i feel her infuse me with her mana and that mana goes near my wounds and muscles, keeping them strengthened and closed. it''s not healing them, but it''s helping me to endure and making the wounds smaller by stretching them, making them easier to heal. she also uses what i guess is her [manipulation] to calm down my mana. she can do that only after i allow her to do so, which i reluctantly do, yet still carefully watch her. the brunette just turns to me, annoyance on her face, "i will, tess so stay quiet so i can focus, okay?" she then takes her hand off her face, revealing a broken nose, and wipes her bloodied hand into what remains of nathaniel''s shirt, a tiny smirk flashing before she gets back to work, droplets of sweat appearing on her forehead soon after from the strain it puts on her. "any news in the community?" i ask as i turn to aaron and he just shakes his head. "only lily wanted to rush here even though the storm is outside," he says. "i always said it, that girl is stupid!" the voice that says that is nathaniel''s, and all of us turn to him with shock. "nat, why are you not sleeping?" even i''m surprised by a hint of annoyance in my voice. "i wanted to check if mind blender missy won''t try something right after i fall asleep!" he then turns to sophie that still keeps her hand on him, "and i did not experiment on myself. it''s all precisely calculated magical surgery! i did a lot of testing!" "tess, can you zap him?" sophie asks. in the end, i didn''t get zapped and fell asleep even without tess''s help. one part of me wants to get angry at her but the other one totally understands her and realizes that she would totally do that - for my own good. and what the heck is this piece of iron that permanently hovers near her? it''s of a similar shape to a javelin and knowing a bit about her skills i can easily imagine how much damage it can deal. she is currently scouting outside with aaron and i''m left behind inside the hideout. well, i''m not alone. "so you didn''t find the mana stone i left behind?" i ask one more time. "how the hell do you expect us to find a mana signature so small? you are lucky you left the hideout for a bit and i sensed your mind," the one to answer is sophie and i just stare at her for a bit. i''m prejudiced so that''s why every word she says somehow pisses me off? "huh, you want to punch me again, don''t you? i can see it in your eyes," she quickly adds. "yes, i want to." i agree easily. she smiles at me, her hand still touching my shoulder and helping me to strengthen my body with the help of her [mana infusion], "you helped my sister so i''ll let it pass, i''ll even forget about the punch. as i said before, i owe you a lot. but," her eyes become sharp as she looks at me, "do not push it." i see so even she changed a little bit within the tutorial. "sophie," i decide to be direct, "let''s not act dumb, okay? i''m sure at this point you do realize that you did mess up things or two with my memories on the first floor," an emotion appears on her face for the tiniest split of a second, something i identify as regret, "it will be me who will decide how much you owe me." my voice sounds sharp even to myself. i make sure she is looking into my eyes and wait. i allow her to push a bit of her mana into my body and she uses it in what i guess is a similar way isabella''s skill that feels the intentions of other people works. i let her feel all my emotions. she then doesn''t say anything and the silence once again fills out the room. but even that is good enough as an answer for me. Chapter 124: New Skill chapter 124: new skill [manipulation]? get away from me with that crap! i want [mana infusion]!n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. as we awkwardly sit there with sophie touching my hand and infusing my body with mana, i continue to observe it, and the more i watch, the more i like her [mana infusion]. she is directly infusing my muscles and organs with mana and then, with the help of her [manipulation], makes them stronger. can something like that even be seen as manipulating something? i don''t know. i just know she can infuse my muscles and organs with mana. when i''m strengthening my body, it''s more like i''m coating muscles with mana, some kind of power suit or layer if you will. but! if i learn her skill, i''ll be able to infuse them directly with mana, and as more time passes, i should be able to learn to permanently infuse, and change them instead of just temporarily quasi-strengthening them. wait a moment, does that mean i can remake my body to be mostly made from mana sometime far in the future? oh boy, let''s rather not think about it, that sounds too far even to me. step after step! and being as irreparable as i am, i''m already thinking that it might allow me to circumvent the system and strengthen my body without needing to put stats into it. sure, i''m doing something similar with reinforcement construct and symbiotic transference, but they can be canceled, i need to permanently increase my stats. huhuh. i''m stupid, am i not? well, i''ll think about it. future problems for future nathaniel, screw that jerk! now then, how did she infuse her mana inside my muscles and organs? how is it possible that this skill allows her to partially ignore bodies'' natural resistance against external mana? did she move it like this? "what are you doing? annoyance is noticeable in her voice. "i''m testing something, can you try to infuse my right hand with your mana for a while?" i ask and she does so with a sigh. and i watch the movement of her mana, movement of my mana. how it passes through my skin, and how it reacts when touching my mana. there is a hint of [mana manipulation] in this skill. i stop strengthening my body and leave it up to sophie and pull all of my [focus] into observing her skill, ignoring slowly ramping up pain and the state of my body. i ask her multiple times to do some changes, to try it on my shoulder, to use more mana, to use less mana, move it faster, move it slower. i ask her to try doing it while i defend myself, and i ask her to observe my tries. to be honest, i was a little bit worried that others might be a little weak. yes, i know, i know. there is no way tess would be weak, yet there was still this small hint of worry. and now as i gracefully jump from roof to roof together with others, i watch her obliterate monsters. the weaker ones are dealt with by her lightning attacks that she sometimes imbues into pieces of stone from the houses around and throws at the monsters. it looks like she needs something to imbue them into for longer-ranged lightning attacks. as for stronger monsters? i barely get a chance to see them. tess has a skill called [farsight] so she sees them sooner than i can perceive them, and in these cases, the spar that she told me is of uncommon rarity, flies into her hand to be imbued with white and red lightning and thrown by her and further boosted by her [psychokinesis]. the spear is flying so far it''s hard to track with eyes only and leaves behind itself a trail of white and red light only to usually obliterate the monster it hits. a few gargoyles flying in the air die like this, and even i''m impressed by her accuracy the only problem is that she often has to move a bit closer to get the weapon back, so she only uses it on the monsters she can''t finish with material that is around. aaron is really fast and with a skill that confuses the monsters he sneaks on them to stab them a few times before repeating it. really annoying fighting style. as for sophie? she is controlling all the weaker monsters, mostly rottenfang vermin, and there are already a few dozen of them. without hesitation, they fight as she wills them to do so. what i also noticed is that she is infusing them with her mana with [mana infusion]. she first connects and manipulates them with [manipulation] and then through that link, she sends her mana to them, to boost their physical capabilities by a tiny bit. i could take them on. yup, i''m totally sure i would win in a 1v3. i just can''t help myself and have such thoughts. it''s fun to theorize, so i''m already planning the fight in my head as we move towards the other group that we told to stay in the hideout. it''s confirmed that the bigger the group, the stronger the monsters appear so we don''t want them to move around with so many people. we can do that after we regroup. now that i think about it, we only miss hadwin, maya, and dennis and the band is back together? dang it, so many people, but hey, hadwin will take care of it, we have a deal right? and as for me, i can go hunting, this time maybe even with tess. the same as on the first floor - good old times. it takes us quite some time and it''s not because of slow me, yup, totally not because of me. bad weather or something. but when we get there the others clear out the surrounding area and sophie releases her hold on the rats they then quickly kill them and i gracefully let them without trying to kill steal from them. after making sure we are alone we enter the hideout that is bigger than the ones before and located under one of the houses, a massive underground area, looking more like a cave than a cellar. there are a few mana stones imbued here and there leaking a little bit of yellowish light. the hideout, as ever before, is covered in an intricate web of mana that i''m still unable to fully comprehend. but before i have more time to observe it i hear a happy scream that i identify as lily and a petite black-haired girl comes running towards us with a big smile on her face. i notice that she is still missing her arm under her elbow. her eyes land on me and her smile becomes a bit less cheery and with every step she takes towards me it becomes less and less of a smile. when she finally stops in front of me, the smile is gone from her face. Chapter 125: Sharing pain together chapter 125: sharing pain together she then doesn''t say anything and only stares at me. the others are already gone and now there is only this girl, a head and something shorter than me. her small face is framed by black hair and a tiny nose rests in the middle of it. ehm? please say something. she does not. her eyes are piercing me as she grabs my left hand, the one she sacrificed her own left arm to restore. it''s still pale, hairless, and both wounded all over. without uttering a word, she sends her mana inside it. that warm mana of hers, feeling like a nice breeze in the hot summer. my arm starts itching immediately and i can feel it healing bit by bit along with my body. finally, she lowers her gaze and focuses a bit more on what she does, and i breathe out in relief. it takes 10 more minutes and lily stops only when she is totally out of mana, even i can feel that. there is barely any mana left in her body. the mana she could use to continue to restore her left arm. when she looks up at me her bangs are sticking to her forehead that is wet from the effort she put in. and it was worth it, my body is better now. not nearly close to being fully healed but i don''t feel like i''ll drop dead the second i stop focusing on my skills. you are so stupid, she says. the heck?! you are stupid, i say in defense. who is more stupid? someone that fights to survive or someone that sacrifices their own arm? yeah, i thought so. stupid girl. you are stupid or i will not heal you anymore, she says sharply. i''m stupid, i say. louder. i am stupid! i say loud enough so everyone in the room can hear it and the girl finally smiles at me. a small, tired smile. her petite body moves and she gives me a short hug and then she leaves, running back to the others. silly girl. this is the first time i see sophie cry as she hugs and holds isabella, constantly apologizing to her. the little girl cries too and both sisters then spend another hour sitting in the corner whispering something to each other, still in a hug. after a while, sophie stands up and comes up to me, her eyes still slightly red and her nose bloodied and still broken as lily is out of mana. she opens her mouth to say something and then pauses, going with a shorter version i owe you, she says simply, to which i only nod shortly. she then leaves to rejoin isabella who smiles and waves at me, holding poor biscuit in her arms. the best doggo on the third floor already gave up on his fate and just lays there, to be used as a toy by a little girl. well, that was unexpected, says tess, who is sitting near me, her javelin resting against the wall behind her. kind of? but yeah, i still don''t trust her. still, be careful around her, i say to her and tess nods to that. obviously, i''ll be, her eyes then check my state again and she asks, how long do you think it will take you to heal? around two days if lily only heals me and every time she gets some mana back? but you shouldn''t wait for me. go out and hunt, natives have some trap that they use to catch sparrows, they also know where to find a bit of water. a jerk named cipher will tell you more, he did spend some time with them. i continue to tell all the info i collected up until now and she listens carefully, only here and there asking a few questions.n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. i''ll try to hunt these sparrows with my skills, maybe my ranged attacks will be able to do it, as she says so, i can hear some hint of pride she has in her own skill. yet, remembering the sparrow i tried to hunt, i can''t help but smirk inside. she will be so surprised. yeah, you can try that. it might work with you, i say out loud. suffer, suffer the same way i did. be beaten to the pulp by pigeon-sized sparrows and then come back, ashamed and with a broken spirit. strength: 25 dexterity: 27 constitution: 86 mana: 265 [primary class:mana channeler] [sub-class:unavailable] active skills: focus (dual focus) - lvl 31 mana manipulation (advanced mana manipulation) - lvl 32 perception - lvl 25 oscillation - lvl 23 redistribution (symbiotic transference) - lvl 22 armament - lvl 27 mana surge - lvl 18 disruption - lvl 18 mana infusion - lvl 8 constructs: reinforcement (construct) kinetic mana heart (construct) mana regulator (construct) passive skills: mana flow (rare) cerebral harmony (rare) [upgrade token:1] [difficulty change token:1] my first goal is to finally reach level 100 and finish the side quest that will reward me with a body upgrade token. the next step is to get [armament] to level 30 and complete the second side quest that will reward me with a skill upgrade token. i also need to level up lily a bit and my body is already itching to finally test out my new construct. there is so much to do. savant (hell, alone) -hey noname, guess who is already level 100? Chapter 126: The Sparrow Hunter 1000 chapter 126: the sparrow hunter 1000 hadwin (hell, group 4) - i think we are closer to the middle of the city than you guys, so we will wait here. don''t forget, there is a massive area that is covered in a poisonous cloud but you can pick an air purifier from side quest rewards. we found a few uncommon gear parts inside such a cloud. sset (hell, group 4) -understood, in a day or two we will start moving. but first, we will need to get our teamwork together and decide what to do with the natives. hadwin (hell, group 4) -sounds good, take care. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -hey, hadwin, did you guys find ligma? hadwin (hell, group 4) -huh, i don''t think so? what''s ligma? brainiac (hell, whitewing) -ligma ba... i turn off the community before brainiac finishes his sentence and take in a deep breath. goddamnit, i despise that annoying hideout. also, super thank you, lily, my body feels like new! well, it''s weakened because of how hungry i''m getting and there''s not much water, but hey, i''m still alive so there is at least something positive. same as before? tess asks while her javelin hovers behind her back. there are currently only two of us and the main goal is to level up as much as possible. as during the good old times on the first floor. sounds good, there is no need to say more, and finally, without feeling like my body is about to break apart, i send mana through it and start sending some of it to the kinetic heart, immediately using the energy i get to strengthen my body even further and to use it to propel myself ahead.??vl?1n. i jump from roof to roof, feeling the air hitting my body and i fly through the air i can''t help but feel happy, and just for the fun of it, i release a massive wave of kinetic energy, breaking the roof i''m on and flying high in the air where i pause for a second, taking in the view before falling down and continuing to run. the first monster tess finds and points me towards is gargoyle. a flying kind that is able to strengthen their bodies. so to test it out i release the kinetic mana heart a bit more and turn all the kinetic energy it produces into strengthening my body. i increase my endurance and speed, the result showing immediately as i dash at the speed of someone with a much higher stat in physical attributes. not even hesitating i jump only with the strength of my body and mana and fly through the air reaching the gargoyle immediately and grabbing its neck only to pull it down towards the ground with me. this time i do not absorb the energy of my fall and only increase my energy further as my heart beats and sends waves through my body. we crash through the side of one roof and fall on the street, the monster immediately attacking me. but there is no damage and i even take some energy from its swings to strengthen my body even further. the gargoyle continues to try to hit me, to try to break my arm, to scratch me. even without using [armament], it doesn''t hurt me with normal attacks. the street becomes destroyed, obliterated by the rain of mana arrows, yet the monster still lives. greenish flames flow all over its broken body that starts to mend. oh, i''m not done yet. for the next ten seconds, i continue to boost dozens, hundreds of mana arrows towards the monster, destroying the street even further and then finally overwhelming its healing capabilities. [you have defeated an alghoul - lvl 84] next to attack is another battle gargoyle and this time i try something different. mana flows from my body only to start forming into a shape of a javelin that is as long as my body and hovers to my right. i send more and more mana to it, making it denser and its color becomes a darker shade of blue. this time even my [mana surge] activates and i give it as much kinetic energy as i can and shoot it at the monster that is on one of the roofs. the javelin misses but then it just continues to fly and pierces through what seems like at least five houses then hits the ground and stab itself so deep only a little part is sticking out. and only then it starts to slowly dissipate, the weapon dense enough to endure this all. did you see that, tess?! my sparrow hunter 1000 is ready! the young blonde woman doesn''t seem to be too impressed and her javelin flies too, followed by a train of lightning that accurately pierces through the chest of the gargoyle and a burst of lightning flows from it, frying the monster that falls down dead. show off. we spend the entire day hunting the monsters and slowly they start appearing stronger with even some named ones in between them. i once again finish the side quest and immediately drink the water and eat the little food i get, as the second reward i pick warm clothes again that i immediately put on myself. to complete the side quest again i need to kill 700 enemies, the system being true to its assholish tendencies. but i do not despair. the reward for all this hunting is 5 levels and one level in [armament] and surprisingly even in [mana infusion] both skills work really nicely together and the skill i learned from sophie allows me to push my mana creations even further and infuse them with more mana and faster. something i didn''t think of but now when i use it it makes a lot of sense. so with 4 levels missing to 100 and 2 levels missing to getting [armament] to level 30, we return back to the hideout as it''s already darkening outside. but that''s not all. i''ll take some rest, i''ll drink some water and eat some food they got as the leech i am and then i will go outside and hunt. i''ll go and see what lurks around during the night. screw savant''s level 100. Chapter 127: Into the night chapter 127: into the night first, i make sure lily gets some water and food; she seems really thin. well, all of us have lost some weight. the interesting thing is that if we went through this back on earth, most of us would be done by now. it shows that even without the usage of skills and just by having mana and increased stats, our bodies started to change. at what point do we stop being able to call ourselves humans? i do not know, but to be honest, i don''t care that much. i am me, and i''ll stay me. if i decide to change, it will be my decision, and i do not care much about what others will call me. another thing is biscuit. i like him, i really do. the doggo might be silly, but he is surprisingly smart and gentle with all of us. maybe not everything is lost when animal archmages take over. biscuit might protect us, remembering the bits of food we gave him back on the first floor. still, does he really have to use eight massive mana arms to move, using them instead of his legs that hang in the air? he looks like a massive spider with the body of a pottymouthed telepathic corgi. it creeps me out, so i use [disruption] to cancel this abomination. i don''t put much effort into it and only send a wave of disruptive mana towards him. the corgi resists. "..." what? the heck?! he glances at me with a cheeky look in his eyes. he is laughing at me, is he not? he is totally making fun of me! i send another wave of disruptive mana towards him, and finally, the eight arms made of mana disappear, and the corgi plops down on his short legs and woofs at me. i succeeded, but i know it''s only the beginning of the end. the corgi has already started to learn how to fight against [disruption]. what have i done? after booping biscuit''s snout like five times C i gotta enjoy it while i''m stronger C i join isabella and sophie. i just nod at sophie, but the little girl gives me a small, short hug and then sits down, smiling at me. "you were totally right! doggo''s snout is amazing to boop!" her face glows as she says so. "i told you! also, you should try to gently pull his whiskers; he then woofs softly. but only do it two times; after that, he becomes super annoyed." i tell her. isabella giggles. "i''ll do that!" out of all of us, little isabella lost the least weight, and i lost the most, even though i probably finished off the most monsters. hmm, is there any correlation? "who are you?" sophie asks with a weird look on her face. so rude, but anyway, i wanted something. "do you still want to go out?" tess asks. "lily will be angry." "it''s fine. it''s easier to beg for forgiveness than to get permission." and what is she? my mom? i''m not scared of her. but seriously, i hope she won''t refuse to heal me. "i''ll go with you," tess adds simply, and one look at her tells me enough that she did think it through and knows how dangerous it might be. well, who am i to refuse? tess is her own person, and she should be able to hold her own out there. i already saw it multiple times. "sounds good," i answer, and this time, it''s her who nods. now then, back to experimenting. i still should have around one hour left. it''s dark, and we can barely see anything. the wind continues to pummel against our bodies and to be honest, it''s stronger than i expected it to be, to the point that it surprises me that it doesn''t destroy some of the buildings. i already have my [perception] running as a replacement for my sight, but what about tess? is she even able to see with her [farsight]? when i turn to her, i notice that she is looking straight at me, and when i wave my hand, she waves it as well, perfectly copying my movement. it''s telling enough. okay, her skill might be better than i thought, allowing her a bit more than just seeing far. lightning also keeps crackling around her body every once in a while. the mana i feel from it is sharp and strong. time to go. my heart beats, and with a push against the ground, i propel myself high onto the roof, sending a wave of mana into our surroundings, and then turning to tess, who also shakes her head. nothing so far, so we move in the direction we decided on before, not too far from the hideout so we can get back for some help if needed. after around five minutes of running, we stop, and i start sending waves of mana into our surroundings as some sort of lighthouse, and we wait. once in a while, i absorb some kinetic energy from the wind and throw it against the houses around us. it doesn''t take much time for me to destroy a few of them. doing so, i also realize that this kinetic energy from the wind is a bit harder to use than the energy from my kinetic heart. interesting. more testing needed! when tess finally spots some monster, i stop with that and instead switch to [armament]. the armor that appears around me is not as translucent as before, and instead, it''s a darker shade of blue that is still somewhat see-through, but much stronger. the armor is a weird combination of medieval-age-like armor and modern armor that special ops or soldiers tend to use. it''s also not too bulky and without useless parts. in the end, a helmet appears around my head, a helmet with a smooth front without any holes for the eyes or nose. with my new skill, i make them all as strong as possible and even infuse my body with mana before strengthening it with symbiotic transference. then i sense the monsters i can''t see yet, jump onto the roof. Chapter 128: Tricolored Mana chapter 128: tricolored mana i grab hold of the wind around us, and for a split second, silence ensues, only for me to release all the energy and blast away the mist, and then a short blaze of flame, lights up the surroundings. before the wind and mist come back, we spot the monster. it''s twice my height, tall and slim, with a body covered in dark black fur. even under the fur, i can see dexterous and dangerous muscles. it stands on its two legs with arms long enough to nearly touch the floor. its head is elongated into a massive maw filled with long, sharp teeth, and above it are two eyes that glow in the surrounding darkness with a green light. the monster is partially rotted, with missing pieces of body and fur, revealing sickly grayish skin and terrible wounds all over its body. [undead werewolf - lvl ?] the monster charges right after the mist fills out the surroundings and its target is tess. chunks of the roof are torn apart, and nearly the entire roof flies at the monster, only for it to bulldoze through and reach tess, who stands in a battle stance, lightning creating something like armor around her body. i can feel her using mana, and the monster tries to hit her, only to be stopped by an invisible barrier around the blonde and be sent flying backward, the red and white lightning cracking and burning its body. i dash as well towards the werewolf, which quickly lands on its long thin legs and sprints towards me. i strengthen my body and armor even more, and our bodies meet in an exchange of blows. in the end, i''m sent flying away from the roof, the armor around my chest dented but quickly repairing. i push against the wall of the house i''m about to hit and propel myself back onto the roof, the house behind me exploding under the pressure. on the roof, tess is already exchanging blows with the monster, her nimble body dodging every hit she can, and when she is unable, an invisible wall stops the monster. the entire time, lightning crackles around and through her body, seemingly making her faster. then the javelin, floating over her, comes flying down with terrifying speed, barely missing the monster, which dodges with impossible speed. the javelin pierces through the roof and most likely the entire house. i create dozens of mana arrows and make them as dense as possible, and at my signal, tess jumps away, and they all fly at the monster, boosted to a terrifying degree. but the werewolf roars, and the mana flares up around it. the monster''s body becomes a wreck under the power of the mana projectiles, with most of its head missing. but its body grows even bigger, and its fur becomes even darker, while it keeps its creepy long-limbed proportions and decaying body. it howls, a terrifying sound audible even through the raging wind, and i feel my body freeze in place. immediately, i create two massive shields made out of mana and send them in front of tess, where they slow down the monster. next, i send a disruptive wave of mana around my body, freeing myself and propelling ahead to clash with the monster that has already dealt with two shields. the monster is now bigger, and i''m barely able to push it far enough, but both of us fall from the roof, only to continue the fight on the ground. a sword made of mana appears in my hands, and i grab the monster with [redistribution] to slow it down, but it''s unable to fully stop it. my sword slashes multiple times a second, yet it is unable to kill the monster that ignores the wounds and dodges anything too dangerous. only for it to howl again and get healed, and i have to use disruptive mana to free myself. i grab the kinetic energy i absorbed and turn it into thermal energy, but the flames... the flames don''t come out. the moment they should appear, they get canceled by the strong wind and something else, something in the wind. the flames immediately die off. "tess, are you trying to summon a death flag?" "we can continue to hunt for a bit more, and then i can get back to my family and finally fulfill my dream of opening a small restaurant," she continues to joke and then pretends to pull out a photo from her pocket. "this is my daughter and wife. aren''t they cute?" as she jokes, her face is still somehow deadpan and we move inside one of the houses after i shoot out another makeshift signal flare, trying to lure more monsters to us. the room is dusty, but the furniture, even though old and breaking in some places, seems clearly more luxurious than the ones before, a clear sign that we are getting closer to the middle of the city. i then start creating a javelin made of mana and making it more dense and durable with the help of [mana infusion] and [mana manipulation], all while tess continues to watch me carefully. "that''s a lot of mana," she says. "it is?" i ask back, seriously curious. both of us went through different situations, and even our builds are different, so how does she see what i do? "yes, even i can tell that without examining it closer. usually, weapons made of mana are more see-through and feel weaker, if i can say so." she then reaches her hand and touches the javelin, and i release my hold on it, and it falls into her hand. "it''s lighter than it should be, but that''s probably because of the mana," she says. after she says so, i can feel her reaching to it with her [psychokinesis]. "hmm, it''s also really hard to control, even though you are not touching it. maybe it''s still partially considered to be your mana?" "i think so. you would need a much higher level to be able to control the ambient mana and mana of other people, even if it''s something like this. it is still considered to be mana and not an item." i reach out and make it move to me, easily overpowering the hold she has over it. one more minute passes, and i continue to infuse more and more mana into it, making the color a darker and darker shade of blue. hmm, how far can i push it? it still doesn''t feel like i''ve reached a limit, so i activate more of my skills, and then getting an idea, i use [redistribution] too in combination with [mana infusion]. why didn''t i think of it sooner? i should be able to [redistribute] my own mana, right? notifications ring in my head, and a massive amount of mana quickly leaves my body, moving at dizzying speed through [mana infusion] into the javelin in my hand. the weapon made of mana at first becomes darker, and then it starts changing. wisps of vibrant light blue and purple pass through it, mixing and creating a beautiful tricolored shine, and the javelin starts to hum in my hand, seemingly becoming even more dense. i quickly stop redistributing mana, and even then, i feel the weapon i made fighting against me, threatening to explode and release the massive amount of mana i infused it with. oh, this can''t be good. Chapter 129: Lets be more careful chapter 129: let''s be more careful i stand up and quickly throw the weapon i created with all the force i can muster, even boosting it with kinetic energy. the javelin flies, shining in beautiful light blue, light purple, and dark blue colors, leaving a trail of mana behind it. it pierces through three houses before it untangles, releasing all the mana it held in one massive explosion. threads of mana wave from the javelin, slashing and cutting apart the surrounding area. tendrils of three different colors and even a shockwave can be felt as the densely squeezed mana expands. as a result, a massive area around the javelin ends up destroyed, breaking apart, and debris of stone and wood falls down with loud noises, releasing dust and small pieces of debris that immediately get blown away by the wind. the best part is that it wasn''t even meant to be an attack. all of this was only densely squeezed mana untangling as i released my hold over it and stopped forcing it to move. yes, i said that, the best part! the heck, how great is that? sure, i could do something similar using [redistribution], but that''s not the point. just how strong can my armor be? how strong can my projectiles be if i learn to control it a bit more? and why the heck did i not think of redistributing my mana to make it faster and push through the limit i felt? it sounds so logical now that i get to it. i quickly check the notifications. [redistribution - lvl 23 > redistribution - lvl 24] [mana infusion - lvl 10 > mana infusion - lvl 11] [mana infusion - lvl 11 > mana infusion - lvl 12] [mana infusion - lvl 12 > mana infusion - lvl 13] [armament - lvl 28 > armament - lvl 29] oh my, i like this! let''s try it again! "nat," i hear, and turn to tess, who looks at me with a serious look on her face. "that javelin contained more mana than my entire mana pool." tess is there with her stern gaze, her features in a serious expression. the weight of her words hangs heavy between us. she seems to be warning me, indirectly telling me to be more careful. ok, that''s quite scary now that i think about it. the monster walks on all fours, weirdly limping yet moving nimbly. over the middle of its back, three projectiles made of green mana float. mana arrows, each as big as a car and elongated into a sharp shape. yup, bambi''s curse is back and stronger than ever before. [undead aberrant deer - lvl ??] so yeah, we both sit inside a house while the massive undead deer passes by. each of us limits our mana as much as we can and pulls it all back into our bodies in an attempt to stop its leakage outside that could warn the monster. there is also a worry that it might find us through heat detection or sniff us out or whatever, but that''s something too late to worry about. the massive monster appeared almost out of nowhere and rushed towards where my orb exploded, destroying a few dozen houses that stood in its way, literally bulldozing through them without taking any damage. there isn''t a single thought of fighting it in my mind. i touched its mana only once, and the feeling of it disturbed me deeply. this is not a fight i should take right now, not even with tess by my side. so there we are, both close to each other, nearly hugging, as i try to create a disrupting field around us, reducing even the small mana particles we leak to smaller ones, all while only controlling my mana. tess''s eyes are firm, and even in this situation, she is reliable as always. she is not using any skills at all, and we are not even looking towards the monster, as there are monsters able to detect even someone just looking at them. hell, the undead aberrant deer could be now easily staring through the window at us. the only sense left to us is hearing and feeling the vibrations. even through the raging wind, we hear the monster''s steps and feel vibrations going through our bodies every time it takes another one. the monster continues to destroy a few more houses near the palace where the orb exploded, and we only sit there, waiting for minutes after which the silence ensues after a few more steps the undead monster takes. but we continue to stay in that same place for one hour longer, not daring to make any move and limiting our mana. only after a long while, i let out a quiet sigh of relief. we survived, but goddamn it, that was tense. finally, after an hour of sitting in the corner of the room, i open my eyes and lift up my head to look outside at the result of the monster''s attack. and there, staring right at me without blinking and from behind the window, is the eye nearly as big as me. the deer''s only eye that glows in a green color. Chapter 130: How much is your mana? chapter 130: how much is your mana? i put my hand on tess''s shoulder and squeeze it strongly, giving her a warning not to move at all and not to do anything stupid. i can feel her body tense under my hand as she, too, stares right at the monster''s eyes outside the window. she then does nothing to fight and continues to suppress her mana while staying quiet. the eye continues to look at us, a milky white blind eye of the undead aberrant deer. there are no eyelids to blink, and the sickly green color slightly lights up the room. i calm my breathing even further, and even though of the situation we are in, my heart continues to beat calmly. i avert my gaze and just look at the green light that lights up one of the walls. a few moments later, the light disappears, and i see the monster walking away after i look outside the window. it moves quietly, not even touching the houses near it. this time there are no vibrations as it walks. a few more minutes pass, and then a massive wave of mana hits up. the monster jumps high in the air and then starts running on it as if it''s ground, while small flashes of mana light the surroundings every time its hooves hit the air. it finally disappears and i let go of tess, and we continue to hide our mana until the morning when the wind stops and the mist disappears. "well, that was something," is the first thing she says, her voice still bearing some tension. "maybe we should just try to find monsters next time instead of luring them to us?" maybe we should just not leave the hideout at all? "what level do you think it was?" tess asks. "150 to 300. i think that''s the range for two question marks," i say and explain a bit more when she asks me. "interesting. i think i agree with you and i also have a few theories." "that makes me curious. do tell," i say as we walk back to our hideout, side by side. the tension is slowly disappearing now that there is a light. "first, the wind is here either created by the field around the city or used to cancel out any flames that could burn the city. it''s probably also partially working during the day, but it''s much stronger at night for some reason."n?00vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. "oh, that''s quite a good theory," did she get that from seeing my flames die out quickly in the wind? "the second theory is that the mist somehow confuses the monsters and blocks their ability to sense mana, helping people hide during the night. only really strong pulses of mana allow the monster to detect the source." "are you maybe really smart, tess?" she laughs shortly as she jumps over the debris, softly landing on her feet. i can see her using some mana to do so, "it''s just basic observation." not wanting to be left behind, i also add something, "and i think that the version of the story for this floor that the natives told isn''t something we should fully trust. not because they are lying to us, but because it''s all just rumors and legends they have." "sounds reasonable. the quest objective is to put the saint to rest, which made me think that the saint will be undead, as it says to put to rest instead of killing. that''s quite weird," she says. "but it won''t be as simple. it says ''to final rest,'' so maybe he or she really became undead, for a while, after dying and then returned back to life? that could explain why the field around the city is still working." while waiting for her answer, a small orb of mana floats in the palm of my arm, and i continue to infuse it with mana. "that makes me curious about what we''ll find in the middle of the city, with hopefully more water and flora. and also, what do you want to do with that cipher guy?" she looks at me, a slight annoyance flashing through her eyes. "currently, i''m working on my [lightning armor]," as she says it, lightning starts to crackle around her body, the same she used in our fight versus the werewolf. "it boosts my stats and also has defensive capability." i can see that she is quite happy with the skill, a small smile appearing on her lips as she manipulates the lightning around her body. i''m not going to lie; it looks pretty as flickers of red and white lightning crack over her body, making her blonde hair stand up slightly and putting some light on her face, lighting up her smile. i think it fits her. "oh, and one more thing, this one is a bit more weird-sounding, [declaration]." the moment she says the name, i know it''s yet another powerful skill, similar to [disintegration] or [manipulation] and probably [focus]. "so, what does it do?" "currently? nothing, but i''m trying to declare this javelin to be mine. if i''m right, it will mean i can move it even if it''s way out of the range of my [psychokinesis]," she then shrugs her shoulders. "maybe you should think a bit bigger. how about you try to declare that your wounds are healed? or declare that your weapon is much stronger than it is?" that makes her look at me, and i can see thoughts wildly going through her mind. "skills with such unclear names usually have a lot of options to be used," i finish. it''s something i''ve given a lot of thought to, and i don''t think i''m wrong. level 30 for a skill? that sounds like a beginning. i''m sure as time passes, the level-ups will become much harder, and the skill will become much stronger. even lissandra''s world-ending [singularity] had to start at level one, and the same goes for the skill named [dawn] of the man named tristan, a skill with a quite silly and not dangerous-sounding name that wiped out the life from the surface of an entire planet. it''s already been 10 minutes since we came back to the hideout when i walk up to lily, who sits near isabella and biscuit, two girls happily talking together while the mighty divine beast endures. when i get to them, lily looks up with a smile. "hello!" she says. "kitty man!" isabella shouts, and i silence her with one long look. "never mention it again, and i''ll let you play with biscuit one more time," i say. "three times!" "two." "deal!" she giggles and goes back to hugging biscuit, who looks at me. is this disappointment in your eyes? please forgive me, biscuit! i''m a weak, weak man. but anyway, "lily, you and i, let''s go out." i need to raise her level a bit since it''s too low. going out with just the two of us will attract less attention when we leave the hideout. doesn''t that make sense? so, lily, why are you looking at me like that? Chapter 131: Lily Chen chapter 131: lily chen i''m not going to lie. i think i am amazing, like really, really amazing. and i think that''s even underselling it a bit. the reason? the spear made of my mana that i just gave lily. it''s dark blue with wisps of light blue mana inside of it. i didn''t push that much while creating it, so there isn''t a chance that it would untangle and hurt lily. instead, the weapon is just slowly dissipating. if i''m right, it should be able to hold strong for 15 minutes, and after that, it will become much weaker. then, in five more minutes, it will disappear. i used a lot of my mana to create it, yet it will only last that long. i could probably increase the duration by infusing more mana, but hey, i don''t want to kill off our healer. that would be dumb. yet, i think i can say with confidence that for these 15 minutes, it is at least as strong as the common weapons i saw here on the third floor and through the rewards for the side quest. oh, and i am also dumb. like really dumb. i realize it only after i gave the massive spear to lily, and she awkwardly grabs it into her one hand, barely able to balance it properly. her eyes turn to look back at me, and i can see that she is trying hard not to laugh. still, she makes fun of me by waving the stump of her left arm in front of me. the arm has regrown slightly under the elbow. dang it. "sorry," i say, and my voice sounds weak even to myself as i grab the spear out of her hand and make it shorter and thinner. even though it''s made of mana, it has some weight to it. "don''t worry about it!" she giggles. "it''s kind of fun to see you so speechless. you should see your eyes when you came to realize it." the petite brunette covers her mouth as she continues to smile. when i hand her the new spear, she grabs it and tries to swing it around, nearly cutting me before i step back to observe from a safe distance. it seems much better now. yes, her handling of it is terrible, but it will improve with time. she then hands me the spear back after examining it for a bit. "it''s nice. i can feel how much skill it takes to create it!" oh, a compliment! finally, someone appreciates my talents. feel free to praise me a bit more. but why are you giving it back to me? i''m sure it will hurt, hell, it might even come close to killing her. from some point of view, it might seem like a bad decision, but from mine, it seems seems... reasonable. people that are nice to me should be able to live their life as they want, to change the way they want. "sure," i say simply. i''m sure she has thought about this a lot, judging from the look in her eyes. she already saw me fighting two alghouls after her first fight against the rat so she knows what to expect. ten minutes later, i watch her stand against one of the lower-leveled alghouls. it continuously attacks her, much faster and stronger than her. yet, the girl has surprisingly high constitution, probably even boosted by some skill. even as she is thrown around, she gets back on her feet, and white mana appear on her wounds, closing them with a speed that is possible to watch with eyes. she does not scream, she does not ask for help, and she only glances towards me a few times, as if wanting to stop me from interfering. but i just stand there and watch while she is getting hurt. at first, it seems to surprise her, but later it only look of determination appears on her face as she continues to try to hit the monster with her skills. she has already succeeded a few times, and gray mana has torn off a few pieces of the monster and cut off one of its arms in exchange for multiple wounds on her body. the interesting thing is that when the monster activates its green flames to heal its wounds, they do nothing. lily''s skill damage doesn''t allow the monster to heal. so the fight continues, and lily gets thrown around a lot. the monster even tries to tear off her limbs a few times, always quickly followed by the girl''s gray mana appearing and stopping it from happening. what surprises me the most is how fierce she is. she wasn''t like this back on the first floor. or maybe she was, and i just didn''t see it? did she change because of her skill misfiring and killing kevin? did something happen on the second floor? i do not know. finally, after what feels like ten minutes, the monster dies, unable to deal more damage to her truly sturdy body and unable to overpower her healing. lily''s [disintegration] isn''t as strong right now, but it''s easy to see how powerful it might become in the future. as i stand there, watching, she slowly comes to me, her wounds still healing, and white mana makes it look as if there is smoke leaking from her wounds. she is moving slowly, tired, but she is smiling happily as she stops in front of me, tired and wounded. bloodied. "thank you for trusting me." she then passes out, and i grab her before she falls to the ground. silly girl. Chapter 132: Level 100 chapter 132: level 100 i am the most normal here. yup, totally. fight me if you disagree. lily, my last hope, the only person who seemed somewhat normal, showed me the middle finger, wrecked my thoughts and stepped on that last hope, kicking it away. my last hope is dead, and i''m the only normal here. okay?n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. okay. anyway, it''s kind of fun watching tess struggle as we try to hunt down one of the sparrows, and the said sparrow continues to dodge all of her attacks, no matter how quick they are. could i try to replicate the traps and maybe create a few more to hunt the sparrow? yup, i could try that, and that''s exactly what i did, but i gave up after a few minutes. left without any result, and my head hurting just from looking at the intricate structures etched into the small metal disk. i tried to remember as much as i could and i''ll continue to observe it a bit more as it might be useful for the future, but there is no way in hell i''ll be able to replicate it anytime soon. so here we are, two hunters stalking our prey and getting our psyches hurt more and more with every failed attempt to hunt them. so i do what a normal person would do. a javelin hovers over my shoulder, as long as me, and filled with tricolored mana, threatening to explode any second if i lose control over it. it''s slim, it''s sharp and beautiful. and best of all, it''s dangerous. sparrow obliterator 3000. "do you want to hunt it or evaporate it?" tess says snarkily, but i can tell that it''s her annoyance after an unsuccessful hunt talking. at this point, it''s way too late to hold back tess! the sparrow looked deep into my eyes, examined them, and chuckled in my face. bambi, sparrows, goddamn were-something monsters on each floor. they all exist just to piss me off. so just for this once, i''ll vent a bit! i breathe out and [focus], and the javelin over my shoulder starts rotating, similar to the way a bullet would after leaving a gun barrel. i spin it faster and faster until it''s just a blurred mess of tricolored mana, and i hear ringing in my ears from how hard i''m trying. then my heart beats, and i wait. two heartbeats. i wait. three heartbeats. need more. seven heartbeats. a bit more. ten heartbeats. good! i push against the javelin with all the force i can muster and even use a surge to give it even more before it leaves my range. "anything fun you guys are talking about?" she fixes her hair a bit while her gaze shifts between me and tess. "i''m explaining to tess how assholish the system is, and she doesn''t believe me." "nat thinks the system works the way he would design it." huh? did i just get dissed? but there might be some truth to it. i would totally do some things the system does right now and have fun observing people in the tutorial. to that, lily laughs, "you''re right! i can totally imagine nat doing some things in a similar way the system does." oi, you should be helping me. "you know," the petite girl moves closer to the blonde and whispers loud enough for me to hear while looking at me, "nat is like a cat, and the system also sometimes feels like a cat." "what?" tess blurts out, and the confusion on her face is quite funny to watch. "lily, what animal is tess?" i decide to tease her a bit more, and lily pauses, giving it serious thought. "tess is a chameleon," lily says without any hesitation, as if it''s a sure thing. "because of her eyes? as a reward for my innocent joke, a small flash of lightning fires at me, and i cancel it out with disruptive mana i shoot in its way, further annoying tess. a few minutes later, we find the first mice. it''s as big as a smaller dog, with a short tail and a well-rounded body, and it moves slowly, wobbling on its short legs, its fur black. an easy hunt, you would say? nope. the moment we look at it or send mana towards it, the animal disappears into the shadow, and its presence is gone. a bit later, we find another one, and the same thing repeats. and then again. even when i try to quickly light up the surroundings with my flames, there is still a shadow under the mice. not even [disruption] reaches it quickly enough. i barely start forming the skill, and the mice are gone. that''s when we decide to rely on side quests a bit more and the traps of the natives, and move deeper inside the city, hoping to find another source of food. but first, this. [lvl 99 > lvl 100] congratulations! you have successfully completed your side quest - side quest: reach level 100. you have acquired - reward: body upgrade token. level 100 at last. Chapter 133: Caught chapter 133: caught barely holding back from looking through the options, i return to the hideout together with the two girls. lily leaves to continue restoring her hand, and tess goes to deal with some peopley stuff. like the freeloader i am, i move to the corner of the hideout/cave and finally scroll through the notifications. i really want to check the body upgrade and when i open it, the notification pops out: level 100 status reached. this signifies a further evolution in human potential. a necessary body upgrade is pending, designed to withstand the rigors of heightened strength, dexterity, mana, and constitution. the upgrade will prepare your body, heart, and brain for the execution of higher-leveled skills and support stronger passive abilities. note: following the upgrade, your body''s requirements for sleep, food, and water will diminish due to the robust support of stats and mana. well done! oh my my. does it mean what i think it means? it does, doesn''t it? more mana is on the menu! well, it never left the plate, not even talking about the menu, but that''s not what i mean. i check the upgrade a few more times, as well as my body, and don''t notice any change as of now. the system says it''s a pending upgrade, so maybe it''s a slower process that will be applied over time, further evolving my body? what''s the difference between this and just upgrading stats? from the looks of it, something needs to be done for the body to not crumble under all these stats. but isn''t constitution doing something similar? it also talks about upgrading the brain, heart, and body, so it''s something that will show, or is it just something that needs to happen, otherwise higher-leveled skills would fry my brain, stop my heart, and crumble my body? that sounds like the main reason for the upgrade. another nice bonus is less water, sleep, and food. i already noticed it in other people, but even though logically our bodies should require more food and water than before, they are still somewhat fine? is this mana keeping the body going, or can even stats have such effects? something to think about. overall, it''s nice, amazing reward fitting for reaching level one hundred. but now, back to the most interesting part! skill upgrades! congratulations, you have acquired a skill upgrade token. the offered options are based on your performance up until now within the tutorial. choose carefully! as i thought, there are options for only two skills. focus (dual focus) enhanced dual focus:sharpen your abilities and enhance the efficiency of your dual focus. this upgrade increases the effectiveness of your multitasking, allowing each action to be performed with even greater proficiency.n?00vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. triple focus:push the boundaries of your mental prowess to focus on three tasks simultaneously. this builds on your dual focus skill, adding another layer of complexity and power. dual focus consolidation:learn to consolidate your dual focuses, channeling them into a single, more powerful force when needed. this can help amplify the power and precision of your tasks, especially when executing complex maneuvers. actually, am i not the leader here? but that''s job is for extroverts. i''m the shadow eminence, whispering the words from behind the throne. it''s kind of give and take. i take a lot, but i also allow them to come to me and ask for reasonable things in exchange. almost like the divine beasts natives talked about. in the end, me and biscuit are not that different; it''s just that he is much more terrifying. he still can''t fully ignore my [disruption], but he is getting close, so i use it sparingly. the doggo, as if knowing all of this, continues to tease me by walking on his big human mana arms, like a spider, with his short legs hanging in the air. he knows that i hate it, so he challenges me to use my skill against him so he can learn how to counter it. probably to be able to get more food or something. once again, i''m reminded that the world belongs to animal archmages. "hello," lily''s soft voice sounds, and she sits next to me. noticing my glance at her hand, she lifts it up, her palm nearly restored, with only the fingers missing. "i still don''t get how you could continue to move around and fight with an arm missing. it''s so much harder to control mana like this," she continues while looking down at her arm. the same as mine, it''s also strikingly pale and without any hair or blemishes. "it''s good practice," i answer her, and i mean it. it did help me improve a lot. she moves a bit closer; this time, she looks at my hand and puts hers next to it. both of them are the same paleness. both of them restored by the girl. lily smiles as if something made her happy. "you and your practicing, don''t you get tired of it?" hmm, do i get tired of it? i don''t think so. i might complain, but... "it''s fun," i say. she nods and then her hand moves through her long black hair; she seemingly tries to tie it with a single hand. why won''t she just cut it? long hair must be so annoying here. i continue to watch her for a bit and then sigh, taking another look at her missing fingers. "come here," i gesture to her, and for a moment, she looks startled. "come on, with your back to me," i hurry her up, and she finally moves with her back to me. she looks so small, so weak, yet i saw the determination in her eyes as she fought. i take a second to remember and then start tying her hair into a three-strand braid. i think that''s how victoria used to call it. first, i carefully split the hair into three sections and then start crossing them over and into the middle, and continue from there. i do it slowly, delicately, careful not to pull her hair, and make sure to make it neat. "lily, you know, i''m not stupid. you could ask other girls to do it, but then started acting off in front of me," i know she knew i would do that. somehow, i''m getting easier to read for some people. what am i doing wrong? "hehe, was i caught?" she giggles, with some happiness clear in her voice. it annoys me slightly, so i stop for a moment and gently slap the back of her head, "stupid girl." "i''m not stupid!" "only a stupid girl would sacrifice her..." "sacrifice her arm for some maniac stranger," she jumps in. "you keep saying that all the time!" "because it''s true." i know i''m right! and i''ll continue to repeat it until the end! well, it''s not like i''m not stupid either. i have already decided to go and hunt the undead aberrant deer, the two-question mark monster we encountered last night. that might be a bit worse, just a little bit, right? Chapter 134: Undead Aberrant Deer chapter 134: undead aberrant deer yup, in the end, i decided on dual focus consolidation: learning to consolidate my dual focuses, channeling them into a single, more powerful force when needed. it may be the smallest upgrade out of all the options, but i need some good basics for the future. i''m sure that, in this way, [focus] can become much stronger. i already have a few ideas on how to use it in the future. so yup, and yes, the pain of upgrade was... easy to endure. totally easy. i also leveled up once, and my mana stat is now just three points away from a beautiful 300. well, first things first. it''s already almost night, and this time i''m going out there on my own. is it stupid? probably. is it risky? totally. will the rewards be worth it? maybe. i just can''t get the two-question mark monster out of my head. i keep imagining the fight with it in my head. my moves, the monster''s moves. the ways to hurt it, ways to kill it, ways to run away. i don''t think i''m without a chance. i believe i can do that. i actually think that. even though the monster is at least 50 levels higher, i know i can prepare, i know i have plenty of advantages. it''s hard for it to find me as the mist is making it harder for monsters affected by decay to find humans. and i have a strong attack, and this might be the biggest reason. i just want to go all out and test it. shooting it against alghouls, buildings, gargoyles, or rats isn''t that satisfying. the deer is a beautifully massive target. so i have already prepared plenty of excuses for why it''s a "good" idea. also, it''s too late to turn back, right? i''m already sitting in the room, a small amount of mana running through my body. i send a pulse of mana through one of the threads of mana that is as thick as a hair, and it makes one of my orbs, filled with tricolored mana, explode. far away from me, the orb expands, and then the massive bubble bursts and an immense sucking force makes debris rush and spin at the place where the center of the orb was. another pulse of mana filled with [disruption] makes the thread that connected me to the orb dissipate without leaving any trace of my mana. then i wait, forcing my heartbeat to slow down, collecting mana as carefully as possible to not let it leak outside my body. and i watch. i do not use [perception] and only stare with my eyes that can barely see anything through the mist, looking for that green light the aberrant deer had. and thankfully, i do not have to wait for too long. the world around me vibrates, and waves of mana hit even my body as the giant deer comes from the air and lands at the place where the orb exploded. this time, even its antlers are glowing, and three car-sized projectiles hovering over its back start to emit a similar light. i can''t see it properly, but they seem to be spinning. a horrifying sound hits the surrounding buildings, and i feel the pressure on my body as the monster rages, destroying the houses near it. i can do it. i can do it! then the javelin explodes, and a short but immensely strong blast of heat and shockwave hits the surroundings, expanding from the epicenter and pushing everything away while burning the wood, heating iron parts of houses to the point they glow yellow, and destroying the massive area of buildings, even pushing and throwing me away with my barriers glowing around me. the ring of shockwave and heat destroys half of my barriers and expands even further behind me, setting the houses on fire at the same moment as destroying them. out of nowhere, a short moment of silence ensues, and my [perception] turns to the deer, the monster now only burning bones and a little bit of meat and fur, yet alive and with its mana still strong. and then, all the air and debris come flying back towards where the javelin used to be, filling the vacuum left after the explosion. all are affected by the immense force and pulled back, the force tearing houses, ground, and everything, to fill the vacuum. the undead aberrant deer gets pulled in first, all its limbs twisting and breaking, even as its mana fights against it. the monster''s body gets squeezed and twisted into a shape and size reminiscent of a beach ball while what remains of my creation sucks in even more of the surrounding area. finally, as quickly as it came, the force pulling me in disappears. explosion and then implosion, it all took barely more than a second. the mist rushes back in, and the wind starts to blow again, and i decide to quickly, very quickly leave the area. ten minutes later, i sit inside another hideout, barely bigger than a single room. my hands are still shaking, and my heart is beating wildly as i continue to calm it down to the point where i can properly [focus] and then open the notifications. [focus - lvl 31 > focus - lvl 32] [mana manipulation - lvl 31 > mana manipulation - lvl 32] [armament - lvl 30 > armament - lvl 31] [mana surge - lvl 19 > mana surge - lvl 20] [mana infusion - lvl 13 > mana infusion - lvl 14] [mana infusion - lvl 14 > mana infusion - lvl 15] [mana infusion - lvl 15 > mana infusion - lvl 16] [redistribution - lvl 24 > redistribution - lvl 25] [you have defeated the undead aberrant deer - lvl 156] [lvl 101 > lvl 104] c+*g#atul@t1ons, y>u h$ve m3t two o$ t%e r@qu!rem&nts to e@+er %e^*@d d#ff!culty Chapter 135: Using Upgrade token chapter 135: using upgrade token i see. hmm, interesting. now it all makes sense. now i understand everything. "..." as if! what the heck, system? if you want to give me notifications, at least do not censor it just to not give me a notification. dang it. but it''s fine. not even the system being an asshole will ruin my mood! i did pretty well, didn''t i? i did amazing. i was amazing. someone praise me, i want to show off. no one? it''s fine then. i''ll be happy by myself. as for bambi, screw you! not this time! i won''t let another monster keep bullying me the same way cinderbear, screw that guy, did. get totally destroyed. easy, not even close. "..." okay, i really need to calm down. slow breath in, hold it, breathe out. much better. as i observe my body, i notice that my mana is still not fully back, and this is surely the first time something like this happened, like ever? for the first time, i actually spent what feels like a good chunk of my mana. maybe fifty, forty percent? it''s hard to guess. more testing is needed. i''m also really proud of myself. this time, i didn''t wreck my body to do something. i''m learning, slowly but surely. my control over mana is better now, and i can also strengthen my body much more than ever before, allowing me to handle larger quantities of it. and that''s good, really good. as for the attack, to be honest, i did not expect the effect it had. did the heat and shockwave come from the mana expanding after i stopped holding it in the shape of a javelin? the explosion was seriously strong, the shockwave is something i did expect, and the heat is a bonus. but the clear winner of the day is the following implosion. even standing as far as i was, i was able to feel the sucking force as the air came back to fill the vacuum left as the mana expanded, even sucking in the level 156 named monster. poor bambi did not have a nice end, not at all. yet, i''m sure the curse of bambi will return to bother me on the next floor. in the same way, i''m sure that my left arm will get broken and explode a few more times. it''s something i just need to get used to. while investing my stat points into mana, i once again go through the fight, thinking about the places where i could improve or change my reactions, or even create a better plan. i know that i was able to take it down only thanks to taking advantage of my surroundings and distracting the monster. the goal is to take on the next one in a fair fight. well, it''s not like i''m ashamed of what i did today, totally not. if i could, i would without hesitation cheese the deer. i just want to become strong enough to not have to do that. huh? how did you know? "i''m not dumb, nat." tess continues without me having to answer. "it''s dead," i decide not to hide it and tell her about the hunt, to which she nods. "i also reached level 75 and got an upgrade token." her eyes meet mine, and she asks, "are you going to use it the way i think you will?" why are you so smart? why do you know me so well? i''m trying to be mysterious here. "i think you don''t have to hesitate. i already used mine." a small smile flashes across her face, "i still didn''t meet all the requirements, though, i''m missing three and i don''t think you met them all either." then she stands up and leaves, going for another hunt, i''m left alone in the corner of the hideout. carefully sipping the water from one of the bottles, enjoying every drop, and then eating a small piece of sparrow that the natives hunted with their trap. i check the tokens i have. [upgrade token: 1] [difficulty change token: 1] i wanted to wait a bit longer to not be enticed the entire time, but now i think i can resist, or maybe it just won''t work as i didn''t meet the requirements. i move my eyes over my stats. i''m sure i can upgrade my trait mana circuit. it would probably help a lot, but it''s not what i want. i can also probably upgrade my class and my skills. maybe even my constructs and passive skills are possible to upgrade. any of these options would give me a massive boost to my strength, but there is something even more alluring. my eyes move again and pause at one word: "mana." yes, i think it is possible to upgrade my attribute, and just the thought of it sends shivers down my back. the boost would be immense, i can tell for sure. yet, i still hesitate. i''m not totally sure if i will be able to upgrade my attribute, and i can''t even try it as the system rarely offers a confirmation window. so if i decide to do it, the upgrade token will be gone. but there is something else i saved it for. i wanted to use it even since the first floor, but then stuff happened. the petite brunette that was too nice to me for her own good. the brunette that i owe a lot and can''t leave alone before paying it all back or at least making sure she will be as safe as possible. so i kept saving the token, careful to not get lured by it, and used it in a moment of weakness. still, i decide to trust tess, "use the upgrade token on the difficulty change token," i whisper softly, and the upgrade token disappears from my status. new notifications appears. congratulations, you have fulfilled three out of four conditions required to use the %e^*nd d#ff!culty entrance token! Chapter 136: The Wall chapter 136: the wall congratulations, you have fulfilled three out of four conditions required to use the %e^*@d d#ff!culty entrance token! that''s it, just one single sentence. it almost makes me want to scream. all this time, i thought i would just get an upgrade change token that would take me to a higher difficulty, always luring me to use it. yet, i was bamboozled. goddammit. the only change is that both of my tokens are gone, replaced by this: [%e^*@d d#ff!culty entrance token - 3/4 conditions met] so what are the conditions? use of the upgrade token is one of them. the second and third could be either me reaching 300 points in the mana stat, me killing a monster 50 levels higher, or me creating an especially strong attack. heck, even seeing lisandra''s [singularity] could be one of them. i do not know, it could also be all the things combined to fulfil one of the requirements. maybe there''s something else i didn''t think of. but it doesn''t matter that much as there is still one condition, and the system didn''t give a hint. there is nothing at all. at this point, i''m not surprised at all. as usual, i show the middle finger to the status window before closing it and lean backwards to stare at the ceiling of our hideout. what is higher difficulty like, and why did i decide to go this way instead of just upgrading my attribute? it''s quite simple - higher difficulty means higher danger, and higher rewards. in the long run, it should make me much stronger than just upgrading my mana attribute or skill. but it''s still quite funny, knowing that higher difficulty than hell exists. normal people would use the difficulty change token to go to lower difficulty, yet out of all the surviving members of group 4, no one did that. quite opposite, tess and i both used our precious token to get to a more dangerous place. how can i call lily stupid after all of this? that would be way too hypocritical. i pause my thinking, and instead, i decide to check the quests, and finally, there''s a new side quest joining the one existing. the old one: side quest: kill 800 enemies rewards: common gear of your choice food and water rations and the new one: side quest: get all of your skills over level 20 rewards: the passive skill of your choice it''s similar to the first one that rewarded me with a passive skill. it''s just that this one, instead of requiring three skills to reach level 20, requires all of my skills to reach it. from learning about the levels of skills of other people, it sounds like something difficult to do. what if you have a skill you are not that good at and it is stuck at a really low level? in that case, this quest would be super difficult. "did you think it over?" "yes," she answers simply. our eyes meet, and for a few seconds, i just look at her. there is no wavering, just clear and firm decisiveness, "okay." i answer her. "uh?" for the first time, she is surprised and blinks, confused. "cipher, natives are keeping the trap," i say to the man who turns to me. mana flashes in his eyes, and he examines my body, and my stance, and looks at my face. he then nods, and when his companions start complaining, he just shushes them and throws the trap towards the natives, who just catch it. the man then gives them the last disgusted look before leaving outside. "nat, why..." lily asks quietly while walking by my side. "i owe you," i answer simply. why is it so hard to understand? when i decide that i owe something to someone, i do not say it easily. risking my life? enduring hunger? i should be able to do at least that much. it''s pathetic to owe to someone only when it''s comfortable to do so. mana arrow hovering over my shoulder shoots ahead, tearing through the monster and hitting the ground. three more projectiles appear, and i continue to infuse them with mana, using the skill as much as i can in an attempt to level it. i also create a sword and infuse it with mana. the sword is dark blue with wisps of light blue mana going through it, and the blade gets covered in [disruption] as i try to do anything to level up the skill. i have already kept practicing with tess and lily, disrupting their mana and trying to improve the skill, yet it''s still refusing to pass through the bottleneck of level 20. so i change the tactic; mana arrows disappear together with my sword, and a thin barrier of mana appears right on my skin, barely noticeable and almost invisible. then i start infusing the barrier with [disruption], copying what a few monsters did. it doesn''t work that well and the barrier disappears, so instead, i just try to infuse my skill with disruptive mana, focusing on trying to make it flow through it and radiate it to the close area around the skin. when another alghould appears, i just strengthen my body with symbiotic transference and get into the melee, each hit of my fist weakening the monster''s flames without letting them hurt me. when the flames strengthen, so does the disruptive mana leaking from my skin, and i continue to [focus]. the monster''s hand leaves a bruise on my side, but i ignore it and grab its neck. more bruises and more blocked attacks, and my mana continues to fight against the green flames, stopping the monster from regenerating and not allowing them to corrode my mana, unable to wound my strengthened body. when the monster finally dies, the skill''s level is still 19 and i send the monster''s corpse crashing through the side of the house. this might take a while. then i feel a pulse of mana from tess. ahead of us, two monsters, strong, fight. i translate it as such and jump back on the roof, which is not noticeably better than the ones before. even the houses are bigger and taller buildings start appearing. i join tess, and together we fight the monsters. me in melee, practicing my skills, and with each hit i deal, i try to infuse the monsters with my mana. when i get to hold the monster for long enough and use [focus] and surge, i move a massive amount of mana, pushing against the monster''s resistance, and my mana literally tears the monster apart from the inside. unfortunately, it doesn''t work on every monster, but even something like this is interesting enough. right now, it''s too slow and simple, but with oscillating mana, it would be quicker and much more mana effective. but still, it might be more useful in the future. after getting to the last monster, i reach towards it with [redistribution], and the blazing rat stops its movement, unable to move at all. i then reach out and start absorbing the heat of its flames and from the surrounding area, noticing that it is getting noticeably colder as all the heat gets sucked to me. then tess finishes the monster with her lightning javelin that immediately comes flying back to her, and i release all the heat in front of me in a strong blast of dark yellow flames. i reposition a bit, moving closer to blonde while looking in the distance at a massive wall that towers over the city. tess says we are still miles away from it, yet even now, it seems massive. the wall is beautifully white, almost without any blemish, and tess says she can even see some mana around it or going through it. in this massive city that is so full of empty houses, monsters lurking around, and a permanently gray and cloudy sky, the massive and beautiful white wall seems amiss. Chapter 137: What are you doing? chapter 137: what are you doing? sophie tries to catch the sparrows with her [manipulation], but unfortunately, she was unsuccessful. the moment her mana reaches towards them, they fly away. on the other side, i was able to kill multiple of them, yet every time not much was left of their bodies. my attacks needed to be too fast in order to kill them, obliterating them in the process, barely leaving anything behind.n?00vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. when i try weaker attacks, they just bend around the birds or miss them. the sparrows are even able to sense the mana threads i create in an attempt to trap them. it''s annoying, it really is, and more so now that we are without food. aaron and lily are sometimes too weak to even walk and need to be carried, although all of this is alleviated by the water that cipher creates. but he doesn''t complain, not to me. he doesn''t tell me how dumb of a decision it was to give up the trap. he is too smart for that. his companions, on the other hand, give me angry glances when they think i don''t see it. in comparison to others, i don''t seem to be so bothered by the lack of food, water, and even sleep. the body upgrade is showing more and more as time passes. i don''t know if it''s just a simple effect of the body upgrade or if the upgrade allowed my body to use some of my mana to keep going. both options are equally probable. "more?" i head from beside me and turn my attention back to kim, who stands next to me, catching his breath after a fight we just went through. there are massive circles under his eyes, and even his body bears the marks of lack of food, and his lips are dry. yet the 15-year-old boy continues to push, showing surprising mastery over his skills. "take a break," i answer him. "i can still cont" my mana flares up for a moment, and he stops, immediately closing his mouth and then just sitting on the edge of the roof next to me. both of us looking towards the giant white walls far in the distance. i then stare at the palms of my hands, the left one is still itching annoyingly, but i ignore it and once again try to replicate cipher''s skill and create some water. yet, as before, the structure of the skill just refuses to come into existence and always crumbles the moment i try to push some mana through it. it doesn''t work no matter how careful i am, no matter how much mana i''m using, and no matter how carefully i''m watching cipher do it. but i do not give up and continue to try. "do you think there will be some food and water behind the walls?" at kim ?s question, i take my eyes off my hands and also look at the wall. "most likely," i answer shortly. knowing the system, there will be more danger and better rewards, and the closer we will be to the end of the third floor and finding out what''s happening here. in the community, the system continues to censor everything about the place behind the wall. group whitewing and also savant seem to be already be there, yet we haven''t learned anything. another annoying thing is that we haven''t met hadwin yet and didn''t see any of the areas covered by poisonous clouds that he talked about. after a bit of talking, he, maya, and dennis decided to stop waiting near it and move closer towards where the white walls should be. well, not much we can do about it, right? "go ahead and ask what you wanted to ask," i say to kim, who, ever since we started hunting together, continues to glance at me, clearly having something he wants to ask but not brave enough to actually do it. "oh," he mutters, surprised. his reaction only reminds me how young he is, the youngest out of our group after isabella. i keep forgetting that. "i''m sorry... you know... with lily and all of this." the skill i''m trying to replicate once again fails, and i start trying again, nodding to him to continue. sophie is sleeping in the corner with isabella on her chest. tess is talking with kim and aaron. so should i bully biscuit a little bit... wait. what is that? my eyes move back to lily, cipher, and goldie, and i notice a weird shine in goldie''s eyes that i didn''t see up until now. it doesn''t contain any mana, and it only looks like fractured light. yet, it does something, and it is clearly aimed at lily. what are you doing. pov kim min-jae it came out of nowhere. a sound that reminds me of a heartbeat yet impossibly strong, and right after, i notice my movements slow to a crawl. panicked, i try to move my arm, but it''s hard to do, and it moves terribly slowly. then i feel mana, his mana. it explodes into the surroundings and fills the entire hideout, making the walls vibrate, and everyone is immediately up, feeling the threatening pressure. my eyes slowly turn to nathaniel, and there he stands. thin, messy, yet so strong. his gray and brown eyes seem to glow in the dimly lit hideout, and he stares at the group of three people in the corner of the room. "what are you doing?" his words are quiet, yet in the silence, everyone hears them, and they send shivers down my back. they are so cold. he takes a step towards them, another heartbeat sounding like a gong vibrating the room, and the air becomes colder as i start seeing my breath become visible in the chill. "nathaniel, i can explain," the man named cipher says, seemingly calm even as nathaniel takes another step towards him, "please think calmly, you need me, lily needs me," cipher says, and that makes nathaniel stop in his walk. there is a short moment that feels like an eternity as both men stare at each other. then his mana weakens, and the air gets back some of its warmth. "but i don''t need her," nathaniel turns to woman next to cipher, and as his mana rises up, there is a sharp flash from goldie''s eyes, and something hits him. "goldie, no!" cipher screams desperately, yet it''s too late. "huh, i wanted to block all his skills but only managed to block one. it''s called focus?" goldie blubbers out as she probably reads the notification. she sounds confused, and scared, probably not even realizing what she did as her eyes continue to tick around. "oh... fuck," i hear next to me, shocked, i realize that it was tess who spoke, making it the first time i''ve heard her swear. then slowly, a laugh sounds in the room, a laugh that i do not recognize. it''s a soft, gentle laugh. it''s not cruel, it''s not mocking. it just sounds like something incredibly funny happened, and they can''t help but laugh at it. only then do i realize that the one laughing is nathaniel. Chapter 138: Hypnosis chapter 138: hypnosis pov kim min-jae nathaniel, laughing, looks so different from his usual self. his face seems softer, friendlier. he even appears handsome now. this time cipher seems to seriously panic and quickly starts talking, i''ll do everything you want. i won''t ever talk back to you. i''ll do anything, just let me... shhh, nathaniel just lifts one of his fingers and cipher stops moving. only his eyes continue to tick from side to side. the man is terrified. nathaniel closes his eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath, a big smile on his face, that''s an interesting experience, i don''t think i''ve ever turned off my [focus] so totally ever since the tutorial started. the weird thing is, it also slightly affected my emotions, he opens his eyes again and takes one more step towards the duo that is unmoving, well, it''s not like it matters. on the opposite side, lily is not affected at all and continues to look at him without saying anything. that''s it, i guess, you stepped over a line you shouldn''t step over, his eyes move back to cipher and the pressure intensifies. he doesn''t say anything else and cipher just continues to stand there, unable to do anything under nathaniel''s gaze. his chest stops moving and consciousness slowly disappears from his eyes, and then he dies while standing. the same thing happens to goldie. both of them die just like that and nathaniel just tilts his head, almost as if surprised, and then he chuckles, "so weak," right after, mana fires up from him and the bodies of cipher and goldie explode into pieces. not a single piece is bigger than a fingernail and the blood splashes everywhere. a lot of it hits lily, who doesn''t react even after all of that, and continues to look at nathaniel with big eyes. nathaniel looks around and he seems almost refreshed, as if getting rid of something that kept annoying him for a long time. again, he smiles, sophieeee, he says, turning to the brunette sitting in the corner of the room. a javelin made of mana immediately forms over his shoulder. my javelin misses and embeds itself into the wall right behind sophie, only leaving a deep scratch on her cheek that starts bleeding immediately. she is still not moving, her eyes wide, and i can see fear in them. so i turn my gaze to the person that made my javelin miss. nathaniel, tess is standing in front of me, lightning cracking around her body and her hair slightly lifting up with lightning cracking around them as well. she is the only one able to move through my [redistribution]. can you [focus]? she asks, taking another step and stopping just an arm''s reach away from me. in between me and sophie. yup, who do you think i am, tess? her skill surprised me, but that''s it. she was terrible at using it. just a few seconds were enough to find out what her skill did to me and to be able to cancel it. so why don''t you [focus]? because i don''t want to. you know her skill didn''t only affect my skill, it also did something to my emotions. it''s hard to identify what exactly, but it doesn''t feel that bad. but don''t worry, i should be fine in a few minutes. so please, can you step away so i can kill sophie in the meantime? i can''t allow you to do that, she says firmly. why? i know i''ll feel much better if i do that. it''s too irritating to keep dealing with her and her skill. just before the tip of her knife pierces her chest, i grab her hand and stop it from moving. then her mana engulfs me and the remaining effect of goldie''s skill disappears and i''m back to my rational self. right afterward, lily slaps me and i don''t dodge, only tilt my head a bit so she doesn''t hurt her hand too much. well, i kind of screwed up, didn''t i? just a little bit. our water dispenser is gone. lily is pissed off and still shaking. i nearly killed sophie. i scared everyone, and i even hurt tess. that''s quite a list. damn it, if only cipher and goldie had tried to control me instead of lily. in such a case, i would have been able to stop. it would have been just an attack on me. but seeing them doing this to her, just snapped something inside me. goldie''s skill was something similar to hypnosis. it used only a really minuscule amount of mana that entered her eyes and refracted the light to affect her target. to be honest, i still don''t fully understand what it did. but i know enough to realize that she was probably the reason the trio rose to the top of the hard difficulty tutorial. her skill even allowed her to block skills and influence people. sure, her usage of it was trash, and i would have been able to unblock my skill in a split second, i just didn''t want to. at the time, it felt weird to not think about the consequences. it felt good. now, i realize how stupid it was, but it''s not like i can blame myself too much. the best solution would have been to beat goldie and then let sophie mindblender cipher, but yeah... things went differently. i reach out and pet biscuit who seems totally unaffected by what happened and he snuggles closer to me. he is already sleeping, but his warmth is nice and calming. "it''s okay," tess says, her body already healed by lily and she really doesn''t seem to be blaming me too much, "i knew the risks, yet i did what i thought was the best decision." goddamn it, her being so cool makes me feel worse. "should i punch you to make you feel better?" she asks and immediately i lift my head. "would that work?" i ask. tess sighs and ignores my question, "i''m sure they''ll realize you weren''t yourself, so just give it some time. as for the water situation, we''ll deal with it somehow. we still have some left." that''s it, i guess. we''ll have to push on and finish the quest. "but what were they trying to do to lily?" tess asks. i pause to think before answering, "they probably wanted to hypnotize her gradually, bit by bit. i didn''t notice it back then, but they had spoken to her a few times before. cipher likely wanted a healer on his side," i shrug. "i''m not exactly sure how goldie''s skill worked." they didn''t try it on me, probably worried that i would notice. cipher, with his perceptive skill, read people well, picked his targets, and then gradually won them over using goldie''s skill. not bad, but far from sufficient for hell difficulty. such tricks won''t work here. they made a big mistake by switching difficulties, and then they made an even bigger one that cost them their lives. Chapter 139: Group 4 Reunion chapter 139: group 4 reunion flashback - nathaniel gwyn (11 years old) a young boy, barely over ten years old, slowly opens the door to the apartment. it squeaks as he closes it and locks it. his face bears no emotion as he looks around. after checking the floor and not seeing another pair of shoes, a small smile flashes on his lips. he quickly takes off his old, battered sneakers and removes his bag from his shoulder. the entire time, he is careful to use only his right hand. then he rushes towards his room, and his smile becomes even bigger when he notices the light shining under the closed door. without knocking, he barges in, only to be rewarded by a long, annoyed sigh from a girl sitting behind a table, reading. her posture is near perfect. she sits without rounding her shoulders and holds the book in front of her to avoid slouching and bending her neck. there is a lamp next to her, shining on the book that she now puts on the table as she turns to her brother. nat, how many times... she pauses and her eyes move up and down her brother. another long sigh. the boy seems somewhat proud as he carefully puts away his bag and sits on the edge of the bed, turning to his sister, is mom not home yet? she''s still working and won''t be coming home anytime soon. and rob is... who knows where, a slight hint of disgust sounds in her voice as she talks about the man she should be calling ''father'' instead. the boy only nods, and it''s clear that he is waiting for his sister to ask something. victoria sighs for the third time and just asks, too curious to tease her cute brother any longer, so, nat, why is your left arm broken? nathaniel smirks proudly, seemingly not bothered at all by his broken bone and the pain he must surely be feeling, i broke it! he sounds proud as he says so, and in the dimly lit room, his eyes seem to be shining. before victoria can ask, he continues, the older kids tried to bully me again today, and they called mom names... there is a dangerous glow in his eyes as he says the last part but he quickly hides it, this time more of them came, but i managed to run away, he giggles. the entire time, his sister quietly listens, a curious look on her face as her brother explains. as he talks, she is sitting there, her posture perfect, her hands on her lap, and her eyes bearing a hard-to-identify emotion. they were always careful not to hurt me too much, so i can''t tell on them. so, i learned when the director leaves the school and which way he takes. then, i broke my arm and acted as if i had run into him by mistake. i even pretended to try to hide it! he laughs, i made him ask me who did that. at first, he even thought it was rob, he quickly corrects himself. his brown and gray eyes shine even brighter as he continues to explain to his calm sister, i tried to cry, but you know, vic, i''m bad at that. so i just pinched myself really hard and looked at the ground, pretending to sob, and then told him that the other kids did it. as if waiting for her reaction, he pauses. that''s smart, nathaniel, but what if the other kids have... an alibi, she says carefully. i thought of that! i did all of it when they were hanging out outside and remembered who was there. i... he pauses when both of them hear the front door unlocking and the creaking sound echoes through the apartment. that''s rob... now, get that smile off your face, nat. for an answer, the boy only nods, and the smile disappears. his face looks as emotionless as when he entered the apartment. his sister mirrors him, and soon a man''s shouts reach their ears. i''m sorry! lily lowers her head and when i stay quiet, she carefully looks up with a look on her face that makes me want to pinch her nose. i pet the top of his head and the best doggo closes his eyes. hmm, i should teach you a few more words. we''re going to have you surprise hadwin. i give most of my food to lily and a bit to biscuit and then once again leave our hideout. alone. i need to clear my head a bit and give others some space. tess is fine, lily and kim also seem to be somewhat unaffected. on the other hand, aaron avoids me even more than before and sophie is staying out of my sight as much as possible, keeping isabella with her. i guess she didn''t take my feelings seriously when i let her peek at them while she was strengthening my body and helping me handle my mana. this probably opened her eyes a bit. i check the new side quest and it''s as i thought. side quest:kill 800 enemies other side quests just need me to get [mana infusion] to level twenty and i''m ready to get a new passive skill. as for my reward for killing 700 enemies... short sword (common): a practical choice for any adventurer, this iron short sword boasts a sturdy blade and a reliable leather grip. perfect for those beginning their journey, it''s simple yet effective for most combat situations. i then tie one of my mana stones to the blade and continue trying to infuse the stone with my mana as it holds it much better than the sword, and then have the stone continuously infuse the blade with the mana. i even etch some pathways into the blade and try to keep them working thanks to the mana from mana stone. but as before, the sword cracks and breaks, mana leaks terribly, and pathways are not working. but it''s fine, i''ll learn from my constructs and create one for items as well and instead of my mana heart, the mana stones will keep them working. how cool is that? the icy guy, now alone, is now one of sophie''s pets if i can call it like that. when sophie sees that i noticed that she looks at me, her eyes firm, as if asking me to say anything. but i do not. it might be my lack of interest in the guy and not caring what happened to him or maybe a half-step back to allow sophie to keep some face. it could easily be either option. but later that day we finally are close to the walls. the way there was easier than before, a lot less monsters moving around and close to the wall. we also hurried to meet with hadwin, maya, and dennis as they acquired one of the traps used to catch sparrows. i do not ask from where but it''s easy to guess. for the last five minutes, we are led by aaron that finally gets within reach to communicate with his twin brother and soon enough we finally meet the last three members of our group. like all of us, they are thinner, messy, with wrecked clothes, and looking more like wild animals after days on the third floor. hey, hadwin says simply as we meet, while aaron is meeting with dennis and maya awkwardly keeps looking between tess and sophie. good, finally i can dump everything on hadwin, but first, biscuit go! feeling my thoughts, the best doggo on the third floor moves in front of me and speaks telepathically toward hadwin. (i require sustenance) Chapter 140: Selling the corgi chapter 140: selling the corgi "what are you even" hadwin pauses, sighing as he looks up at me. what? why is everyone sighing so much around me? "you are ruining this corgi," he says, stepping closer. i notice he is holding a nicely crafted shield, and i can even feel some mana emanating from it. i''m not ruining biscuit! he was ruined from the start. i mean perfect. he was perfect from the start. moreover, i have to do things like this once in a while. it continues to make me feel better, even though it might seem silly. but now, "show me your shield," i gesture to hadwin. the man, not even surprised at this point, hands me the shield. reflective shield (uncommon):a shield that creates a weak shimmering barrier and reflects a portion of incoming attacks back at the enemy. it strengthens with each reflected assault but requires mana. oh ho, isn''t that interesting? "you can''t have it," i hear somewhere in the background. i decide to ignore it, already sending my mana into the shield to observe it. the moment my mana enters, it gets sucked inside, moving through thin, circuit-like paths into what i think is a mana stone. then, inside the stone, something happens and mana is sent outside again, this time with some reflective properties. terribly weak, but surely interesting. "you can play with biscuit three times if you give me the shield," i say without thinking. "the heck, i don''t want..." "five times," i quickly add. when i hear biscuit woof at me, i look up and finally remember that it''s not isabella i''m talking to. oh, awkward... but that makes it better, "i''ll be taking it for a few hours," i say, and boost my body to launch myself around the room, "go and talk with tess. you guys can take care of everything." huhuh, good job haddy! you can cook, you bring me nice shiny new stuff, you will deal with people instead of me. i''ll make sure to pay you back somehow! but now, let''s examine the shield. after seeing tess keeping a watch, i lift my eyebrows in a question, and i swear she sighed before nodding, indicating that she''ll be on lookout. so, i combine both parts of my [focus] through its new upgrade and send my mana into the shield. i broke the shield. hadwin is asking for the shield from down the street, so i tell him i need more time to examine it. after a few more fights with monsters that i do not join, hadwin is asking for the shield again. now i start panicking. what the heck! how the hell is the shield so weak? i only sent a minuscule amount of mana inside it. it''s uncommon; it should be better! maybe it was broken even before i touched it? could i say that to hadwin? okay, okay, let''s focus. once again, i send my senses through the shield and this time, look at the circuits that are hidden under the surface of the shield, leading from the handle towards the mana stone that is safely imbued inside the thickest part of the shield. this one seems fine. this one is good. why is this one so oddly shaped? this one isn''t leading anywhere? what the heck does it do?n?00vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. oh, this one is slightly burned. now then, i consolidate my [focus] and [oscillation] and activate them as i carefully send the tiniest thread of oscillation mana through the destroyed part, then reach towards it with [mana manipulation]. "sorry, i thought you broke it and yet you were trying to upgrade it for me. i apologize for suspecting you." "it''s fine," hehe. i quickly look around, trying to detect little isabella and, as i thought, she is nearby. her eyes are wide and focused on me. her expression clearly says that she knows as she reads my feelings. dang it. i lift my hand, showing one straightened finger. she shakes her head silently and lifts her hand showing three straightened fingers. then after exchanging a silent glance, we both lift hands showing two fingers and she smiles. i''m sorry biscuit, i sold you out once again. hadwin uses the trap twice and catches two sparrows that are bigger than usual, allowing us to have some food after a long time. my piece is the smallest as i give half to lily and then some to biscuit. right now, i feel that my body is fully upgraded and ready for more levels of skills and more stats. it''s not like now it''s not a problem to dump most of my stats into mana and ignore constitution. nope, this part is still a problem. another issue is the itching palm of my hand. it started a few days ago and it''s getting more and more annoying, yet i''m still unable to detect the reason. i''ll have to continue to observe it carefully. the body upgrade just made me less reliant on food, water, and sleep, and i still don''t know exactly how it works. the system obviously didn''t give me detailed descriptions, but i did continue to observe my body the entire time, looking out for some noticeable changes. there are none, or what is most likely, i''m not able to observe them at my current level of skill. nothing unexpected. "are you scared of me?" i ask kim during a moment of boredom while both of us keep watch. it''s morning and we''re letting others rest a bit before we move the final stretch towards the wall that is now much closer, making us realize it''s even higher than we thought. "i...i don''t know." he says. that''s a weird way to answer. you either are or are not. "partially, i understand that you won''t hurt me the way you did to cipher and goldie, not if i don''t try to hurt you first or betray you," kim says cautiously, clearly still worried about my reaction, "but i''m still nervous and can''t help it. it''s not because i''m planning to hurt you, it''s just..." he pauses and thinks, looking for the right words, "i''m scared that i''ll make an unintentional mistake and you''ll treat me like your enemy." he looks at me. a young 15-year-old boy, someone with an inferiority complex because of his talented siblings and overreaching parent. in my eyes, he''s still just a kid. "it''s scary, nathaniel, you are scary." i see, that''s also a way some people see me, and i don''t think the way he thinks is unreasonable or untrue. "i''m not worried about what happened to cipher and others. they tried to control lily and always acted so arrogantly, and you didn''t even see how they treated the natives," he shakes his head. "i think all of us have already gotten used to all this blood and stuff." i remain silent and listen to him. "but," he moves a bit closer and our eyes meet, and this time i do not look away, "tess, lily, and izzy don''t seem to mind, but everyone else? sophie is always walking on tiptoes around you. aaron and dennis are scared of you, maya avoids you, and hadwin is very careful about how he treats you. you just seem like you could snap at any moment." kim finishes his sentence. "thanks for telling me," i tell him. this time it is he who nods. he might not know, but i''m trying; i really am. i''m trying to stay patient, i''m trying not to cast people away, and i''m trying to open up slightly to some of them. i don''t even know what i am expecting from that, but i think that''s something time will tell. Chapter 141: Two question mark monsters chapter 141: two question mark monsters tess receives five javelins made from my mana. i made them a bit denser this time so they should last around twenty minutes. she says they''re a bit harder to control because they''re made of mana that isn''t hers, but it''s not that bad. i also give around a hundred small orbs to kim, which are also made of my mana, and hadwin gets a mace. that''s how we reach the wall and stop in front of it. i can feel mana all over its surface and it''s towering like a skyscraper over us, all around the horizon. there are no holes, no gate, the wall is smooth and it doesn''t even seem like it was made from bricks. it''s just a single massive piece of... something. to test it out, i create and shoot one javelin at it and it burrows itself into the wall, yet the damage is minimal. okay, as we said before. nathaniel and i go first, tess will support us. kim, if you will. hadwin says. for the last time, he checks if everyone is ready and then we stand on the massive piece of iron platform that tess and hadwin did twist and connect from multiple iron doors, pieces of the roof, and materials we found. kim then uses his [gravity well] and everyone gets affected by it, feeling lighter as well as the platform that he now starts moving slowly up, controlling it so no one will lose balance. i grab hadwin and propel us far high into the air, much quicker than the platform. transforming the kinetic energy of my heart, i propel us a few more times until we reach the top of the wall where i lower the output and we land softly. quickly joined by tess further away from us who did something similar with her [psychokinesis]. then i look at what lies behind the wall. down there are beautiful vast fields full of flowers and with white trees that have almost golden-like leaves. there are no houses as far as i can see and in the distance, yet another wall towers towards the sky. this one is of a beautiful blue and intertwined by veins of lighter blue, seemingly all of this creating some patterns. there is also something a bit more interesting. a shallow stream of water that flows through vibrant green fields full of colorful flowers and golden leafed trees. but there might be a problem. [undead deer- lvl ??] [undead bear - lvl ??] [undead wolf - lvl ?] [undead wolf - lvl ?] [undead boar - lvl ?] damned system. i can take them, i say. you just said two of them seem to be around level 150, nat. yup, i can take them. all of us are already on top of the wall, looking deep down at beautiful fields and immensely strong undead monsters that continue to walk around in the distance, some of them powerful enough to kill all of us if caught unprepared. the javelin is already getting denser and longer, easily twice my length, "yes?" "what are you doing?" wisps of light blue mana start flowing through the weapon as i infuse more and more mana into it, "sparrow obliterator 4000." "..." wisps of purple mana appear, and i feel the javelin becoming heavier, the weapon as thick as my upper arm and longer than ever before. i [focus] a bit more and twist it, shape it a bit so when it flies through the air, it will start spinning, the spinning stabilizing its trajectory. i also add a bit more weight to the middle to balance it better. "it''s easy, get ready to jump off the wall to get back behind us, mrs. mindblender will control the wolves in case they all rush us and somehow climb the wall. twin jerks can use their skill to create some illusions to our right in case the monsters get up top," i say. "that''s not a very detailed plan," hadwin joins, but i see him stretching slightly. "nothing ever goes according to plan, haddy, just get ready to bullshit our way out of it if something happens." "haddy..." the older man shakes his head. the javelin starts humming, and i put all of my attention to holding its shape and stop the mana from exploding while i redistribute and infuse more into it. the tricolored mana wildly swirls inside the weapon, and i realize that i''ve reached my current limit, so i release my mana regulator a bit more, and my heart beats loudly. i control both, the kinetic energy flowing through my body as well as the javelin that threatens to explode and probably kill us all. "they don''t seem to feel your mana," tess says. "that''s quite good, isn''t it?" now then, slowly breathe in, infuse a bit more, a tiny bit more. good. ignore the notification. good. grab all the kinetic energy. good. and this time, don''t push the javelin from behind, try to apply all the energy to the front of the javelin where it''s heaviest to make the kinetic energy pull it instead of pushing and wasting so much of it. no, tot like this, this is way too inefficient. i quickly correct the way i do it. now anchor it, let the mana flow. oh, and control the mana a bit more, the weapon almost exploded. good. now. the javelin disappears, and i get thrown to the side almost falling down from the edge of the wall because of the shockwave from shooting the weapon. hadwin grabs me and helps me stop, and while changing my regulator again, i look towards the javelin that is already stabbed inside the deer''s hind leg, glowing white and about to explode. the undead deer''s antlers start glowing too and his eyes turn towards the top of the wall where we are, and then he takes a step and disappears into his own shadow. that leaves the javelin behind to explode in the place where the deer used to stand. my eyes immediately turn to my own shadow, and it starts growing bigger, much bigger. inside of the shadow one of the undead deer''s giant eyes appears Chapter 142: Undead Deer - Lvl ?? chapter 142: undead deer - lvl ?? "stay on the wall," i shout and propel myself far away from the others, right over the edge of the wall, and i start falling to the place in the city where we came from. right in between ruined houses and empty streets. the deer''s mana starts to swirl around me, and i feel my shadow expand more and more, and soon enough the deer steps out of it and starts falling towards the ground together with me. in quick succession, tess''s javelin filled with lightning stabs itself into its back, followed by even stronger lightning that uses the javelin as a lightning rod. the monster roars, certainly feeling the attack, and for a moment ignores me, turning its eyes towards the top of the wall. i feel its mana move and before it can jump into tess''s shadow, my mana explodes. [disruption] boosted by [mana surge] hits the monster with the full power i can muster, and it cancels out its "jump", the monster once again turning to me. then we finally reach the ground, and both of us land somehow elegantly, without taking any damage. the deer''s mana shines from its antlers and the houses around us start to crumble, only for its debris to be lifted up into the air, floating around the deer. the debris is thrown at me in quantity and with a speed of a terrifying level, and to counter it i create a shield in front of me. the shield is shaped as an oval to make it as small as possible, i also make the front of it thinner and sharper, reaching a bit in front of me and cutting all the debris while thinner sides of the shield let the debris pass by me without the shield taking too much damage. debris just keeps coming and getting smashed against my shield i continue to strengthen with tricolored mana. i feel a few more of tess''s attacks land on the deer and even sophie''s mana reaches towards the monster, stopping its attack for a few seconds, giving me a bit more time to fill my shield with mana. then, not unexpectedly, i feel my shadow swell and grow bigger, and to answer that i ignore it. instead, i push even more mana inside my shield, and it starts vibrating, getting harder and harder to stop it from exploding.the roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. when my shadow expands and the monster appears right next to me, i brace myself, strengthening my body through symbiotic transference, and propel myself with more force than before, making me send flying through the debris and smashing them apart with my strengthened body. i propel myself a few more times in the split second, even hitting a few roofs and houses in my way. meanwhile, the tricolored shield behind me i created starts shining brightly, about to explode right after the deer fully steps out of what used to be my shadow. good, now let''s see how you will tank this. the mana inside the shield starts to turn into a shining white color and then the shield disappears. huh? instead of exploding next to the deer, the attack appears right behind me, in my shadow, transported there by the deer''s skill. kinetic energy around me explodes and i propel myself towards tess, immediately grabbing her. second heartbeat. i use all the energy to propel us high in the air. third heartbeat. the debris in our way gets pushed again and redirected by tess, just enough force to change its trajectory and not hit us, and i use another wave of kinetic energy to propel us even faster, feeling the mana behind us expand. we land on the wall, and i again activate my mana regulator at the same time as i start creating a shield of tricolored mana in front of all of us. then the javelin stabbed deep into the deer''s head explodes, threads of tricolored mana untangling and slashing around, cutting apart the deer, and then an explosion follows. a ring of shockwaves immediately followed by a ring of fire expands in a split second into the massive area under the wall. the shockwave destroys some of the buildings and the following heat melts the stones and any iron plating it reaches, and as the wave hits the walls it quickly follows its force and flickering waves climb on the side of the wall, until they reach the top and flames and vibrations continue higher, the side effect of it hitting us and pushing us a bit further from the edge. i notice isabella weakening the heat, and everyone endures the shockwave on their own. for a fleeting moment, silence ensues, and immediately after there is an immense sucking force as the air rushes to fill up the void left after the explosion. the now-dead body after its head exploded gets folded and squeezed and pulled to the place where the javelin used to be, followed by more and more debris, flames, and air that rush back in. as before, all of this takes just a second, explosion quickly followed by implosion. the only difference is that this one was even stronger than the one i used against the undead aberrant deer, not being left with any other reasonable choice after my attack got flung against me. "what a shitshow," i sigh. it doesn''t matter what i do, it almost never goes as we would like it to go, and in the end, it all comes down to improvisation. but there is no point in complaining, i don''t think it will change. i cancel out the barrier of my mana and for the last time, i look down at where the explosion started, then i turn around to check on the others. a few of them are shaken and barely standing, either because of their help during the fight or the aftereffects of it. izzy is smiling, and i nod at sophie. this time the mind manipulator missy really did help. but what''s with them? why do you have to look at me like this? it was just a small explosion. everyone should be capable of something like this at around level 100. as my eyes skim by them, i notice a weird movement on the edge of the wall behind them. something flickers there, and then a massive paw with each claw as long as isabella reaches up and grabs the edge of the wall. my mana starts to move again when a giant head pokes over the top of the wall. the head of a giant bear with one eye missing and terrible scars across its decaying body. [undead bear - lvl ??] Chapter 143: Undead Bear - Lvl ?? chapter 143: undead bear - lvl ?? the monster pulls itself higher, and finally, even others notice it, a few shouts sounding into the surrounding. kinetic energy turned into flames hits the head in the form of a bright yellow flame that i continue to strengthen with each passing second as my heart pumps more energy through my body. soon after even isabella''s blue flames join them and start to burn the monster, the disgusting smell of burned fur and flesh hitting our noses. tess also used her lightning attacks, kim activates his gravity skill, and i know he is applying it on the monster in hopes it will lose its grip and fall down. but nothing helps and the bear climbs over the walls and a shockwave hits all of us, pushing us away from him and stopping our attacks on the monster. when the flames and smoke disappears the beast''s head is revealed, only a skull barely with any fur and muscles. yet it still continues to look towards us, calmly as if not seeing us as a danger. maya, already in full armament and with a spear in her hand, stands in front of it with hadwin by her side as the bear tilts its head and swings its paw at a speed that seems nearly impossible judging by its size. both of them are thrown away and sent flying over the wall. but we can''t give them any more thought as another attack hits us. another simple yet strong shockwave throws sophie and isabella over the wall and pushes others even closer to the edge, and i barely catch kim and lily before they fly over. seeing sophie fall over, the last remaining member of hard difficulty jumps over the wall as well, seemingly about to help them. in that short time between the attacks, i make my decision and put lily into kim''s arms and push them both over the edge, leaving only me, tess, and the twins on top. the twins are already much further on the wall, both of them boosted by their skill [haste]. (we will try to use [sensory deception] at the right moment!) one of them sends into my head and only then i remember biscuit, making me look around with a hint of panic. thankfully the corgi is fine and dangling from the edge of the wall by one massive purple tentacle that continues to stretch, slowly lowering him down. (gone) he sends me and continues to lower himself faster. good boy. another shockwave hits us and i absorb most of the kinetic energy of the attack and throw it behind myself to propel myself ahead. tess endures as well, the lightning armor around her body crackling in red and white colors. lure it away and run? she shoots me a question. it will follow others, i say while dozens of mana projectiles pop into existence and shoot towards the bear only to be shrugged off as nothing together with tess''s lightning-imbued javelin. the monster takes another step towards us and this time i feel tess push against the shockwave and even weaken it enough to have almost no effect. again the bear tilts its head, a skull with empty eye sockets, and an even stronger shockwave hits us, strong enough to render my projectiles flying at it useless and even blow off the flame i try to throw at it. okay! the bear tilts its head again, looking at me. he looks at my chest where my kinetic mana heart beats. and then, out of nowhere, its own heart beats loudly, loud enough for us to hear. one heartbeat. the bear widens its stance and opens its maw. the bear''s second heartbeat sounds deafening. a massive wave of kinetic energy is thrown at us and i know if it touches us, it will tear our bodies apart. it''s an attack and energy i know that well. so, for that moment, i let go of my control over the javelin and instead, my dual [focus] combines into one and i put my full attention into absorbing the kinetic energy thrown at us. there is so much of it, much more than i can output with my currently regulated kinetic heart. yet, i do not hesitate. it''s the energy that i know so well, the energy i handle so often. i reach towards it all. not to weaken it, i reach out and grab it in its entirety and using some of it to further strengthen my mana-infused body and shoot the remainder in a thin cone of kinetic energy towards the bear, tearing apart the muscles and fur on its chest and revealing its ribs and its shining giant heart. its heart is covered in green mana and each thump strengthens it, generating kinetic energy in a similar way to my construct. the monster somehow copied me. another heartbeat and the bear uses another shockwave combined with kinetic energy. this time tess helps and her [psychokinesis] pushes against the shockwave while i absorb kinetic energy and use it to propel the already white glowing javelin that pierces the monster''s chest, barely missing a rib, it stabs its heart and while tearing it apart flies outside of it and further in the distance where it explodes without affecting us at all. finally, the monster shows some reaction, and more of its mana rushes into its chest while i stagger a bit. when i reach out and check my mana reserves, i do realize that i have barely ten percent of my mana left. because of my massive mana pool, i didn''t even think about limiting my mana and didn''t limit it at all, using so much of it for my attacks. slowly, the bear takes another step towards us and its heart starts healing, covered in green mana. then it beats strongly and i can hear its bones vibrate under the kinetic energy the heart sends through the bear''s body. another heartbeat reverberates through its body and the monster stops, once again tilting its head as if in a confused manner. with another heartbeat the bear''s kinetic energy rages through its body, tearing apart muscles and revealing more of its pearl-white bones. i start forming another javelin when i feel tess''s hand touch my shoulder. "we should run while we can," the blonde says and it makes me stop, realizing that i barely have any mana left. the heartbeat sounds into the surrounding and the bear opens its mouth in a soundless growl. kinetic energy flowing through its body tears more and more of it apart, every beat audibly shaking and vibrating the bones that absorb some of this energy. the kinetic energy does more damage to the monster than we did. i give the bear one last look and together with tess, we jump over the wall. Chapter 144: Peacemaker chapter 144: peacemaker down below, we find the others, most of them in a terrible state and herded to one place by hadwin who doesn''t seem that hurt even after falling from such a height; his [strengthening] is probably good enough to help him endure. sophie and isabella are also fine, but the last member of hard difficulty, the icy guy, is really hurt. both of his legs are broken, an arm twisted and one of his eyes is blind. maya is in a similar state with bones poking out of both of her broken shins and sweat on her forehead as she clenches her teeth in pain while lily heals her. kim went to get the twins, they connected with him, hadwin says, and i now see that he is missing a few of his teeth and is bruised all over, with also a broken arm and probably multiple ribs. well, that''s dumb if i have to say so myself, but it''s kim''s decision. to make matters even worse, lily heals one of maya''s legs and then passes out, her breathing short and weak and the petite girl shaking and sweating. malnourished, dehydrated, overtaxing herself. biscuit moves closer to her and a few tentacles appear over him as he protectively stands in front of her after licking her hand a few times. the dog whimpers and looks towards me. (gone?) immediately after he whimpers again and steps a bit further, taking his eyes off me. i quickly control myself and force my mana and mind to calm down. as i step closer, i reach out and let biscuit lick my hand, and after that, i pet his tiny head. "sorry for that, i didn''t want to scare you, it''s just that i''m not in a very good mood right now." from atop the wall, i can still feel waves of kinetic energy as the bear''s heart continues to thump and generate it and trying to take it all under its control. i''ll be back for you, you can be sure of that. how dare you try to copy my construct. goddamned bear. now then, back to this silly girl. when i lift her up she feels so light and weak. (we will go over the wall on the opposite side, the bear seems to be busy right now and we can avoid the others!) sounds in my head and after that, the silence ensues. now then, to make it clear and not beat around the bush and say it out loud, i say loudly enough for everyone in the hideout to hear it. sophie, isabella, tess, hadwin, maya, and even barely conscious lily are listening. i swear on the life of my mother and on the life of my sister, the most precious things in this world to me. a short pause is filled with deafening silence, sophie, if you ever try to control me or people i care about again, i''ll kill you. i''ll do it without hesitation and i won''t care if it happens in front of your sister." the silence becomes even deeper, and now everyone is looking at sophie, who is also looking at me. she seems to understand, but if not, she can ask isabella. i''m sure the little girl can tell her how serious i am. after saying that out loud i feel much better. there is still a lot of anger at sophie and her meddling with my mind, but saying these things feels as if i can''t now take a step back in case she does something like this. i won''t be able to pressure myself into thinking logically, i''ll just have to do what i said i would do. okay, now that we are all on the same wavelength, there are a few things we have to do. first, sophie, go and infuse lily with your mana, keep her strengthened. hadwin, you go out and use that trap to get us some sparrows. tess, you will protect them just in case. if lily tries to use even a speck of her mana to heal someone, you can zap her and make her unconscious until i come back with water or send kim and the twins back with it. my eyes glance around the room and no one seems to be complaining, no one other than lily. you! i point a finger at lily, stay put. maya will heal on her own and if her bones don''t fix themselves normally we can break them again and then you will heal her. lily doesn''t seem to like it. she exchanges looks with tess. the young blonde woman smiles at lily but her eyes remain somewhat cold, clearly indicating she will zap her if needed. i ignore maya''s terrified look and i do not even mention the icy guy. then i leave the hideout. as many times before, even this seems to be my fault. i shouldn''t have killed cipher and i should be more careful when attacking the deer. but at the same time, things could be much worse if i did not do these things. but consequences are here and the best thing i can do now is to help kim and maybe these two little brats, get some water and beat up some copycat bear. and there is one more thing. i quickly put some distance between me and the hideout, once again under the wall and when i send my mana towards the top, i still can feel waves of kinetic energy. is the bear trying to learn how to control it? goddamned monsters in hell difficulty. but first things first. i open up my left hand and look at the palm that has continued to bother me ever since the start of the floor. the weird feeling of itching is now even worse and for the first time, i can feel intricate patterns of mana inside of it. circuits i''m barely able to perceive, yet i know they are there, and on the skin of my palm, a pattern appears. a pattern looking exactly like a peacemaker, the strongest defensive item in the world of the second floor. an item that i got from lissandra and that i held with my left hand, exactly as the pattern is etched into my skin. interesting isn''t it, but this much is enough. i coat my right arm in an oscillating mana and cut off my left hand. Chapter 145: Envy chapter 145: envy i glance at my severed left hand and burn the stump with thermal energy to stop the bleeding, immediately after i form a hand made of mana. testingly, i move the fingers and increase the density of the mana.the roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. for now, this should do. i can''t have lily restore my arm in the state she is in now. now then, since i''ve calmed down a bit, i should pick my rewards, right? the kill of the level 159 deer got me a whopping 2 levels and i also completed my side quest that required me to get all of my skills over level twenty. it''s time to get my rewards before i start moving. congratulations, you have completed your side quest. you can now select one of the offered passive skills, which have been determined based on your performance so far in the tutorial. passive skill: kinetic momentum (rare) the user''s manipulation of kinetic energy becomes fluid and seamless, allowing them to effortlessly transfer kinetic force between their body, weapons, and projectiles, increasing overall impact and damage. passive skill: mana-fortified resilience (rare) the user''s resilience strengthens with their current mana reserves, boosting resistance to physical strain, and also enhancing resistance to various energies. passive skill: mana convergence (rare) the user''s mana manipulation abilities allow them to merge multiple streams of mana into a concentrated form, amplifying the potency and efficiency of their mana-based attacks and defenses. passive skill: swift recovery (uncommon) the user''s natural healing rate is slightly accelerated, allowing them to recover from injuries and wounds more quickly, particularly when their mana levels are high. passive skill: thermal conversion mastery (uncommon) the user''s expertise in converting kinetic energy to thermal energy expands, allowing them to efficiently convert a higher percentage of kinetic energy into intense heat, resulting in more potent thermal-based attacks. passive skill: thermal channeling (uncommon) the user can channel thermal energy into their mana-infused weapons or constructs, imbuing them with scorching heat that increases their damage potential. passive skill: mana forge (uncommon) the user''s mastery of mana manipulation enables them to shape and mold mana into slightly more intricate and powerful constructs, granting their creations enhanced durability and destructive capabilities. passive skill: mana overload absorption (rare) at the same time, a mana projectile forms behind me, and i start [redistributing] and infusing mana into it, helping myself with surge as much as i can, my body able to endure it all now. when the burning bear falls down, creating a small crater, the projectile flies at him while i propel myself higher and immediately after hitting him it explodes in a massive heatwave followed by a shockwave and then a terrifying implosion that pulls even the bear''s massive body closer to where the center of my projectile used to be. i let myself fall down and with a push of kinetic energy, i send away all the dust and reveal the bear that is still there, green mana glowing around his body, restoring its muscles, its fur, even his eyes reappear. then its heart beats and all of this is destroyed again by rampant kinetic energy and then the bear ignores me, putting his attention back to his heart. [disruption] levels up as i shoot it at the monster. [mana surge] levels up as i continue to boost my weapons coated in oscillating mana. i shoot projectiles at its chest, i burn its body. the bear continues to ignore me the entire time while all of his attention is on his heart. pov kim min-jae (what the hell is that guy doing?) aaron complains in my head. (usual stuff, exploding people, nuking the city, raising eldritch abominations. you know, typical psycho stuff.) dennis adds and i can''t help but agree. nathaniel isn''t exactly normal. (we should hurry while he''s got the attention of the bear and wolves.) i send as well through their [connection] that they joined me to. it doesn''t feel that bad, the wordless communication is nice, and listening to the two of them it''s easy to guess how used to it they got. (at this point i''m more scared of that guy than the bear.) aaron says (don''t forget the dog, he can interrupt and join our [connection].) dennis ads. we quickly move through the area, especially fast now that i''ve lowered our weight with my skill. far away from us, i feel nathaniel''s mana constantly exploding after he fell from the wall together with the bear, his flames burning the monster even while he was falling down. that was the moment we decided to jump down and quickly went to get water as it also meant that the two one-question mark wolves moved to check what was happening. still, i can''t help but feel a hint of envy, hearing the way the twins talk about nathaniel. even cheeky as they are, i can hear reverence and admiration in their voice. i want that. i want people to admire me, to talk about me in the way they talk about nathaniel. i want them to compare other people to me. it''s silly, i know, but i can''t do anything about it. ever since the start of the floor, i can''t help but keep comparing myself to him. i thought it would be different here, but in the end, it''s the same. i keep comparing myself to others the same way i kept comparing myself to my siblings back on earth. so when the one question mark boar appears in between us and the stream of water, i do not hesitate. i try to imitate the stance nathaniel likes to take every time he gets serious and look towards the boar as even my mana flares up in a similar way. i won''t run away. Chapter 146: Lesson chapter 146: lesson so, what now? i move mana through my body and strengthen the pulses of my kinetic mana heart. the bear tilts its head and tries to copy me. it fails, and energy continues to destroy its body while green mana continues to restore it. it''s now confirmed that the bear will die on its own after its mana runs out. but we can''t have that! what about my experience points? you won''t take them away from me! but one thing is interesting, the bear learns, slowly but surely. so, i keep showing him how i handle the kinetic energy my heart creates, and it tries to copy me. i sit there and observe it all. it''s all very interesting. the bear, maybe because it''s created by the system, maybe because it''s undead, or maybe because it''s an animal, continues to try to handle kinetic energy in a much different way. so, i continue to watch it. oh! this one was nice. i like the way it lets the energy vibrate its bones, then absorbs a tiny bit of that energy. it feels a bit more high frequency than the one generated by my heart. good job, undead winnie! try it again! but he fails, and his body gets torn apart. the monster opens its mouth even wider and slams them shut, sending a vibrating wave of kinetic energy into its surroundings. i absorb it, mold it, and shoot it high in the air. why was i even scared before? the monster is weak; its only strong point is its high defense, and it made a terrible mistake. you tried to copy the wrong thing! my kinetic mana heart is not something a chump like you can handle. hehe. finally, kim and the twins come from behind me, all having bags filled to the brim with water. they move extremely carefully and pause for a second, their gazes on the corpses of two one-question-mark wolves. well, what remains of them. did you kill them? kim points at the wolves, and i see that once again, he is getting into a bad mood. the kid is still comparing himself to me. that''s dumb. i''m not exactly normal, so don''t do that. they were weak, a few concentrated blasts of kinetic energy were enough to deal with them. your hand... kim says out of nowhere, and the twins look at each other. it''s fine, nothing to worry about. oh, and you, two little jerks. i can feel you talk behind my back. i feel your connection. if you want to talk, say it out loud, okay? that makes them instantly shut up, and the connection between them cuts off. the bear fails again, and a massive wave of kinetic energy explodes from him at the epicenter, destroying the land around him and deepening the crater he is in. when it reaches me, i absorb it, and not even the trio behind me gets affected. now then, the system offered me a passive skill: passive skill: energy channeling (rare) - the user has mastered the art of channeling various energies into their mana-infused weapons or constructs, achieving a seamless integration of different energy types. it''s something i have already tried before, but now i can try a bit harder with my mana-fortified resilience allowing me to push my body further and handle a little bit of misuse. a sword appears in my hand, and i transfer the kinetic energy into thermal, then try to infuse it into the sword instead of shooting it outside of my body. carefully, i consolidate both parts of [focus] and put it all into this task. i slowly move it outside of the body, then through the handle and towards the blade. oh, it almost broke; let''s change the mana a bit, make it denser. leave some space for thermal energy. projectile with extra piercing power. very nice. while bombarding the bear for a bit longer, i came up with a few ideas that could be super interesting to use, but are currently way out of my reach. what if i infuse my projectiles with kinetic energy and make it so this kinetic energy activates once in a while, boosting the projectile. with a bit of work and some marking on my target that would allow the projectile to follow, i could be able to make homed projectiles. i could also infuse kinetic energy into my armor, making it explode towards my attacker if i get hit. i think some tanks have it, it''s called reactive armor or something like that. or i can use it to do a similar effect to [oscillation]. for thermal maybe i can create a mana orb that would constantly radiate some heat and heat up the room while i sleep or i''m not there? i could set stuff on fire from a long distance? flame sword? flame armor? i''ll have to think a bit more. overall, it''s not terrible but it''s also far from good. the best thing about it is that it will allow me to infuse energies i get in the future and that might work better with my mana projectiles. well, now back to undead winnie. even after such a long time, the bear wasn''t able to control kinetic energy and i can feel his mana reserves dwindling, so i just try my new idea. i''ll try to destroy its head and heart at the same time! yup, that''s quite a good idea i say. i might be a genius or something. so i shoot two orbs, one passes through the bear''s eye socket and into its brain and the other one hits its chest. tricolored mana explodes and implodes as many times before while i watch from the distance and the nearly manaless bear finally dies. [you have defeated the undead bear - lvl 158] [lvl 109 > lvl 111] that was kind of underwhelming. let that be a lesson for all the monsters not to try to copy me! after i invest my stats i glimpse at them. not bad at all. lvl 111 strength: 33 dexterity: 31 constitution: 92 mana: 327 before leaving i also fill my bag with water and wash my face and entire head in it. i can''t even explain how refreshing it all feels. i also take a small sip and decide to wait a bit longer to see if it''s safe. tess will surely tell others to do the same. we will see how well the water will do in this world under the decay. after climbing the wall i pass by a few houses and enter the one i remembered. the one where i left my cut-off left arm. the arm is gone and instead of it, there is a peacemaker. but there is one huge difference from the defensive item from before. this one is totally made from my flesh and bones. the item doesn''t radiate any mana i could perceive, yet i can feel an edge of mana circuits that are so complicated it makes my head spin just to try to perceive the tiniest part of them. when i try to inspect it, no text appears, and the item just lies there, looking extremely creepy. should i burn it? the item moves as if it''s breathing, and i notice veins and short hair on its surface as it pulsates. i totally should burn it. Chapter 147: Shall we talk? chapter 147: shall we talk? okay, this is creepier the more i observe it. the thing, the item, is covered with my skin, veins are all over its surface and in a few places, i can see my bones poking out. the entire thing is covered in circuits, as well as the inside of the item. it''s oval, similarly shaped to the original peacemaker, and its size is the same as well. when i look closer, i notice that it''s moving slightly, breathing. damn, should i burn it? i ask myself again. i totally should burn it. what the heck is it, even? unable to hold back my curiosity, i observe it for a while, yet i can''t even come close to finding out what it is. okay, it''s staying here. there''s no way i''m touching it. i''ll come back to check on it a few hours later, and who knows, it might become less creepy or start devouring the third floor. i glance at it one more time and shudder before leaving it as it is. when i get to the hideout, everyone is inside. the water is nearly gone and i notice that some faces are a bit cleaner than before. a waste of water someone might say, but it''s not like i blame them. but there is something i do blame them for. you drank the water, i say to tess and she just nods. thats...dumb, i can''t help but say. i''m sure they realize it as well. nat, not everyone got an upgrade like you, i think you''re underestimating how thirsty everyone was, she pauses, lily used her skill to try to get rid of anything that could be harmful and we boiled it a bit. well, i know it''s most likely safe, but the system is kind of a joker sometimes so i wouldn''t be surprised. even though i don''t think there was any problem with water up until now. whatever, i guess, we will see. how is lily? i ask. she did get to sleep after we gave her most of the meat from the sparrow that hadwin brought back and she also got some water. not too quickly and not too much, but it did help a lot. also, what happened to your hand? not sure yet, i''ll let you know in a few hours, i answer mysteriously. i still have to find out what kind of abomination lies on the floor of that house. did i screw up something? is it a reward? is it the effect of a strong item trying to keep itself alive? or is it... it can ?t be, right? haaa, lily will be angry, tess sighs and i can''t help but agree. but that''s a future problem for future nathaniel, screw that guy! so, i grab a bit of food and some water and get to the corner of the room to nibble on it slowly. obviously, biscuit immediately smells the opportunity and comes closer, just sitting on his bum and staring at me, trying to look cute. i swear he knows! he knows that i don''t need that much food anymore, so he uses every opportunity to beg for some food from me. (i require sustenance.) he says, and i shudder. to not think about useless stuff, i focus on my translucent mana hand on my left hand and continue to move the fingers and close them into a fist. the movement is so much better than before and i''m even able to create some super basic mana pathways through it, reducing the effect of my missing hand on my mana flow. it''s not perfect, but i''m at the point where missing some part of my body won''t cause me much trouble. then, as if waiting until i''m the busiest, kim also comes to me. why am i so popular lately? nat, he starts carefully and i look at him. he seems serious, yet his eyes are firm, please tell me how to practice, he says, and i can see that it takes a lot of him to ask that so soon after the last time. the fifteen-year-old boy is really proud and i aalso think that asking for help is not something he is used to, judging from what he told me about his family. at first, i want to send him away by just telling him to practice his skills as he did up until now, but then i notice his trembling hand. don''t look up to me, it''s... unpleasant. as for his request, i saw him fighting multiple times. he''s doing well, his usage of his [telekinesis] is nice and intricate. it doesn''t have as much power as tess''s skill but it''s more nimble and he''s good at controlling a lot of smaller projectiles. it''s not something i could help him much with and i think he''s on a good path. no, the problem is that he doesn''t use [gravity well] much. okay, i grab a stone from the ground and throw it towards him while standing up. the boy grabs it with his skill instead of reaching with his hand, and the stone starts to hover in front of him. just this little interaction shows me how much all of us got used to using skills. for some of us, it becomes even more natural than using our bodies. make that stone as heavy as possible while keeping it afloat with [telekinesis], but that''s constantly using two skills at once. for a while, it''s fine, but... i don''t say anything and he falls silent, i... he starts, and shakes his head, okay. okay, he shouts and immediately leaves, the stone following him. now then, i should go out and have a talk, shouldn''t i? i inform tess that i''ll be staying outside overnight so she won''t worry about me, and i leave. my steps are heavy and my mind wavers the closer i get to the house where i left what used to be my left hand. as i get nearby, my heartbeat speeds up. i open the door and then close it. the sound of the lock clicking almost sounds deafening. then i look at the fleshy item on the ground. it''s still the same and still in the same spot. lissandra, i assume? i say. then the surface of the item vibrates, creating vibrations that are transferred into sound and form words, you assume correctly, shall we talk, little pup? well, if this doesn''t complicate things. Chapter 148: Imprint chapter 148: imprint i did have my suspicions, but somewhere in the back of my mind, i did hope it won''t be like this. obviously, i ended up being right. "how much do you know?" first, i need to find out how much she knows, and how much she is under the influence of the system. "little pup, i''m absolute of my planet. obviously, i know a lot," she answers once again. this time i observe it a bit more and find out how terrifyingly difficult what she does is. she uses the tiniest amount of mana to vibrate the air to create soundwaves; she is even skilled enough to make them mimic her original voice. who the heck would even bother with that? "system, tutorial, second floor, floor quests, third floor, repeat that." "i do not appreciate your tone," she says before continuing, "system, tutorial, second floor, floor quests, third floor," she just repeats it all. oh boy, this is getting fun. i move closer and sit in front of the thing that used to be my left hand. just from a few sentences we exchanged i notice that she is a bit different from the lissandra i knew. how to say it, her personality is a bit off? "could you explain it to me?" i say. "i could, but first, i have to say that i''m quite disappointed by your usage of mana, little pup. i find it really inadequate." "i find your lack of an actual body more inadequate." "..." "go on, try to poke me again, granny, you are not so scary any..." before i finish, a small pulse of mana can be felt from the fleshy item on the ground. the amount is so ridiculously small that i almost do not bother defending against it. it just feels like someone blowing a little bit of air from their nose. that''s how minuscule the amount is. yet, i do remember who lissandra was and send disruptive mana at it, even creating a shield in front of it. the whiff of mana sent at me then absorbs the disruptive mana and reflects it at me. that mana then proceeds to delete my shield from existence and engulfs my entire body, totally breaking my hold over my mana. then it hits me, sending sharp pain through my entire body. it''s as if someone kicked my crotch, just the pain repeating all over the entirety of my body. the pain disappears as quickly as it came, but the feeling lingers behind. "my usage of mana is trash," i groan quietly. the item lets out something resembling a laugh, and lissandra continues, "you were always fun to observe, little pup." this time even though its voice is made only with the help of mana, i can hear deep anger and hate in it. i''ll give you coordinates of my world, of a most likely dead world where only i''m still alive. when you are strong enough, you will get there and pass to me the message i will leave you. even though the item contains only a tiny amount of mana, i can almost feel the terrifying pressure of someone strong enough to be called absolute. being way beyond any logic and someone even the system was unable to replicate or contain fully. "and then, when the original me learns that this cheeky system dared to copy her, she will go and find it, her words are full of despise, and when she finds the system or being responsible behind it, she will fuck it up. i''m not going to lie, lissandra is scary, like goddamn. who creates a copy of her consciousness just to try to screw over someone who pissed her off and dared to use her for the tutorial. talk about holding a grudge. i would totally do the same. the thing is that i believe that she might just try to do that. the second floor showed us the end of her world, which was caused by the mind mage emperor manipulating champion tristan into sacrificing his life and using [dawn]. i believe she would survive that if that''s how her word ended. it doesn''t matter if everyone on the planet died or if the system copied it thousands of years ago. i''m sure she would still be alive. first, we will do something about your body. from watching you, i understand how you like to go about things, but to be honest, it''s inadequate. having mana keep threatening your own body is good, but it stops being funny when you keep getting wrecked by it. oi, there is no need to be such a douche about that. putting stats into mana is good, it''s just amazing that you didn''t use it to temper your body actively and only let the passive strain of your mana temper it. temper what? active tempering? passive tempering? why does it all sound so interesting? you have to talk, i won''t be wasting my mana just because it''s bothersome for you to open your mouth. ouch, that did sting a little. tell me more about active tempering, i say. i still dislike your tone, even now it somewhat pisses me off. your eyes were the same, even as she is saying it, i can hear a hint of amusement in her words, that''s what made it so fun to watch. but enough nonsense, there are multiple ways to go about it, but the easiest would be to do what you were doing up until now, just more actively. why do i have a feeling that this is going to hurt? there is no need to wait. we can start right away. we will use the thing you created around your heart to send strong waves of kinetic energy through your body and pummel it until it either breaks or becomes stronger. i knew it. Chapter 149: Active tempering chapter 149: active tempering lissandra is built differently, oh, i don''t mean her current state she is in right now. nope, the woman shares with me multiple ways to manipulate my mana to be able to go through what she called active tempering. i don''t understand at all. she continues to dumb it down more and more to the point where she complains that even animals could do it. i won''t refute that. i know multiple deer, bears, and one corgi that would totally be able to do that. i''ve long known that the most dangerous mages will be from the zoo. lissandra then tries to explain and i can hear her getting more and more annoyed. i would expect her to be a lot more patient, being as old as she is and as powerful, but she has absolutely no patience with her students. she is impossibly powerful and talented beyond belief so for her something like moving mana on a subatomic level sounds like basics. okay, i''ll dumb it down even more, little pup. you will activate the thing you call kinetic mana heart, then you need to use the thing you call mana regulator to feed it as much mana as you can handle. after that i want you to weaken your passive skill otherwise it will weaken the effect of tempering. first, we will temper your body with kinetic energy. you will have to change output a bit, frequency should be like, she says some mumbo jumbo difficult terms i do not understand, then you will use different frequency on your bones, but at the same time you have to temper your muscles too, also with different frequency. it all sounds reasonable and the results she promises are all amazing. nothing too excessive for first active tempering, but i can continue to improve on it. you will have to keep infusing your body with your mana, but not as you usually do. that''s what amateurs do, you need to be more precise and not just throw it around uselessly. you are wasting so much of it. it''s all good, but damn, somehow she pisses me off. is it because we are so similar? your tone pisses me off, i say out loud. short silence. would you say that to me when i had my body? she asks, annoyance clear in her voice. no, you would beat me up. ... i would. it takes half a night and enough testing to make my head spin, but i''ve somewhat taken a grasp of that and we will try it on my arm first before going at it with my entire body. so now, i''m taking a short break to relax and calm down before we get to it. all while the air still rages outside and the room continues to be lit with a mana orb filled with thermal energy that i made a bit bigger. from past experience, i know that there are barely any monsters so close to the wall, even during the night we didn''t meet any so the entire process shouldn''t be interrupted. why are you so slow? move your mana faster. yeah, the mighty used-to-be-absolute-but-is-now-creepy-brooch-made-from-flesh-and-bones continues to complain. again, you are controlling it like a kid doing its first mana exercises. be more delicate and do not waste so much of it. are all the geniuses like this? is it because she is a grumpy old grandma? actually, is she even a grandma? ruby was close to one hundred and she did look barely over twenty. could even lissandra look to be twenty years old if she wanted to? actually, i might even have seen kids better at handling mana than you, the brooch made of flesh and bones continues. is she not going to stop? i''m staying quiet in hopes that she will stop, but unsuccessfully. this is better, now make it a bit more dense and even. you can start sending kinetic energy through your body, do not forget about the frequency." right now, only me and my body exist. deep breath in. hold. deep breath out. let''s go with 40 percent. i change the regulator once again and focus on infusing my body with mana in ways i just learned, while also grabbing hold of kinetic energy and collecting it in my body, which starts to react to the pressure much stronger now that i''m not strengthened by reinforcement and the passive is weakened. as soon as i feel my body is infused properly, i grab hold of the kinetic energy and start sending it, this time not out of my body, but through my body. i adjust the kinetic energy slightly and also alter its frequency. immediately, i feel as if someone started pummeling my body with a massive hammer while shaking it impossibly quickly. it''s getting hard to focus, and the pain feels omnipresent and constant, and i get bruised even in the parts where i feel i''m doing it perfectly. the energy just continues to pummel, to temper my body, putting a lot of strain on it. only thanks to my body being properly infused with mana and thanks to the special frequency of kinetic energy, my body absorbs some strain so i do not get torn apart. yet, it hurts, it hurts so much. i keep getting more and more wounds every time i lose my focus even for a split second, but i force myself and continue. a minute passes. two minutes. three minutes. one of my eyes explodes because of me losing my focus and the frequency of the thread of kinetic energy changes for a second. four minutes. five minutes. lissandra said five minutes is a good start and the maximum i should do on my first try. six minutes. seven minutes. another wound that feels somewhat serious, but i continue. eight minutes. i change the setting on my mana regulator again, but this time i''m not even sure to what percentage. the world for me becomes just my body and two energies i have to handle - the kinetic energy that can kill me at any second and the mana that i use to infuse my body with. at some point, i notice some imperfections and change the frequency a bit, and use a bit less mana to infuse my body. the pain strengthens but the efficiency improves. good. then, who knows how much later, i stop. right after, i set up my regulator again and at the same time turn back on reinforcement and the passive, as well as start to strengthen my body with symbiotic transference. i open my eyes... my single eye, and turn it to the fleshy brooch still lying there, on the ground in front of me. this time lissandra doesn''t say anything. Chapter 150: Four conditions fulfilled chapter 150: four conditions fulfilled did i lose consciousness? nope! am i happy? yup. that''s kind of rare. also, my left arm didn''t explode. sure, there are some massive bruises, a few cracked bones, and a missing pinkie on my leg. one missing eye. an ear that nearly tore off. plenty of hurt inner organs. nothing lily wouldn''t be able to handle. but! look at this. lvl 111 strength: 43 dexterity: 41 constitution: 112 mana: 327 strength, dexterity went up by 10 points each, and constitution increased by 20 points! that''s like getting 13 levels worth of stats, just by trying a little bit. that sounds all too good. i''ll have to get lily to heal me and try again, maybe i can improve on the process. a few skills also leveled up. [mana infusion - lvl 21 > mana infusion - lvl 22] [mana infusion - lvl 22 > mana infusion - lvl 23] [mana infusion - lvl 23 > mana infusion - lvl 24] [focus - lvl 33 > focus - lvl 34] good, very good! my body hurts like hell and i will most likely get killed by lily, but right now i''m happy. how are you even alive? the creepy thing on the floor asks and i ignore it. not even a rude talking brooch will dampen my good mood. well, anyways, there are still some parts where you are seriously lacking. it''s called active tempering, not active ruiningyourownbody. "huh, it''s not the same?" i answer. also, isn''t she too similar to me? is it because of imprint imperfections or was she somehow affected by me? being made from my hand and stuff. lissandra then continues to diss the entire process i did. she calls me dumb multiple times and calls my mana manipulations barely better than that of a 5-year-old child. but i sit there and listen. even though she is rude, she gives some really good pointers and now that i went through it there is a bit more i can understand. i find that i''m already getting used to this grumpy and high-standard imprint of terrifyingly powerful absolute. yet, she is so different from the fake i met on the second floor. it''s hard for me to bring myself to hate her for killing ruby. another reason is [focus] that keeps all these emotions at bay and my knowing that ruby would have died anyway. still, i need to be careful. i know for sure that she is willing to take over my body and mind the moment an opportunity arrives. she would do it without a moment of hesitation. lissandra went to sleep, or whatever brooches do when they are tired. what an assholish and petty grandma. she refuses it but now i''m sure she got somewhat similar to me. she probably just doesn''t want to accept the fact that her imprint was imperfect to the point where it got affected by me. i swear when i meet her original self, i''ll have my revenge. but for now, before the night ends, i can look into two of my skills. [disruption] and [oscillation]. these are the skills i''ve been thinking about a lot lately. now that i have a better idea of how the system works and after talking to lissandra, something seems amiss. [disruption] is what i use to disrupt mana, but from its name, it should be used to disrupt everything. it''s not called [mana disruption]. so should i be able to disrupt the connection between some materials? at much higher levels, could i disrupt the connection between cells? then there is [oscillation] that i mostly use to oscillate mana. to vibrate it, to make it more, and then i use it to increase the cutting force of my weapons. once again, it''s not called [mana oscillation]. after observing some monsters and watching lissandra''s weird mana just pass through my shields, something about them feels off. it''s almost as if they should be just one skill and they haven''t been growing as much as i would like them to. is it a problem caused by having two skills with somewhat similar effects? i don''t know, but i asked lissandra for a few hints and got some. so now, i''ll try to combine them. it''s totally possible to combine two skills into one. if they are similar it''s easier, but if their effects are too different it''s almost impossible. that''s where i think there might be a skill combination token in the future. the system likes its tokens. but enough of that. i enter [focus] once again, ignore my wounds, and start using both of these skills at once. [disruption] is more intangible while [oscillation] is more physical, but i try to use the second one on a piece of wood in my hand while attempting to apply the first one. the feeling is weird, so different, yet so similar. there''s something both of the skills have in common. at first, i try to use both skills at once, but after hours of feeling like it leads to nothing, i just use one of them while trying to use it as the other one. even the creepy brooch wakes up and surprisingly gives me a few pointers. i continue, and hours pass as i keep failing, only to receive a few more tips mixed with complaints about my terrible mana handling. but this time i don''t filter her voice out and listen as her voice guides me through the process. lissandra easily identifies what i''m trying to do and even knows where i should go to get a good result, so she guides me there. she doesn''t give me everything on a silver platter, not at all. she makes me practice, try, and fail, all while leading me to the point where i come up with ideas and questions on my own. i dislike her but she is extremely skilled. then, the night passes and the day comes. i once again lose track of time and multiple hours pass when finally the notification sounds. congratulations, you have acquired a new skill by combining [disruption] and [oscillation]. you have acquired a new skill: [resonance] [resonance - lvl 0 > resonance - lvl 9] haaa... my levels... why am i even surprised? congratulations, you have fulfilled four out of four conditions required to use the beyond difficulty entrance token! you can now enter beyond once every four months. ehm, what? Chapter 151: First trial chapter 151: first trial that''s kind of unexpected. i don''t mind free gifts, but i barely get any time to be happy about my new skill, and now the system is throwing this at me? so the last requirement was to combine skills? is it always this requirement, or does it differ from person to person? knowing the system, i won''t get any answers anytime soon. but there is something that interests me even more. you can enter beyond once every four months. first, the difficulty higher than hell is called beyond. second, i can go there only once every four months, meaning i will be staying in hell difficulty and only be sent there for something like missions? for how long? days, weeks, months? is there any hidden requirement that would allow me to go there permanently, or is that how beyond works? it kind of makes sense as the token was called beyond difficulty entrance token and not beyond difficulty change token. oh boy, i''m curious, i want to go there. but i can''t right now. i need to get healed, and get my missing eye and left hand restored. i also need to at least test [resonance] and make sure a few people are taken care of. i might be gone for a long time. now, i''m curious about the community. easy difficulty 1350/2000 normal difficulty 880/1000 hard difficulty 275/500 hell difficulty 50/250 beyond 3/10 community tournament (unavailable) well, here it is, the new spot i couldn''t see up until now. noname -mana is the best stat. savant -i thought you would never get there. obviously, this person is already there. noname -3/10 means that 10 people got into the beyond difficulty right from the start or does 10 mean that only 10 people can get to beyond? savant - probably the second. there are 3 of us right now, and the other guy didn''t say anything up until now, no matter what i tried. he can either be someone like us that got there, or it''s as you said, and 10 people started in beyond, and he is the only one alive. both of these options sound assholish enough, so knowing the system, it could be either. noname - combining skills as one of the requirements. four requirements in total? savant - yes. noname -did you enter beyond already? savant - what do you think? haaa, obviously savant went there already. how the heck is he/she that fast? am i that slow and held back by others, or is there something else? noname - want to share some info? savant -nope. noname - understandable. savant - yes. i switch to hell community, and no matter what i try, everything gets censored. i can''t mention a higher difficulty. it doesn''t censor it; it straight up refuses to send the message. noname (hell, group 4) -dang it. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -look at who it is. noname, you are so dead. grumpy continued to look for you. oh boy. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -poor girl kept spamming the community. noname (hell, group 4) - i was... occupied. anotheronehere (hell, theguild) -i''m sure she will understand, heh. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -leave the poor guy alone; he is too busy. lately, he only lurks around and keeps reading the messages without talking in the community at all. noname (hell, group 4) -my social batteries are empty. brainiac (hell, whitewing) - the heck? this is just a chat. noname (hell, group 4) - so? what difference does it make? i count it as socializing. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -you have problems. noname (hell, group 4) -i bet you send voice messages to people instead of texting. lvl 114 strength: 43 dexterity: 41 constitution: 113 mana: 340 [primary class: mana channeler] [sub-class: unavailable] active skills: focus (dual focus consolidation) - lvl 34 mana manipulation (advanced mana manipulation) - lvl 34 perception - lvl 29 redistribution (symbiotic transference) - lvl 29 armament - lvl 32 mana surge - lvl 22 mana infusion - lvl 24 resonance - lvl 12 constructs: reinforcement (construct) kinetic mana heart (construct) mana regulator (construct) passive skills: mana flow (rare) cerebral harmony (rare) mana-fortified resilience (rare) tokens: beyond difficulty entrance token then i give sophie one more warning look and boop biscuit''s nose and caress isabella''s head. who knows when i''ll come back? when i get out and a bit further from the hideout, i activate the token without any further hesitation, and the entrance appears next to me. i enter and find myself in a clearing in the middle of the forest. the clearing is surrounded by trees on all sides, and there are two suns in the sky. it''s the exact replica of the first floor. notifications pop up. welcome to the beyond ?s first trial! congratulations on fulfilling all the requirements. then the cracking sounds, and from behind the trees, a monster enters the clearing. a massive gray bear with glowing orange eyes and sparks floating around him of the same color. the bear takes a step closer. [cinderbear - lvl 120] that doesn''t seem that bad. so is beyond the tutorial all over, just much harder? or is it to filter out the people the same way the first floor did, and only then does it start? but before i can think further, glowing orange sparks appear all around the clearing. then they are set ablaze, and from each of them, a monster steps out. [cinderbear - lvl ??] [cinderbear - lvl ?] [cinderbear - lvl 134] [cinderbear - lvl ??] [cinderbear - lvl ??] [cinderbear - lvl ?] [cinderbear - lvl 101] ... dozens of massive bears appear around me, and then at the same time, their mana blazes up, and i feel a massive pressure reaching towards me as a new window pops up in front of me. beyond ?s first trial. objective: survive for one hour. Chapter 152: Phantom chapter 152: phantom the pressure on my body intensifies even more as multiple cinderbears attack. i slip into [focus], and [resonance] activates at the same time. the air, the space around me resonates according to my will, and i change its frequency multiple times until the effects of the attack disappear and i''m freed. just in time, i redirect as much kinetic energy as i can towards the ground under me, making it explode as i push myself high in the air. i quickly move to the side as a dozen or so sparks barely miss me. the ones that are about to touch me, i dissipate with [resonance] and push myself far in the distance, away from dozens of cinderbears. the forest behind me immediately explodes under the heat and flames, and i can feel them following me. the heck! i don''t even have time to complain as another wave of pressure hits me, pulling me down to the ground. i track its source and immediately create two javelins that i fill with kinetic energy and shoot towards the source. the bear there just uses its spark and appears in a different place, once again reaching towards me.n?00vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. i cancel out the attack with my skill and propel myself even further, only to be met with a dozen more glowing orange sparks that soon blaze up into massive flames, and even more cinderbears step out. okay. okay! i immediately stop, and instead of running, i start to release my mana regulator, and the kinetic mana heart beats loudly. i will fuck you up. dark blue armor appears on my body, and my head gets covered by a helmet without any holes. i send perceiving mana into my surroundings. my heart sends waves of kinetic energy through my body, and i use half of it to strengthen it while collecting the remainder. dozens of mana form appear around me, and i anchor them to my core. with [mana surge], i start spinning them around my body, further boosting them with kinetic energy while continuing to make them denser but not to the point where tricolored mana appears. a loud whistling noise sounds in the surroundings, along with the roars of the bears as i land on the ground. the first bear dashes at me, the air around him wavering because of heat, and i sling two orbs at his head, one after another. the first one filled with kinetic energy explodes, dissipating some hot air around him, and the other, a bit denser, pierces his skull and immediately kills the monster. [you have defeated a cinderbear - lvl 116] i absorb the remaining thermal energy from his body and transfer it into kinetic energy, sending more orbs towards the weaker monsters. [you have defeated a cinderbear - lvl 106] [you have defeated a cinderbear - lvl 119] [you have defeated a cinderbear - lvl 118] good, good! then, without any warning, i feel a stab in my belly, and when i look down, there is a small green hand holding a knife that seems as if made from obsidian, but there is red mana flowing through the blade. the blade is deep inside my side, totally ignoring my armor. [phantom goblin - lvl ??] the hand immediately disappears as if becoming invisible, and i can''t feel any presence anymore. a giggle sounds in the surroundings. in a rage triggered by old memories, without even knowing what i''m doing, all my mana rushes into my heart, and my heart beats loudly enough for me to hear. a wave of kinetic energy that i send all around me is the strongest that i ever produced, and it totally explodes in a large area around me. bodies of dead cinderbears get thrown away like toys, the trees get uprooted from the ground, and the stones and ground fly all away from me, leaving me standing in the crater created by my attack. silence. then another short laugh followed by nothing. my teeth feel like they are about to break, but i enter a deeper [focus] and stretch a bandage-like piece of my mana around my wound to stop it from bleeding. a spark flies next to me, and the bear appears in a massive blaze of flame, and without even recreating my helmet, i step closer and absorb all the thermal energy it throws at me. i let the armor around me dissipate and sharpen my focus, as even half a second of hesitation or misuse threatens to burn me if i lose control over all that heat. but i do not. the ground around us burns, and the air flickers from all that heat as i stop in front of the bear, looking into its eyes. it bites at me, but before it reaches me, i throw all the kinetic energy i collected at it, i increase the frequency, and with a loud pitching noise, his head explodes, splashing me with blood. [redistribution - lvl 29 > redistribution - lvl 30] my mana reaches as far as i''m able to, and with deep rage flowing inside me, i look for the invisible monster. i perceive as deeply as never before and consolidate both parts of my [focus] to strengthen my skill. where are you, you little asshole? [perception - lvl 29 > perception - lvl 30] then i take a step towards where i felt a movement. Chapter 153: Frozen chapter 153: frozen the dagger was poisoned because, of course, it was, and i already feel it affecting my mana. just barely over 3 minutes in. but that much is fine; it''s nothing unexpected. the problem is that i can''t perceive the little green monster that. i don''t feel its movement, i don''t feel its position or mana no matter how much i try. so, i do the smart thing. i let the small green jerk stab me again. as the dagger pierces my side, i clench my muscles to hold the dagger inside the wound and boost my body to the point where i feel i''m about to tear my muscles. the small hand lets go of the dagger, jumps backwards, and disappears, even though the [resonance] covers the entire area and [redistribution] tries to slow his movement. to calm myself, i enter a deeper [focus] and pull out the dagger from my wound. venomstrike mana dagger (rare) - a short obsidian dagger with a sharp edge. upon injury, the target experiences mana drain due to a poison effect. use with caution - dangerous to magic users. i infuse the dagger with my mana, without thinking, i combine it with [resonance], and a transparent blade made of mana emanates from the dagger, soon turning from blue to black with glowing red lines reminding me of mana circuits. [resonance - lvl 12 > resonance - lvl 13] then the forest far away explodes, and a giant monster takes another step towards me. it''s easily as big as an undead deer or undead bear. this cinderbear doesn''t feel like it barely stepped into two question marks, a bit over level 150. it feels much stronger, closer to level 200. my side bleeds, and part of my [focus] continues to control my mana, which is getting harder and harder to manage. so, i put some distance between us. i push myself away just in time, and the heatwave sets ablaze the massive area around the bear. even as i''m absorbing as much as i can and using it to run away faster, i feel it follow me for a long time. i continue to stab the dagger into the neck of the smaller cinderbear, and while doing so, i continue to absorb all the heat the monster generates. there''s no armor around my body, only pieces of mana that are wrapped around two wounds left behind by the phantom goblin. the wounds are healing slower than usual. my clothes are charred and burned in places, and i''m already getting covered in the blood of the monster. i continue to kill while running away from the giant cinderbear that burns the entire forest as it moves towards me. every useless thought leaves my mind, and there''s only pure focus on survival and killing.n?00vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. i move like a wild animal when another invisible stab is aimed at me, this time i feel it. i track the movement of the air close to me, something barely noticeable even in the deep focus i am in. yet, i notice it, and before the monster can stab me, i catch its wrist. i''ve got you. the monster cuts off its hand and disappears, and i''m left with a piece of its body in my hand. [you have defeated phantom goblin - lvl 136] i realize it''s not the first one that attacked me, the one that sacrificed its hand to escape. another leaf on a tree flutters unnaturally given the wind. i kick the corpse of the goblin i just killed, and it collides with another invisible one approaching me. before the monster recovers from the surprise, i''m in front of it. my dagger penetrates the top of its skull, embedding itself in its brain. [you have defeated phantom goblin - lvl 142] i twist the dagger and slash again, cleaving both corpses in two. then i [focus] even more, attuning myself to every sound, every vibration. the laughter has ceased. "what happened? it''s not funny anymore?" i straighten and step towards a tree. "go on, laugh." i swing my dagger, and the phantom goblin charging from the right collapses, lifeless and decapitated. [you have defeated phantom goblin - lvl 132] my mana stretches into the distance, drawing in all available heat. notifications bombard my mind as i siphon warmth from the surrounding air. soon, my breath mists in the chill. i hurl a mana projectile where i detect goblins'' breath. it cuts through the monster and its halves tumbling to the ground. i won''t let you hunt me as that one phantom goblin did on the first floor. i refuse to be a prey and listen to your giggle. improving efficiency, i pour more mana into my skill, absorbing the area''s thermal energy. the surroundings grows colder. frost decorates leaves, grass, and bark. each footstep echoes eerily on the frosted terrain. yet, no monster dares to approach. no frost is created on another body no warm breath becomes visible in the cold air. i exert more power, and even i begin to feel the chill but push it aside. in the end, i stop and turn around. the last phantom goblin stands behind me, nearly touching me. its body is covered in frost, frozen solid, it''s the same one whose arm i severed. "oh, i believe this one''s yours," i taunt, showing it the dagger and only the goblin''s eyes move. i drive the blade into its heart. the frozen creature shatters upon impact with the ground. then i stomp on its frozen head, reducing it to icy shards. i cast one last glance at the remains and turn myself towards the four presences advancing on me. a massive wave of fire hurtles towards me, thawing the frost and igniting the land. drawing on that heat, i boost my defenses as new enemies emerge. [goblin shaman - lvl ??] [goblin shaman - lvl 149] [goblin warrior - lvl ??] [goblin warrior - lvl 141] Chapter 154: Relying only on yourself chapter 154: relying only on yourself it feels as if time has slowed down as both warriors dash at me, and the shamans start mumbling something. i see mana collecting in their hands. the warriors reach me, and the first shaman finishes his casting. the area around me changes. it''s as if i was thrown into the deep mud, and the harder i try to move, the more difficult it becomes. it''s the same field the goblin shaman on the first floor used. but not this time. my mana resonates against the field around me. i take a step to the side to dodge a stab and block the attack from the second goblin. the field changes slightly, and [resonance] fails. interesting.the roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. i create armor around my body, filling it with as much mana as possible and it deflects the next few attacks from the goblin warrior. meanwhile, i reach towards the field around me with [resonance], but it fails again. so i observe it deeper and then realize something. the shaman changed the frequency his mana works on to activate the field. it wasn''t a significant change that would affect the skill. no, he only twisted it slightly in response to my [resonance]. one of the warriors'' spears gets covered in pale blue mana. as he stabs at me, it pierces through my armor and into my leg. i ignore it and send more mana toward my armor, turning it a darker shade of blue. my attention is on the field around me and my skill. i observe, i perceive, and i [focus], adjusting [resonance] slightly in a similar way to how the shaman did. i change the frequency it works on, and the field around me disappears. no longer slowed, my kick sends one warrior flying away. i immediately shoot my flames at him, all the heat i drew from the air while dealing with phantom goblins. i feel relief as i finally release all that heat and it blazes up into the surroundings. before the flames reach him, the second shaman does something to them. my flames change direction as they approach and are all drawn towards the goblin shaman with ease, ignoring my hold over the flames and the fact they''re mine. again, i resonate against the field about to slow me down. i disrupt the mana strengthening the goblin warriors and stab my dagger through one of them, barely avoiding the other. the wounded goblin warrior jumps away. the remaining warrior jumps away, and as if it''s a signal, the field tries to slow me again. this time, it operates on multiple frequencies. at the same time, my flames and goblins are launched at me as three dark orange fireballs. as for beyond, it''s different than i expected. well, it''s not like i knew what to expect from it. the first floor''s objective was to survive 30 days; the beyond''s first quest is to survive 1 hour. right now, it feels as if this place is designed to filter out the weeds in a similar way to the first floor. it''s either that or each time i enter beyond, i will return to the floors i already visited, and they will be much harder. and hell, the beyond is difficult. extremely difficult. i am absolutely sure i''m currently the only one from our group able to survive this. maybe not even tess would be able to stay alive, and i consider her to be the strongest after me. question mark monsters are everywhere, so many of them. heck, i still remember my surprise when a bunch of cinderbears popped up at the start. the presence of the giant cinderbear gets closer, and i stand up again, quickly running away. this time i try to use the least amount of mana and be as efficient as possible. from a distance, i continue to observe the cinderbear. the monster is massive, easily as big as the undead bear and deer i fought. like them, he also has two question marks. not around level 150 like them. no, this cuddly bear is well over 200. yet, the entire time i watch him, and feel his gaze on me, i think of how i could kill him. all while dealing with goblins once in a while. each goblin warrior is around level 150. high enough to tear through most members of group 4. yet i''m doing fine. wounded in multiple places, poisoned, with my mana barely replenishing and slowly getting lower, i''m calmer than before. i''m alone, relying only on myself. i don''t have to care about anyone. i can go all out and fight as i want, and all this danger pushes me to my limits. is it supposed to be like that, or am i just that strong, stronger than the standard? how strong am i from the point of view of the system? i stand up, and a little bit of blood remains on the ground where i sat. huh. i focus a bit more and tighten the mana bandages around my waist, chest, and thigh. the wounds continue to refuse to close. after checking my reserves, i realize that i have barely around half of my mana left, which reduces the efficiency of my mana-fortified resilience. it''s fine, i''ll push through. when there are only 30 minutes remaining, the suns disappear from the sky as if someone flipped a switch. on a void black night sky without any stars, lights appear. beautiful blue, green, and pink polar lights swirl all around, lighting up the ground underneath with moving and uneven light. as if all at once, the screeches of the monsters sound all around me. the goblins, wolves, bears. all terrifying and full of anger. then i feel all the presences moving towards me. Chapter 155: Beyond the limits chapter 155: beyond the limits flashback - tess hansen - 12y old "some kids broke it, again. it''s happening like every two years at this point," the boy in front of me says. he is slim, yet his body is athletic. he is around 2 years older than me and he is showing me his right arm in a cast, "the weird thing is that it''s the right one, not the left one again." the fun part is that while saying this, he is smiling, not bothered at all by the broken arm that is now in a cast. he looks at me and for a moment, he smiles. his smile is so cheeky, so cheerful, all while he looks as if he is doing something he shouldn''t. after smiling, he quickly looks around, making sure no one saw it. boy moves a bit closer, a small smile still on his face while his two differently colored eyes shine brightly. they are pretty. "i''ll tell you a secret if you want," he says. it almost makes me want to sigh; i''ve already gotten used to boys coming up with all kinds of stories to try to impress me. mom keeps saying that i''m pretty, but i don''t agree with her. i''m too tall to be pretty. still, i force myself to smile and nod. "wow, that was a gloriously fake smile," the boy immediately sees through me, "hehe, you should see your expression now," he continues. what''s he talking about? i''m sure i''m controlling my face properly. "your brow furrowed a bit, and your left eyebrow twitched slightly. then your smile froze on your face and you tried to keep it there," his eyes continue to examine me, like i''m some kind of interesting animal. "as if you could do it better," i say. how annoying. it makes me want to punch him. "probably not." huh? why is he then being so cheeky? is he just teasing me? "asshole," i say, and instead of getting angry, he just nods. "this is better," he says, "you really meant it this time." his smile is gone, but his eyes shine cheekily. "so what are you doing here? did you sit next to me just to annoy me?" i ask. "partially, but mostly i wanted to take a look at the police station," he lifts his hand and points his finger at the police station nearby, "did you know it takes on average 10 to 20 minutes to leave the station after they get the call?" as he talks, any semblance of a smile disappears from his face, and it becomes an emotionless mask. he continues, "of course, it''s quicker to some places as the cars usually move around there and it can go down to 5 to 10 minutes. but for poorer city parts, it''s 10-20 minutes. often longer for smaller crimes," he turns to me, emotions gone even from his eyes, and he tries to smile. the smile is terrible. "that''s a big-ass fake smile," i blurt out, and for some reason, i start feeling uneasy. "i know, right? i''m terrible at this. sometimes it''s easy to smile and sometimes i think i might forget how to do it if i''m not careful. it''s getting harder and harder, you know." i don''t even create a dagger made of mana and just coat my hand in [resonance] to cut off the remaining two heads and grab the dagger that i threw. then i run for a few seconds, ducking attacks flying at me and dodging behind trees that continue to explode or get trashed by monsters rushing at me. i form two orbs made of mana and boost them at the monsters. again, i realize that it''s not efficient enough. so i [focus] more and reduce the amount of mana my heart is getting through the mana regulator. immediately, i feel that i have much less kinetic energy to transfer with symbiotic transference, but i ignore it. when another wolf dashes at me, i wait until the last moment and only boost my body for a split second to cut through its neck and then stop. once again, i feel weaker, but i continue to observe everything to take it all in. i sense another goblin dash at me from behind trying to stab me. again, i send mana through my body only for a second, long enough to twist my body and stab the bottom of its chin, making the dagger pierce out on top of his head. then i stop the mana and save it again. another pulse, just enough to deflect two arrows and a javelin. then two more to reposition myself. another one to stab the wolf. three more to reposition and dodge. i continue to trickle tiny bits of mana through my body, and now, even with the effect of the poison, i feel my reserves growing instead of decreasing. good. something tells me i will need them. ten minutes before the end of the quest, the suns reappear, and immediately the monsters fall quiet. the silence fills the entire forest, only the sounds of burning wood and falling trees echo in the deafening quiet. all the monsters freeze; they aren''t moving at all. not even if i get to one of the goblins and stab him; the monster just falls down dead, not reacting at all. soon after, their eyes start glowing. the left eye of every single monster starts glowing in a bright orange color, like a spark. my eye as well. without hesitation, i boost my [resonance] with [mana surge] and tear apart the foreign mana in my left eye. the pain hits me, but the mana is gone. my heart is beating wildly, and i know how close to death i was. my suspicion is confirmed, and the orange-glowing left eye of the wolf near me starts burning and expands into a massive flame that turns the monster into ash. from that flame, the giant cindebear steps out, its head immediately burning a vast area around. as if on cue, the sky gets covered in clouds, the suns barely visible behind them, and then the rain starts falling. beautiful droplets of water infused with blue, green, and pink mana fall down with impossible speed and start tearing apart the bodies of the weaker monsters, piercing them like thousands of tiny bullets. left with no other option, my dormant mana stirs. the mana i''ve conserved for the past twenty minutes is now almost replenished. it begins to rise, much like a wild animal waking up from a deep slumber. my heart beats, and my mana flows through my body, quickly filling it with the power i''ve gotten used to. my mana. my skills. they surge from my body, and this time i do not run. i do not reposition, i do not dodge. this time i will go to my limits and if it won''t be enough, i will go beyond them. Chapter 156: Unallowed Interference chapter 156: unallowed interference everything slows to a crawl. in the black-and-white world of focus, only mana continues to hold its vibrant color. the raindrops in a massive area stop in the air as if someone paused time. the heat disappears from the air. the giant bear in front of me stops moving. in just a split second, a massive chunk of my mana disappears. then i take a step towards the monster, and the ground under my feet cracks as i transfer all the energy i hold into kinetic, infuse it all into a mana projectile, and shoot it all at the cinderbear. the air reverberates in front of me, vibrations i''m able to see with my eyes. the air flickers under the immense concentrated energy that covers the distance in a blink. the chest of the monster explodes into a geyser of blood and flesh, the attack revealing its beating heart and cutting off its front left paw, sending it flying until it falls on the ground, destroying multiple trees. after the attack, pain surges through my head and body, making me lose control over my mana for a moment. the mana bandages disappear, revealing my still not closed wounds, and the armor piece on my left forearm dissipates. yet, i still continue to keep my perceiving touch on the monster as it disappears from the spot. the body of the goblins is set ablaze, and from it, the cinderbear steps out. it ?s smaller now, but its wounds fully healed. the heat again radiates from its body, setting ablaze its surroundings that are still being torn apart by beautiful but deadly rain. the rain that the bear ignores while its intelligent eyes track me. as the rain starts falling again, i create a thin barrier over my skin that resonates with my mana. when the rain touches me, the barrier destroys the droplets, turning them back to the normal water that now hits my body, soon drenching me fully. the water is flowing down my hair and face, mixing with the blood from my wounds. then the bear roars once again and half of the remaining monsters that are still standing, unmoving, explode into pillars of flames that reach far over the top of the trees. they quickly bend, slithering like a snake, and then all at once, dozens of flame pillars coil and bend and reach towards me. sending my brain into overdrive, i [focus] and with [resonance] reach towards each and every one of the flames as i continue to endure. i tear all of the flames apart. my mana roars and resonates through the air, accurately hitting the core of each flame and putting it out as if blowing out a candle. not stopping there, after the flames are gone, my heart sends an audible thump into the surroundings as i collect kinetic energy in my body. both the cinderbear and i take a step towards each other. his flames and my flames continuously clash in the air between us until we get so close they start swirling around us like a fire tornado, heating the area to the extreme even with the rain that continues to fall. my heart pumps more and more energy through my body, instantly to be transferred into dark yellow flames that battle the bear''s orange ones. just a tiny mistake, a moment of hesitation would be enough for me to lose control and allow his flames to burn me alive. but there isn''t even a speck of hesitation or worry in my head. i know that i''m smiling, the [focus] fully working on skills and consolidated to a single task, allowing my emotions to surface. my mana resonates across the dagger in my hand, and i slash the air in front of me. an attack shoots through the air and a deep cut appears across the bear''s face, blinding one of its eyes. in exchange, the bear takes another step towards me, and from its mouth, heat escapes concentrated into a stream as thin as wire. it slashes me across my face too, blinding one of my eyes and drawing blood that flows down my cheeks, onto my lips, and then dropping from my chin onto my charred and torn clothes. i smile even more now, just a few steps away from the cinderbear, and with my heart beating so loudly my bones start to resonate with the output that i need to generate to be able to fight against the monster''s flames. another stream of concentrated flames slashes against me, and this time i block them with my hand to not get my head cut off, and the dagger falls from my hand along with a few of my fingers. but it''s fine; i don''t need them right now. i continue to concentrate and continuously change the frequency my mana resonates on, and soon i hit the spot. i reach out towards my flames that are all around us and change them, affect them, and soon they start to resonate together with my mana. they resonate at the same frequency as the cinderbear''s flames. my flames audibly roar, the sound deafening and the ground melting. the air flickers under their force as they devour and take over the monster''s flames. my mana continues to drop to lower and lower levels, yet i continue to push even through my pain until i take control of them all. then, for a split second, all the flames stop moving. there is no flicker; they do not burn or move. it looks as if time itself did stop. the cinderbear doesn''t like it, and with a loud roar, all the remaining monsters around us are set ablaze, turning into flames that start rushing towards us. but it''s too late. flames i took over move and coil like a snake, and this time they are not dark yellow; they are of a beautiful golden color as they rush towards the bear, pressing around the field around him and devouring his body. and what the heck was that even? damn, that was scary; that thing even messed with the system. was it because it was beyond? is beyond under weaker control of the system or was that thing just that powerful? and what was that warning? not to get a skill to level 99? well, i''ll deal with it later, future problems for future nathaniel, screw that jerk. now then, i need to check my rewards, don''t i? i can lose a bit more blood; my body can handle it, but i don''t think i can wait any longer. "use attribute upgrade token," i say, and a window appears. warning! you can only upgrade one out of 4 attributes. after you pick an attribute, you can''t change it later. you can upgrade your selected attribute up to three times. attributes for upgrade: strength dexterity constitution mana choose wisely. what a dumb warning. "upgrade mana." congratulations! you can now upgrade your mana attribute. please pick one of the three options. warning: after you pick the option, you can only continue to upgrade that option and won''t be able to pick the other upgrades. choose wisely. mana amplification: enhances the sheer volume of mana you possess. stage 1: vast mana stage 2: omnipresent mana stage 3: limitless mana mana restoration: accelerates the rate at which your mana replenishes itself. stage 1: sprouting mana stage 2: thriving mana stage 3: unending mana mana potency: boosts the potency and intensity of your mana. stage 1: potent mana stage 2: dynamic mana stage 3: supreme mana Chapter 157: Veiled Vulnerabilities chapter 157: veiled vulnerabilities oh boy, this will require a little bit of thinking. once i pick my path, i won''t be able to change it and will have to walk this way up until the end. the good thing is that i can pick the attribute upgrade that i like and then complement it with my future traits or even skills, creating the best possible combination. i love it; i like theorizing. and yes, a bit more info would be nice so i can make the best possible decision, but that''s not how the system works. just wait until i get to the original lissandra and unleash her on you, you will be so screwed. and then, while you two fight, i''ll get in some hits and have my revenge and rewards. sounds good? good! as for the rewards, i have gained 9 levels, like what the heck. nine entire levels, meaning 27 points into mana. all in less than one hour. then plenty of skill level-ups. the best reward will surely be the attribute upgrade, but a rare piece of gear could be nice, and what the heck are shards? i''ve already checked them, and they do nothing. maybe they will work when we enter the 4th floor and unlock the shop, which is one of the rewards for clearing the third floor? i want to pick my rare piece of equipment. i say. the system understands, and the options appear in front of me. it''s kind of creepy how it continues to listen all the time, even to the point of reading our minds. please, pick one of the options, all are based on your performance within the tutorial. oh? somewhat personalized rewards? that''s quite nice. blade of astral resonance (rare) -this longsword, forged from a meteorite, harmonizes with its wielder''s energies, and it''s easy to infuse with mana and other energies. endurium javelin (rare) -created from a rare alloy known as endurium, this javelin possesses an extraordinary hardness that resists all forms of destruction. while it holds no magical properties, its durability makes it a formidable weapon. barrier bastion (rare) - this hand-crafted shield made of a mystic alloy. the shield can be saturated with the user''s mana to generate a mana barrier. the strength of this barrier scales with the wielder''s mana use. pyroclast mantle (rare) - woven from the rare ashen silk, this cloak provides substantial protection against fire. its fabric seems to come alive when subjected to flame, absorbing the fiery energy and enhancing its resistance proportional to the strength of the attack. mark of the physical strength (rare) -this tattoo, crafted with an ethereal pigment responsive to mana, subtly fortifies the physical strength of the wearer. this slight enhancement comes at the cost of a continuous mana drain. hmm, did the system fall in love with me? did watching me struggle soften that big cold heart, and it took some pity on me? is this reward for all my suffering up until now? is there any bug? i want to say that beyond wasn''t as hard as expected, but i have a suspicion that plenty of people would beat me up for that. am i that amazing? too strong even for beyond? huhuh. i don''t think so. no matter how hard i try to soften it up, beyond was dangerous, and i have a feeling that it really was just a start - a filter the same way the first floor was. well, as always, that''s a problem for the future nathaniel gwyn, screw that jackass. i just need to do my best. but first, i really like the tattoo; unfortunately, it''s quite useless to me with all my strengthening and my construct doing the same, but it''s interesting to see, and it could be worth picking just to examine it. javelin would be good for tess and not for me; i don''t need the shield, and why the heck would i pick the cape? i bet little isabella would be making fun of me. plus, i''m sure i can defend myself against fire better. in the end, it could be either the sword or the tattoo but i don''t need either of them even though their descriptions sound super cool. as for the sword, i don''t like relying on weapons. just having my mana and being able to create any weapon i need is good enough, even if it might be slightly weaker. my hand missing three fingers reaches up and pushes aside lily''s hair, revealing the burn on her face. she slightly shudders under my touch but lets me do it, looking at me with big eyes, like a scared little animal. "heal yourself," i let go and say. "it''s fine; that much is nothing. i will heal myself right after..." "heal yourself," my voice is stronger this time. she falls silent for a moment and then says a single word, "no." that word echoes loudly in the deafening silence of the hideout. yet i heard it; i heard the emotion in her voice. "is it painful?" i ask. "no, it''s not." "is it hard?" my voice softens. "...no." "are you scared?" "no." she lies again, but this time her voice quivers a bit more, and i see her gulp as well as some tears collecting in her eyes. somehow, i want to help this girl. the way she acts bravely and hides her pain, pretending everything is okay, reminds me of my mom way too much. even though it might be because she''s not normal like the rest of us, she decided to help me over and over. yet, at the start, i thought only of using her. i can''t give her what she wants. i don''t feel such emotion for her, and i''m sure she knows that. yet, she is a silly girl. so i smile at her, and the shock on her face is fascinating to look at. wide-open eyes, an unbelieving expression. i etch it into my mind, and then i hug her. that makes her freeze even more. you''re doing well, lily. i whisper. she starts shaking. i''ve long since seen the pain and fear in her eyes, no matter how hard she tried to act tough. you are so brave, and you''re doing your hardest, i ignore the tears i feel on my back, but you have to take care of yourself a bit more, okay? you''re not like me, so don''t try to imitate me. don''t go out to get hurt and don''t try to suffer through it all while pretending not to be bothered by it all. don''t act the way my mom did; it just brings up bad memories for me. "push yourself if you wish to do so, but don''t bottle it up. you have a few people around you who you can consider friends; feel free to vent with them." i say while hugging her. when she starts sobbing and grabs me tightly, i allow her to do so. it''s okay for only me to suffer through it all. i can handle it. Chapter 158: Mana Stage 1/3 chapter 158: mana stage 1/3 so, for my next class upgrade, i''m pretty sure i will be offered a class called "advanced body pillow."the roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. also, what the heck, am i making a friends? sure, i knew tess from before, but our relationship is quite... well, complicated. but here, i''ve noticed that i''ve started looking after lily already, and it''s not only because she''s a healer. there''s no love or anything; it''s just that i''m weak against people who are nice to me without expecting anything in return. maybe lily is doing it on purpose? i squint my eyes and look at her. we''re still alone, sitting in the hideout, and she continues to sniff and tries to dry her wet, red eyes. she''s even blushing more so when i look at her. "this is so awkward..." she complains, "i don''t know why..." she then shakes her head. i guess not. she''s too silly to trick me like that, but i''ll have to be careful! i already know how devious little isabella is, even though she looks so cute. lily could be the next one. other than her, i also somehow take care of kim. not because he''s cute or super nice to me, obviously. to me, he just looks like a puppy left outside in the rain, looking for a place with some warmth and looking for some people he could befriend. desperately so. how can i treat someone so pitiful badly? weak, so weak! i reach out and pinch lily''s small, cute nose. "phwat are u toing?" she says with her nose blocked, looking at me with her big eyes. i pinch a bit more and then let go, not forgetting to flick her forehead. "owch," she complains, but i already feel slightly better. "crybaby," i say to her, and her face becomes red in an instant. "you... you!" "anyway, feel free to push yourself. losing some limbs is fine if you can restore them, but be careful, okay? talk with tess; she''s good with this kind of stuff. you can complain to her for hours, and she''ll continue to listen. bully biscuit a bit, tease isabella." after each sentence, i poke her cheek; it''s not quite as soft as isabella''s, but it''s also fun. "there''s no need to be all serious and gloomy all the time, and there''s no need for the fake-ass smiles you''ve shown, okay?" i''m quite good at this, am i not? maybe i could be a psychologist or something. "what about you?" she throws a question at me. "what about me?" "c-can i talk with you, to complain?" lily asks. isn''t that obvious? "nah, just annoy tess; i''m super busy." the look on her face as i say so immediately tells me that it''s not the answer she expected, and i pinch her nose again, "only sometimes, okay?" system? any hints? "..." yeah, i thought so. screw you. but there are more hints: the stages! obviously, after i pick an upgrade, i will be at stage 1, but stage 3, its name, could be a hint. for amplification, it''s limitless mana, and that''s something i really, really like. for restoration, it''s unending mana, and more questions arise. how does it compare to limitless? so annoying! and what the heck is supreme mana, other than just sounding cool? whatever, i already know what i will do. i will pick amplification, get more mana, and then i will come up with ways to increase the regeneration of my mana. i already created a construct on my heart. the next step could be to create a construct that would help me regenerate more mana. hell, it sounds difficult, but it''s nice to set high goals, right? as for potency? it''s also something i should work on my own, through my skills. i have one theory i want to try, and if it works as i think it should, it should be quite similar to mana potency, probably. plus, i already have tricolored mana, don''t i? it''s probably something similar. as someone smart said, you need to have strong basics before you start building. it''s totally not only because i want to have more mana. okay? okay. "pick, mana amplification," i say and then close my eyes, ready to fight against the pain. and oh boy, it comes, and the world around me blacks out. when i open my eyes and check the timer, i learn that it''s a few hours later and my body, now slightly healed, still hurts. my mana pool feels bigger now, and i start examining it while turning my eyes to the item on the floor. "thanks for keeping watch," i say to the abomination lying on the floor of the room. a thing made from my flesh and bones with an imperfect imprint of lissandra. the fleshy abomination is quiet, probably too haughty to bother answering. i open my status and immediately blink and stop with my mouth open. hehe, probably some bug. my mana starts to move more and more, and the pressure of it on my body starts increasing. something i haven''t felt for a long time. something that kept bothering me on the first floor and part of the second floor. when i look at the status again, it''s still there. okay, one more try. i close it and open it, and it''s still there. mana (stage 1/3 - vast mana): 369 + 369 plus 369. what the hell? are attribute upgrades maybe much more important than i thought? "i''m surprised you went with mana amplification, little pup. i personally went with potency." i listen to her only in the back of my mind and feel my constructs and passives work at full throttle, dealing with my doubled-up mana. i actively start taking control of my mana and help them to deal with a sudden and massive increase in mana pool. it reminds me of the good old times. Chapter 159: Official challenge chapter 159: official challenge it''s such a nice day, even this fleshy abomination on the floor won''t ruin my mood. my mana doubled. the weather is as nice as it can be here on the third floor, and that improves my mood slightly. my mana doubled. i survived the first phase, floor, sorting test, or whatever of beyond. my mana doubled. thanks to that, my stats went up quite nicely. i also improved my skills a lot, dealt with a few people, and gave tess a gift. my mana doubled. did i forget something? oh yeah, my mana doubled! like, what the heck? it feels illegal. i am a measly level 123, and i know for sure that lissandra, the person able to destroy an entire planet, was well over level 450, maybe closer to thousand? who knows! it just feels super illegal to have an attribute upgrade that doubles my stat. i love it, obviously, even though it threatens to tear apart my body. the system just wants me to put stat points into inferior stats such as constitution. pff, what bullshit. anyways, send help. this is dangerous, isn''t it? the increase is too quick and out of nowhere, and it makes my mana 6 times higher than constitution. that''s 6.4 mana to 1 constitution. most of the mages around my level i met up until now barely went for 3:1. so, why am i so happy? is there something wrong with me? why am i getting excited and drunk on all of this power? maybe i''m not that normal? it just can''t be! surely, i''m the most normal out of our group, right? reinforcement and mana-fortified resilience, please hold on. i will have to rely on you once again, just for a bit. damn, it would be kind of really bad if i didn''t pick mana-fortified resilience as my passive. i have already tried mana regulator, but as expected, it doesn''t work on that. the thing only regulates the amount of mana the kinetic heart is getting. another round of active tempering maybe? that doesn''t sound like a good idea. i am still getting used to my expanded mana pool, and attempting to use it to temper my body could result in unfortunate consequencesby "unfortunate," i mean actively untempering my body out of existence. natssandra, any ideas? how did you call me? the fleshy brooch asks threateningly. lissthaniel, finally accept it, your imprint is imperfect and somehow you ended up affected by my personality. real-fake-lissandra would tear me apart multiple times already and wouldn''t act so... inelegantly. she was a psycho, but a formidable one. it was the first time i have ever tried to create an imprint. some... imperfections... are to be expected. but little pup, i really dislike the tone you are using while talking to me. i dislike that you killed ruby, i dislike you throwing me into tunnels, so get used to it. little pup, did you seriously get attached to that fake? ruby was just a shadow of her real self that is most likely dead for millennia. she would disappear the moment all of you left. her dying by my hand is mercy in comparison to her just disappearing. again, she and her twisted logic. yes, there is some truth to that, but i don''t have to like it. this tutorial, this place. nothing here is real. so do not let emotions get in your way. kill who you need to kill, use people, throw them away. steal, pillage, cheat. get as strong as possible. that''s what you should be doing. without a speck of regret and without any hesitation. for a moment, depressing silence fills the room. do not let useless emotions get in your way, the brooch finishes, and this time i don''t know if it''s the part that is lissandra talking or the part that is affected by me. what i do will be decided by me and me only. but enough of that. any ideas on how to deal with high mana, low constitution? i answer her. "..." okay, that is too scary; let''s not do that. in revenge for making me think such scary thoughts, i pull his cheek, still keeping some part of my mind focused on dealing with my mana and awkwardly trying to cycle it. while i''m laying down, another little body sneaks closer, lies next to me, puts her small head on my chest, and snuggles closer. "what are you doing, isabella?" i ask. "i had a fight with sophie," the little girl says, her mouth pouting. oh my, she is using her full name instead of "soph"; it must be serious. still, it''s not my problem, so i just stay quiet. "you''re not going to ask me why?" isabella complains. "no," i answer simply. knowing her, i''m sure she will tell me anyways. i spent enough time with her on the third floor to know that. "i keep telling her to go and become friends with you, but she keeps refusing." she says. as i thought, and what the heck, izzy? "you are strong, so we will be safer if we become friends." isabella continues. that''s so shameless. then, even without me answering, little isabella continues to talk. i don''t even have to talk, and she just reads my mood or emotions or whatever she does and reacts to that. it''s something i got used to, and even though it''s a bit annoying that she can read me, it''s not that bad because it''s a little girl that holds such ability. "it''s not like we would bring you nothing! we would be friends, so we could help you. sophie is strong, and so am i!" isabella defends her idea. i pet biscuit and still don''t say anything, just letting her read me. "we are not as strong as you, but... but..." she quiets down, and her eyes become a bit wet, the little girl seemingly close to crying. but i know her! she is too devious; i know crocodile tears when i see them! getting a read on my reaction, she just sighs and stands up quickly. her tears are gone as if they never existed, and the little aspiring actress just points at me, "you will become friends with sophie!" she stomps her small leg and then points at biscuit, "and i will take the doggo from you!" she stomps again, and this time i notice she is even more serious. the little girl then turns around and rushes back to her sister. so that''s it, the great biscuit war has started. i did receive the official challenge, and now it''s up to me to defend this burrito-like doggo. i turn and look at biscuit, who just continues blinking slowly, unbothered at all. the best doggo of the third floor then yawns, and before he closes his mouth, i put my finger into his mouth, and he bites on it gently as he closes it. he blinks again, this time with a hint of surprise. you are mine. Chapter 160: Theres no way chapter 160: there''s no way so, a person would think that my passive would fully take care of my mana, right? its description goes like this: mana-fortified resilience (rare) - the user''s resilience strengthens with their current mana reserves, boosting resistance to physical strain, and also enhancing resistance to various energies.the roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. what a bunch of crap! the passive most likely doesn''t negate the effect of too high mana fully, it might be because it''s of too low rarity. sure, it helps a lot, and when i cycle my mana as lissthaniel showed me, i don''t even have to waste [focus] on holding it back. as always, i blame the system and send a rude message to bendover in the community. he seems to be getting used to it and answers just as rudely. the guy doesn''t know how petty i am. i''m able to wait years for the right chance so it doesn''t matter if the community tournament happens only every 4 years like the olympic games or once per year. i will wait and then... huhu. but dealing with my increased mana also reminds me of my other passive that is helping me with it. mana flow (rare), the passive i got from my mana channeler class together with the active skill [mana surge]. at the start, i was quite happy with it but as more time passed, i start feeling quite disappointed. the class needs a serious upgrade to be viable. lately, i almost do not use surge as i can do something similar on my own and the passive doesn''t even feel that strong anymore. plus, i didn''t even get a sniff of a sub-class. as i told tess before, i think the sub-class is something we get after reaching the 4th floor. as for an upgrade or new primary class, i think we will get it at level 150. that''s when we will turn from one question mark to two question marks. isn''t that quite cool? we also have already moved beyond the wall and our camp is a beautiful grassy field with white trees that have golden leaves. the stream of water nearby is the reason we keep staying here. people continue to bathe in it daily and we drink water to the point our bellies are bulging. the only time we leave is to hunt some sparrows. the past few days were peaceful. we continue to keep a watch all the time, but there is not a single monster here after we killed the undead ones so we take it easy and restore our powers before we get ready to move beyond the blue wall that is ahead of us. you are thinking again? you should be paying more attention to your surroundings, tess says, but i can hear in her voice that she doesn''t mean it that much. that''s why you are here. but anyway, how is it going? you would have known if you didn''t spend most of your time somewhere beyond the white wall, tess pokes me slightly, but it''s going pretty well. sophie is trusting me a bit more now, maya still listens to me, she pauses, that also reminds me that you could give maya a few pointers with [focus] and [armament] i don''t think she would like it. i can talk her into it, don''t worry. lately, she is quite cooperative so i don''t think it would be a bad idea to help her a bit if you are willing to. i continue to look down at the grassy green fields. we are both sitting on a skyscraper-like tall white wall, our legs dangling from the edge. the view is beautiful. a stunning, almost fable-like area down there creates a sharp contrast with the permanently cloudy weather and the ruined city behind the wall. to answer tess''s question, i just nod. it shouldn''t be too annoying to spend a few hours helping maya out. i trust that tess knows what she is doing and i need to help once in a while since she is dealing with this annoying stuff. hadwin is also quite cooperative, he helps me a lot and he is good at dealing with kim, aaron, and dennis. you could give him some pointers as well, tess says carefully. oi, i''m already helping kim and lily and you added maya to that. just tell kim to shoot rocks at hadwin and tell hadwin to defend with his [strengthening]. but tell him to only use it at places where the rocks are going to hit him and not on his entire body. or you can keep throwing him off the wall until he is able to strengthen himself enough to not get any wounds. what am i, a teacher? i can observe them a bit more and help them when i want to learn their skills or something, but right now i''m too busy with lissthaniel, my mana, preparing for another construct. i barely even hunt. savant -if you wanted to act as if you were dead, you should have told grumpy to keep her mouth shut. oh, dang it, lily. savant -so how did you like beyond''s first trial? noname -what happened? aren''t you friendlier right now? will you ask something from me in the next message? savant - as if. i just think if we start talking here a bit more, the third guy will join. i think he''s one of the 13. well, now, 10 people that didn''t use the community up until now. noname -or he/she is someone that started in beyond the same way we started hell. savant -even you should know how impossible that is. noname - this would be an interesting thought. savant -you wanted to say scary. noname - yes, yes. after a few more messages, i close the window and think about what i said, then just shake my head. there''s no way someone started in beyond. then, while sitting and leaning against the tree, i look at the remaining members of group 4 who stand in a circle, all of them looking down at the fleshy, and in my opinion, quite a gross item on the ground. yep, i just took lissandra from her home, the dusty floor of a nearly ruined house, and let her touch some grass. i also introduced her to the others, so no one can complain that i left a thousands-of-year-old grandma in a house alone and without any company. are these finger bones? i see some veins, and this looks like a fingernail? ...so disgusting. take it away... isabella, can you burn... hadwin splits from the group and stops in front of me, and i look up at him, still leaning against the tree while sitting on the ground. it''s quite nice. nathaniel, what the fuck, the older man says. Chapter 161: Giving a little push chapter 161: giving a little push that''s quite a rude thing to say, haddy. i just introduced you to the mighty absolute C a woman with the ability to mess with the system and thousands of years of experience. yet, you''re talking about burning her and asking me a question with such a rude tone? when i met her in her new form, i showed her the utmost respect, and.... hey, izzy, what are you doing? are you seriously going to burn her? i quickly stand up and disrupt isabella''s mana which has already started turning into flames.n?00vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. that was close. "it''s creepy!" the little girl complains. you can''t burn stuff only because they are slightly creepy. i look at now-silent lissthaniel C an oval brooch made out of meat, skin, veins, and some hair C the thing is living and slightly pulsating. damn, maybe we really should burn... no no! i have to hold myself back. "there is no need to be so creeped out. say hello to lissandra. some of you have met her on the second floor. an older gray-haired lady who did collect so many of us." just saying that makes plenty of them remember, and from the looks on their faces, it didn''t make them any happier. so, i quickly give them a short description and warn them multiple times to not come too close to her and never ever touch her. they can learn a thing or two and if they are dumb enough to ignore my warnings they won''t last that long anyway. i leave them to play with lissandra while i move a bit further from them. obviously, lissandra isn''t too happy about all of that and is mostly silent, but i''m sure she will open up! it''s nice to make some friends. i''m also sure she will get super annoyed seeing them practice their skills and will offer some rude advice or two. that''s the reason why i took her with me C it''s totally not because it would be too annoying to try to hide her, yup, totally not that. "are you sure it''s safe to have her around?" tess asks as she moves closer. i can feel her mana constantly monitoring lissandra even as she talks to me. "yeah, i did think it over in the past few days, and i really think she can''t do anything drastic. her mana is low; she is limited by the system and unable to take over our minds or bodies. she can at most attack us." i pause. "she could kill some of us even with as low mana as she has, but i don''t think she will do that." lissandra and i are similar, and even more so now that her imprint became somehow affected by me. obviously, i can''t be absolutely sure. i know that i would try to cling to my life even to the point of breaking an agreement we have, but she knows the moment she tries something and i notice it, our deal is off. and she has a really strong impulse to fulfill her mission of giving me coordinates and making me stronger to be able to reach the real lissandra. i noticed that in the past few days while talking to her. it''s as if the imprints base is its mission and everything else is secondary, even to the point of changing her behavior. "just in case, don''t allow anyone to touch her. i''ll be the only one moving her. also, no one is allowed to talk to her one on one; there always needs to be you, or hadwin present; otherwise, there will be consequences." i say the last part out loud, making sure everyone hears. dang it. for a moment, i just want to send them all away, but all of them are super quiet, barely looking at us and further away from us. they are not even moving and barely breathing, and i don''t feel them using mana. it''s almost cute how hard they are trying to not bother me but still want to watch. "okay! fine. just watch, you little twerps, but remember that it will cost you," i say, and they still do not move, only nod. i turn to maya while taking down my jacket. the third floor is still cold, so warm clothes from the system are something all of us have. they are warm but not as comfortable to move in. after putting the jacket down, i start rolling up the long sleeves of my shirt until they are at my elbows. as i do so, i am once again reminded of the striking white paleness of my left arm, the same paleness lily''s restored left arm has. i give maya a bit of time, and she does the same, and soon both of us stand there observing each other. [focus], [armament]. these are two skills both of us have; no one else from the group has them. i didn''t give it much thought up until now, but maya surely started with some nice skills. if it''s as we think and we got offered skills that fit us the best, she can become really strong, which is also confirmed by the system throwing her into hell difficulty. "focus more and do not move," i tell her, and she listens, once again without any words. the way her eyes calmly track me to the point it''s almost creepy. is this how i look to others when having my [focus] running nearly constantly? i stop in front of her and i notice her body twitching, getting ready to spring up anytime and fight back. "do not move," i say to her, and finally, a knife forms in my hand, the knife i lift up and start slowly moving the tip towards her neck. i also enter [focus], and i can see her breathing change; her chest starts moving faster, and the blood pulses vividly as it passes through her veins. she clenches her hand as well, but she is not moving. i reach out and observe her mana and realize that she is moving it through her body, ready to strengthen it at any moment. "[focus]," i repeat. i move my hand with the dagger a bit closer and then instead of using it i push her with the other hand. the entire time her her eyes were glued to the dagger made of pale blue mana. "fuck, how can i [focus] when you are about to stab me?!" maya says as she slips out of her skill. wow, isn''t this really awkward? wasn''t my [focus] better on the first floor? tess was right; maya really needs a bit of help. how the heck can you waste such skill and use it so badly and get so easily scared by the dagger to the point of focusing only on it? "okay, change of plans, kim, get your ass over here," i say. kim immediately steps closer, seemingly even happy to be part of it. "you will take some smaller stones and will be shooting them at maya while i spar with her. only avoid her eyes; everything else is fine," i say, and that makes him hesitate a bit. so i add, "can you do it?" as if these are magical words, he immediately nods, and i turn back to maya, the knife in my hand transforming into something looking like a stick. i guess i will have to give her a bit of a push. i''m sure she will appreciate it... one day. Chapter 162: Because of unexpected occurrences chapter 162: because of unexpected occurrences "so you beat maya, and that did help her improve?" "yup." "why do you sound so proud, nathaniel?" "tess, look, we improved her [focus] by three levels. she''s also more used to getting hit, so she''s not twitching every time something touches her." "nat, she came to me, nearly crying, asking me to stop you."the roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. "wow, does she have no pride? she''s like 5 years older than you." i shake my head. "it''s also terrifying that her skill went up by three levels. i know how much she hates it, so what did you do?" tess asks. "she is dumb, anyway, it wasn''t that hard. i just sparred with her and had kim shoot some small stones at her. it helped her get used to getting hit and i kept doing that until she didn''t have any other option than to enter deeper [focus] to... to escape." "i know that you probably know best how [focus] works, so i won''t stop you." even saying that tess shakes her head. "good! you know, it''s actually more fun... it''s more productive than i thought! i can observe her and the way she uses her skills. to be honest, i expected her to be much worse, but she''s not that bad, and the way she uses her skills is quite interesting." "why don''t you put her against someone more on her level and only give her advice? maybe lily?" tess asks. "oh, no, no, no. nope. totally no. lily would tear her apart." "... really?" "yup, if you aren''t careful, lily might get to beyond earlier than you. did you know that that silly girl already reached level 75 and used her upgrade token on a difficulty change token? she said she knew what i used it on the moment she got the quest." "that might complicate things. do you think she can clear it?" "you might laugh at me, but i think she will be able to do it when she is closer to level 140, maybe 150? her [disintegration] and [rejuvenation] are super, and i mean really super good skills. damn, if i had them, i would bulldoze through the floors." "what level were you when you entered beyond?" after a short pause, tess asks. hoho, competitive, aren''t you? "114, but multiple skills over 30. right now, i am 124." i give her a short moment to take it in and ask, "what level are you, tess?" "102," she says shortly, but i can see that she is still thinking. at this point, i''m sure she will enter beyond the moment she fulfills all the requirements, even though combining two skills might be the most difficult one, so she might have to wait a bit. "how do you like the body upgrade?" i ask her. "oh? that? it''s as you said. i need less food and water, and i also don''t sleep as much. other effects are less noticeable, but even that is pretty amazing." "fair enough, the javelin i gave you?" to that, she turns around and looks at the javelin that constantly hovers near her, even as we talk. the tip is pointing at the sky, and the gray metal shines ominously as it quietly floats near her. tess is constantly keeping control of the weapon and making it float and follow her anywhere she moves. at this point, it doesn''t even seem to take that much focus from her. as i did, she also got used to her skills to the point it''s not much of a problem to keep some running constantly. "it''s extremely durable and works surprisingly well with my lightning," another javelin moves a bit closer. it''s an uncommon one she found here on the third floor. similarly to the rare one made out of endurium that i gave her, it floats near her. noname (hell, group 4) -i will owe whatever to whoever helps me learn a healing or regenerating skill. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -look who''s talking! just pick a healing trait or passive skill, lol. oh boy, do not remind me of missing out on them because of... unexpected occurrences, yup. lootenant (hell, whitewing) -you have grumpy, don''t you? grumpy (hell, group 4) - yes, he has (,,> ? <> brainiac (hell, whitewing) - wow, noname really wants to dump the poor girl! grumpy, never ever teach him how to heal. he won''t need you then and will leave you behind! grumpy (hell, group 4) -he wouldn''t do that! brainiac (hell, whitewing) -probably, but don''t you want to be absolutely sure? no one knows what this mana maniac is thinking about. grumpy (hell, group 4) -oh... that''s... noname (hell, group 4) -oi, do you want to get beaten, brainiac? brainiac (hell, whitewing) -i''m not scared of you! at this point, i''m sure the community tournament will never start, and it''s not like i will meet you anywhere else. lootenant (hell, whitewing) - you will end up begging him to forgive you the moment the system announces the tournament. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -yup! what a jerk. foodfood (hell, group 4) - food! brainiac (hell, whitewing) - oh look, biscuit came here! who''s a good boy! foodfood (hell, group 4) -food! brainiac (hell, whitewing) - yes, yes, you are! i close the community at that moment. okay, the healing would be nice to have, but currently, my constructs and passives, especially the reinforcement construct and mana-fortified resilience, take a huge chunk of my mana and transfer it to body strengthening. it''s at the point it almost isn''t funny. i''m sure my body is most likely more durable than hadwin''s when he activates his [strengthening]. and then when i use symbiotic transference, the upgrade of [redistribution], and use [mana infusion], as well, my body becomes strong to a terrifying degree. yup, with all of these things considered, i''m sure i could take on someone a few levels higher than me and focused on a melee build. that offers me multiple options, yet this one is secondary. i delve deep into myself and observe my mana which is now, after an attribute upgrade, higher than ever. i reach out towards it, and it reacts to my thought and starts moving and circling the way i want. it strengthens my body, fuels my skills, exits my body, and changes shape as i want it to. even with my passive and construct eating up so much of it, there is still plenty of it left. so, it''s time for another construct. just one more before we gather some supplies and move beyond the blue wall and finally finish this floor. the construct i will create will be something that increases control over my mana in case someone tries to disrupt it or take it. something that will help me to keep it and won''t allow any interference i won''t agree with. and to do that, i will combine my experience with disrupting mana and my newest skill - [resonance]. i already have the structure in mind. Chapter 163: 4th construct chapter 163: 4th construct "you can''t hurt soph!"n?00vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. "i''m not going to hurt her." "lies, you really want to punch her every time you see her." the little girl squeaks at me while looking like an angry kitten. damn, izzy, you are getting better and better at reading me. the problem is that your skill works with so little mana it''s hard to block it. to be honest, it''s quite fascinating. "do you need something from me?" sophie says from behind little isabella, who covers her older sister with her small body. "i need you for a bit of testing," i say to her, and that makes her lift up one of her eyebrows in surprise. she thinks about it for a second and then taps the shoulder of her sister. "izzy, why don''t you go and play with biscuit?" sophie says. that finally makes izzy hesitate a bit, and her defensive stance weakens, "i need to protect you! you are too dumb to do it on your own, soph!" that makes a gentle smile appear on sophie''s face, and she hugs isabella from behind and gives her a small peck on her cheek, to which the little kid giggles, "it''s fine, izzy, i don''t think he will hurt me without any reason, and you should feel it too, right?" isabella then looks at me and back at sophie and sighs. "fine! but i will hate you if you do something!" she shouts at me before she heads towards where i saw biscuit resting. "biscuit!" isabella shouts, and then i hear a short, almost surprised sounding bark, and i see four human-like arms made of mana appear that start moving creepily. the doggo immediately tries to escape, just a moment after being woken up. "yes! let''s play catch!" the little girl says. oh, izzy, i don''t think he is playing. it looks more like he is escaping. "so what was it?" sophie asks. her eyes are surprisingly calm as she looks at me. i sit down and gesture for her to do the same, "it''s quite simple. i will show you something, and i want you to check for mistakes with your [manipulation]." "i''m surprised you are asking me, why don''t you ask lissandra for help? she seems to quite like you." "i don''t trust her," it''s as simple as that. i do not trust lissandra. sure, i will take some advice from her, and improve my skills, and handling of mana, but i do not want her to mess with my constructs, not at all. i believe she could give me some really deep knowledge, and improve them so much i would become much stronger. it''s just that constructs are changes to my body. circuits i barely understand at my present level. who knows what a mess she could cause. maybe she would be able to leave seeds of her imprint. maybe she would be able to work around the system limiting her. "lissandra is out of the question when it comes to this," i say once more. "i see. so why me?" this time sophie seems to be slightly curious. "you are the best one after me when it comes to manipulating mana. it''s simple as that." then to test her, i make a mistake; i change one pathway in a way that would surely kill me if i went with it. it''s a barely noticeable change, something i could easily miss. then i watch her. she examines the construct and finds the pathway i changed. it takes her a few seconds, and she notices the mistake immediately, saying, "oh, this needs to be changed again. it seems super dangerous," as she continues to examine another part while i fix it. after i fix it, she goes back to it and checks again, saying, "it seems fine now." "i see." i say shortly. we then continue for a few more hours, and sophie is a great help. she points out a few more things and gives me more warnings. stuff like: "a single mistake can kill you" or "i would not do that," or my favorite: "you shouldn''t just go on and modify your body just a few months after getting mana." no, you totally should. you can totally do it successfully as well! and i will do it for other people! my next construct will be for hadwin. the older man doesn''t know it yet, but i''m sure he would agree. just imagine, a bunch of people that i will strengthen with my constructs. by doing that, i will gain some experience and have them deal with annoying stuff like looking for food and water, killing weaker monsters, and building hideouts so i can focus on my own training and strengthening. sounds good to me. but first, i check on lissandra, making sure others keep their distance from her. during past few days she has already given a few good pieces of advice, and the one who spends the most time with her is hadwin. just to make sure, i perceive him and the brooch for an hour and do not notice a thing, not a single whiff of mana from lissandra and only some mana from hadwin who continues to test his skills. i examine him a bit more, but i don''t notice anything. seems fine. now then, back to my construct! i go to the place on top of the white wall where i get into position. tess keeps a watch nearby. i close my eyes, putting my attention on my body and my heart.the process this time won''t be as long or painful. i already have the design in mind, and i remember it, so i just need to repeat it on my body. my [focus] consolidates, and the world around me disappears from my mind. i only see my body, my pathways, and my heart that beats quietly intertwined with a web of mana that creates kinetic energy when i wish it to. i am prepared. i''ve checked multiple times, so there''s no time to hesitate. i immediately start working, and time doesn''t matter anymore as i modify my body with the help of [mana manipulation] and [mana infusion]. this part takes the longest, but slowly and surely, the construct is prepared. then i test it more, send some mana through, and examine the changes, not wanting the last time i did it to repeat. everything feels right. the construct is the most difficult i''ve ever created, and there are some parts where i''m not even sure how it works, so i''m only led by my instincts and my skills, with the help of all my testing. [resonance] activates to make the final changes, and it''s ready as i connect it to my heart. first, mana starts flowing through it, and the construct slowly comes to life. the construct covers my entire body and affects my mana flow. and not only that, but it also affects my heart. as many times before, i realize how crazy this kind of modification is, but i still push forward. this construct is something i need and something i will continue to improve in the future. i do it because there are situations i do not want to repeat. finally, the notification sounds, and i check the text. congratulations, you have created your fourth construct. the name will be kept as such and will be shown in the status under active skills and over passive skills. well done! mana sovereignty mantle (construct): a protective mantle seamlessly integrated with the user''s mana heart and body. solely designed to prevent external influences from disrupting or hijacking the user''s mana flow. Chapter 164: Time to say goodbye chapter 164: time to say goodbye so, that''s it. the fourth construct is something i would consider a huge success. the mantle takes around ten percent of my mana, which continues to change through the mana pathways that cover the entirety of my body. i can turn it off or on when needed, but i decide to have it permanently running in the background. then there''s the reinforcement construct that takes thirty percent of my mana. the two constructs combined take quite a nice chunk of my mana, but the effect is a strengthened body and mana that only someone exceedingly powerful can take away from me. in the future, i will upgrade them further and tweak them, but right now, it''s great. in a good mood, i stand up and, after thanking tess for keeping watch, i leave to give a few pointers to maya and the kids. pov hadwin harper it''s already night, and we can hear the wind from behind the white wall. yet, the place where we are is nice and quiet, illuminated by multiple orbs that nathaniel created and filled with some kind of mana fire. some of them are bigger, and others are a bit smaller, but all of them emit a soft, dark yellow light and even some warmth against the cold air. nathaniel created them in a few seconds, and surprisingly, even after a few hours, they still emit some light and warmth. weaker, but still present. "for example, look at the orbs filled with thermal energy he created," lissandra, the fleshy brooch on the ground, says. "do you guys even realize that if he made them even slightly unstable, they would explode after a while and most likely kill a few of you?" as many times before, lissandra complains about nathaniel. it''s weird to hear that. in my eyes, he is exceedingly talented and daring, yet she seems to think it''s not enough. i yawn and look around. others seem to be already sleeping, so i move a bit closer to her to catch some warmth from the orb that''s near her. "it''s not like we have much choice but to push and risk it. you might not care, but a few of us have families back on earth," the brooch listens as i talk, "mothers, fathers, siblings, friends. they are still there, and if we are right, four rounds of the tutorial have already ended." "you said you would be forcefully returned to earth in five years. doesn''t that mean the first round was summoned 20 years ago and got out 15 years ago?" lissandra says, and i know she is mostly polite. she is really smart, so i''m sure she has thought about it much.no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. "there are multiple options i could think of why we didn''t notice anything," i yawn and move a bit closer. it''s really cold outside. "the first one is that everyone died and no one got out of the tutorial. this one is a bit weird since there''s an easy difficulty." i pause, and lissandra listens. she is quite polite today, but i don''t mind. it''s a welcome change from her grumpy self that slightly reminds me of nathaniel. "another option is that there is someone policing them, taking all the returners under their control and not allowing them to do anything." i say. "as if something like that would be possible," she says. "i agree with you. then there''s also the option that the system has something to do with it even after the tutorial." "this one is a bit better, but i can think of more," lissandra interrupts me, and her voice, the vibrations she creates with a minuscule amount of mana, gets quieter. then i ask another question. my new construct? good, very good! i had haddy try to disrupt my mana, and he couldn''t do anything. i didn''t even fight back; i just let my construct work, and hadwin''s attempts became a whisper in the wind, useless the moment they touched my body. sure, the mana outside of my body can still be affected, but the mantle doesn''t allow him to reach inside me and stop me from strengthening my body. i even went a bit further back and found an interesting duo of monsters. you know, those two mage hunters C templar revenant and rogue revenant. those poor guys were literally no match... well, they were super easy to deal with now. sure, i made it last as long as possible, tearing them apart piece by piece, which helped me soften some bad memories i have of them hunting me for hours - all while i barely kept my body from breaking apart. ah, good old times. anyway, the templar revenant''s disruptive skill didn''t do anything. nothing at all. i let him hit me multiple times. he was only able to disrupt some external mana, but anything beneath my skin wasn''t affected at all. it made me happy, almost as happy as kicking his severed head around. this will surely become one of my fondest memories. i then spent a few more days giving pointers to others. maya may seem reluctant at first, but when you push her hard enough, she follows through. i''ve realized that she''s someone who needs someone else to follow to make decisions for her. probably so she can blame anything wrong that happens on that person instead of having to deal with it herself. that''s why she so quickly joined sophie, that''s why it was so easy for tess to deal with her when we got split on the second floor, and that''s why i see some relief in her eyes when i tell her what to do. the scary part is how thoughtfully she is following through. after some resistance, she just goes with it and even improves on the process, taking it a step further. in the end, it''s interesting to watch her [focus] and see her calm gaze that takes in all the information and logically processes it before acting and improving on it. up until now, i thought that some members of group 4 were weaker than others, with tess, sophie, and i probably being the strongest, and lily showing massive potential. but i''ve changed my mind now. i think it''s more that they didn''t have an opportunity to shine and grow. so, here''s a question: should i focus on my own growth or help them a bit more? a larger group of capable people can be valuable, and if they become stronger, there are things i could learn from them. on the other hand, there''s a question of whether learning from them would give me more than training on my own would. it''s annoying to decide right away so i will keep doing what i do now and i''ll see how it goes and deal with it later. it''s another problem for future nathaniel. screw that weirdo. i come back to reality and cut off my thoughts, turning my attention back to lissandra on the ground. in the past few days, i did gather as much information from her as possible, along with some methods i plan to use in the future. still, i try not to follow it all. i''ll create my own way and gain my own strength. i won''t mindlessly follow in her footsteps. lissandra teaches a thing or two to almost everyone in the group while sharing some interesting information they were curious about. now then, i should burn her before we move to the blue wall. taking this thing closer to the highly regenerative aura of the saint doesn''t sound like a good idea. not at all. i''m sure that if she gets there, she will be able to restore her body somehow and i don''t trust her enough to allow her to do that. "i think it''s time for you to give me coordinates and say goodbye," i tell the brooch. Chapter 165: Warrior of the last king chapter 165: warrior of the last king a quiet laugh sounds from the brooch. "so, you''ve realized it," she says. i stay quiet. it''s obvious that she would want me to carry the brooch closer to the regenerative aura of the saint. "won''t you change your mind? i could be a valuable help if i get back my body, even if i still won''t have my mana. i believe i would be able to restore even my mana heart, given enough time." the offer she gives me sounds tempting, but i don''t have to think about it. "no," my answer is short and final. i then throw the uncommon mana stone sophie found, and i took it from her. it nearly lands on her, close enough for her to inscribe coordinates. "you can put the coordinates there." "aren''t you too careful, little pup? your behavior hurts me." yet, i still feel her mana reach out and touch the stone. it takes just a moment, but then it pulls back to the brooch. i create an arm made of mana to grab the stone. i then take five hours to examine it. when i stop, my head hurts, but i''m quite happy with the result. there''s no way i can use the coordinates now; i can''t even understand them. but i transcribe them into my mind. i create something like a pocket for them and surround this pocket with the mantle, which doesn''t allow it to affect anything outside of it. i need to do it this way, as i''m not sure if the system won''t wipe the stone or if i won''t lose it in the future. then i send kinetic energy through the mana hand holding the stone and smash it to pieces. i burn them as well and smash them again. [resonance] fires up multiple times, and only then do i stop. "that''s too much," lissandra laughs, and i feel her collect her last remaining mana. the tiny amount i wouldn''t be able to use for anything. the amount is so small i wouldn''t even be able to light a fire with it. yet when she moves it, it feels exceedingly dangerous. "i''ve noticed that you''ve sent others away. is there a reason for that?" her voice is calm and quiet, and the mana swirls around her. "also, i consider it quite cheating that you came to me with so much kinetic energy already collected." "i will make sure to deliver the coordinates," i say, and i mean it. she gave me something i''ve missed for a long time C a basic knowledge that i can rely on when i get lost. a knowledge i can use to make decisions faster and become stronger in my own way. and for that, i''m thankful. but that''s where our deal ends. i can''t trust her not to try to take over my mind even though the system doesn''t allow that, and i''m sure she would try to do that at any moment the opportunity would arise. she said that herself. i transfer all the kinetic energy i collected while talking to her into thermal energy and make it denser, and more concentrated. flames around me appear yellow but soon turn into golden ones.n?00vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. "i know you will." she attacks me at the same moment my flames shoot at her. a short pulse of minuscule amount of mana, and the flames reach her, doing no damage at all. the brooch only moves slightly, as if in the weak wind. another pulse, and my flames disappear as if they never existed. three javelins i throw at her freeze in the air and just straight up refuse to move, making it look as if time itself stopped. a wave of my kinetic energy destroys the huge area around her, tearing the ground apart, pulling the trees from the ground, and turning stones into dust. yet, none of this touches her at all. "this is how you do it, little pup," the brooch pulsates one last time, and a wave of mana hits me, destroying the armor around my body, ignoring my attempts to disrupt it, and pushing me back by one step. it doesn''t even feel like an attack, more like a slap on the back of the head that a teacher would give to an inattentive student. then the brooch stops moving, becomes paler, and even its movement which seemed like breathing slows down. the heck. "he wanted to call hadwin an asshole," i say. (asshole!) silly doggo immediately repeats. to that, lily giggles, and even the boys seem to be smirking. only hadwin doesn''t seem to be too amused. "we won''t need a platform this time," kim interrupts and all heads turn to him. "i''ve improved a bit, so if you let me, i can make you all float to the top." it takes only a bit, and everyone agrees. then, when kim''s mana reaches me, i let it affect me while observing the entire process and the way he moves it. soon, all of us are lifted into the air after he makes us lighter with [gravity well] and then gently pulls us up with [telekinesis]. as we''re getting higher and higher, some people start to get nervous, but i''m enjoying the process. this is how i imagine astronauts in orbit around the earth feel. it''s a quite relaxing feeling, and it takes a few more minutes until we reach the top. kim decides to do it slowly because of the scaredy-cats. at the top, he pushes us towards the wall and slowly cancels the skill, letting us land gently. then the view of what lies behind the wall appears, along with us triggering some detection trap the moment we touch the top of the wall. for a moment, i track the pulse of the mana that is sent towards somewhere in the middle of the city from the place where we landed. what lies behind the blue wall is the most beautiful city i''ve ever seen. pearl-white walls of the buildings are adorned with delicate ornaments of blue or golden color. hundreds, thousands of trees with vibrant green leaves. fountains spewing pale blue water. even the inner side of the blue wall is totally covered by beautiful paintings depicting mountains, and green hills full of grass and flowers. all the buildings are in perfect condition, not a single one of them cracked or destroyed, and the roads and streets are lined with trees that would offer nice shade on a hot day. there are even gardens all over the place. and then, there in the middle of the city, a simple tower stands. the tower is as tall as the highest skyscrapers on earth, and its surface is without any ornament, just a polished white stone with lots of massive windows and giant balconies that oversee the city. the top of the tower ends with a roof that seems to be made out of pure gold, and something reminding me of mana circuits adorns it. even from this distance, i can feel the strong mana emanating from the tower. i lift up my left hand, and resonating mana coats my right pointing finger. i make a cut into my left arm and then watch as it heals in front of my eyes. the speed of healing is equal to lily using her healing to the fullest. just a few seconds after we landed on top of the wall, i feel a massive burst of mana from someone in the middle of the city. through the air, a figure flies towards us in a blur, trailed by golden lightning. it takes only a moment for that figure to reach us, and soon the man stands at the top of the wall. he smiles at us warmly. he has blonde hair and blue eyes, a face that ten out of ten people would call handsome. the golden lightning lazily crackles around the man as he takes a step towards us and then stops. he is wearing shiny silver armor that is delicately adorned with blue ornaments of flowers. the armor is beautiful yet masterfully done. slim, strong, delicate, and comfortable-looking, it moves together with the man, not hindering his movements at all. then, the blonde man looks at us, he touches his chest with his right hand and gives us a short bow before straightening up. "my name is edwal. i''m one of the three warriors of the last king and one of the protectors of the last bastion of humanity," the confidence he exudes makes him stand out even more, and he continues to smile gently at us, "who do i have the pleasure of meeting?" [tempest tyrant - lvl ??] Chapter 166: Civilized chapter 166: civilized okay, let''s not send mana towards the man. seeing question marks, he should be in the level range between 150 and 300. sentient being with high stats and plenty of levels in skills. something much more dangerous than a beast with mostly limited intelligence. while tess and hadwin talk to the man, i continue to observe him with my eyes only and also examine the city behind him. it''s beautiful, yet i see no movement down there. parks are empty, there is no one on the street. no matter how much i look, i don''t notice anything. the city seems dead. i feel the man move and hold myself back from attacking him, even though i collect more mana inside my body. the man called edwal appears in front of me, trailed by golden lightning. he moves so quickly it nearly looks like he teleported here. his face is so close i could easily headbutt him. i missed your name, he says as his pale blue eyes stare at me. he is still smiling. nathaniel, it''s a pleasure to meet you, the third warrior of the last king, edwal, he laughs a bit, yet his eyes do not move from me. he is not even blinking, and his smile becomes bigger and bigger, pleased to meet you, nathaniel, a short pause during which i gesture at tess to not do anything. i''m sure edwal noticed it, yet he doesn''t do anything. i like the look in your eyes, nathaniel, he says and finally breaks eye contact, turning to others, talking a bit louder now, it''s been a long time since we''ve had visitors from behind the wall! the tone of his voice is happy, even though if you got here from this way, it must mean you have killed his majesty''s pet animals. two wolves, deer, boar, and bear. he pauses and scratches the side of his head, i don''t remember their names... it''s been a long time... he laughs again, well, i stopped feeding them a few dozen years ago, so they''ve probably already died and been taken by decay. he turns to us, his eyes unblinking at all and his smile showing his white teeth, well, that''s a bit annoying. his majesty really wanted to make miss saint happy and even built that garden so a few animals could stay there for her to watch, another pause and a giggle, he even sacrificed one of the water sources to water the area and for animals to have something to drink. the man is crazy. totally gone. his eyes keep flicking around; he is smiling way too much, and the tone of his voice indicates he may snap at any time, anyhow! please follow me, he says with a tone that leaves no doubt that we will do just that. then, unlike before, he starts walking along the wall, us trailing behind him silently. hmm, i think i can take him on. should i do just that? it could be dangerous for some others, but with tess as support, killing the man should be doable enough. i think it over as we walk behind him along the wall. he is walking slowly, sometimes stopping for a moment, taking in a deep breath, and smiling brightly. then he continues to walk again. let''s do it. he is just a shadow. a fake of the person that existed long ago. oh nathaniel? the man stops once again and turns to me. his armor shines as if there is a light landing on it even though there is no sun, and the sky is cloudy as always, with not a single piece of blue sky visible. the man''s eyes change, and he now looks somehow formidable. the handsome blonde man with piercing eyes. one of the three chosen warriors, protectors of the king and the saint. if you decide to attack me, i will ignore you and the girl bearing two javelins, he takes a step towards me, the smile gone from his face, i''ll focus on that petite brunette you often check on. the one that bears powers so similar to miss saint. but what is there to worry about? the feelings i let little isabella sense from me were calm and expectation, the feelings i actually feel. i do not worry. i''m not scared. the shower was amazing. feeling hot water on my body, the smell of the soap that is still somehow good, and then the soft towel as i dried my body was something i would exchange a rare piece of equipment for at any time. after examining the way the water heating works - it is with the help of a few mana stones, i leave the shower-like room. the clothes i used to wear, i burn in yellow flames, not caring about the marks the flames leave on the carpet and the wall. then i spend half an hour going through the massive amount of clothes in the wardrobe room with a giant mirror. i end up wearing simple yet expensive-looking black pants. a white shirt with long sleeves that i roll up to elbows, and a pair of somewhat comfortable shoes. there is some stuff that can be either rat poison or hair gel that i take a little bit of and use it to fix my hair. i then spend some time examining my image in the mirror. the face i knew so well now looks different from before, and my figure has slightly changed as well. i also notice that there are fewer imperfections on my body and my eyes seem to have a shine to them, as if showing the inner power of my mana. and my face... it''s expressionless like ive gotten used to. the face that for some people seems distand, to others uninterested, to some arrogant. but i quite like it, it''s my face. then i send my mana through the mansion and locate the room where most of the people are, and i slowly walk down there while looking around the mansion. when i notice paintings that show the blonde man who led us here, i burn holes into them or scratch them with my mana. i enter the room, and the others look up at me. oh, you are finally here. we just... hadwin starts, but then he trails off, at a loss for words. his eyes move up and down my body with something that i identify as surprise. wow, nat, that kind of clothing really fits you! kim reacts first with a smile on his face. lily is still not here, but everyone else seems to be already after a shower and in new clothes. tess, sophie, and maya are wearing men''s clothes as well, as they seem to be apparently easier to move in than dresses. yet each of them took some effort to make them look a bit more womanly. the boys and hadwin went a similar way, and the clothes they are wearing seem comfortable. i even notice a few sets of clothes nearby, ready to be put into the bag and taken away. that''s a good idea, i should do it as well. sorry for being late! lily says as she opens the door and walks in. i''m not used to this kind of clothing... she then cuts off and freezes as her eyes land on me. poor lily, bless her soul, is wearing a full-blown dress. a silly young girl dressed up like she is going to a ball or lunch with a noble. her dress is simple yet quite pretty. pale blue and without sleeves, showing her shoulders and her strikingly pale white arm that is similar to mine and that she refuses to fix the color of. seeing her so shocked makes me want to tease her, so i just utter, so pretty, and then i watch as she lets out a quiet squeak, and her eyes tick around, looking for help. nathaniel, please, don''t bully lily, i hear tess sigh behind me. also, lily, come with me. we will get you some more comfortable clothes. Chapter 167: Thousands of years chapter 167: thousands of years lily and tess leave, and i immediately take what seems like a super comfy giant armchair in the corner of the room with a nice view through the window that covers nearly the entire wall, offering a view of the garden outside. then i gesture to biscuit, and with one bark, he starts running toward me, using two mana arms to jump himself up to me into the armchair. for that, i get a rude look from isabella, who tried to lure biscuit closer to her so she could hug him and keep him close. stranger danger, don''t forget, i whisper to biscuit, and he tilts his head in a confused manner. then i continue to cycle my mana while listening to what others talk about. it''s mostly just some random stuff about the things they noticed in the manor and that they got to explore. hadwin throws in a few jokes, and the twins and kim laugh while also making some, all of them making fun of each other. it looks like while i was showering and dressing, they did calm down a lot, to the point of enjoying the comfort of the mansion. it all seems surprisingly normal, nearly cozy, and i pet biscuit and let myself relax a bit more. when tess comes back with lily, who is now wearing clothes similar to the taller blonde, the petite healer girl refuses to look at me. nat, could you beat that edwal guy? out of nowhere, kim throws at me. oh, of course, he would! this time it''s dennis who joins in. that guy wasn''t even that scary, yes! aaron shouts as well. i think i notice the twins quickly exchange a few messages through their [connection]. kim? i say shortly. yes? he asks back while leaning a bit closer in my direction. practice your skills the way i told you. oh, he deflates but quickly grabs some weird box from one of the tables and starts heaving it while also trying to keep it up with his [telekinesis]. the twins then quickly avoid my gaze, and i get back to just listening peacefully. they don''t need to hear that i believe i can beat the guy, but some of them could die in the process. pov sophie martinez yes, yes, we will steal the doggo from him, i answer izzy and hug her a bit tighter. thankfully, she hugs me back, and i smile a bit, feeling her small warm body touching mine. it seems like she isn''t angry anymore that i refused to try to befriend nathaniel. while thinking that, i look up at him. the way he looks right now surprised me the same way as everyone else. how to say it? this place, his clothes, expression on his face, seem to all fit together. anyway, time to check the kitchen. seeing how well-kept the manor and the city are, i''m willing to bet there will be some food in the kitchen. when i stand up, biscuit quickly joins me. oi, are you reading my thoughts by any chance? why do you look so excited, biscuit? is there something you want to tell me? the best doggo on the third floor doesn''t say anything, not even his favorite word: food. that makes me even more suspicious. but he looks too cute as he looks up at me with his eyes and stands on his short legs, so i decide to ignore it. disregarding the questions from others, i exit the room and once again find myself in hallways with floors of polished stone. i walk slowly on purpose because biscuit''s claws make noise every time he takes a step. they hit the floor, and in the silence of the manor, they are especially loud. they sound really cute as he walks. my [perception] encompasses the entire manor, and i find the place that could be a kitchen on the bottom floor. when we get there, i feel my excitement grow until i notice a young blonde man sitting there. the man i didn''t see with my skill. not even a hint of mana leaks from him and the armor from his body is gone. instead, he is wearing clothes similar to mine, just a bit more formal and with a jacket. it reminds me of a suit. greetings to you, nathaniel, and to your little friend, he says with a smile, lifting up the glass in his hand toward me. i do not hesitate and sit down opposite him, both of us sitting behind the table that cooks probably used to cut meat on or prepare food for cooking. as if it''s totally normal, he stands up, brings one more glass from the cabinet, and puts it in front of me. he then pours me what he is drinking as well. when i grab it and take a sip without any hesitation, he smiles at me, his pale blue eyes shining in the dimly lit kitchen. how old is this wine? i ask while taking yet another sip. it doesn''t taste that bad. what do you think? he leans back a bit in his chair and unties the top button on his shirt while also taking a drink. most likely a few hundred years old. either from before decay or not too long after the start. his laugh is quiet, and he doesn''t look so crazy right now, you seem to know a lot. is it something you found out on your own? he pours me more of it and for himself as well. it''s not that hard to guess. the entire inner city is surrounded by some sort of field that i have a hard time deciphering, but it feels as if it doesn''t only heal wounds, but also stops things like grass from growing, and food from getting stale, there is no dust either. that is some side effect of miss saint''s skill, he drinks his entire glass and then pours himself another, there are a few more after-effects, nathaniel, but you might find out a bit more about them later. probably. for now, you and your group feel free to eat any food you find and drink anything you find. i will stop by a few times to check on you. it''s been a long time since i felt the need to eat food or drink water, and i take no pleasure in doing so, but i believe it would be fun to watch others do so. i finish my glass, and when he offers me more, i decline, making him pour the remainder for himself and drink. edwal then stands up, takes off his jacket, and rolls up the sleeves of his shirt, moving toward the dresser where he slowly washes the glasses. he then dries them with a nearby towel and then buffs them with another one until they are perfectly shiny. before putting them away, he giggles out of nowhere and throws them on the ground, shattering them into little pieces. i do not react as he then grabs the broom and spends five minutes collecting them all, only to then scoop them up and throw them into the bin. he then, as carefully as before, washes his hands, dries them, unrolls his shirt, and puts his jacket back on. when he turns to me, there is his ever-present smile on his face, you know, nathaniel, you were slightly wrong about one thing, he buttons up his jacket and then continues, this bottle, all the food here, the entire inner city, me, my two fellow warriors, and the mighty king. it''s not all only a few hundred years old. you should count in thousands. he then leaves quietly while wishing me a good rest of the day. Chapter 168: Delicious food chapter 168: delicious food i spend ten minutes going through the cabinets and the box powered by a mana stone that freezes the food inside it. then there is another one that only keeps it cool, similar to a fridge. all the food, all the ingredients, all the drinks, everything is perfect and fresh. while throwing some meat at biscuit, i examine the fridge and the mana stone imbued in it, along with the mana circuits going through the entire box. when i''m done, i start eating all the food i collected and put on the table. dried meat that is aromatic, slightly dry, yet soft, and with spices that taste amazing. fruits that remind me of strawberries and are just much bigger and sweeter. a drink that could be juice from god knows what kind of fruit. and the sweets... i eat chocolate-looking stuff. i eat another chocolate-looking bar, this time with some nuts. i eat a small orb-like dish filled with something fruity. once in a while, i take a minute-long break and just enjoy the feeling of the food in my mouth with my eyes closed. (food!) yes, biscuit, damn good food. delicious food! food! i shout back at the dog. (food!) food food! (food! food!) we continue to shout at each other, and obviously, that''s when lily decides to enter the kitchen. for a moment, she stares at me and biscuit as we keep shouting loudly, and there is a clear look of shock on her face. i decide to ignore it and just stuff my mouth with more sweets, chewing while looking at her and challenging her to say anything. instead, she just squeaks and quickly rushes closer. it takes her only a few moments to find and pick the sweet i already identified as the best one and put it away to save for later. without asking, she grabs it and starts eating it. oh... my god, she sighs, smiling at me, this is so good, lily then continues with her mouth full. then, being as nice as she is, she leaves the room, and i can hear her calling others as she rushes upstairs. i use the opportunity to grab things i enjoy the most and eat them later, just in time before others rush in. even little isabella is awake now. soon the kitchen becomes full of laughter and the smell of food. after just a while, hadwin starts using some stove-looking thing and prepares a steak. he looks so happy as he carefully tastes the spices and puts them on the meat. the boys are laughing and joking, poking each other and fighting over the best sweets. isabella is offering some chocolate to sophie, which the girl eats with delight, making isabella laugh. even tess is smiling and talking to maya and lily, who look up to her while enjoying some treats. the kitchen is so different from before. it''s full of laughter and warmth that makes it feel smaller and cozier. so, i just sit there and observe the others while occasionally answering kim or teasing lily. that could be annoying, especially if there are two more warriors like him, not even mentioning the king and the saint. she points out. it will be fine. in the worst case, we will tie them down and let lily use her skill; they most likely won''t be able to heal that. i let mana javelin dissipate in my hands as i talk to her. now that you mention it, we could have lily try to wound us with [disintegration] and check if it heals. we could if you want to risk having a wound that would never heal, i say. tess isn''t dumb, so she quickly understands, her eyes wide open, do you think... i''m not sure yet, but i have a suspicion that wounds caused by her skill might be extremely hard or straight-up impossible to heal. i still think that the petite girl''s skill is much stronger than what she has shown up until now. great, another thing to worry about. you can ask me for help if you really need it, i tell her, and i genuinely mean it. i''m not such a leech to just sit there. okay, maybe a little bit. but i''ll help if needed! there is no need to. you are doing pretty well, so just having you around deals with plenty of problems. aren''t i amazing? and, to be honest, you really suck at some stuff, so you wouldn''t help much. tess smiles at me apologetically. dang it, you could''ve kept that to yourself. i slowly walk toward the manor and decide to ignore biscuit, who is climbing the outer wall right above the window. eight purple mana arms extend from his back, and this time they are thinner than ever, more reminiscent of spider legs. the fingers on the arms are sharp and dig into the wall, and the doggo easily uses them to climb on the roof. biscuit, biscuit! i hear from inside. my eyes meet biscuit''s, and he doesn''t send me a message, likely worried that the little girl might feel it. i did not see anything, buddy. i continue inside the manor and enter the biggest living room, where most of the group rests or trains most of the time. here, i find every single piece of furniture floating in the air. even armchairs and couches have people sitting on them. lily, aaron, denniseveryone seems to be enjoying it all as kim practices his skill. nathaniel! what do you think? kim throws me a smile, appearing proud and expectant. it''s too late to try to look more adult-like now, lily. i saw you laughing and enjoying it like a little kid! for a moment, i hesitate. should i shout at them and tell them to take it more seriously? or should i just let it go? after months within the tutorial, having a roof over our heads, nice beds, showers, and food feels amazing. not even talking about this feeling of safety, however fake it is. they all seem so happy, and relaxed, as if tension has left their bodies and they''re allowed to act their age again. act like the silly teenagers they are. so i just hold it in and give a few pointers to kim before leaving the room again. this time, i put more mana into my [perception] and continue to monitor the manor more carefully while circulating mana through my body. while doing so, i notice sophie doing something similar in the room where she and isabella are. her detection, unlike mine, focuses on detecting minds. yet, she continuously keeps watch, not even for a moment leaving her sister. she notices my [perception], and i send her something that feels like a nod, a short greeting. it takes her a moment, and she replicates it and greets me back. then, she returns to what she was doing before and both of us keep watch. Chapter 169: Bag of silver color chapter 169: bag of silver color "nat, i think i might have fallen for tess," kim says. what the heck? why are you throwing such a bomb at me out of nowhere? as if knowing what i''m thinking, the boy continues, "i can''t tell it to aaron or dennis. they would surely tell her, and i don''t know how i would survive that. but you, i know, will keep it to yourself." oh boy, should i ruin it for him? i might not tell it to tess, but she is smart when it comes to this kind of stuff. i''m absolutely sure she has already noticed. maybe even before kim did, "it will pass with time," i simply say. kim is only 15 years old, and tess is four years older. the boy is in puberty, so there is no surprise he is noticing girls, and tess is... well, tess. tall, good-looking, and she has an aura that no surprise attracts the boys. i glance at him, and his eyes are still on tess, who continues to spar with maya. tess is moving swiftly, her figure looking nice even in the men''s clothes she is wearing. she is nimble and moves with decisiveness while keeping a focused look on her face the entire time. and kim nearly drools. ew. anyway, i do not have the energy to deal with teenagers. still, i continue to listen to him a bit longer before giving him a few more challenging tasks to train with. they are more difficult than usual and will likely take his mind partially off useless stuff. then, for the fifth time, i confirm that, no, tess and i are not dating, and i''m not thinking of dating her. he mumbles something about good news for lily, which almost makes me want to call tess here and tell her about what kim told me. kim probably notices that i''m at my limit, and he quickly stands up. before leaving, he looks at me, "nat... you can call me min-jae if you want," he says hesitatingly, with a look like a puppy left outside in the rain. oh boy, "ok, min-jae, now go and practice," i shoo him away, yet he still looks happy. "i overheard bits of your conversation," tess says as she sits down next to me, and maya does the same. they both grab towels and water bottles nearby, wiping sweat off their faces before taking sips. "you didn''t even have to listen; it''s too obvious not to notice," maya says and laughs, "but it''s kind of cute." lately, maya has become a bit more comfortable around me, probably thanks to a few pieces of advice from tess. she''s not pushing as much, but she also doesn''t speak as carefully, as if i would lash out after a single wrong word. "well, all of them are still young, and now that we are in a slightly safer place, it''s not surprising. yet it doesn''t make it less annoying," tess adds. as the two women talk, i just listen while practicing infusing my mana and kinetic or thermal energy. i shape them into orbs and keep trying to apply them to my skills. my goal is still to replicate alghouls'' flames and infuse my flames with disruptive mana. it''s surprisingly difficult, more so than i expected. meanwhile, i''m floating just a bit in front of her, above an empty space around three stories going down beneath me. yes, it''s difficult, but don''t i look graceful? it''s time to improve; i can''t continue using my poor man''s version of flying forever. "lily was asking for you. kim too, even hadwin," she said, tilting her head slightly. i feel her mana reach out to me, and she starts to observe what i''m doing to keep myself afloat. i let her and respond, "there are two days remaining until we meet with the king, so i plan to train a lot and on my own. i slacked off quite a bit the first day and helped everyone." "i see," tess''s mana continues to observe me, and i sense that even her [psychokinesis] joins in. "i guess it''s better if they don''t rely on you that much and practice on their own. you can''t be here forever giving them pointers." "something like that. primarily, it''s super annoying," when i say that, tess lets out a short laugh, and i continue, "and they should be mastering their skills. only getting advice from me might help in the short term, but in the future, it will hurt them." i send a bit more kinetic energy out and let myself float a bit higher while moving slightly from side to side. "sure, i will share some good stuff if i feel like it, but there is a limit to it." i pause as my senses catch something. "edwal is coming," i say to tess and then land on the roof next to her. then we wait as from far in the distance, golden lightning cracks, and we see edwal flying through the air. no, it''s not flying, he lands on the ground, and then, without causing any damage to the cobblestones, he jumps through the air so quickly and far that it looks like he''s flying. he does it a few times, jumping from roofs, roads, and even from some common areas, and with shining armor around him, the young blonde man lands on the roof just a little bit near us. "hello, miss hansen, nathaniel," he greets us almost as if we''re friends and smiles at us. i then feel a pulse of mana from him as he quickly detects everyone else in the house and then turns to us. "well, i just wanted to say that i''m disappointed, quite disappointed," he takes another step toward us and then hands us a bag of silver color, a ball big enough to fit a watermelon in. at the bottom of the bag, blood is leaking through and dripping onto the roof, "i did not expect any of you to try to escape," he is still smiling, but the aura around him is more dangerous now, and even his eyes seem saner, "to be honest, i''m quite surprised you were able to escape my detection and cross the wall without triggering an alert, but that''s it," he throws the bag at me, and i catch it. then i also send my detection through the manor, locating everyone inside. i open the bag and pull out the head of a dead man, the last remaining member of hard difficulty, icy guy. i put the head back inside the bag and then burn it with a continuous dark yellow flame, "i would like to tell you that this man didn''t come here with us, and we left him behind, in between the white and blue walls. at the place you called the garden for your king''s pets," i inform him, and i feel tess immediately calming down. the handsome blonde man then stares at me for a long moment and smiles again. i don''t know why he went to that place, but i do know that he is not normal. his eyes are absent as he looks at me. he is trying too hard to not admit to himself that he screwed up. he doesn''t want to admit that his mind is on the verge of breaking after thousands of years in this place and that some details he just keeps forgetting or not putting together. edwal is still smiling, as if the simple act of forcing his lips to twist into a smile makes him feel slightly better, "it doesn''t matter that much. he was dealt with anyway." golden lightning starts crackling around his body, and he bows with his right hand on his chest. "miss hansen, nathaniel." when he straightens up, he jumps far into the distance, lightning trailing behind. but i do notice that this time, he is using more energy and less effectively. he is moving it more aggressively, and there are also some cracks on the roof he jumped from, unlike when he got here before. Chapter 170: Camaraderie chapter 170: camaraderie yeah, sparkledouche is bonkers. gone, not that well. he said adios to his sanity and jumped over the cliff. he locked it and threw the key away. no matter how much he tries to cling to what i guess is life from before the decay, he is not normal. i don''t know if it''s caused by the decay or by thousands of years of life, and to be honest, i do not care that much. he is someone that we will need to deal with. i spent an hour running around the inner city. i practice my poor man''s version of flying, but i also try to look for any signs of life. there are none. i also didn''t find any burial grounds, no skeletons, no corpses. i try to check the tower as well, but the moment i reach out towards it with my mana, i get attacked by something that felt like a slap for sticking my nose where i should not. so my current suspicion is that only the king, saint, and three warriors remain, and they were like this for god knows how long. the last people from the old order clinging to life in their beautiful yet so sickeningly fake city. it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. but it doesn''t matter. the objective of the floor quest is clear: put the saint to final rest, and i will do just that. it doesn''t matter if it will finish this place, destroying the barrier that keeps them safe against decay. there is also the option of staying in this place for the remaining 5 years and then getting summoned back to earth. it''s something that i already refused. i need to push ahead, get stronger, and not be held back by some pity for the shadows of the people who are most likely already dead for thousands of years. now then, back to theorizing. i was once again thinking about my trait. a trait is something i got on the first floor, and humans can have only 3 traits with the possibility of strengthening each of these traits. i already strengthened mine once. mana circuit (passive) this integrates a network of mana channels throughout the user''s body, optimizing the distribution of mana and amplifying the power of their mana-based abilities without additional mana consumption. this enhancement allows the user to draw upon their mana more efficiently, resulting in more potent spells and abilities while reducing overall mana expenditure. and effect of strengthening: increased mana density:the mana circuit can now hold a greater density of mana, effectively increasing the user''s mana capacity and the power of their mana-based abilities. i''m still quite happy with it as i''ve noticed plenty of times the difference between my handling of mana and the handling of mana of others. of course, [mana manipulation] helps a lot, but the trait is also important. currently, i''m looking at the trait as some sort of strong passive that is possible to upgrade. up until now, i didn''t see any way of upgrading passive skills other than the upgrade token which seems to be super rare, and i wouldn''t be surprised if i don''t see that upgrade token ever again. so, the trait is a passive that is possible to upgrade, but right now, it feels weak. i mean, you can have only 3 of them, so they better get stronger in the future. but to be honest, even the current mana circuit trait feels stronger than the rare-graded passive, mana flow, that i got some time ago. so maybe they are not that bad? another theory is that traits are changing the body while passives are just using possibilities that already exist inside the body. more observation is needed. i return back to reality and start listening to the others inside the living room, which all of us occupy late at night. the room is lit by a few dim lamps only, and there is plenty of food, seats, and drinks on the table. even the mood seems decently nice. i''m sitting in the corner in a massive armchair that i declared mine, and biscuit is here as well, for which i''m rewarded with a few glances from isabella. i also think that she used her fire skill to pull some warmth from the air around me in a similar way i do with my skill. instead of disrupting her attack, i just turn some kinetic energy of my kinetic mana heart into thermal and send it through my body, feeling a nice, comfortable warmth spread through. biscuit seems to like it as well and snuggles closer, his eyes still closed. i reach out and flop his ears a few times and pet his head, to which he breathes out gently and continues to sleep. mine. at that moment, tess reveals a bit of her sometimes cheeky side and pokes at the younger girl, "maybe i''m more interested in someone else, lily." as tess says so, her eyes change a bit, and her smile becomes... dangerous. tess is tall; her hair is a beautiful shade of blond, and her contours are sharp. and as she stares down at lily, i can say without hesitation that tess is pretty. it''s not a traditional beauty, but she is. maybe it is the alcohol we are drinking that makes all of us a bit more open and in control of ourselves, but i''m starting to enjoy it. the stuff we drink must be special to cause this to us even though our strengthened bodies. "tess?" lily seems almost scared as tess reaches out and caresses her chin. tess then laughs shortly and stops, "sorry, lily, i had to tease you a little bit. i hope you don''t mind." her eyes seem to be smiling even as she says so. "what do you even see in nathaniel, lily?" maya joins the conversation. she is the oldest one among us and probably the most experienced when it comes to relationships. "he is handsome," lily says shortly. what? "and the look in his eyes when he gets serious. it''s like he is looking down at the entire world and challenging it. it''s hot." what, what, what? unknowing what i''m doing, i straighten up my posture and listen carefully. is the girl i thought fell for nathaniel because he saved her from being thrown at cinderbear just going after his looks? sure, he is somewhat handsome, especially now when he is wearing these clothes that fit him so well, and his face becomes somewhat softer when he is in a good mood. but really? that guy is a maniac. "lily, stop joking and do not tease sophie that much," tess giggles and turns to me. maya joins as well, and lily looks at me, her eyes shining deviously. what? "you have to be careful, sophie. innocent little lily might not look like it, but she can be quite cheeky at times. you will get used to it." tess says. lily is sitting here, smiling slightly, but i remember the look in her eyes when she talked about nathaniel and the way she looks at him. are you really sure she was joking, tess? then the conversation continues, and i notice how carefully tess manipulates it. she is friendly but not too nosy, and she leads the conversation to things that are easy to share or smile at while avoiding dangerous topics. it''s not like distrust between us has disappeared or as if we became best friends, not even friends. they still seem distant because of what i did before and because my skill that makes them nervous, but the atmosphere between us feels slightly lightened, just a bit. i notice myself joining more and more in tess''s carefully controlled conversations. after another thirty minutes i catch myself smiling and only then do i realize how much i missed pointless conversations like this. Chapter 171: The Tower chapter 171: the tower so i do it like this, lily lifts up her hand, and in the shine of white light, her pinkie disappears. at the same moment, i feel mana in her body rise up, even if only slightly. i''m not jealous at all, not even a little bit. what she did now is [sacrifice] her finger to raise her mana a little bit. her skill allows her to do that and probably more. she can regrow the sacrificed finger, and it will cost her more mana than she gained from it, but the main advantage is that she can get mana immediately when needed, even if she is out of her reserves and catch an unsuspecting enemy by surprise. heck, she can sacrifice her entire arm to get much more. in the future, she might be able to sacrifice items or even people... okay, this is getting weird, but there are so many options. lily, that''s cool as heck, i say honestly, and the petite black-haired girl laughs. right? she says. it doesn''t even hurt, so that''s another bonus. i''m currently trying to apply it to strengthening my skills instead of turning it into mana. good idea. also, just by the way, aren''t you getting a bit taller? oh, you noticed! do you remember when i told you that i was able to make my arm a bit stronger as i restored it? i did something similar, and i''m slowly making myself taller.n?00vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. oh, that''s a shame. i thought you were cute as you are, i say absentmindedly while also thinking about the ways i would use her [sacrifice]. puppies, kittens, and other animals are all cute when they are small. i bet even the cinderbear would look cute as heck if he was as big as biscuit. if lily grows taller, pinching her nose and teasing her won''t be as much fun. anyway, continue doing what you do. i will go and practice on my own for a bit, i wave at her before leaving. i won''t mess with my height anymore! i hear her shout as i leave the room. this is what we found. edwal saw us looking around and taking stuff, but he didn''t seem to mind at all, so we went all around the city looking for blacksmiths, armories, and places like that, hadwin points at a bunch of weapons and armor on the ground. every single one of them is of an uncommon rarity at most; nothing higher. edwal''s armor seems to be rare or most likely even higher, and there might be good stuff in the tower, but the city is either cleared, or it''s limited by the system, hadwin scratches his hand while turning to me. well, it''s something, so just take whatever you want, i say, and to be honest, i''m quite disappointed. i expected some great loot, maybe even mana stones which i could observe, yet everything is just uncommon. as for other stuff, we already packed a lot of food, clothes, some valuables, and we split them into multiple stashes that we put all over the citysome closer to the wall, others closer to the tower, hadwin says. yup, that''s how we spent our time. well, hadwin and tess did. i wasnt joking when i said i would just leech off them while only practicing. anyway, the idea is to gather food, water, clothes, and small but super valuable items like jewelry and have them prepared. then we can take them to the 4th floor. maybe we will need food, or maybe we can sell valuables to buy nice stuff on the 4th floor. we don''t know yet, but it''s nice to have such options. the stashes are big but easy to throw through the entrance with our strengthened bodies. damn, now that i think about it, we could be super rich, looking at the stuff we stole from all over the empty city. it was hadwin''s idea, and i confirmed that there shouldn''t be a problem with edwal, how are you progressing with your skills? i ask him. maybe i can offer him a piece of advice or two. i really like that he came up with the idea of collecting all these things. tess already told me about the training regimen you recommended, and even though it sounds weird, it works surprisingly well. it helped me focus my skill on smaller parts of my body. i can now save some mana, and the practice improved my activation speed. the older man says. yup, hadwin''s [strengthening] skill allows him to strengthen anything he holds and his bodyhis skin, muscles, bones. all this kind of stuff. he decided to focus on this skill and on his weaker self-healing skill. this combination is slowly turning him into a really durable man. heck, if he gets good armor, and on top of that strengthens it, and also makes his weapons durable while improving his self-heal? hadwin might be close to impossible to kill. he also got an upgrade token and is saving it a bit. with the information we shared, he decided that he will reach level 100, get his body upgraded, and then use the upgrade token to enhance his constitution. love the idea. a more durable hadwin means i might actually be able to try creating some constructs for him. i could learn so much, and it could make him even more tied to me and cooperative. it''s not much of a bother, and i can gain a lot, so i don''t mind. hadwin is also capable when it comes to dealing with people and has good ideas. obviously, i still don''t trust him fully, but right now, i''m much stronger, so it''s quite a bit easier to treat him somewhat... gentler when i know he is almost no threat to me. another thing is that he understands my priorities. for example, if someone ever came and forced me to pick between my sister, victoria, or the entire group 4, i would save victoria without any hesitation. redistribution (symbiotic transference) - lvl 35 armament - lvl 32 mana surge - lvl 24 mana infusion - lvl 26 resonance - lvl 19 constructs: reinforcement (construct) kinetic mana heart (construct) mana regulator (construct) mana sovereignty mantle (construct) passive skills: mana flow (rare) cerebral harmony (rare) mana-fortified resilience (rare) tokens: [beyond difficulty entrance token] there are no new side quests and the only thing that''s left is to wait, and i do just that. the silence of the big room feels refreshing after a few days of helping other members of the group or just talking or listening to them. so the last night in the manor, i do not sleep and continue to move my mana while the room is lit only by a few orbs that i keep moving around and filling with bits of thermal energy. soon two become five, five become ten, and then i end up with around one hundred of them. some of them are smaller, and others are bigger, all of them glowing in a similar dark yellow color that lights the room as they float around. at some point, i pull them all towards me and join them into a single orb as big as a basketball. i push, and the ball becomes smaller, and the light starts changing a little bit. the big orb shrinks and becomes as small as a golf ball, the color turning golden. the thermal energy is lazily swirling inside and emitting pretty light while threatening to explode at any moment. it''s not radiating any heat anymore; instead, all of the energy is stored inside. without any hesitation, i resonate mana along my finger and cut into my belly, and before the wound healsCunder the influence of the saint''s auraCi push the orb inside. then the wound closes, and the orb stays in the space between the organs. i shift my mantle a little bit to cover it, then i sacrifice part of my [focus] to keep [resonance] surrounding the orb while turning the kinetic energy my heart generates into thermal energy and feeding it to the orb. another part of my [focus] then puts a hold on the orb and keeps it from exploding as i feed it more and more energy. i do it through the night. i continue even through the morning, and when edwal comes to take us to the tower, the small ball is filled to a terrifying degree. yet i continue even as we walk through the streets and toward the tower. the tower is even more imposing up close. tall and seamless, with a lone door at the bottom. the door opens, and another man steps out. he introduces himself as aias, one of the three warriors of the last king, the same as edwal. aias is much taller than any of us, easily towering over us and looking down at us. he is also wearing armor similar to edwal''s, but i don''t feel the same connection edwal''s armor has toward the tower from his. instead, the sword on his waist has such a connection. a beautiful silver blade with simple ornaments. simple but deadly-looking. we enter the tower, and the doors slam shut behind us. Chapter 172: The last king chapter 172: the last king the third and last warrior we meet inside the tower is a woman called nylian. a tall redhead with a sharp look in her eyes. she also wears similar armor to the other two but it''s bracketed on her left arm that is connected to somewhere in the middle of the tower. in silence, we walk through the hallway, our steps echoing around the hall. walls on each side are painted with beautiful sceneries of mountains, forests, or lakes, and are lit by lights at the ceiling that have a shine that lights the hallway in a light that reminds of daylight. we reach something that i quickly identify as an elevator and step in, only for the elevator to stop moving upwards, slowly but without any shake. it''s to the point it almost feels as if the world around us is sinking down. out of nowhere, edwal giggles but quickly stops. the other two ignore it as if it''s something they''ve gotten used to. how long do you think they will last? the tall man called aias asks redhead nylian. the woman looks all over and even sends some mana toward us, few hundred years? the one with differently colored eyes will probably last much longer, i know his type. she then shrugs her shoulders. [ethereal battlemage - lvl ??] nylian, that''s quite rude to say in front of our guests, edwal keeps smiling and turns to me, apologize, my colleague, nathaniel. she can be quite rude sometimes, however, she is a great servant of the king. i guess, sorry for that. it''s hard to keep my act together after all this time so i tend to slip up, surprisingly the redhead apologizes with a sigh.the roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. then the tall man moves a bit closer, it''s all up to the king how we deal with them. if he says so we will kill them. if he decides to keep them we can befriend them afterward. it''s useless to do anything right now. [steel sentinel - lvl ??] i personally hope to keep them. they are fun to watch. they spend days going through the city, collecting trinkets, edwal laughs a bit but quickly apologetically waves his hand at us, nothing against that, it''s just that i find it funny, that''s all. edwal, when was the last time you slept? there is a hint of worry in nylian ?s voice. the woman''s face even shows something i could describe as pity. you know i don''t like to sleep, nyl, at that moment edwal looks somewhat sad but then he quickly smiles, let''s not talk about such things in front of our guests, there is no need to worry them with frivolous matters. anyway, we are almost there. the elevator finally stops and the doors open on their own revealing another hallway. again in silence, we follow the three warriors towards the silver door at the end of the hallway. as before, they also open by themselves and we enter a surprisingly small throne room. there is a table made out of white wood in the middle of the room. the top of the table seems to be carved from grayish stone, at the top of the table there is a chair that could be a throne, massive, yet somewhat comfortable looking even though all of the luxury. next to the throne, there is a smaller chair of similar style. on the opposite side of the table, there are three more chairs. five chairs, one for the king, another one for his saint, and three for the king''s warriors. five chairs for the last remaining people from the era that started thousands of years ago. it''s as if a programmed machine does that, not knowing why, but knowing that it should laugh. the king is the same. an empty shell of the man who once was powerful enough to lead the entire kingdom. "so, nathaniel, it''s as you said. miss saint is dead, and she has been dead for a long time, and trust me when i say a long time, it really is a long time," he pauses, and when i do not react, he continues, "you are using the word ''absolute'' freely, but i can hear in your tone that you do not understand its meaning fully. absolute is a title that isn''t lightly given and nor should be mentioned flippantly. i would like to say that you will learn about that more in the future, but that''s not the case," he then adjusts his already perfect clothes and slightly shifts his sword and crown on his head. "ms. saint was such a person. an absolute. she was thousands of years old before i was even born. powerful and eternally beautiful," for the first time, his eyes seem a bit alive, yet that hint of life doesn''t reach his face, "you should have seen her back then. i never met a more regal person in my life and never will." at that moment, the warriors, edwal, nylian, and aias enter the room, all of them holding silver plates full of food. even as they barely enter, i can smell the amazing aroma of it all. they move nimbly as if they have gotten used to it and serve it all on the table. first for the king, who also patiently waits as they do so. they are silent the entire time, and their movements are machine-like. for me, all of them look like empty shells pretending to be humans and waiting to die. minds broken and twisted after thousands of years of near solitude with just the four of them around. unable or unwilling to befriend surviving natives. "one day miss saint died. i still don''t know if she took her life or if some old enemy found a way to kill her. yet even then, her body stayed alive; there were no wounds visible, all healed by her powers. her heart, her skills keeping her body in perfect state even after her consciousness disappeared." king''s eyes become distant. i sit in the middle of the table, and to my right are all of the warriors, with members of group four sitting in between me and the last king. "i see her every morning. she lies on her bed, looking as if she is about to wake up at any moment, her heart beating even after she died and radiating all of this beautiful power. at first, after her death, we left her like that; hoping that she would heal. then, after years of mourning and waiting, my court suggested keeping her body alive so that we and everyone in the city could live longer, as none of us have attained such a level of longevity." the silence that ensues feels full of shame, and the king smiles again, so fakely, "then the decay came, and we finally tried to destroy her body, but we were unable to do so. unsurprisingly, someone hired assassins to kill all the people who might be capable of overpowering her healing or possessing skills at a high enough level to counter it." he fills his glass and gestures at me, "but it doesn''t matter now; we won''t ever try to hurt her again. no one other than me will ever look at her. forever she will be mine, and i will guard her and defend her until she heals her own mind." the king''s eyes shine with a crazy light as he says so, "but now, then, nathaniel and your friends, let''s start dinner! the last dinner of your lives, as i promised. and after it''s done, we will kill you." "i see," i say. i use [resonance] and dig my hand into my belly and pull out the orb. i lift up my hand with the orb and point it at the three warriors on my right side. expressions on their faces quickly change from confused to dangerous, yet they move slowly, not worried and relying on their healing they got used to over the millennia. only edwal seems to feel the danger. i release all the thermal energy i was collecting while reducing the area they affect to make the flames much more concentrated. a blaze of golden flames envelops part of the room in front of me and the three warriors, burning and melting everything in its path without even leaving the ash behind. [you have defeated the ethereal battlemage - lvl 183] [you have defeated the steel sentinel - lvl 179] [lvl 124 > lvl 127] [redistribution - lvl 35 > redistribution - lvl 36] i then stand up; the orb from my hand is gone, depleted of all thermal energy in a single brilliant blast of golden flames. "thanks for the offer, but i''ll pass," i say to the king. Chapter 173: Unshackled chapter 173: unshackled pov kim min-jae nylian and aias immediately disappear in a blast of golden flames that engulf them entirely. the flames exploded toward where nat was pointing, right at the trio of warriors sitting to his right. golden flames devoured everything in their path. a huge part of the room is gonewalls, ceiling, furniture. the door we entered through. all melted from existence, and the remaining uneven edges where the flames struck still glow red-hot. even though nathaniel''s attack was pointed away from us, the heat fills the entire room. i scream from pain as i feel the heat on my skin to the point where serious burns appear on my skin. i smell burned hair; some clothes catch on fire, and i hear multiple members of our group groaning painfully as well as biscuit howling, surprised by the side effect of nathaniel''s attack. our wounds immediately start healing, and i can see them closing in front of my eyes, yet it hurts so much. when i look around i see lily breathing heavily as she holds her burned hand, aaron and dennis also groan in pain. then nathaniel turns toward us, toward the king and the remaining warrior, edwal, who was able to escape and now stands by the kings side. half of nathaniel''s face is burned to the bone, his skin and flesh gone. burns cover most of the right side of his body, and his right hand is charred and blackened husk. yet he doesn''t care. he says something in a casual tone, and i feel my heart beat wildly. right now, even terribly wounded, he seems invincible, and even though i got wounded by him, i can''t help but feel deep admiration for him. he is everything i always wanted to be. no one is moving, and i use this opportunity to let the healing aura heal my wounds. it''s not as quick as i would like it to be, but it''s enough. i''m still able to fight, and half of the enemy forces are gone. the king and edwal both look like they don''t know what to do or feel. for the first time, i see genuine confusion on their faces, as if they can''t understand what happened. they just stare toward where aias and nylian were. the only things remaining after them are the beautiful sword and bracelet; my flames were unable to damage them at all. yet, it was enough. i compressed the flames as much as possible, massively reducing the area of the explosion, and burned their bodies faster than they were able to regenerate. the others got hit by heat i wasn''t able to control, but that much is fine; it will regenerate fairly quickly. "this is really confusing. i don''t know how to feel," the king shifts the crown on his head, and the remaining warrior only waits for orders. edwal has lightning cracking around his body, and his initially shocked face smiles again. he forces himself to do so and even laughs shortly as he looks toward where the bracelet and sword are. i absorb the heat from the room and turn it into kinetic energy, adding more to it. then i shoot it at the king in a thin cone. the king ?s head explodes and his body flails around while the crown falls to the ground. before i do anything else, the head is back, regenerated at dizzying speed. the king casually bends down, grabs, and puts the crown back on his head, "i consider this dinner to be ruined already, so why don''t you take care of your guests, edwal?" immediately i boost my body, and edwal appears in front of me; his pale blue eyes are cold. his fist hits my chest while he is barely slowed down by [redistribution]. i crash against the wall, not wounded because of how much mana i''m using to strengthen it. the armor barely forms around my body, and edwal hits me again. golden lightning trails his limbs and strikes my body, burning it. everywhere the lightning hits me, the wounds heal slower. i then see edwal jumping out of the window and flying far into the distance, golden lightning trailing him. without any hesitation, tess jumps in a similar way, and the [lightning armor] around her body surrounds her in red and white sparks as she pushes herself far ahead. min-jae and the twins follow her quickly. "it''s nice to see that edwal is having some fun; it''s tough for him," the king says as he fixes his clothes, his green eyes piercing, and for the first time, he looks like a ruler. standing here proudly, surrounded by enemies, yet calm and confident. "hadwin, take the others and find where the saint is; lily can kill her with her skill," i take a step toward the king to block him from getting to the others. in deep [focus], i take on multiple of his attacks, ignoring the wounds on my body and slowly releasing my mana more and more. it puts pressure on me; it starts hurting me, but i''m getting healed constantly. when the king rushes at lily in a last attempt before they get out, i do not even hesitate for a moment. i charge him, my body breaking and healing under the strengthening and my mana. then the king moves immensely quickly, much faster than before, and i feel a slash on my legs. lily screams, and i see my cut-off legs flying through the air. with a speed that is faster than i was able to reasonably manage, mana rushes through my body. it tears my circuit and hurts my brain. then, instead of falling to the ground, i take a step and, instead of my cut-off legs, there is a replica made of translucent blue mana that i move as if i would move my body. not missing a moment, i kick the king with a leg made of mana and cough up some blood. my head is spinning and i feel like falling down. the king laughs and even says something, but i do not listen. he also fires a mana projectile at lily, who is being pulled away by hadwin. however, a simple purple tentacle appears and effortlessly deflects it, which even surprises me. biscuit woofs at me once and then disappears around the corner with the others. i reach toward the ground and pick up a silver bracelet i was moving toward during the entire fight. the laugh immediately stops and he turns his full attention to me. i put the bracelet on my arm at the same moment the king rushes at me while shooting a few projectiles my way. my [resonance] activates, and i use the bracelet; i resonate with its mana and connect myself to the item and subsequently directly to the saint ?s healing aura. in a flash, my legs are restored and my wounds healed. "how dare you!" he screams. i ignore him and release my passives and constructs that were limiting my mana and the entirety of my mana pool reverberates around me. i use it to boost my body, and my limbs explode under the pressure only to be immediately restored. my brain hurts; my heart is tearing apart. but it''s all regenerating instantly. ignoring the pain, my kick sends the king flying away, the man unable to see my attack at all. then i look at my hand and over my palm, an orb forms. mana rushes inside of it, blue, light blue, and purple, swirling to the point where it starts to shine. the orb immediately fills to the brim while i disregard the wounds it causes me. and then i do something i wanted to do for a long time. a thing i wanted to try ever since i realized that i might not use one of my skills the way it was intended to be used. the orb fights against me, held back only by my mind that is getting healed as all of this pressure keeps wrecking it. i activate [focus] and consolidate it. but this time i do not use it on myself. i turn it toward the mana over my hand. i grab it, i hold it, and then i [focus] that mana to a much smaller point. my body screams and regenerates as i do something i shouldn''t be able to do at my current level. the mana that is about to explode stops and the orb becomes even smaller. its color changes. a small black orb hovers over the palm of my hand, and in that pitch-black darkness, tiny sparks shine like stars in the sky. Chapter 174: Revival chapter 174: revival "what have you done?" for the first time, the king''s voice bears emotion in it. "how do you have that mana!" he screams. "you shouldn''t be able to!" the small black orb over the palm of my hand threatens to explode, so i force my mind into handling it, my body constantly regenerating at immense speed, allowing me to do something that would otherwise kill me. i feel the orb start pulling mana from me on its own. i don''t even send it toward it, yet it absorbs bits of my mana that leak from my body now that i have all my passives and constructs deactivated. everything else is unaffected, and only the mana starts to get pulled toward the pitch-dark orb with beautiful sparks of multicolored light inside it. it''s not like it''s sucking it in or absorbing it; it''s all as if the sheer density and quality of the mana it''s made of pull all the weaker mana toward it and dominate it. i reach out, grab the orb, and force it to change; it slowly expands and extends into the shape of a short dagger, a pitch-black dagger that looks like it''s absorbing the light and imprisoning it inside. the moment i hold it it, the black mana starts pulling more and more mana from my body, as if payment just for using it. the amount it pulls is immense, and i know i will last only a few seconds, even with my mana reserves so i take a step toward the king and slash through the air, cutting off his connection to the saint he has through his sword and crown. immediately, two items lose some of their shine, and the king loses his immensely fast regeneration. "oh," he says, shocked even as i stab the black dagger toward him; his skill fires off, the one that continued to absorb all of our attacks, yet this time the dagger made with the use of [focus] ignores his absorption and goes right into his heart, the man still too shocked to dodge. a weaker version of regeneration fires up, but it''s not enough. i watch as the dagger pulsates and absorbs the mana from his body, slowly sucking it in. it pulls it straight from his heart and dominates it without any problem. the king falls to his knees, unbelievingly staring at me, "please, do not hurt her," are his last words before the light disappears from his eyes. as he dies and is rid of all of his mana, i feel the dagger start to reach toward me and my mana. i let go of the dagger and mantle, the newest construct, activates and resists, and keeps my mana inside my body now that i''m not touching the dagger. the pull is weak, yet i feel it trying to get more of my non-concentrated mana. i allow it and feed the dagger a bit more, and when i grab it, i find out that i''m unable to get rid of it; the mana is too dense, too powerful for me to disrupt or take under my control. i can only feed it with my mana in exchange for this dagger, this black mana listening to me. the thing is my creation, my mana, yet i''m unable to take it back under my control, and it constantly absorbs a massive amount of mana as i touch it, no matter how much or what i do to try to stop it. i boost my body and then throw the dagger outside of the tower, as far as i can, somewhere toward the wall. okay, let''s finish the floor; the dagger can stay here and disappear with the third floor. i then look at the king one more time and grab his crown, sword, as well the sword aias had. the bracelet is still on my arm. [perception] encompasses as large an area of the tower as i can, and i quickly locate the others. before moving toward them, i look out and see golden, white, and red lightning cracking in the sky and hear buildings crashing as tess continues her fight with edwal. i spot them moving at immense speed, jumping from roof to roof while lightning tracks their bodies and continues to shoot toward their opponents. two javelins constantly follow tess and attack the blonde man, flying through the air at terrifying speed. a bit further, i see min-jae and the twins helping her when the opportunity arises. they should be fine, and i think tess wouldn''t appreciate me taking the fun fight from her. so instead, i put the crown on my head, put one sword into the scabbard i take from the king and put it on my waist. then, while holding the sword of the dead aias, i head towards the others. shortsword of perpetual shelter (epic):this finely crafted sword used to be seamlessly linked to a revered saint. it no longer bears a connection to its healing powers. longsword of lasting refuge (epic):elegantly designed longsword with extreme durability. seamlessly bonded with a revered saint and connected to its healing powers. nice, it looks like the rarities go like this: common, uncommon, rare, epic. as for the items, they are of the highest rarity we''ve seen up until now, but i think the moment we take them off the 3rd floor, they will become much less useful to the point where rare items might be better. sure, they will stay durable, but that''s it. without their main effect, the connection to the saint''s healing aura, they are just that: durable items. also, the crown and shortsword are no longer connected to the saint. i blame the black mana dagger i made, which currently lies somewhere outside, and knowing how this shitty tutorial works, it will soon awaken consciousness and try to kill us all. well, anyway, i can keep the bracelet and give the longsword to tess so she can train while holding onto it and then maybe pass it to others. "hadwin, are you fine?" i hear sophie''s voice, and when i look up, i immediately see what she noticed with her [manipulation]. hadwin is holding his arm, and there is a painful expression on his face, and inside that arm, there is mana swirling. it''s not his mana. in one quick movement, i stand up and boost myself closer, then slash with the sword in my hand, cutting off his arm at the shoulder. the look in his eyes is almost thankful, and i feel him strengthening his body. i cut again, and a bigger piece of his shoulder disappears, and i do not feel foreign mana inside his body. i fuel my heart with my mana and constantly shoot kinetic energy at the cut-off arm that is now connected to the piece of the shoulder i cut off later. yet, no matter how much i try, i''m unable to destroy the arm in one attack, something i should be able to do. the arm is much tougher than it should be and regenerates much way too quickly. i concentrate my thermal energy and dark yellow flames encompass the arm, which just refuses to burn; instead. then i feel a short pulse from it and the arm connects to the healing aura of the saint in the same way the items i took do. "fuck," is what i say as the cut off arm starts twitching and expanding, "lily, destroy the saint as quickly as possible!" i shout at our healer and turn back to the arm. first, the shoulder appears, and then the chest, from which the head grows quickly, followed by the second arm and two legs. the flesh continues to twitch, bend, break, and reform. the arm and figure become smaller and slimmer, and soon a woman stands here. a young woman, around my age and slightly shorter than me. she has a slim yet athletic figure and the body of a person who is used to moving, an athlete or a fighter. the body is muscular and fit, yet not overly so, still maintaining womanly curves. the naked woman with long gray hair opens her eyes and smiles, her gaze focused solely on me. "what are you, a cockroach? why don''t you just die?" i rouse up my mana and turn to face her. "that''s quite a rude thing to say to a pretty young woman, little pup," even saying that, lissandra takes a battle stance and smiles. Chapter 175: Sub-classes chapter 175: sub-classes lissandra then pauses and closes her eyes again, taking in a deep, slow breath; the smile on her face increases. i don''t feel any mana from her, none at all. it''s as if her heart isn''t beating and creating it. yet the danger i feel from her is extreme. my instincts, my senses, all of them warn me and scream at me to run. the woman in front of me is much more dangerous than the people we just dealt with. "lissthanie?" i throw at her, testingly. she shakes her head, "i''m sorry to say that, little pup, but that part of me is gone. i improved my imprint, and when i embedded it into hadwin''s hand, i removed your influence from it and also a few mistakes i made." "that''s a shame; i kind of liked that version of you." "no, you did not, you hated it." "true," i carefully walk to the side, and the kinetic energy i''ve already collected is quite massive. i''m also extremely hard to kill with the bracelet on my hand, yet... i can''t see her level or her class. as before, there isn''t any info over her head. i don''t see it the same way i didn''t see it on the second floor or the same way i don''t see it over the heads of tutorial attendees. i don''t think it''s because she is as strong as before; she is weakened and terribly so without her potent mana, yet, she feels dangerous. she knew i would burn her; she knew her imprint was imperfect, so she dealt with it. i don''t even know how, but she is standing in front of me; before i''m able to do anything, her fist hits my chest and sends me flying against the wall. i see that she only tilts her head and grabs tess''s javelin, and with immense force, throws it back at the blonde girl. it pierces tess''s chest and pins her to the wall. "i have shown you mercy, so do not annoy me any further," lissandra says to tess and her steps are light as she moves towards me. when lissandra appears in front of me again, i''m prepared, and all around me, kinetic energy explodes, yet she endures it and only lightly dodges to the side a few times, jumps over one attack, and then ducks slightly and twists her upper body while deflecting the rest. lissandra dodges it all while looking exceedingly nimble. i slash against her, boosted with the entirety of my mana and my body constantly ravaged. she matches my speed perfectly. she is much faster, yet she slows down to my level and totally destroys me. she dodges every slash, every kick, every blast of flames or kinetic energy. she redirects mana projectiles with the back of her hand. she cancels flames with a swing of her hand. and then she slaps me, sending me to the ground. "little pup, you wouldn''t believe how much i wanted to do that," beautiful, full of energy, and smiling she stares down at me. then we hear a scream and see lily stagger backward, one of her arms missing and a big round hole in the silver door with her grayish mana still along the edges. before lissandra moves, a stream of sophie''s mind-manipulating mana shoots at her, yet lissandra dodges even that and isabella''s flames after. she grabs the javelin tess again throws at her and ignores the lightning that flickers around her body, coming from the javelin she holds. with a quick twist in the waist, she kicks me as i try to dash at her and endures the cone of kinetic energy i shoot at her. "i''m sorry, little girl, i can''t let you do that," with a quick movement she steps to the side and throws the javelin at lily. the weapon pierces the shoulder of the black-haired girl. then, instead of lily ?s falling to the ground, the illusion made by aaron or dennis disappears and the real position of lily is revealed, already standing close to the saint. the saint is an unearthly beautiful woman who lies on the bed. her skin seems to have some warmth to it and her chest is moving up and down; the woman seemingly only sleeping peacefully. yet it''s only a body, a shell that used to house a brilliant mind. a woman who used to be strong enough to be called absolute, the title that lissandra also has. lissandra moves and easily avoids hadwin, tess''s, and kim''s attacks and even throws a piece of rubble at sophie, sending her crashing against the wall while coughing out blood. lily is already attacking the saint and her gray, smoke-like mana continues to crash against the dead woman''s body, barely doing any damage. lissandra stops right before passing through the hole in the silver door; there is still lily''s [disintegration] floating around the entrance and creating something like a net. for the first time, lissandra hesitates. my eyes meet those of lily, and she says something; at the same time, both of her legs disappear, and i feel her skill strengthening even further as it pushes against the saint. lily, having only a single arm, continues to shoot mana at the saint, sacrificing her limbs to strengthen her skill. in the end, she succeeds, and grayish mana hits the saint''s head and chest, taking a big chunk out of them. congratulations! you''ve successfully completed the 3rd floor''s main quest in the fifth round of the tutorial for hell difficulty. an entrance to the 4th floor has been created. good. everyone learns from their own mistakes, so i think we can give hadwin a little bit of slack. it''s not like he had bad intentions; he is nearly innocent. and no, it''s not like i''m defending him because i also might be partially to blame. nope. i did nothing wrong. damn it! why doesn''t she just die?! a goddamn cockroach, like absolute. the way she clings to life is almost admirable. plus, if things go the way they''re going now, i''m sure i will do a few more similar things and break the tutorial and the system around the 7th floor. hmm, that does sound kind of interesting. "lily?" i ask tess. "she is sleeping now. it will take a few days or weeks before she restores her limbs, but she doesn''t have to worry; we will take care of her." "sounds good," i answer. the silence that ensues is interrupted only by the chilling cold wind that i ignore, even though i''m sitting here in tattered, thin clothes. my heart continuously creates energy that i transfer into thermal energy to keep myself warm. i even left a few orbs for others that they use as heaters, and little isabella also helps by radiating some heat. "nat, she did play with us, right? she didn''t fight seriously at all." "yes. what kind of adult would go all out on little kids?" i answer tess, "but i still think she wanted to keep us there. she needs a new mana heart and to become more like us to escape the tutorial. she would sacrifice any of us to do so if we stayed there." lissandra tricked me. she made me think she had less mana than she actually did. she also acted as if my personality affected her more than it did, causing me to lower my guard. in the end, she even connected to the healing aura of the saint in a similar way items i took. the woman copied my [resonance] to do so. then she spent her entire or nearly entire remaining mana to recreate her body. the scary part is that she affected the process and recreated her body to be as strong as possible, each stat other than mana probably well into the high hundreds. she fought us with only the strength of her body. i made a mistake and it nearly cost us. actually, it did cost us; we couldn''t take much stuff with us, only a few big bags that the twins and kim, no, min-jae, shamelessly took with them to the castle and left before the throne room. they grabbed them again when they were returning from fighting edwal, such greedy little twerps. what i regret is not being able to train in the aura of the saint, but that''s kind of my fault, so i will deal with it as i always did. i will bear the consequences of my decisions. now then, the notifications. congratulations! you have cleared the 3rd floor of the hell difficulty tutorial. welcome to the 4th floor: waning realm. you have acquired: access to the shop skill upgrade token rare-graded gear of your choice 30 stat points well done! you successfully entered the 4th floor. you can now select one of the sub-classes. the classes are based on your actions and performance up until now within the tutorial. pick carefully; it''s difficult to change your sub-class! available sub-classes: initiate of pride initiate of patience initiate of greed Chapter 176: System Shop chapter 176: system shop as always, there are no explanations. just a few sub-classes are offered by the system. this will take a bit more thinking. i already have an idea of how the system works at places, so it should be better than before. plus, i have some information from lissandra. i also have told others to wait with their subclasses for a bit. i can tell them bits of what i learned. but, i bet there are already some impatient people who have already picked their subclass. anyway, i''ll give myself some time to think and check out the shop in the meantime. "system shop. " i say out loud. the window that appears in front of me is bigger, and there are even some pictograms, hinting at the category of the shop. in the top right corner, i see the amount of currency i own: 100 shards i got as a reward from beyond. i quickly go through the offer, and it looks better and better the more i look; the only problem is the prices that are so damn high. there are weapons, there are armor, food, sweets, clothes, and such stuff. there are passive skills, skill upgrade tokens, and trait-strengthening tokens. there are some options i don''t even see the price of, and that are partially censored or fully censored. common-grade weapons are 20 shards, some of them a bit more or less. uncommon grades are around 40, and rare are around 200. some of them are a bit less or more. common passive skills are around 40, uncommon are 80, and rare are well over 400 shards. all the cool stuff is just way too expensive, and i don''t buy anything yet. i don''t know how to get more shards, and i might need more of them in the future, so again, i will have to check the shop multiple times and have others do the same before buying something. what did catch my interest are coordinates, mana stones, hell, even epic passive skills that are eight thousand shards, and more. coordinates are even more expensive. there seems to be a big jump going from rare to epic. common, uncommon, and rare increase their prices gradually. uncommon is 2x of common, and rare is 5x of uncommon. but then there is epic which is 20x of rare. there are also consumables, antidotes, food, and water. the highest rarity of items or passives that i can see is epic, and there are plenty of censored items that i''m either too weak or poor to see. i get an idea and look at the longsword in my hand, "i want to sell this longsword to the shop," i say out loud, and a new window pops up. do you really want to sell the following item for 200 shards? longsword of lasting refuge (epic):elegantly designed longsword with extreme durability. used to be bonded with a revered saint and connected to its healing powers. yes/no i decline and check the other items epic items i got from the 3rd floor, and they are all for the same price. the heck? i just went through the shop, and most of the epic weapons are starting at 4000 shards. is the system trying to scam me?! "i want more shards than 200 for the item." the notification doesn''t change. "250 shards, and i sell it right now." in the bags they have, there is some water, some clothes, food, and plenty of jewelry. i find it quite funny how money-struck these three teenagers got by seeing all this gold, jewels, and delicately crafted items. i still remember them talking over them and thinking how much it would be worth on earth and if they would be able to buy some cool, yet useless stuff. they still live in the past and do not realize how much stuff will change if they get back on earth. we will either end up being hunted by every country and some of us either be blackmailed or paid to do some dirty work or just work as scarecrows for other countries. let''s say only 500 people survive each tutorial, that would mean at least 2,500 people if we, the 5th round, are in the round. if there are more of them, it could easily double. yes, even a few thousand people aren''t that much when you take into consideration the billions that live on earth, but how strong will we end up? level 200? level 300? as strong as champions that could kill an entire continent of people or as strong as the gray-haired humanoid cockroach that destroyed an entire world? "nat, you said we should wait with subclass so we did. do you have any information?" min-jae interrupts my thoughts, and i see everyone turn to me other than the sleeping lily. especially the boys seem to be impatient to try out a new sub-class. as i look at them, i think of something else. what happened to me from the start of the first floor? the person that was ready to throw them away at any time, hurt them, beat them if needed. is it something i thought of only because they were strangers to me, and now it''s harder as i know them a bit? is it [focus] that helps me make more rational decisions and decided that being in a group is safer? another thing i will have to think about. i truly suck at this. i start explaining, "there are seven radianceslust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, prideand seven blightschastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, humility. as for what each of them means or manifests, you should already imagine easily." i create another orb and move it closer to lily, who seems to be shaking a bit. tess notices it as well and moves closer, taking lily and hugging her close to her chest. lily in her sleep calms down a bit. "the information i have is from lissandra. yup, the creepy brooch and exhibitionist naked young woman that beat our asses and made us run away from the third floor. so take it all with a grain of salt and think about it on your own and deeply," i give them a warning and then continue, "she didn''t share much, probably on purpose, and as the system said, it''s difficult but not impossible to change your subclass." biscuit comes to me, and i absentmindedly start petting him as he puts his head on my leg, "there should be four stages to each radiance or blight. the first one is initiate, the second one is adept, and the third one is master. there is fourth one, but lissandra refused to tell me anything about it. as for upgrades of stages for your subclass, there are two ways to level it. one of them is through the system and the second one is through hidden requirements that are different from person to person and sub-class to sub-class, so that''s it." "what subclass did lissandra have?" hadwin asks. i didn''t even notice, but he moved closer, and there is some firm expression on his face. the man looks angry. angry as lissandra. "she didn''t tell me, but i would guess maybe greed or pride?" i answer him, and only after saying that out loud do i realize how similar she and i are in some ways. hadwin then nods and continues to listen. "after picking a subclass, you will receive a single passive skill, nothing else. the skill should be called, for example, [initiate of greed], and that''s it," i pause to let them take it in before continuing, "that passive will affect your body, your mana, your skills, and maybe some other things. it can affect one of these things or all of them. it varies from person to person. with each stage, it will get stronger. it''s hard to say how it will show off." i stop as i feel my voice getting excited. i love it; i love all this theorizing and all the options we are offered. it''s fun. "for example, isabella, let''s say she will get gluttony," i ignore the little girl''s quiet shout, "the passive she would get would be [initiate of gluttony], and maybe, it could make it so her flames are better at burning stuff or "eat them up". it could make it possible for her flames to burn metals and other materials. or maybe they would last longer, and become stronger. or as you all know, she has a skill that allows her to read out emotions. what if the passive would allow her to ''eat'' our emotions or weaken them a bit?" no one says anything, and i can see the gears in their heads spinning. there are so many options, and so many different ways it could affect each person. "it''s somewhat similar to a skill upgrade, with the difference being that it might affect your mana, body as well. so give it some time, theorize a lot, brainstorm with others, and only then pick one of the offered options. it will affect each one of us differently. it might not strengthen you much, as it''s only the first stage, so don''t be disappointed." i then share a few more examples with them and let them think on their own. in the end, it''s their decision. when min-jae and a few more others come to me for advice, i only give them examples of how i think it could affect their skills, body, or mana and send them away. i don''t want to pick for them, they should trust in themselves a bit more. as for myself, i already have a favorite of mine but will go over them a bit more. i knew about sub-classes from lissthaniel, but i didn''t know what ones i would get offered by the system, and all three sound fun. patience, greed, and pride. Chapter 177: Choosing Sub-class chapter 177: choosing sub-class pride could be offered because of my own pride and confidence in myself, which sometimes borders on recklessness. yet time and time again, i choose to trust in myself to the point that it might kill me one day. sounds good. patience could be something i got due to my willingness to endure pain and patiently work on my skills, often preferring future results instead of immediate ones. i think i''ve proven multiple times that i''m willing to just shut my mouth and endure whatever the tutorial or monsters throw at me. as for greed, that one is obvious: my greed for more mana and power, and my desire to learn all the skills, sometimes at the expense of others. somehow, i also feel a really strong pull to pick greed. it''s as if it''s an old friend reminding me of itself. it''s a really weird feeling. i''m sure any of these would be a good enough decision, and i believe that i could reach the top even without them or with any other subclass. so what can sub-classes offer? if i pick pride, maybe it will improve my abilities, perhaps increase the speed at which i master them? maybe my efficiency will improve. maybe it will allow me to fight someone with a similar level of skill, giving me an edge because of my pride. it could also allow me to perfect my skills or reach a deeper understanding through arrogantly trusting in myself. as for patience, it could help me endureendure the strain of mana or perhaps the strain of constantly running stronger skills? maybe my mana projectiles and weapons made of mana will become firmer too. greed could improve the speed at which i learn new skills, or allow me to learn them faster, maybe even steal them in the future? there are so many options, yet as always, i come back to trusting myself and my decisions. i do believe i will do well no matter what i pick, and it''s slightly annoying how greed keeps calling out to me. as if someone or the system is trying to influence my choice. this is my decision to make. only mine.no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. pride it is. i choose, and a new passive appears. [initiate of pride] there is no level, no rarity; it just appears in my status right next to the subclass. immediately i try to move my mana, and it feels like there is a slight changeit moves more smoothly. i might just be imagining it, so i ignore it for now and will revisit it later. as of now, it feels like my hold over mana is betterhow to put ita bit more dominating? it''s as if i don''t have to expend as much energy in controlling it. i try multiple skills, and it feels the same. it''s not that the skills themselves have improved, but rather that they''re easier to control. when i create armor around my body, it also becomes more intricate and firmer. before, i didn''t care much about it, but now it seems as if my pride doesn''t allow that. the armor doesn''t become overly decorated, just looks more elaborate, and firmer, with some simple ornaments. it looks quite nice. i continue to activate all the skills i have and use them for a bit, and each seems to be affected. they are easier to work with, and now i start to realize that this affects my mana as well. the effect isn''t terribly strong yet, but i can feel it. i''m sure i will improve on it with time and maybe explore more of the new subclass. but for now, it''s really good. still, i can''t help but be slightly disappointed. somewhere in the back of my mind, i had hoped it would be as strong as my attribute upgrade, but perhaps i''m wrong or haven''t fully explored it yet. i will have to look into it a bit more and observe the changes after the rest of the group picks their sub-classes. anyway, my mana is noticeably easier to handle, and it''s easy to guess what that means! but since i''m thinking of my mana, i should upgrade my skills, shouldn''t i? the last time, i went and upgraded [focus] instead of [mana manipulation], and i still think it was the right decision to go for consolidation, as it allowed me to [focus] a huge amount of mana into a much smaller point than my other skills allowed me. i used more mana than before to create nuke-like javelins, even though the shape was much smallerjust a dagger. it''s not something i''ll be able to replicate anytime soon. it was only the situation i was in last time that allowed me to do so: a healing aura that kept me alive as i released everything that held my mana at bay and used its beautiful entirety to create that small black dagger. my answer to the potency attribute upgrade that lissandra chose instead of my amplification. mana that should be much stronger than what i usually use. mana that seems to dominate all the surrounding mana to the point of taking it under control. i''ll need to practice with it more, but i just can''t right now; i would quickly end up dead just trying to get a little bit of it. in the future, i''ll do it, and i''ll create a construct that will passively temper my mana into this one. i''m already excited, thinking about how it could affect my skills. but first, i use a skill upgrade token, and the [mana manipulation] upgrades are the same as before. [mana manipulation] (advanced mana manipulation) expert mana manipulation: extend your understanding of mana to refine your manipulation techniques. this upgrade allows for an even more precise control and intricate shaping of magical energies. mana sculpting:further improve your control over mana to form detailed and intricate constructs of magic. this extends your advanced mana manipulation skills, allowing you to perform elaborate magical feats with a high level of precision. yes, my body is now super tough, but i do not believe that i won''t get hurt ever again, plus lily won''t be near me forever, so yes, even a rare passive should be good enough for now. i did check and i''m still far from buying a unique passive skill. they are starting at eight thousand shards and i have only a bit over two thousand. as for passives, each of them could be even a bit stronger than their rarity might suggest, as they would fit me super well, so they could end up feeling halfway to unique or as one of the stronger rare passives. enhanced mana recovery would use my ever-increasing mana to accelerate my healing. nothing too difficult to understand. more mana, and faster healing to the point where rarity itself doesn''t allow it to become faster. in my case, it could be instantaneous. obviously, the system won''t explain how strong rare passives are. kinetic resurgence could have a bit stronger healing effect, but it''s less of a passive if i can say it like that. i would need to actively use some kinetic energy to feed it to the passive for faster recovery. it''s not such a problem, though. pyrokinetic resurgence would rely on my thermal energy. so it''s a janky way, as i always go about it. mana into kinetic, kinetic into thermal, and then strengthen my passive; but from the description, the healing effect seems to be the strongest out of three. there are a few more decent ones, but these three are something that seem to be fitting me the most. i also picked them on purpose in hopes that i could learn from them to heal my body. somehow, i had no luck copying lily''s more "traditional" healing or hadwin''s, so maybe i will have more luck with these ones. i give it a bit more thought, but in the end, i pick the most expensive one. it must be the best, right? do you want to buy the following passive skill for 700 shards? passive skill: pyrokinetic resurgence (rare) - the user taps into pyrokinetic energies to fuel their regeneration. by channeling controlled bursts of heat, they expedite the healing process, using fire''s transformative nature to mend their wounds. yes/no i confirm it and buy passive skill. so, i have 1900 more shards; should i buy one more healing passive? it takes only a few moments, but i decide against it. right now, i do not have a feeling that i desperately need one more, nor anything from the shop, so i decide to keep my shards. there might be a better use for them a bit later. after checking that no one is around, i clench my teeth and break my finger and also cut my leg. then, i start transferring kinetic energy into thermal and keeping it inside of my body, ready to be used. almost immediately, i feel something inside me siphoning some of that energy and transforming it into something entirely different. that new energy quickly circles my entire body and then rushes to the place i wounded. i then observe as the wound on my leg starts closing and even the broken finger starts twisting and returning back to its original place. i try to connect to that energy and create a more intense heat inside, and the process speeds up even more and the wound quickly heals. it takes a few seconds, but i believe that i can speed it up even more if i condense thermal energy enough to the point where my flames would turn golden instead of yellow. the effect isn''t as smooth as lily''s, nor does it feel like i would be able to restore missing limbs, but overall i''m quite happy with it. the best thing is that i had a feeling that this is something i can work with. unlike lily''s skill, it was easier for me to follow the process, and there was even a hint of understanding. good! i became stronger once again. pay to win, i could say. still, system, you are such an asshole. before returning to others, i open and check the floor quest. floor quest: destroy one of the four calamities rewards: epic passive skill skill upgrade token 2000 shards 60 stat points access to other communities Halloween Special - Nibble to Remember (2) halloween special - nibble to remember (2) item #: scp-3127 object class: absolute unit special containment procedures: scp-3127, informally known as "biscuit", is to be contained in a 100m x 100m chamber made of reinforced endurium walls interwoven with epic-graded mana circuits. these measures ensure resistance against the force of its mana tentacles and other abilities. the chamber is to be anchored with anti-magical runes and scp-3127 must always be supplied with a high amount of food to prevent biscuit''s agitation. access is restricted to level 9 personnel, the highest level. prolonged direct visual contact with scp-3127 is strictly prohibited.the roots of this story extend from novell bi?n origin. personnel assigned to scp-3127 are required to undergo advanced psychic resistance training and must possess defensive items specifically designed to resist biscuit''s telepathic abilities. telepathic communication should be approached with extreme caution and only by individuals of champion rank. under no circumstances is direct physical contact with scp-3127 permitted. description: scp-3127, or "biscuit", is a mysterious entity. it resembles a dog and though it appears externally like a corgi, its true nature is far from ordinary. a dark purple aura surrounds it, and tentacle-like mana constructs eerily emerge from this shroud. these tentacles, both solid and intangible, have been observed stretching up to 10 miles during biscuit''s return to earth, moving in patterns that defy all known physical laws. scp-3127 has highly potent telepathic abilities. those who attempt communication often suffer psychological disturbances, including paranoia, vivid nightmares, and episodes of catatonia. following communication attempts, five personnel members took their own lives, their last word being: asshole. the meaning of this message remains a mystery. despite scp-3127''s tendency to hover slowly, it can exhibit surprising speed and agility, especially when threatened or seeking its favorite sustenance: food. it has an insatiable hunger, particularly for foods that were once alive. in past containment breaches, scp-3127 sought live prey and displayed a horrifying method of consumption termed [devour] by researchers. the aftermath of this method is a void where nothing exists. tests indicate that its preferred food is dried deer meat, which is used sparingly to pacify scp-3127. large quantities have been secured. addendum 3127-s: scp-3127 returned to earth from a realm named the "hell difficulty tutorial", which seemingly consisted of nightmarish challenges. out of nearly 3,000 individuals who entered the fifth round of this "tutorial", only scp-3127 survived. the fate of the others remains undetermined. (food food.) in the immediate aftermath of this message, scp-3127 materialized outside its last known containment location, radiating a more potent purple aura. global anomalies occurred almost immediately. satellites captured the terrifying scene from space: vast, swirling vortices of purple energy manifested in every major city worldwide. when these vortices touched the ground, they started consuming buildings, nature, and life itself. scp-3127 began releasing unprecedented amounts of mana, which started altering physical laws. major world governments, in collaboration with the scp foundation, launched emergency procedures to tackle this escalating threat. however, conventional weapons were ineffective against scp-3127-1. more concerning, one of earth''s champions, the leading candidate for the title of earth''s absolute, victoria gwyn, confronted scp-3127. absolute candidate victoria gwyn displayed an intense hatred towards the entity. this seems to be linked to the disappearance of her brother during the 5th round of the tutorial, where biscuit also participated. the ensuing battle between scp-3127 and champion victoria gwyn destroyed most of europe. two other absolute candidates died when they tried to intervene, along with dozens of other tutorial returnees. it''s impossible to determine the exact toll on civilian lives, but estimates suggest hundreds of millions died within hours of the conflict, with many more dying due to the mana radiation resulting from the two beings clashing. champion victoria gwyn ultimately retreated, gravely injured with her mana depleted. her left arm was lost, and no known skill could restore it. as the days turned into weeks, the world descended into chaos. biscuit gently hovers and moves across the globe. satellite images now show our once-blue planet filled with vast patches of purple mana that devour everything. foundation researchers, operating from secret locations, are urgently seeking a solution. scp-3127, or biscuit, remains mysterious and unbeaten. its goals, while devastating on a global scale, are still not entirely clear. the world is on the edge of annihilation, yet unified against a common, extremely strong enemy. we will fight until our last breaths, we won''t stop and we won ?t become (food.), yet we are worried, the fight in front of us seems impossible. someone, please, help us. Chapter 178: Pairing chapter 178: pairing interesting floor quest, to say the least. at least we have an option to pick one of the four calamities. as for what the calamity is, i think we will find out as time passes. as before, we could easily spend a few months here. another interesting thing is community. i''ve joined it a few times and there are just us, the group 4. savant either hasn''t cleared the floor yet or doesn''t talk, so that''s it. it also means that we can talk only to people from groups that are on the same floor, or it means that we can''t talk to them because they still have their community blocked due to narrative constraints and system censorship. we also got another hint, the name of the floor: waning realm. it looks like it''s yet another world close to dying or ending, similar to the second floor''s mana kingdom, which was about to get destroyed, and the third floor''s saint''s eternal bastion, which was about to end because of decay spread by the saint, and that slowly overpowered the healing powers of the dying body of the absolute. this floor, judging by the name and floor quest, seems to be similar. i walk through the night and find the shallow cave where the others are. it''s lit by my orbs, and in the surrounding dark area and snowy tops of the mountains, it feels somewhat cozy. i get in and start generating a bit more heat, which i send around me without worrying that my mana won''t be able to keep up. lily is currently awake and her eyes examine me. "you did get a healing skill or something similar," she says after her mana touches me gently. being a healer she seems to be able to sense my passive which improves my regeneration because of the increased heat around me. the passive is working even though i do not need it to. "it''s a passive skill," i tell her. she doesn''t say anything, but i can see that she is overthinking once again. "lily," i say, and she turns to me. "i''m not going to throw you away..." i pause and use [resonance] to block out the sound around us, "or the others. not unless you give me a reason to do so." "but why? you could be much better on your own or with tess," lily asks and her expression seems somewhat sad. "it''s more fun this way, lily." i answer. "fun?" she blinks slowly, confused. i decide to open up to her a bit. "i thought about it a lot, you know. i even lowered the effects of my [focus] to think less logically and to understand properly what i feel," i pause. it''s so hard to share feelings, yet it feels right. "i''m strong, lily, very strong, so i want to be more honest with myself," as i continue, i get a sensation that is also my pride, allowing me to open up and trust in my decision. not the sub-class. my own pride. "and since i''m strong, i will do whatever i want. and what i want right now is to give us, being a group, a chance and have some fun, and maybe... only maybe, we will slowly become friends." i say. i know this is what tess hopes for, and i know we just got beaten by lissandra. there are so many people stronger than me. for now. "this is what i honestly want to do now," i wave my hand. "obviously i won''t open up to everyone. i won''t stop being myself or stop annoying you guys when you start talking too much or do not give me space. but i will try, lily. i will do it because it''s what i want." when i reach out and pinch her small nose, i notice that she seems as if she is about to cry. this time it''s not because she is sad. still, she is such a crybaby. "i would also like that, nathaniel." lily''s voice sounds as if it''s about to break, "so i will help you, you and tess." the look in her eyes changes, "and if someone tries to get in the way of that, i will delete them from existence," this time i almost have a feeling as if dark grayish mana swirls in her eyes, "because this is also something i want." she soon falls asleep after using all of her mana to continue to restore her limbs and sitting near her, i watch the others. any chance of ambush? no, sir! they were constantly monitored by one of our drones. they just... disappeared. we have footage of that if you look here... how the fuck can a bunch of people disappear during a simple museum tour! i don''t fucking know, sam. why don''t you tell me? maybe try calling some goddamn prophet so we can both know! oh, shut the fuck up! better think about how we are going to explain it to the police! and don''t just stand there; tell them to check the cameras once again! did you hear? just yesterday, they saw the biggest grizzly bear ever! there was this video on the internet of this bear trying to catch the jeep. i swear even his eyes glowed! probably fake so they can sell this video to compilators for some cash. but it looked so real. it''s easy now; even a kid can do that, tony... the hunter breathes out in relief and kicks the corpse of the deer he just shot, damn it, do you see how big this one is? i''ve never seen a bigger one. the second man just nods knowingly while examining the deer, i think this has to be a record; just look at these antlers. what the heck did he even eat? i hope it is the biggest, the first hunter laughs, do you remember that fella donald? he is staying here for a week to hunt, and just a few days ago, he also a got a really big one. i thought he was lying about how big it was, but now i think he might not have been... flashback - ???, 3 weeks before nathaniel got into the tutorial we have been paired again, my lord. a new planet has been added to the system. they just entered their non-attack phase, and the tutorial started. as far as we know, mana just started to awaken there, and they don''t have an absolute, nor are they part of any alliance or under the protection of any ruler. good, collect all the information you can, and then we will wait. also, find out if they have any beyond explorers as well. as you order, my lord. "when was the last time our planet got paired?" "i think it''s a bit over one hundred years." "the cycles are getting shorter. someone must be messing with the system." "do you think it''s the ruler of greed again, my lord?" "possibly. but enough of that, get in contact with the palace and spread the news that another pairing has started." Chapter 179: Trying to find a way chapter 179: trying to find a way a bit later hadwin asks to talk with me and i agree. his first question is, she went easy on us?no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. yes, i think she just wanted to punch me a few times. don''t ask me why; i always treated her nicely, i shrug my shoulders. she most likely wanted to keep us on the third floor. maybe to do some experiments. maybe to get one of our mana hearts. who knows. she sounded different from the brooch, and her form didn''t look like her on the second floor, hadwin says carefully. he keeps asking a lot of questions since the end of the floor. i think this was something like a wake-up call for him, and he decided to take this much more seriously. so he is starting with collecting information to understand it better. well, i''m still in a decently good mood, so i will answer some of his questions, but when he starts being too bothersome, i will send him to tess. the brooch was slightly affected by my personality because her imprint was imperfect, and she was made from my hand. she also knew that and knew that i would destroy her. she realized it even before me, as she probably felt the healing field even earlier than lily, i yawn and scratch the top of my head. it''s already morning, and the days and nights seem to be a similar length to earth. it''s still cold, and the wind continues to blow loudly, yet we still decided to stay here for a few more days, maybe a bit longer. just until lily fully heals. the imprint she left on you was much better, and she even separated my influence from it, quite a monster, that woman. then she just waited until we got closer to the saint, connected to its healing aura, and regrew her body from your arm, before he says anything, i lift my hand, and that makes him stop. lissandra isn''t someone who makes the same mistake twice. i don''t think she is influenced by you or anything. but haddy, do you know what''s fun? she didn''t have any mana or at least none i could feel. she kicked our asses only with the strength of her body. i believe mana is still the best stat, but maybe the other ones aren''t that inferior. as she regrew her body, she influenced the process and made it as strong as possible, again, what a monster. logically, she is still from within the tutorial, so she should have disappeared after we left the floor, right? together with it, the older man braces against the wind while looking at me. it''s just a theory, but i think she confuses the system a bit. the imprint already passed through one floor, and that confused the system. she then remade it, and that confused the system again. also, she was first made from my hand and then from your arm instead of trying to get the saint ?s body. i think that was done on purpose. bodies of humans from earth that the tutorial treats differently. heck, i would be surprised if all this stuff didn''t mess up the system a little bit. so there is a chance she will become like us? with quests, rewards, and leveling within the tutorial? she also looked different from before. i wouldn''t be surprised if she were able to do so. as for her looks, i think it was how she looked like thousands of years ago, or she just made it look the way she wanted. either way, it doesn''t matter that much. lissandra being a beautiful young woman might confuse our three teenage boys, but not me. i totally won''t hesitate to punch her face. how many more questions can i ask? hadwin looks at me. oh? isn''t that quite nice of him to take my personality and growing annoyance into consideration? good reaction, haddy! plus two questions. five more questions, and then you can ask tess; she knows most of what i do. thanks, nathaniel, i appreciate that, he nods, and i feel some honesty in his voice. in his own way, he also seems to be trying to find a way to me. not five but six more questions, i say. to that, he laughs a bit and asks what he wants to know. last night, after lily and some others fell asleep, the sky cleared. it became almost cloudless, and during that, those of us who were awake saw something surprising high in the sky. not exactly high in the sky, but probably on the orbit of the planet. thousands, and maybe tens of thousands, of giant pieces of what can be debris of some old construction orbiting the planet. the white stone-like material reflecting the silver light of the moon so similar to earth''s. so now he stands here, big crown on his head and a dark orange jacket on him. it even has small sleeves that his short legs are stuck into, and that are shortened. this might be the first time i actually regret not having my phone anymore. maybe there''s a camera in the shop? (sustenance!) biscuit brings me back to reality, and i look down at the patient doggo and pet him. "that''s isabella''s work; i saw her forcing sophie to help her with that even inside the mansion, and they collected everything they needed," maya steps closer and explains while squatting and extending her hand toward biscuit. the best dog sniffs it and then offers her his head, which she pets. "that''s surprisingly calming," maya says after a while and then picks out a small piece of jerky from a pouch and gives it to biscuit. it almost looks like a transaction between them because biscuit just takes it and moves closer to me, putting his head on my leg and holding the piece of meat with his front legs while slowly eating it. for a moment he pauses and looks at me. (food!) sounds in my head. "one more and you can pet him a bit later," i say to maya, at which biscuit turns to her and woofs shortly. the woman laughs and puts two more pieces in front of him, at which point i feel him sending a message even to her before turning back to his food. "i did talk with lily a bit, and she made me realize something," maya starts carefully but then sighs. "i won''t just walk around it; i''ll be honest with you. i still remember you beating me on the first floor, probably so you could learn [armament], and i still want to get back at you for that. you know, punch your face at least once." "that''s quite reasonable," i agree with her, to her surprise. "what, do you think i didn''t realize that? i know i''m an asshole and the things i do sometimes aren''t exactly nice." "and you still have no problem with that? throwing ethan to the bear, beating me up and hadwin. acting as if you are ready to just leave everyone behind?" maya doesn''t seem to blame me, she just asks curiously. "i long since got used to the fact that i''m not exactly normal. you could say that i do not hesitate to act on my decisions and i can set my priorities straight," this time i pause and look for the right words. "at the start of the first floor i did act quite harsh at times, and if there is a need for that, i would do it again. if there is not, i won ?t. its as simple as that." "if i were younger and more naive, i would maybe get more angry and ask you how can you talk like that. i''m still young," maya puts emphasis on word young before continuing, "but not that young. i have a bit more experience than the most others here so i understand. but i still want to get back at you at least once." "you are free to try anytime." i tell her. "i didn''t expect anything else," her face is serious, and before she leaves she says one more thing. "still, lily made me realize a few things, and one of them is that most likely most of us wouldn''t be alive if it weren''t for you. i don''t like that fact, but i''m not hardheaded enough to not accept it. so thank you, i guess, and also thank you for helping me to improve. i know you most likely only do it because tess asked you to, but i still wanted to say that." maya leaves without saying anything else. wow, isn''t lily a sneaky one? what is she trying to do after our conversation from last time? is she working on boosting my public image? i turn my attention back to biscuit, "what do you think?" i ask him, and he also turns to me while chewing. (asshole.) dang it, biscuit. Chapter 180: The hole chapter 180: the hole days have passed and the night has come. this time all of us are awake and staring up at the clear sky, at the debris that orbits the planet, reflecting the light of the moon. some pieces are giant, probably much bigger than we think as they are so far away; other ones are much smaller and look more like dust shining when direct light lands on it in an otherwise dark room. it''s pretty, and there are so many questions that come to mind that, in my eyes, make it even more alluring as i stare up there. "tess, you can see really far, can you tell what it is?" min-jae steps closer to the blonde woman he has a crush on. i have noticed that he is calmer than before in the mansion as we are once again surrounded by unknown dangers, yet sometimes he tries to find an opportunity to talk with her. "they are too far away even for me, but it''s probably debris, as nathaniel said. some shapes are too perfect to be just some random rock orbiting the planet. maybe it used to be some construction that orbited the planet long ago? looking at the name of this floor, waning realm, we might end up dealing with some post-apocalyptic planet." "the second floor was close to being destroyed in a world war, the third floor was a dying world, and the fourth one again. the system sure has some interesting ideas," hadwin says. "do you think these floors are places that really exist?" this time it''s dennis who joins the conversation as we slowly move from the entrance and sit inside the cave, surrounding my orb that is as big as an orange and radiating nice heat. i''m getting better and better at it, and they last much longer and are more stable so i can make them bigger. at first, i thought that infusing my mana with thermal or kinetic energy might be useless, but there seem to be some interesting uses for it. "there are multiple options. the floors can be made from scratch by the system, whatever the system actually is," hadwin turns to me. "nathaniel, on the other hand, always thought that the floors are copies of worlds that existed millennia, maybe even millions of years ago, and the system keeps reusing them. they could even be copies of worlds that currently exist," hadwin''s voice becomes unsure. "we could spend hours theorizing, but in the end, it doesn''t matter that much." dennis frowns, "but couldn''t they be real worlds that the system sends us to?" to that, his brother, aaron, gently slaps the back of his head, "don''t be dumb, every group got the same world, the same floor." "i know that, you dumbass," dennis also pokes his brother. "i meant as if parallel universes and such stuff. it would surely be easier to just move us somewhere than create the world for each group." then they continue to throw multiple theories around, and i listen to them while not joining the conversation. some of them are straight-up dumb, some are thrown there jokingly, and some of them are depressing as hell. "i know we did talk about it on the first floor already, but i wanted to ask again. what did you hear about the disappearances back on earth? before the tutorial?" hadwin changes the theme when the conversation stops getting anywhere, and i start to listen a bit more. even isabella, who is sitting next to me and petting biscuit, perks up. "dad said it''s all bullshit. same stuff like ufos!" she says. "izzy!" sophie quickly says, "no cursing, i told you!" "but that''s what dad said..." the little girl pouts, to which biscuit licks her hand and she quickly forgets about that and starts to pet the doggo. "i have mostly ignored it. sometimes they blamed it on accidents or just threw some conspiracies around," maya shrugs. "people always come up with some explanation." "i have heard about it too, but it always felt like clickbait titles or something to get you to watch the news. stuff like ''plane disappeared in bermuda triangle'' or ''group of tourists lost in the mountains, you could be the next.''" sophie pauses, opens her mouth, and then just shakes her head and doesn''t say anything else. "we didn''t hear about it at all," dennis says and aaron nods. "news is for old people," he continues, and aaron nods again, what makes min-jae laugh a bit. dennis throws in another stone, this time even bigger than the one min-jae threw. he throws it at an angle so we hear it hitting the walls, the sound echoing from the side and falling down. "fool of a took!" min-jae shouts at dennis, and both of them giggle, and even maya seems to be smiling while tess rolls her eyes, probably giving up on them. "nat, nat, throw in one of your glowing orbs," min-jae pauses, "or a bomb! the one made from tricolored mana!" the boy is excited as he says it and continues to poke me. at that, even dennis perks up and joins in, trying to make me do so. "min-jae," i start, "do you not know all the cliche?s? the moment i throw in something, we will awaken some ancient evil." "it''s nice that you say that, nat, but why are you already creating one of your orbs?" tess''s tone is flat as she says so. "you wouldn''t understand that, tess. if you are a boy and you see a hole, you either try to make it deeper or throw something inside!" min-jae comes to my defense. "exactly," dennis says while throwing in another stone, "it''s in our genes." seeing us do that, even little isabella starts throwing in some smaller stones. "you too, biscuit!" she shouts happily, and the dog, just creates a single tentacle and pushes a smaller stone over the edge into the hole. that makes isabella even happier. i listen to their bickering while i push more and more thermal energy into the orb. it''s exactly as min-jae said. a need to throw stuff into any deep hole you find feels like a reflex you need to have if you want to call yourself a man. it''s a must! it''s not childish! and i will pretend i do not see tess rolling her eyes. at least maya seems to partially understand, and sophie is supporting any silly thing isabella does if it means it will make the little girl happy. soon, i am done and throw the orb that is as big as an orange into the hole. the orb is glowing as it starts falling down and lighting its surroundings. in the darkness of the hole, it shines especially brightly and continues to fall. one minute. two minutes, and the orb starts hitting the walls and still continues to fall. a bit longer, and only tess sees it, and i notice some members stepping away from the edge of the hole. one minute later, it disappears even for tess. "kim, you''re good at math; calculate it," dennis nudges the other boy. he does just that and it takes a few minutes for him to do the calculations. he asks us how long we think the object was falling and a few more questions before attempting to recalculate. in the end, he appears shocked and tries the calculations once more. he does it a few times and then just gives up, "i think this hole is deeper than the height of mount everest," he says. Chapter 181: Not a cloud chapter 181: not a cloud on our way back from the hole, everyone is surprisingly quiet, deep in their own thoughts. learning about how deep that hole was, i also start to watch our surroundings more carefully. the mountains that surround us are all terribly tall. yet there is something that i do realize: they are a bit weirdly shaped. i can''t exactly point it out, but something feels off about them, and now that i look, they start feeling off more and more. "maybe we should leave a bit sooner than expected. i or maya can carry lily. i know she probably won''t like it, but this place starts feeling off," tess says, echoing my thoughts. "yes, let''s do it," i agree with her. "i will check where we should go." i split from the group and generate enough kinetic energy to push myself higher. unlike before, it''s much smoother now, and i lift off quickly yet somewhat stably. it''s like i am applying a constant push instead of the short thrusts of energy that i used before. i continue to send more and more energy under me, and it starts getting colder the higher i am, so i turn some of that energy into thermal energy to keep myself warm. the day is quite clear, so i can see a great distance. when i feel that i am high enough, i stop pushing and instead focus on keeping myself floating at a single spot. there are mountains as far as i can see. in one direction, there is more snow; most of the mountains are totally covered in snow. on the opposite side, the mountains are getting smaller and smaller. i spend a bit more time looking and then land back near the others, finding them with my [perception]. "i think this is the way we should go, but i didn''t see far enough. can you check it?" i gesture the direction to tess. "i won''t be able to get myself that high; you will have to help me," tess shakes her head and puts her hand on my shoulder. i put my arm around her waist and pull her closer. "ready?" she nods, and i push us up in the air, this time generating a bit more heat for tess as well. when we are high enough, i start keeping us afloat. "i have to say, the view is amazing," tess says and collects some mana in her eyes. [farsight] activates, and she carefully looks around. it takes her around one minute, and then she taps my shoulder. "we can go back." when we land again, i let go of her. "so?" "i think you were right; there seem to be fewer mountains, and they are smaller that way and there are also some plains far in the distance. so let''s grab the others and start moving there. but nat, we will have to rely on you to keep us from freezing in case it gets worse. i don''t think isabella will be able to keep her skill running so long, and some of us don''t have high physical stats to endure that." "i will be nice enough and do it, so no worries, tess," i then look at izzy. "who is the better fire user now?" i poke at the little girl. "you are just a radiator! my flames are much better!" isabella fights back, but it''s no use. i know the truth. even though i do it in a super janky way and waste more mana than she does, it doesn''t matter with my reserves. the best fire user in group 4 is me! or at least until biscuit learns that plenty of food tastes better cooked and learns how to use fire skills as well. to move as quickly as possible, min-jae lowers our weight with [gravity well]. afterward, he and tess try to keep the group from splitting apart as others either know how to lower their defenses and let min-jae and tess use skills on them, or they just hold onto people who can do it. meanwhile, i''m the engine, and the blonde woman and young boy hold onto me while i continue to generate enough energy to move us through the air. dennis says it''s the most ghetto thing he''s seen since the start of the tutorial, and i can''t help but agree with him. at first, they stand on their legs and bend their bodies slightly, shooting yellowish mana from their bottoms at us. the attack is seemingly organized; all the ants attack at once. i move us away from the first attack, and tess uses her [psychokinesis] to push away the projectiles that are about to hit us. then i notice a few ants turning and starting to attack their own, and i realize that sophie has already started working, and her attack does surprisingly well. at first, the ants ignore their own tearing them apart, biting off their legs, or shooting yellowish acid-like substances at them, so multiple ants die. but then, with movements that feel full of anger, they turn against ants controlled by sophie and attack them, ignoring any attack that lands on them and even ignoring us. they literally tear apart the four ants sophie took control of, and when they turn back to us, they seem angrier than before. i continue to focus on avoiding attacks and flying us higher and away from them while others deal with defense or with attacks on them. high in the air, the attacks become much less dangerous, and after a while, i feel others calm down slightly. then flying ants come at us, only a dozen of them but each even bigger than the ones from before. the only difference, other than size, is that they seem a lot thinner and have massive wings that flicker at immense speed. min-jae''s small projectiles shoot toward the monsters, and i even feel that he is trying to increase their weight with his skill, but they are hard to hit. even biscuit helps by creating a single, long purple mana tentacle that attacks the ants'' wings, successfully causing some damage. i can also sense him sending telepathic messages to the ants. hopefully, he''s not asking them for food but perhaps calling them assholes. tess''s javelin, filled with red and white lightning, pierces through the air and one of the ants; then it flies back and kills another one while returning. at the same moment, two of the ants turn around and start attacking their own, while even isabella''s blue flames blaze up and hit the closest ant which is immediately set ablaze and starts falling down while burning and twitching, covered in blue flames. another javelin trailed by lightning flies, and one more ant dies. just a few more seconds and they are dealt with, their dead bodies falling to the ground. "nat, can you go faster?" tess asks. huh, who does she think i am? i''m still limiting the speed we are moving at to not make them vomit all over me. our current speed is nothing. "yes, that is not a problem. why?" i ask her. to that, tess points toward a dark cloud far behind from where we came. hmm, what''s with that? i turn to her and she still solemnly continues to point there, "not a cloud," she says. huh? i look again at the not-a-cloud thing and notice that it''s moving weirdly. oh, i see. my heart thumps wildly and i use more energy to move us away from that. from thousands and thousands of flying ants that darken the sky and head right toward where we are. i ignore screaming; i even ignore maya''s unladylike throwing up as i continue to move us between the mountains and sometimes changing the direction a bit to avoid smaller groups of flying giant ants. it takes us an hour to get rid of the goddamn ants, and it''s good because i already start feeling my mana depleting to dangerous levels. the amount of maneuvering and my lack of experience lead to inefficient use of kinetic energy for flying. then, i have to spend additional mana to create more energy while also heating the area around us and using mana arms to hold others, which is quite draining. it''s nice training, of course, and it became a bit more fun when others stopped screaming every time we almost crashed against something. but at last, the ants stop following us and stay in the mountains or anthills or however, i should call them. the ants stopped right after we reached the plains. they just sit there right before the plains and continue looking toward us soundlessly while snapping their mandibles and moving around angrily. yeah, screw you too. it''s dead certain i will be back Chapter 182: Solo hunting time chapter 182: solo hunting time the plains spread as far as i can see, and only tess says that she sees some hills in the distance. it''s noticeably warmer here and the ground is rocky with patches of grass here and there, and some trees once in a while. but best of all, there are no bus-sized nightmarish red ants. i mean, some oversized ants might be fine, but it stops being funny when they start flying. creepy jackasses. i would have shown them something if i didn''t have to taxi our small group. oh boy, i would love to test the limits of my mana reserves, my bought passive, my flames. i also need to properly test [resonance]. i have a feeling that i am only scratching the edges of what it''s capable of, and there are plenty of ideas on how to utilize skills that are made from a combination of [disruption] and [oscillation]. as we continue to move further away from the giant anthills, i do not stop checking in the distance for suspicious cloud-like things. tess does the same as we move on foot. there is no road, so we have to jump over some stones, and small streams of water, and jump over some tears that scar the ground. we don''t spot any other monsters or animals; it''s just an empty plain. but i''m not that surprised. what kind of maniac would want to stay so close to the thousands, maybe tens of thousands, or maybe even millions of ants? did i also say that they are bus-sized? "our water and food should be able to last us for around one week. you said you and nathaniel don''t need that much water or food anymore after the body upgrade. by how much?" hadwin is asking tess. "i''m not sure exactly, but i think i''m fine with 50-60% of what i used to eat before? nathaniel maybe needs even less than that," tess answers. "less than you; is there any difference between your upgrades?" "i don''t think so, i think it''s because he has more mana than me and that might affect how much food or water he needs," tess says as she moves over the fallen tree and turns to me, "am i right, nathaniel?" "it''s most likely as you said," i answer. there is still so much we don''t know, and that makes things annoying at times but also more interesting. what is life without some secrets or things to strive for? things like more mana! but i think we''ve rested enough, and all this walking is getting boring, "ready to fly again?" i ask. some of the reactions are far from enthusiastic, and i feel personally attacked. so i may or may not have flown a bit more turbulently at some places. after a few days of walking and flying, we finally spot something other than empty plains. "it''s a city," tess says smartly. "are you sure, tess? we wouldn''t like it to be another anthill." "nat, i''m sure i can now recognize an anthill from man-made towers." "tess, what if there are bipedal ants or some similar nonsense? maybe were-ants, or deer ants, cinder ants." "you sound annoyed," tess asks, yet she still continues to look towards the city only she sees in the distance. "people are way too nice; it''s creepy," i answer her honestly. "that''s what happens if you treat them somewhat nicely and teach them some stuff and save their lives once or twice." reward: 5 shards. a new side quest pops up the moment i start moving towards the aforementioned monsters. the rewards are quite cheap, in my opinion, but i already know that the system is a scrooge. also, i have planned to use them to level up anyway, so it''s just a small addition to it. i have a smaller bag with me and within it some water, food, nice snacks, and replacement clothes. it''s all the stuff i can buy through the system shop right now, but why would i waste precious shards when i could take it from hadwin, who is taking care of rationing and inventory? i might have taken a bit more sweets than he liked, but the man didn''t say much about it. as i continue to travel through the air, i check the community once in a while, just for a second or two. the main reason is that i want to see when the other groups come to the 4th floor. currently, it looks like communication with people on different floors is impossible. that also confirms my theory that one group can return to earthin 5 yearswhile being for example on the 9th floor, and another group will, at that time, be only on the 4th floor. it makes sense, and it''s another reason to clear the floors quickly after getting all you can from them, as the next floor can make you stronger than staying on one floor too long. curious, i also join the beyond community. noname - hey, savant, are you still on the 3rd floor? there is no answer, so for a moment, i think that communication through the floors is impossible, or savant just ignores me, but then an answer appears. savant -are you on the 4th floor? yes! yes! hahaha. noname - suck it! all the cool guys are already on the 4th floor! savant - by cool guys, do you mean yourself? well, whatever. it looks like those of us from beyond can talk through the floors while other people can''t. noname -yup, do you have trouble with the 3rd-floor quest? i can''t help but poke. savant -a little bit, but nothing i won''t be able to solve. the system will censor everything useful you could tell me, so just screw off. then savant disconnects, and i am left feeling much better than before. yup, i know i did have a cheat code called lily and her [disintegration], and that also makes me wonder how else i would clear the third floor. i noticed that edwal''s lightning did have some anti-healing properties, so maybe by talking with the guy and having him help me? maybe even the king could be lured to our side and influenced to help kill the saint. i do not believe that he wouldn''t know how after thousands of years. he most likely just didn''t want to. as for me, i could probably do it with that weird-ass black mana that the king seemed to recognize. or i could once again create a strong enough thermal orb and burn the saint''s entire body at once. i just think i would need to be much stronger than the one i used against the two warriors. much, much stronger. well, it''s all in the past, and let''s not think about lissandra who stayed there. let''s hope she won''t get her hands on the black dagger i left behind, which could dominate and devour mana a bit. yup, she totally won''t get her hands on it. it totally won''t come back to bite me in the ass. i miss lissthaniel. well, not that much, but it would be better than lissandra, who is so close to her original self. that cockroach-like abolute is scary as heck. Chapter 183: Favorite kind of monsters chapter 183: favorite kind of monsters so the ants are still there, waiting on the mountains but not entering the plains. car and bus-sized nightmarish monsters with their dead-like eyes are crawling creepily over the rocky surface of the mountains or anthills or whatever it is. even though they have no human-like eyes, i keep getting the feeling that all of them are staring at me. hundreds of them are there. fewer than when we were running away and i already see a few of them leaving, maybe to call more friends. there are even flying ones that are currently on the ground. good. i breathe in and use the mana regulator to increase the amount of mana my heart is getting, and i start feeling kinetic energy flow through my body. as always, it threatens to tear it apart the moment there is too much of it, but i accept the feeling. i got used to it and, after dealing with the energy time and time again, i welcome it. i [focus], and the world loses its colors. useless thoughts disappear, and there is only me, my skills, and the enemies against me. armor forms around my body. the effect of [initiate of pride] makes it more beautiful. it''s not to the point where it becomes overdecorated; it just seems masterfully crafted, simple, effective, and somewhat deadly. more mana flows into the armor, and it takes on a dark blue hue with light blue wisps flowing through it. then i start turning all kinetic energy into thermal and fill ten or so mana javelins that float over me with that thermal energy. the pale blue projectiles start glowing with a dark yellow color that seems like cracks go through them. i decide that first, i will test my new passive that heals me the more heat i have, and i will try to improve my flames. when i charge towards them, the ants do not attack; they just wait. but the moment i step on one of the mountains, they charge at me. not all at once, but in smaller groups. smart monsters know that there isn''t enough space for all of them. the first ant dies the moment my javelin pierces through its head, and it then explodes into flames near another ant, hurting it badly. [you have defeated an ant warrior - lvl 95] flame explodes in front of me like a flamethrower, scorching and melting another ant. [you have defeated an ant warrior - lvl 92] two more attack from behind my back, and two javelins kill them. one of the javelins kills another ant in the explosion. in quick succession, i use the javelins to target more ants, mainly flying ones. before shooting them, i fill them with more thermal energy, so that when they explode, they kill more ants. ant monsters are big and quick; there are a lot of them, but it''s not a problem. i continue to move quicker than they are able to, and when they get closer, my flames melt them, making them flail on the ground. the ones using ranged attacks, i kill with mana projectiles. the ants are not as dangerous. sure, they have high stats most likely, and they are quite massive, but their biggest advantage is their numbers and amazing coordination. it''s like someone is leading them, or they are communicating in a way i can''t notice. after killing most likely a hundred of them, i get the notification and also shards. a new quest appears: side quest: defeat 200 ants. reward:10 shards a few more ants later, another notification pops up. [lvl 125 > lvl 126] grumpy (hell, group 4) -oh... but tess used our real names too! sset (hell, group 4) -no, noname is right. we should avoid using our real names. right now, we are probably the only ones on the 4th floor, but some of them will surely clear it. i made a mistake. noname (hell, group 4) -well, it probably doesn''t matter anyway, but just in case. so you plan to set up the base and then go on quests outside of the city? sset (hell, group 4) - yes, the system gave us plenty of quests, and some of them even offered shards as rewards. there are a lot of monsters in the underground tunnels, plains nearby, or in the forest that''s a bit further. so we will level up as well. noname (hell, group 4) -sounds good. i will connect again at the time we mentioned. sset (hell, group 4) -stay safe. grumpy (hell, group 4) - stay safe! (???) / i close the window and look toward one of the holes that are deeper than mount everest and a continuous stream of ants that continue to climb out of it. this time, most of them are either two question marks or close to it, meaning that hundreds of around level 150 ants crawl around, probably looking for me. i open my mouth, and two orbs fly out. orbs made of tricolored mana that already start turning white and are about to explode. some of the ants notice that, and tens of monsters turn to me with their lifeless-looking eyes as i sling two orbs toward them, feeling around half of my mana leaving my body. a big group of a new variation does something that feels like combining their skills and targets one of the orbs, which gets slowly untangled by them and dissipates even before reaching, just exploding halfway. the second orb reaches them and hits something like a mana barrier that is kept up by another group of ants. even though they try to stop it, the orb explodes and tears apart the barrier, and the shockwave followed by heat hits the monsters, scorching plenty of them and then sucking in more of them. bus-sized monsters are unable to resist the implosion, and their bodies get broken, folded, and pulled toward where the center of the orb is. [lvl 129 > lvl 130] i invest the stat points and use kinetic energy to push myself away from them, then continue to fly for around twenty minutes until i am sure i am far enough. then i start masking my presence again, hiding in the ever-present gaps on the side of the anthills, or whatever they are. i watch my mana regenerate, and slowly i start creating another orb inside my mouth, an orb that i hide with mantle and [resonance]. it''s easier to hide a small orb than to hide mana that would flow through my body. this time, i start storing thermal energy inside of it and watch as their scouts continue to fly around. i even feel pulses of mana searching the area. more time passes like that, and when i am finally ready, i leave my hiding spot. then i feel movement and immediately use symbiotic transference to turn some of that thermal energy inside the orb into strengthening my body. just in time to stop myself from being bitten in half. i look down at the ant that is reaching my waist, and its massive mandibles bite into my body, drawing blood but unable to push more because of my strengthening. [phantom ant - lvl ??] the ant seems to be almost surprised and quickly lets go, and its body flickers, the monster turning invisible. oh, i see, my favorite kind of monster. before the ant disappears fully, i blow its head off with a short burst of concentrated thermal energy and send my senses into the area, looking for similar signatures i felt from the ant when it tried to turn invisible. immediately, i locate a few dozen of them all around me. Chapter 184: Flames chapter 184: flames before they get to react, the orb filled to the brim with thermal energy leaves my mouth and floats near me. then i start releasing short bursts of concentrated flames from it instead of exploding it at once. the already darkening area lights up with the yellowish glow of my flames, and monster after monster is set ablaze and killed immediately. entering deeper [focus], i methodically change my position and continue to search for and attack the invisible ants that are all around me. as with most of the monsters with skills that allow them to hide, they are fast but physically weaker. every time they try to get closer, they just get burned by a blast of flames. i continue to jump, dodge, and improve my hold over the orb that floats nearby. it''s still so filled with an immense amount of heat, and i only use a little bit to kill the phantom ants. i do not stop until they are all dead. all twenty-six of them. i even spent some time obliterating their bodies using kinetic energy. then i feel a touch of gravity ants and just resonate mana on my skin, removing the effect of their skill from me over and over again, no matter how hard they try or how many of them do so. i lift off and start flying around while feeding my heart with more mana and keep converting kinetic into thermal energy. yellow flames continuously explode from me. sometimes as a flamethrower, sometimes like a short blast of heat. in other cases, mixed into my mana projectiles and shot over long distances. then, just before finishing the side quest requiring me to kill 300 ants, the strongest one so far appears. one with immense mana that reaches out toward me and tries to dissipate my flames and the orb still floating near me. for a moment, our mana clashes against each other and i push against him with my [resonance] and stop him from doing that. immediately after, i shoot projectiles at him. a javelin that i fill with thermal energy that the monster dissipates before it reaches him. another javelin appears and this time filled with kinetic energy, the ant dissipates it as well. [mana harvester ant - lvl ??] i start releasing heat all around my body, burning the ants that get closer to me, and dash at this one. when i reach him, my flames become weaker, yet i continue to feed them more and more from the orb until the area around me continues to light the surrounding area in the slowly darkening day. yellowish flames light up the side of the mountain and throw flickering flames all around us while i continue to focus on the monster in front of me. i study him, watch the way the monster moves its mana, and when it tries to dissipate my flames again, i reach out and this time my mana resonates. the monster loses control over his skill. it''s just a short moment, but it''s enough for a blast of now more concentrated golden flames to blow off his head. [you have defeated a mana harvester ant - lvl 158] the moment the monster dies, even more of them replace him. with more ants of the same variation, all of them reach out to me to cancel my skills. my mantle totally blocks their attempts to mess with the mana inside my body, but my flames weaken and i feel my heart thump loudly. i slip deeper into [focus] and lower a bit of its hold over my emotions and feel myself getting fired up as more and more monsters surround me. wordlessly, and with only the sound of their chitin-like legs hitting the rocky surface of the mountains. then all the sounds disappear, and the world loses even more of its colors, and mana starts shining even brighter. that''s why i continue to jump around like some pyromaniac with a flamethrower. once again, i thank the sacrifice of all the monsters that died so i could learn to convert kinetic energy into thermal. slightly bored by waiting, i start examining my own feelings as well. now that i am away from other members of our group, i can think properly, and there is some sense of freedom as well. yet part of my mind already misses that silly doggo, reliable tess, extremely bullyable lily, nosy isabella, and even the cheeky boys. heck, even hadwin and maya have kind of grown on me. i can''t even pretend anymore that i don''t care about them. it''s not like i see them as friends; that much old silly me still doesn''t want to accept, but i think there are already some seeds of that. when did it happen? when did i open up enough for them to find a way to me? dangerous, people from the hell difficulty are dangerous. anyway, i already decided to give it a chance, so that''s what i will do. but knowing tess and seeing her and lily''s attempts to improve my image, i already know it might happen sooner rather than later. finally, the monsters start moving, creating a pathway between their bodies. a new variation of the ant uses this pathway to move closer. it walks slowly, almost as if bearing some dignity, and the other ants silently and without moving at all, watch it pass. the new ant stops, and then blue flames start to flicker all over its red carapace. [flame legion ant - lvl ??] right after, another ant crawls to its side. [flame legion ant - lvl ??] and another. soon, ten of them stand down there, blue fire burning around them. their lifeless eyes seem to be looking right at me and at the orb next to me as their antennae continue to move in sync. an orb appears in front of the group of ten flame legion ants, and flames from all of the ants start feeding it in a similar way i do to my orb. flame orb swells to the size of beach balls as more and more of their fire enters it. it starts to illuminate the night with soft and flickering blue light that throws creepy shadows on the ground and lights up the hundreds of ants down there. the way they just stand there without moving at all is somewhat creepy. like they are bus-sized statues made by some crazy artist. extremely detailed and even creepier because of that. the flame legion ants continue to only move their antennae and feed the orb. and i do the same, compressing all the thermal energy that i feed it. it''s smaller than theirs, much smaller, maybe the size of a baseball and it shrinks even more and gradually changes color from dark yellow to brilliant golden. come, show me what you can do. as if hearing my thoughts, the ants do just that, and their orb flies high into the air. it then expands to the size of a smaller house, lighting up the entire side of the mountain in bright blue light, like a small sun. the air becomes dry. the snow melts, and the water from it instantly evaporates. then the giant orb flies at me and as it passes through the air, it elongates and changes from a round, globe-like shape to a more elliptical one. the front of the orb takes on a darker shade of blue, and its tail becomes much paler. and i do not dodge, nor fly away, even though i easily could. in the same way, the ants attacked me, i shoot my golden orb at them, much smaller in comparison to theirs, and then i [focus] and reach out toward theirs. Chapter 185: Night into day chapter 185: night into day there is no hesitation as my mana swirls through my body and powers up the skills i need to use. it moves with all the confidence i feel and is fed to the skill that transforms it and reaches out from my body toward the fireball flying at me. the giant ball of flames pauses in the air and returns to its round shape. i push more; my mana resonates as i take over the flames with my usage of [redistribution] and [resonance]. how hard can it be to deal with a few monsters that are around level 160 from what i can feel? how can they compare to cinderbear from beyond and his control over the heat his body generated? at the same moment as i take over the blue fireball, my golden orb explodes down there as ten flame legion ants try to take it over. their mana moves, tries to weaken it; they try to absorb the orb, they try to dissipate it. nothing works, and just a moment before reaching them, the orb expands and blazes up into an explosion of bright golden flames that devour everything. a golden light turns the night into day for just a short moment, and then heat follows. snow immediately turns into vapor without turning into water first. the ground cracks under immense heat and turns into something that reminds me of lava. the heat immediately evaporates the closest ants, dozens of them, and the ones further away are set ablaze. i absorb the heat that reaches me and recycle it, feeding it to the blue fireball i took over. it expands and threatens to explode, but i take control of it and force it under my will. [resonance] breaks through the bottleneck and finally reaches level twenty at the same moment as i make the fireball smaller. and smaller. the color is still blue, affected by the mana of the ants, but now there are streaks of gold going through it; it''s now as big as an orange. the attack continues, and the surviving ants climb up the mountain, still, hundreds of them left. the monsters are not scared, not hesitating as they throw their bodies against me at the top of the mountain. streams of blue flame with golden streaks blaze into the night, continuing to burn all the ants that get too close. the amount of heat the orb packs is incredible, so i continuously funnel it and shoot it out in a stream that devours and sets ablaze any monster that gets too close, constantly sending flashes of light into the area. [you have defeated an ant warrior - lvl 95] [you have defeated an ant warrior - lvl 97] [you have defeated a gravity ant - lvl 135] [you have defeated a phantom ant - lvl 145] [you have defeated an ant warrior - lvl 95] [you have defeated an ant warrior - lvl 101] [you have defeated a phantom ant - lvl 148] ... notifications continue to ring, and i only pause to invest all the stat points i am getting from level-ups. it takes what feels like a long time, but the last ant finally dies, and i stop my flames, which i had to feed with my own energy as i depleted the ones from flame legion ants. the air continues to shimmer, still hot from all the heat that was released. the air is hard to breathe. my throat is parched, and i can feel how dry the air and my skin are. i reach out and pull as much residual heat as i can and start creating a new orb while checking notifications. quickly, i detect the monster that did that and instead of flying up, i change direction and push myself towards that monster. but even that seems to be somewhat expected and two ants step into my way. ants of a similar size to the others, yet their bodies are covered in weird symbols that radiate mana and glow in a white color. the moment i get close, these ants charge at me and their carapaces easily deflect my mana projectiles, and their mandibles get filled with mana and with an effect similar to my [armament], they elongate and double up in size. large mandibles made of mana that, even without checking, i immediately know are immensely sharp. i reduce the amount of thermal energy inside me that i kept high to heal myself, and instead, i turn it back to its original form and a thin cone of kinetic energy hits one of the ants and explodes half of its head. the monster staggers backwards and white glowing symbols on its body start to glow even more, and its head starts regenerating until it''s fully healed. right after, some of the white glowing symbols on the ant disappear. interesting. i dodge their attacks that are much faster than those of the other ants and continue to throw kinetic energy at them. this energy is not canceled, unlike thermal energy. both ants that have carapaces covered in white glowing symbols attack me in tandem and continue to block for each other. when i explode the legs of one of them, the other one pushes me hard until the other one regenerates them. they quickly learn to expect attacks with kinetic energy and every time i move my sword, they jump back and wait for the right chance, almost as if they feel the resonating mana that coats the blade. their physical stats are really high, so it''s hard to absorb the movement of their bodies. soon, they find a chance and i get thrown away by one of them; the second one uses the opportunity and jumps at me with mana-filled mandibles wide open, while the other one circles as if to attack my back. my mana resonates and the mandibles dissipate to the ant''s shock, and its normal mandibles just snap a bit in front of me. more mana flows into my sword, and i slash it against the ant''s face, which gets split in half. the symbols start glowing and [resonance] halts the skill long enough for my kinetic energy to explode half of the ant''s body. the ant ?s body falls down, and the symbols flicker one more time before the ant dies. [you have defeated an ant sentinel - lvl 181] without hesitation, i turn around and this time i do not hold back. i''ve seen everything i wanted and have an idea of how their skills work. mana resonates in the area while two large mana arms reach out from my back and grab the remaining ant. it ?s easier now that the ant ?s symbols have lost some of their glow under the influence of my disrupting mana. a following blast of kinetic energy finishes the monster. [you have defeated an ant sentinel - lvl 178] [lvl 135 > lvl 136] having dealt with the duo, i boost my body and continue to run towards the place where the ant that keeps messing with my flames is. the net over my head continues to strengthen more and more, and the spacing in between is finer. the net covers a massive area, and i see hundreds of ants that enter the edge of my perceiving scans and continue to feed it. they all work together, and only a few ants maintain the skills while others feed them their mana. something that all ants share allows them to work together in such a way. just as i reach the annoying ant, another ant phases out of the ground; it nearly looks like its body moves through the material like earth. that ant touches the one that messes with my thermal energy, and both of them sink into the ground and their mana signature disappears. then a giant net around me sets down, and a pulse of mana is sent through the area. Chapter 186: Just four more levels chapter 186: just four more levels did i just get caught in the net or cage-like thing by a bunch of ants? it sure looks like it. still, i''m not that worried, as the ants seem to be able to pass through that net easily. at some point, the net turns into something like a mana barrier that seems to allow only them to go in and out.no?vel binz was the first platform to present this chapter. right behind the barrier, i see the ants grouping up. when i shoot a mana projectile at the barrier, it doesn''t even dent it. instead, a pulse of mana is sent through the barrier at the point of impact. it looks as if you threw a stone into water, with ripples going through. the same thing happens to projectiles filled with kinetic energy and thermal energy. they just crash, explode, create ripples, and that''s it. ants behind it continue to feed it more and more mana, and it continues to shrink as well as become denser. when i step closer to it and shoot disrupting mana at it, the ripples become much bigger than before, as the barrier itself or the ants behind it detect an attempt to cancel it and fight against it by strengthening and reforming it at the point where the disruptive skill hit it. i also detect that the barrier goes deep into the ground. for the next few minutes, i continue to throw attack after attack on it, even hurling a javelin filled with tricolored mana or striking against it with the epic sword i took from the third floor. none of the attacks do that much damage, yet i continue doing so while observing it. it''s quite fascinating to watch dozens of ants with different mana signatures combine their mana to feed the barrier and maintain it. they must have a skill similar to what the twins have - dennis and aaron. something like [connection] that allows them to work together. or it could be a trait that all of the ants have? or maybe something entirely different. fascinating, so fascinating! the barrier as well. i have created some barriers of my own before, but this one is different. it''s much bigger and, unlike mine which are hard as steel and break when the attack is too strong, this one moves a bit. ripples are sent through it as it absorbs some of the attacks, and the mana from other parts of the barrier rushes to the point of impact to strengthen it. i then pause and check the amount of kinetic energy that i''ve collected inside of my body. it''s a lot. that much should be enough. taking a few steps, i reach the barrier and activate [resonance]. the mana flickers and pulsates on top of my skin; it resonates all around me. i already know the frequency of the barrier, so i mirror it. i take another step and pass through the barrier as if it''s not there. the ants that up until now continued to flicker their antennae and communicate while strengthening the barrier come to a stop. the bus-sized monsters almost seem to be embarrassed. then, the collected kinetic energy explodes from my body, and the fight continues. pov lily chen so, then grumpy brought a dead mouse to my bed. i still don''t know from where since we live in an apartment building and there shouldn''t be any, right? and i only wanted him to try on the clothes i bought for him once. lily, your cat is based, dennis says. right? what a chad. grumpy sounds cool, aaron chimes in. as many times before, the twins start to tease me. they do it even more now that nathaniel isn''t here. tess, i am so bored, i complain to the blonde girl who sits in the corner of the room and goes through multiple papers with hadwin and sophie. the easiest solution to that would be to finish regenerating your arm, and when you''re fully healed, we will take you out to hunt, tess turns to me and winks while smiling. then she turns back to hadwin, i think this quest would be good for you. these kinds of monsters seem to be mostly melee range attackers and... she continues, but i already turn back to the twins. aaron and dennis are silent, but as always, they must be communicating through the connection they share. the house we are in is pretty, very pretty. it''s on top of a hill with a view of nearly the entire city full of tall towers and trees. kim said it was expensive as heck, costing them a big chunk of the valuables they stole from the third floor. but he mentioned that our home base should be comfortable since we don''t know how long we will stay here. do you think nathaniel will be mad if he finds out we sold the epic bracelet he left with us? when i ask that, the twins immediately go silent, and even kim, who sits near them, looks uncomfortable. it''s so funny that i giggle. shut it, lily! you''re also staying in the house we bought with the money we got for it! even though dennis says that i see he''s still nervous. nat always says it''s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, kim joins in. kim, buddy, that''s nice and all, but as you might have noticed, nat can be really... dennis pauses and looks around. when he sees biscuit, he stops. heh, dennis, are you worried that biscuit will tell on you to nathaniel? i just can''t help but add in. nathaniel always treats me so nicely, so it''s fun to see the two cheeky twins be so worried about his petty acts of revenge. i know that nathaniel doesn''t see me the way i would like him to, but that''s fine! i will grow! and i am patient, really patient. for now, i will enjoy him treating me like a cute little sister. lily, you should be much more scared of this corgi; you guys have no idea how terrifying he is! this time it''s aaron saying that, and all of us look towards where biscuit is. held in the arms of little izzy, who even put a scarf around his neck. now that nathaniel isn''t here, poor biscuit is constantly targeted by the girl. (asshole. gone.) biscuit sends to everyone in the room. and it almost seems like he is complaining about nat being gone and having to deal with izzy. kim starts laughing out loud, and even maya giggles a bit, along with hadwin. only the twins are silent. they are so screwed if nathaniel finds out, one of them says, and the other one just nods solemnly. that''s when someone knocks on the door, and kim opens it to a nicely dressed man who bows to him. i notice that this somewhat makes kim happy, but he also blushes slightly and tries to act with dignity. here is a list of available quests, monster information, maps, a list of powerful people in the city, and all the other things you asked for, the bag he hands to kim seems to be filled to the brim with papers with information, and kim nods. he then takes out a mana stone from the pouch he has on his belt and hands it to the man. it makes the man''s eyes shine. we have paid upfront, so this tip seems to make him happy and probably is worth a lot. me too! izzy lets go of biscuit and runs on her short legs towards sophie and reaches out her hand. to that, sophie smiles. as many times before, i''m amazed by the change the big loving smile does to her face, and she absentmindedly grabs a mana stone from her pouch and hands it to izzy. pyrokinetic resurgence (rare) tokens: beyond difficulty entrance token shards: 2125 in the past few days, i barely slept, only for a few minutes here and there. the food and water i took with me are already gone, and my clothes are in tatters. but the rewards are nice! it''s to the point where my mana starts to pressure me once more. mana cycling, which i continue to do, helps a lot, but my rare passives that help me handle it seem to be getting pushed to their limits. so it''s either time for another round of active tempering, upgrading my constructs, or creating another one, or somehow making enough shards to get an epic passive skill that will deal with my mana. but i will wait for that. maybe a new primary class will offer me something that will deal with that. that would allow me to spend my shards on something better, something that would give me more mana! or maybe a stronger passive healing skill. the current one, pyrokinetic resurgence, is really good and for me, with my transferring kinetic energy to thermal, it works really well. unfortunately, it doesn''t restore limbs. during one of the fights, i lost a small piece of my finger, and the passive doesn''t want to restore it. i guess that''s just the limitation of its grade, which is - rare. as for the others, we keep exchanging messages, and they seem to be doing well. they even set up a base and are collecting information. tess and hadwin are truly reliable. they''ve already started going on what they call quests after collecting information and picking the right opponent for each of them. it allows them to hunt quickly and safely, while sometimes they spice things up a bit and throw each other against a much stronger enemy just to stay in shape. sure, there are some wounds, missing limbs, but in the same way as me, they know that they need to push hard in order to not fall behind. another thing is that savant entered the 4th floor a day ago and no one else. in the community, i checked the numbers, and it looks like hell difficulty lost five more people. hard lost around ten. normal lost twenty-five and easy around fifteen people. easy difficulty 1335/2000 normal difficulty 855/1000 hard difficulty 265/500 hell difficulty 45/250 beyond 3/10 beyond still has only 3 people. after feeling movement near me, i come back to reality and a pulse of my kinetic energy kills the ant that was sneaking up on me. damn, they are getting closer and closer. are they improving to dodge my detection, or is my lack of sleep after a few days out here showing? well, it doesn''t matter anyway. i''ll be done soon. i take one more step and look down one of the giant holes that are everywhere and that ants use to get to the surface. holes that are deeper than the tallest mountain on earth. over the palm of my hand, a mana orb hovers. three colors swirl inside of it, a tricolored mana, but this time i changed the composition a bit. instead of it being all mana, it is 2 parts mana and one-third thermal energy. this is going to be fun. it took a bit of testing in the past few days, but now i''m sure i did everything correctly and the ball won''t explode too soon. without waiting longer, i drop it and a shining orb as big as an orange starts falling down the hole as dark blue, blue mana, and yellow thermal energy swirl inside of it. i give it one more push with kinetic energy and it speeds up. the orb that i spent a day or two creating and filling with my mana to the point where i barely have ten percent of my mana left. i immediately lift off and start running away. this will either get me the four more levels i need, wake up some ancient monster, and get the entire ant colony after me, or do nothing. whatever happens, i''m done here. even if i don''t get any levels, i''ll get some sleep and continue in a day or two. a few minutes later the first notification sounds. the notification about killing an ant. then another. another dozen of them. level up. more notifications. even more notifications. another level up. minutes continue to pass and notifications still ring in my head. at this point, i''m getting scared. the bomb seems to have caused some unexpected chain reaction that made it more deadly and notifications continue to ring and ring to the point where cold sweat starts flowing down my back, and i speed up to move at the maximum speed i am capable of. yet the sound of notifications continues to follow me, with longer pauses in between. they continue even after i leave the mountain range. it takes longer than i would like and when they finally stop, after what feels like hours, i''m almost scared to check my level. [lvl 146 > lvl 159] well, fuck. i just wanted four levels. okay, the mountain range is a no-entry zone for at least a few weeks. Chapter 187: Its fine chapter 187: it''s fine so, after investing stats from all the level-ups, my mana is well over a thousand. that means no more leveling for a while. i grew way too quickly and i need to get used to it. my own pride won''t allow me to have all that mana and not be used to it or not be able to handle it. in the same way, people from hard difficulty were to my standard terrible at handling their skills and stats. after getting to the others, i will spend some time training, testing, and all that good stuff. my current level is high enough for me to have some time to scam the system and improve my base. and let''s quickly forget what just happened. surely nothing wrong will come of it. it''s fine. totally fine. oh boy. i force myself not to look at primary classes options. that''s something i will do after a shower and nice sleep, and booping biscuit''s nose a few hundred times. i haven''t seen him for a few days, so the debt has increased quite a bit. letting myself land on the ground, i slow down and, while walking, i continue to observe the mountain range behind me. there are no ants defending it and staring at me, which makes me even more nervous. plus, even now, i get a notification once in a while. most of them are for ants much lower than level 100, and the notification sounds only once every few dozen minutes. oh boy. it''s fine. i start running, only using my stats, and let my mana regenerate. even though i am nervous, i start enjoying the speed i am running at. my physical stats, passively boosted by my constructs that take a big chunk of my mana, are quite high and i run at speeds that would make me faster than some cars back on earth. and i am not getting tired at all. enamored by it, i boost my body slightly and my legs start cracking the ground under my feet as i continue to spring myself ahead, feeling the wind in my face. the speed i move at is slower than when i am quasi-flying, yet there is some charm to it as i feel my feet hitting the ground and jump over obstacles. my body moves like a perfectly oiled machine and somehow, this act of running makes me realize how much my body changed. it''s weird as i am already able to create flames with my mind and mana and other amazing things. yet i am so excited by just running quickly. it''s hard to explain but it''s relaxing, and i focus more on feeling my body, and my muscles while increasing my speed even further until the landscape around me turns into a blur when i am not actively focusing on it. i don''t even try to fly and just continue to run. the city that towers in front of me is beautiful. it''s a mess, but it''s a beautiful mess. a mix of buildings of all styles, some of them ancient-looking. there are trees inside the city as tall as skyscrapers. there are towers even higher than those trees. colors are everywhere: the green of flora, smaller buildings with walls painted in vibrant yellow, red, blue, and multiple other colors. towers of so many different styles. the impossibly high trees create shade and seem to have some buildings on them as well. that''s what i can see from atop one of the hills near the city. unlike the plains i just passed, this hill is covered by trees and vibrant green, a striking contrast to the lack of colors on the plains. unlike the mountain range, even the air here is warmer and the sun feels better on my skin. i am still a few miles away from it and i am currently taking a short break before getting in. that''s when i sense a few presences moving closer to me, all of them feeling humanoid, and they send me something like a greeting feeling a touch of my mana. my touch on them weakens and i send back a similar greeting. i stop examining them to not seem too rude and then wait for them to get closer. it doesn''t take too long and three figures appear in front of me. two women and one man, all of them at least two heads taller than me. their eyes are sharp, yet they are smiling excitedly after spotting me. wow, this one is especially cute! one of the women says. right? and he seems so feral! another woman adds. his eyes are pretty, the man joins in. [astral archer - lvl 178] tell me, feral one, what do you like? food? riches? magical items? mana stones? i''m quite rich so i would be able to pay you nicely, myrra interrupts lysara. myrra is the highest-leveled one out of them: a level 188 elemental warden. her hair is white and her eyes are golden in color. her ears and tail are of a gray color that nicely contrasts with her long hair. horizontally across her nose, a deep but healed scar passes through, which is weird to see in a place where constitution should be able to heal it. what does working for you include? i ask, and listening to them up until now made me quite curious. the white-haired woman seems excited as if smelling a chance, nothing much, feral one! you would live in my mansion and come to me when i am bored. we could talk, and i could observe you doing your stuff. i could ask you to be my attendant once in a while. you would come with me shopping and carry my stuff. i would require you to dress nicely and sometimes show you off to my friends. normal stuff, she explains quickly. this doesn''t sound normal at all. are all of them like this? would you mind if i ask why you would do that? i ask carefully while cursing the others. i bet they thought it would be so funny to put me in this situation. once again, i promise terrifying revenge. yet, it doesn''t feel dangerous, and i also think they would have told me if it was. because you''re cute! this time it''s lysara who says that, you look so feral and almost bored the entire time. the way you look around is as if everything is beneath you, even though you are just a weak human. your differently colored eyes too. oh, i see. myrra joins in, and when your expression changes a bit, it''s so fun. i want to bully you until you finally show some emotion. oh boy. it looks like this race of cat people looks at humans in a similar way humans look at cats back on earth. while moving back to the city, i keep asking them questions while fighting against their increasing offers to hire me. myrra seems to be a boss here, and the man who barely speaks is her guard, while lysara is her friend. they are all of a race of cat people called lynthari. they and humans live together in the city in front of us. everything seems peaceful, and even as lynthari are often much stronger than humans, they seem to be weird enough to treat humans somewhat nicely. only sometimes do they take in some humans they find interesting, cute, or funny. there seem to be some strict rules about how lynthari treat humans that i don''t know yet, and being often much stronger than humans, lynthari seem to view the human race in a similar way we look at pets. it''s not exactly the same, as humans often work alongside them, and sometimes, though rarely, hold higher positions, but it''s close to that. lynthari are born stronger than humans and live longer. lysara and myrra are a few hundred years old, while humans here rarely live over one hundred fifty years; only the stronger ones live longer, and that seems rare. looking at the power levels, anything close to level two hundred seems to be the cream of the crop, and individuals that reach over level two hundred are few and far between, treated exceedingly well. when we enter the city, most of the humans carefully avoid the three lynthari i travel with, and the trio barely gives them any look. the humans on the edges of the city are almost all under level fifty, but the deeper we go, the average level increases, and more and more lynthari appear. even their clothes seem to look more expensive. there are so many shops, auction buildings, places myrra calls guild halls, and dueling areas. the city is bustling with life and magic everywhere that i can sense. oh, so you do like magical items, myrra smiles at me, showing her sharp canines. feral one, if you work with me, i can give you a lot of them, she says, her eyes glowing with a dangerous light. it''s almost like a suspicious individual calling me to an unmarked van to get some candy. danger! stranger danger! i remind myself and force myself to refuse, but i try to do it carefully to not insult her. she seems to be disappointed but she doesn''t push it. as they leave, she pushes a rare graded magical item into my hand. a bribe. before i can check it, she also gives me a small mana stone as well, use this stone if you change your mind, feral one, her ears perk up, and she smiles at me and leaves with her companions. i finally check the item in my hand. brooch of the silent whisper (rare) -a small, unassuming brooch that has the power to absorb sound in a localized area when activated. it''s perfect for stealth missions or for keeping conversations private. deep breath in. breathe out. repeat to yourself: stranger danger. Chapter 188: Blimp chapter 188: blimp i already know where to look for the rest of group 4, but it takes me some time to reach them. i slowly walk through the city and take in its atmosphere which makes me shiver. the city is so confusing, so exciting. everything feels so... new. unlike small towns with barely a few thousand people i visited on the second floor, this one is much bigger and weirder. lynthari are moving through the streets, each of them much taller than humans and, in most cases, much higher leveled. they don''t feel arrogant or dangerous as they stroll around and curiously take in everything, while their tails show their emotions and their ears twitch as they talk, smile, or get excited about something. but the humans still treat them carefully, extremely carefully. it''s hard to identify, but it doesn''t feel like it''s out of fear. what i also notice is that lynthari sometimes shows interest in humans. in most cases, it''s only when the human is higher leveled, and it''s rare to see a human with a level over one hundred. sometimes they also stop and buy some trinkets the merchants are selling. usually, it is humans that are selling stuff or working there. the race of cat people seems to be stronger, more combat-oriented, or just straight-up rich. it''s no surprise as they live hundreds of years longer than humans. and even though i am hiding my mana under the mantle and cycling it inside my body, disrupting it into small particles before it leaks out, a few lynthari still show some interest in me. they don''t seem to notice my mana or level, as on the floors before the natives don''t seem to have the ability to see the text over the heads of people from the tutorial. no, the lynthari that talk to me seem to do so because of how i behave. like myrra before, they are attracted by the way i look around and the lack of expression on my face. after rejecting a few offers, i start to understand that a bit. to them, i look similar to how grumpy, liliy''s cat, looks to her. a bad-tempered, but pretty and somewhat regal-looking cat that lily can''t help but want to get closer to. as if taking it as a challenge and trying to earn the cat''s love. or just poke and annoy the cat while enjoying her lack of reactions. that''s me. a cat. my eyes, one brown and the other gray, also seem to interest them as well, as heterochromia seems to be rare here even more so than it is on earth. their offers annoy me, so i just act nice and even hint that i am looking for a job and tell them about a gift, a rare brooch from myrra. i do it carefully, mentioning it as if in passing. but even that is enough, and they offer me gifts as well, almost forcefully pushing them into my hands to look better in front of me. i pretend to refuse for a bit, and some of them seem to like that and give me even more stuff that i take. it''s hard for me to do so, so i do not smile at them while thanking them, but surprisingly they seem to like that even more. what weirdos. that''s how i end up with a few small pieces of jewelry, some mana stones they are using here as currency, and a few more stones with their address and something like contact info. that makes it almost worth it, and to improve my mood a bit more, i find a nice restaurant-looking place and enter it. i ignore the people inside and use the stairs to climb onto the second floor that leads to a large wooden balcony-like terrace with a few tables and flora everywhere, even on the railing. i take a good place for myself and while i wait for the waiter, i look at the bustling street below me. dozens of people pass by every few minutes, sometimes walking, sometimes using some exotic monster-like animals, and in other cases, they are in carriages pulled by six-legged monsters. when i turn my gaze back to the balcony, i notice other visitors eyeing me, but they turn their eyes away the moment i look at them. what? i have new clothes i spent some shards on to buy, as i lost the ones from the third floor, and i did clean myself with water i also bought. so why are you staring? welcome to distant dream, sir. what would you like to order? the cheerful waiter asks. she''s a young woman with brown hair tied into a ponytail. i''ll leave it up to you. a little bit of food, some dessert, and something to drink. no alcohol, i say simply, and the waitress nods, quickly leaving after giving me a short smile. it doesn''t take long and she is back already. she brings something like a sandwich, a drink of pale blue color, and green stuff in a bowl. i have picked a fire salamander sandwich as the main course, the drink is lunar nectar we make on our own. the best in the city! for dessert, you have leafy gelato; the cook made it just this morning! her voice is excited as she places all of this in front of me and leaves, wishing me a good meal. min-jae then smiles, satisfied, and turns back to me, there is so much stuff, nat! auctions, guilds, quests, and lynthari. we even got an amazing base for ourselves and went hunting a few times! even though he said tess and hadwin would tell me more, the excited boy continues to blabber the entire time we walk towards our base. oh, that''s quite nice, must have been expensive, i say and i pay some attention to dennis who becomes even quieter and some color disappears from his face. suspicious, very suspicious. did they sell biscuit? the best doggo of the third... of the fourth floor should easily be worth that much. asshole! izzy screams the moment i enter, and i feel her skill connecting to me as she jumps and hugs me. izzy, you might be spending too much time with biscuit, i say as i return the hug she gives me and then let her go. yes, he is mine now! i keep feeding him the best food i can find. sophie is rich so i can do that. oh, you do? i ask and feeling that i''m not panicking, izzy herself starts to panic. yes! he won''t be able to leave me now! she says, but this time she doesn''t sound so sure. poor girl doesn''t know biscuit as well as i do. (food!) sounds from behind the corner, and the corgi appears. there are no tentacles around him and he floats just a palm''s length above the ground, his short legs hanging in the air. he looks like a corgi-shaped burrito blimp. what the hell? everyone else seems to be used to it and the corgi slowly hovers and moves towards us at a speed that is much, much slower than if he decided to walk or use mana arms. yet he moves like that and his face seems to tell that he is proud of his new ability to float just a bit over the floor and move extremely slowly. the terrifying floating monster of a doggo is wearing a dark yellow vest and a scarf around his neck. he moves past izzy and stops in front of me. then, as if changing the setting, the best doggo hovers vertically into my arms, his tail wagging while he continues to shout in my mind. to show izzy who is the boss, i pet biscuit for a while, and then, to deliver the final blow, i put him on the ground and step back so there is the same distance for biscuit between me and the little empath girl. b-biscuit, come here, i have more food, the little girl tries while unpacking and offering some meat to the doggo. even from where i am, i can immediately smell it and feel drool collect in my mouth. what the hell, give that to me, not to biscuit. with the use of [focus], i get back to my senses and say, biscuit, come here, then i reach out and offer him dried jerky made of deer meat i spent one hour looking for. it was cheap, extremely cheap. the quality is low, and the meat doesn''t even come close to the one izzy holds, yet biscuit doesn''t hesitate and rushes to me. i win. nat, you''ll make izzy cry, tess says as she also enters the room, together with sophie who continues to look between me and izzy, trying to understand what''s happening. wars require sacrifices, and this is one i am willing to pay, i answer her. you seem to be in a good mood, tess smiles and also gives me a short hug, i''m glad you made it back safely. yes, it was fun, but tess, there is something i would like to see, silence fills the hallway we are standing in, can you guys show me the extremely valuable epic items i left with you guys? i ask, then enjoy the funny expressions of some of the younger members of group 4. Chapter 189: New Primary Class chapter 189: new primary class oh, we can deal with them later, can''t we? i see that you got a haircut and went shopping a bit. why don''t you look around our base? we kept a nice room for you. the way tess says it makes me even more suspicious and i notice a cheeky shine in her eyes, but she is right. it would be best to take some rest and go over my primary class options. i keep having to hold myself back, and now in the safety of the city, i can go through them. others went out to hunt, and i''ll tell you about the stuff we learned. so just take it easy, rest a bit, and tomorrow we can talk, tess adds. impatient to check the classes, i just nod. holding biscuit in my arms, i move to follow tess towards the room they saved for me. the room is on the highest floor with a large window and a balcony that offers a view of the city below the hill on which the house stands. they know me well; the view is amazing. everyone wanted this room, but... min-jea pauses under tess''s gaze and carefully continues, but we wanted to keep it for you. they are hiding something from me. did they sell one of the epic items i got from the 3rd floor? i don''t think the valuables they took would be worth that much. well, even if they did, it''s not such a problem. i still have three of them left, but they don''t need to know. if they really did that, i will bully them a bit. okay, i''ll rest a bit and in a few hours we can talk. i stop, and a cheeky idea flashes through my mind. oh, and can you bring me the items i left with you? i came up with an amazing way to use them. i lie, and immediately i know tess and izzy noticed. yet they both smile secretly and leave me alone. while boys seem to panic. little twerps. anyway, greetings were short, but it''s time for primary class selection! i look around the room and identify a massive armchair near the balcony as the most comfortable spot. i sit in it and check the notifications. well done! you successfully reached level 150. you can now select one of the primary classes. the classes and their rarity are based on your actions and performance up until now within the tutorial. mana forgemaster (rare) an advanced class specializing in the use of mana to craft complex constructs. their abilities go beyond simple creations, allowing them to manifest highly versatile magical objects for offense and defense, elevating them to a critical role in any skirmish. your prowess in handling mana constructs is evident. with a mana stat of 200 or higher, you''ve created dozens of creations entirely from compressed mana. possesses the mana manipulation skill, or its equivalent, at level 25 or higher. horizon striker (rare) an elite class excelling in long-range combat. with attacks supercharged by potent magical energies, they can deliver devastating blows from distances where retaliation seems impossible. your unleashed power is a sight to behold. you''ve expended over 50% of your mana in a single long-range assault, decimating hundreds with your long-range abilities. you''ve also defeated hundreds of enemies nearly matching your own level in just one strike. paramount fighter (rare) with unparalleled martial prowess and an expert handle on mana to amplify their physical capabilities, their role in battle is often a game-changer, commanding respect from both friends and foes alike. your body is a lethal weapon. you''ve maintained enhanced bodily fortifications for over 24 hours. you defeated hundreds of enemies of equal or superior strength in close-range combat. your fortified physique alone allows you to withstand attacks that would be fatal to others. energy conductor (epic) a potent class specialized in the mastery and manipulation of diverse energies, wielding them with such finesse and power that they can shift the tides of battle, shatter defensive lines, and provide crucial shields in dire situations. bonuses: constitution +20 mana +100 i check my status, and [mana surge] and passive mana flow (rare) are gone. i expected something like that, but it''s also something i need to take into consideration in the future. right now, i won''t feel the loss of [mana surge] at all as i''ve already outgrown the lower-tiered skill. however, i already feel the effect of losing the passive. it''s become harder to control my mana, so i dedicate a more significant portion of my [focus] to it, especially now after my mana increased again by 100 points from the bonus and 100 more from the attribute upgrade. at this point, i might have more mana than i can spend. it''s already challenging to use it all! good! it also reinforces my decision to not go hunting for a while and to focus on getting my mana under control. another round of active tempering and improving my constructs will be more helpful than gaining more levels. now then, let''s see what my newest epic passive does. i send my senses into my body. my mana, which is already at its peak as i didn''t use it, didn''t increase. instead, it feels like there''s an additional mana pool that starts slowly filling with my mana. that pool doesn''t take the mana from my main mana pool but absorbs the excess, some leakage, and starts storing it. it''s difficult for me to locate it properly. it feels as if it''s part of my body, but also as if it''s not. the sensation is odd, and i can''t even estimate the size of the mana reservoir. judging from the passive skill''s rarity, which is epic, the reservoir should be significant. maybe as large as my current mana pool? maybe a bit larger? it fills slowly, and when i use my mana, the filling of it stops. the mana reservoir continues to fill only after my mana tops up again. interesting. i reach out and use the mana from the reservoir. it''s simple as if using my mana normally, and when i stop, it starts filling again. after spending a few more minutes observing it, i''m still unable to judge the size of the reservoir, but the speed at which it fills is much slower than my own mana regenerating. maybe it''s ten percent or even less of the speed at which my mana regenerates? it''s not as good as i expected, but i might be mistaken about something, so i decide to give it a few more hours to see how large the reservoir is. it better be at least as big as my current pool. as for the skills, [mana domain] excites me the most, and i activate it. immediately, i feel a strong pull on my mana as the skill takes a decently sized chunk of it, and the reservoir stops filling. but i ignore that and instead focus on the skill. the area the size of the room i''m in changes peculiarly. now, i even notice the mana my body is leaking, and when i [focus] on it, even that little mana easily gets pushed back inside my body. then i push more of my mana outside my body, and as i start moving it inside the area of the domain i notice how much easier it is. the mana, even though separated from my body is easy to maneuver. while it''s currently not as easy as manipulating mana inside my body, the skill definitely feels like that''s where it''s heading. the orb i create starts moving as i want it to, and even when it gets further away from my body, it''s easy to control, shape, or dissolve it. i radiate more mana into the area and spend a few more minutes observing the changes. a few times, i also cancel the domain just to compare the difference, and it seems significant. [mana domain] is only at level 1, and yet, my mana within that area is easy to shape even without direct touch. interesting. what will become possible when i level it up? will i be able to affect the mana of my opponents within the domain? maybe even change my domain a bit? the best idea comes to me. what if i evolve my [mana infusion] into [infusion] and then infuse the domain with kinetic or thermal energy? and what if i make the area of the domain much larger? good, good! i''m already excited. the skill seems to be of a higher tier, so that''s promising. i''ll play with it more later. now then, [tether]. i activate the skill, and then, following the feeling the skill gives me, i create something like an imprint i''m currently not understanding. the imprint stays anchored to the space in front of me, and for a moment, i observe it. it''s an anchor or tether that slowly crumbles as it stays in the air, yet i still feel i can use it. to be sure, i activate my mana again and feed the anchor, and it stops crumbling. then i stand up from the armchair and move a bit further away from it. following the knowledge offered by the skill, i activate it, and the skill takes another sizable chunk of my mana. at the same time, the world around me turns into a blur, and i have a feeling of weightlessness. when it all calms down, i find myself standing on the armchair, right at the place where i left the anchor. Chapter 190: Cant help wanting more chapter 190: can''t help wanting more well, it''s not as confusing as i expected it to be, and i don''t even feel dizzy after using the skill. it''s as i thought: [tether] will currently allow me to teleport back to the place where i left the anchor, which is something like a construct or imprint. when i try to set up the anchor again and then another one, the first one crumbles. that''s unfortunate, but it''s nothing some leveling in the skill wouldn''t take care of. i use as much mana as i can and set up another anchor, then start playing with [mana domain] again. inside the domain, the anchor shines brighter, and i can understand it better, even feeding it some mana from a further distance. very interesting. i will need to do more testing and try to use all my skills within [mana domain]. right now, i have a feeling that some of the skills could be strengthened or their uses increased. only thirty seconds pass, and the anchor crumbles. it looks like my hit-and-run tactic will require a bit more leveling to work properly, but it''s not something i mind too much. my new primary class is amazing, and the active skills it gives me seem to be equally fantastic. i especially love [mana domain]. as for the passive, i''ll have to wait a bit more to see how big the reservoir is. i move towards the bed and close my eyes. for the next hour, i just stare at the ceiling and rest. it''s hard to fall asleep. after a few days of constant fighting against the ants, the calm and safety within our newest base feels somewhat unreal. it takes me another hour before light sleep comes to me, and i finally doze off. i wake up, and after a short moment of panic and looking around, i remember where i am and calm down my mana, which hums around me, ready to explode at my command. slowly calming it down, i stand up, stretch a bit, then step onto the balcony. while feeling a light warm breeze on my skin, i look down on the city. it''s the middle of the night, so the city is quieter than before, yet there are myriads of lights all over it. blue, white, yellow; all of them dimly glowing, lighting the streets or showing places where people aren''t asleep yet. a few of the giant trees that are throughout the city also seem to have leaves that glow softly in a pale green color while being swayed by the wind. it''s so peaceful and i etch the scene into my memory. then i observe the mana around the house we are using as our base. i felt it the moment i came here, but there is some field set up around it. a somewhat intricate yet amateurish web of mana is used for detection. i also notice that, unlike when i came here, a few hours ago, the web of mana seems to be better. the person who set it up is constantly improving it, most likely. it''s not hard to locate that person. the one doing that is a tanned, black-haired girl sitting in her room, with her sister sleeping on the bed near her. obviously, it''s sophie, someone who i still consider the most skilled from our group, after me, when it comes to handling mana. i radiate a bit more mana and start carefully observing what she is doing and notice that she''s practicing and improving the web of mana around the house. it doesn''t take long for her to notice my examination. after a bit of panic, she locates me and realizes that it''s me who''s doing that and not some enemy. i send a mana variation of a greeting towards her, and instead of answering in a similar way, she does something else. (you scared me here. i was about to alert everyone.) sophie contacted me telepathically in a similar way the twins can. she does it by using the web she created. it makes sense; her [manipulation] should be capable of doing at least that much. or maybe she got another skill; who knows? oh, and nat, thanks for the amulet! i already used it a few times while hunting, and it''s amazing! she says loud enough for others to hear as if wanting everyone to know. somewhat, it makes me want to pinch her nose or pull her ear again, but i have a strong suspicion that''s her intention and she enjoys even that sort of attention from me. i give her a short answer and continue to walk towards the kitchen island where the rest of the group is already eating their breakfast while going through some papers. i hear them talking about quests, levels of monsters, and such stuff. they all seem halfway used to it even though we spent only around nine days separated. biscuit is there as well, hovering at the height of the kitchen table and moving from person to person. this seems to take most of his concentration as he isn''t even able to create mana tentacles to steal some food. yet, the doggo looks proud, like a child showing off a skill it learned. cute. i sit on the chair, and biscuit floats towards me, and i give him some food from the table. then, still not fully feeling like talking, i listen to others while lily chirps near me, moving some tastier stuff in front of me. after a while, i stand up to take a glass from the counter, and when i turn back while walking, i see that lily is pulling my chair closer to herself. thinking i didn''t notice, she shamelessly continues to talk with others. wow. when i sit back on the chair, now closer to this silly kid, she acts as if nothing happened. during the morning meeting/breakfast, i sometimes join the conversation but most of the time, i listen, still getting used to all of this. at some point, it feels too suspicious. everyone is too considerate, and they do not talk to me that often, only once in a while as they speak. it all feels too... deliberate. i look at the tall blonde. tess? what did you do? did you train them? am i treated like that crazy uncle during a family party? the one that parents warn their children not to annoy too much and not to talk with him about certain topics, like politics? somehow, it annoys me, but it also makes me feel good, and because of that, it annoys me again. to make things feel right once again, i reach out and boop biscuit''s nose a few times, to which isabella jumps from her chair and does the same, not wanting to be left behind. the mighty floating divine beast mercifully allows that. tess, can we talk in around ten minutes? i ask when it''s close to the end of breakfast. sure, hadwin will join too, and we can go through everything, tess, reliable as always, answers. i nod and then turn to sophie, do you have time to talk? to my question, sophie glances down at izzy, and i sense my feelings being probed. so rude. it''s fine, soph, isabella''s answer is simple, and sophie gestures for me to follow as she leaves the table. that earns us a few curious looks that i ignore, and i follow the sisters onto the terrace that has pots with big flowers all around it and some comfortable seating, while also overlooking the city. so, what did you want to talk about? sophie asks me after sitting down, and isabella hops on the couch near her. sophie''s eyes seem curious yet careful at the same time. she is always so careful around me. what would you think if i said we could potentially earn thousands, even tens of thousands, of shards from the system shop together? i ask her directly. sophie''s green eyes shine brighter, and she gives me her full attention now, i would say that i might be interested. please continue. Chapter 191: We have a deal chapter 191: we have a deal not messing around, i quickly explain it to sophie. "lissandra left something for me: coordinates to her world. you probably can''t see them in the system shop because you don''t own any, and they seem high up there when it comes to pricing, but i do. the prices of coordinates start at twenty thousand shards, and some of them are much, much higher." "so where do i come in?" sophie asks. "it''s simple. you will learn the coordinates and ''save'' them. then i will sell my coordinates to the shop. if i am right, at that point, the knowledge of them will disappear from my mind, and they''ll probably get deleted if i etch them into a mana stone, no matter who holds it." i did think about it a lot, and i''m sure they would disappear from the mana stone. the system wouldn''t allow such an easy workaround. i continued, "then, you will teach me the coordinates again, and i will try to sell them again. in the best case, i can sell them multiple times as we repeat the process. in the worst case, i can sell the same coordinate only once, and if that happens, you will sell them as well after teaching them to me. this doubles the number of shards." the system probably won''t allow me to keep selling the same coordinate over and over, but it''s worth a try. if it doesn''t work, i can double the number of shards i get from the coordinates and still retain them. even that much is beneficial. sophie is the most skilled in group 4 when it comes to handling mana, and the system most likely won''t try to delete coordinates from her mind, unlike if they were saved into an item. i''m sure it will take some time for her to learn them, but it would take much longer for everyone else in the group. plus, i''m certain some of them wouldn''t even be able to do so. there''s also the possibility of using sophie''s [mind-fuckery] skill and having her just share the coordinates with others instead of making them learn it. that would be great. "what''s in it for me?" an expected question comes from sophie. "you can keep half of the shards you get from selling your coordinates. the remaining half you will use to buy stuff i tell you." the offer i give her is fair, i think. but someone else has a different opinion. "soph! ask him to become friends with us instead, and he can keep all the shards!" little isabella chimes in. "izzy, don''t be silly," sophie''s voice is gentle. the expression she shows now is so different from when she talks to me. "it''s you who''s dumb, soph!" the little, angry, kitten-like girl uses her small hand to hit sophie''s arm, to which her older sister continues to smile. when she turns to me, her expression changes. "i want something else instead," she says. "go on." "clean slate." isabella still complains after her sister says that, but sophie now seems serious. "explain," i feel intrigued by what she means. "i know you have a problem with me, and both of us know why. honestly, it''s tiring to keep tiptoeing around, and you must be aware of it as well," her green eyes don''t lie as she honestly tells me what she thinks and wants. "i made a mistake, a terrible one because i was scared back then. what it did to you is..." "unfortunate?" i offer. yes... unfortunate. i want you to know i would do even worse things if it meant protecting isabella, sophie says. much, much worse. her voice is sharp, and she ignores the worried expression her sister shows. i can totally understand her. tess is someone who likes to pull off pranks like that once in a while. anyway, we did have one high-positioned lynthari bother us the moment we entered the city. he really seemed interested in maya and lily. you probably already found out how weird they are. he kept lurking around for the two days we spent in the poorer parts of the city, and then most of our valuables disappeared. both she and hadwin seem ashamed as tess says, i still have no idea how that happened. i think that annoying lynthari did it, hadwin joins in, he probably wanted to take all the valuables we have and then offer us to work with him. i disagree, hadwin. he would have taken all our valuable equipment too, yet only the trinkets disappeared. plus, lynthari from what we saw until now seem harmless towards humans. they are weird, and sometimes annoying, but even isabella didn''t feel any bad intentions from them. not even once in the nine days we''ve been here. and we met or passed by hundreds of them. relying on her skill too much won''t do us any good, hadwin shoots back at her and they bicker a bit longer, both defending their own opinions. so yes, that''s when we decided to sell the bracelet. i know you started experimenting with the crown and the sword you left with us is something we can use hunting. we did have sophie negotiate and she used her skill to get us a much higher price than we would get otherwise. oh? no protections against mind manipulation? i ask this time. we were careful and did check it. you know, at first, she did get some extra food while buying it. then influenced someone to give her a small discount and such. isabella kept monitoring the area and sophie also was careful, and we didn''t find any defenses against it. tess looks into my eyes, either mind manipulation is extremely rare and there are few defenses against it, or they never had to deal with such a skill. we are testing it slowly. getting a better price for the bracelet was the first big test, and we might slowly use sophie''s skill a bit more. we could get a lot of secret information, really good equipment that we could even take to another floor. as hadwin says that, i also think about a few ideas. if they truly do not have the concept of mind manipulation or it''s something extremely rare, we could end up getting the best items this floor can offer. just by having sophie manipulate some people. sure, as of now the strongest ones i saw were close to level two hundred from my estimation, and there could be stronger ones. that''s why we will have to be careful and slowly exploit her skill. it''s quite dangerous, mind manipulation, isn''t it? a curious question flashes through my head. what would happen if sophie returned to earth now? she should be able to manipulate the most powerful or richest people on earth to do what she wants. that''s what happened to the bracelet, nat, tess continues, the house is ours, there is even a big basement that is shielded against mana detection or leakage. from what we know, it could be good enough even for you with your mana, so take a look at it when you are free. the view is nice; we still have plenty of mana stones left. they use them here as currency, hadwin adds, placing a few mana stones onto the table. each of them is a bit different, and the biggest one is the size of my pinky. they are all oval-shaped and seemingly beautifully processed. just a look is enough to tell me which one has the greatest value. the surprising part is that all of them can hold some mana or be used to etch mana circuits inside and turn them into heaters, make them radiate cold, turn them into lamps. the more expensive ones seem to be able to handle a lot more mana and circuits, but something tells me i shouldn''t do that. that one is worth a few hundred thousand dollars if we try to convert its value to earth''s, hadwin confirms. i see, i say and put it into my pocket. hadwin opens his mouth to say something but then decides against it. so i take a few more valuable ones. anyway, we were able to find out what calamities are and identify three out of four, tess continues, seemingly unbothered. these three calamities are called as follows: the fallen hero, the living tree, and the colony." Chapter 192: Information on Calamities chapter 192: information on calamities it''s one of the information pieces we paid for. i think it was one of the most expensive ones, hadwin glances at tess, and she nods, confirming it. while taking the rest of the mana stones i didn''t pocket off the table, he continues, the first one we learned about is the colony. we''ve already had the luck of meeting some of them. good ol'' bus-sized ants, i say. yes, millions or perhaps even billions of ants. no one knows. the entire thing we considered a mountain range is their anthills, and they crawl all over it and inside the holes that cover the area. hadwin says. he scratches his chin, the weird thing is that they refuse to leave their area and do not attack if you don''t enter their territory. as for where they came from, no one knows. some people say they came from a different planet through the tear in space. someone else says they all come from their queen who used to be a strong monster that leveled up in a terrifying way. i also heard they could be a failed experiment. a weapon one of the countries created to fight in one of their wars, tess joins in. well, not like that matters. it''s hard to imagine we could wipe out all the ants, the entire colony that is probably considered to be one of the four calamities, i say. as always, the system doesn''t hold back when it comes to throwing all the challenges at us. some of us aren''t even level one hundred, so how the heck is it even possible to wipe out the entire colony? "any more info on ants?" i ask. "not much, to be honest. only crazy people go to their territory, and most of the time, they don''t come back. but back to other calamities..." before tess can continue, i interrupt her, "what is down in the tunnels? are they... weak to fire?" "they should be full of mushrooms and other stuff ants like to eat. apparently, they can be a bit flammable, yes. nat, what did you do?" "nothing," i answer quickly. "so imagine if someone, hypothetically and by mistake, did drop an orb full of fire down there; what could have happened?" "well, if that fire could set their food ablaze, the result could be quite terrifying, especially down in the tunnels." tess''s eyes are sharp as she says so. "well, it''s a good thing nothing like that happened," i say. it''s fine. totally fine. "yes, it''s a good thing nothing like that happened," tess''s eyes say that she knows. dang it. tess then sighs and continues, i did find some info about the fallen hero while hadwin researched the colony. she flicks a strand of hair off her face, the fallen hero is what is left of someone who died long ago. from what we found, this place also uses titles such as ''paragon'', and ''champion'' that are similarly strong, and ''absolute''. the fallen hero was someone like that, a man, human, that was said to be the champion of an era a long time ago. currently there aren''t any champions or absolutes, none that people or lynthari here would know about. the highest level they know about is somewhere in the mid-two-hundreds, hadwin adds some details. as hadwin says, tess patiently continues, we think the situation will be similar to the saint. the fallen hero is dead and only his body is alive. from what we found out, he is kept moving by an ancient set of armor that feeds on the mana of his still-beating mana heart and moves automatically, killing everyone in sight. they call that armor ''valorplate'' and have long ago lost the knowledge to create them. i try to imagine this in my head, and it sounds kind of scary. the body of a champion is used as a puppet by some sort of armor, powered by chapmtion ?s still-beating mana heart. that is scary. tess, i want that armor, i say. why? the name sounds cool. valorplate. like damn. i want that armor. do you think it''s epic or higher rarity? it''s either one of the best possible equipment within the epic category or something a bit higher. it could be that the fallen hero is a calamity only because of the body of what used to be a champion powering the armor. also, i think it would fit hadwin better, with his skill. caught in the crossfire, hadwin continues to flick his eyes between me and tess. but i can see it! the greed in his eyes. you can''t call yourself a man if you''re not attracted to some cool equipment, especially one with such a name. tess might be right. i don''t even like to rely on equipment, and it would surely be better for someone like good ol'' haddy, but still! valorplate. fuck, kim, do not open! oh, it seems i have failed. but it''s fine; i''m still quite enjoying it. should i try something else? lily? i wanted to see you. i say again, and in what feels like half a second, the door opens. lily looks up at me with big eyes. in the corner of the room, three teenage boys freeze and stare at me like a deer staring at a car. see boys? why aren''t you more like lily here? i tap her shoulder, why are you even so worried? i notice lily trying to lean against me while my attention is on the boys. damn, she sure doesn''t give up easily. i guess i''ll really have to reject her out loud sooner or later. you, i point at aaron, angry kitten number two. what sub-class did you pick? diligence, both of the twins say at the same time. it''s already helping with [connection] and [sensory deception]. it seems to work pretty well with mental skills. yup! it feels like we can keep them up for longer. interesting, that makes me even more curious about the others. min-jae? i turn to the younger boy. envy, he says quietly, looking down at the ground. i think my skills become a bit stronger when i am against a stronger opponent than me. oh? how does it work? that sounds super useful. seeing my reaction makes the boy breathe in relief, and his eyes glow as he looks up. right? it sounds super cool! i only tested it against tess, and i''m not sure, but i would bet i became a bit stronger. power of love, i hear from dennis. totally, aaron adds in quietly. to annoy min-jae, they don''t even communicate telepathically and just whisper it out loud. i let the boy fight and turn to lily, and you? i ask her. not telling! the petite black-haired girl resolutely shakes her head. yeah, i bet it''s because it''s lust, one of the twins whispers loudly again. that almost makes me giggle, especially seeing lily''s reaction. i then leave the four members of angry kittens behind and send my mana through the house to find others. i''m curious about what they picked. me? i picked patience, maya wipes sweat off her face and answers easily to my question. it boosted my [focus] a bit, but it affected [armament] the most. it now lasts much longer. i think that''s a good choice, i tell her, and she nods. what did you pick? she asks, and i hesitate for a moment. maya notices that and waves her hand, you don''t have to tell me, she reads the mood quickly and changes the subject. tess here, did go with chastity, she points at tess with whom she was sparring before i came. maya is smiling slightly as she does so. tess doesn''t even seem to be bothered by suggesting the name of her sub-class. it was an easy decision. chastity suggests self-control, purity, and clarity. it did exactly that. [psychokinesis] feels purer and stronger, [farsight] now allows me to see better, there''s some sense of clarity to it, and it feels like i might be able to do more than just see far and see a bit of mana. but i have a feeling that it most affected [declaration], though it''s still hard to explain. pretty good decision, i react, and tess nods. knowing what i am curious about, she answers, hadwin went to hunt with sophie and isabella. hadwin picked temperance and it made his body tougher and [strengthening] much stronger. i think out of all of us, he has one of the best fits with his main skill. as for izzy... she told me not to tell you. something like she will use it as a trading chip for something. tess lifts up her eyebrows. dang it. do i have to sell biscuit again just to satisfy my curiosity? Chapter 193: Welcome gift chapter 193: welcome gift behold, my new house! it has two floors and a sizable garden that seems to be a rarity in the surrounding area. in the garden, there is well-taken care of trees, grass, and flowers. the house itself is made from wood and big grayish bricks and it''s on a hill that overlooks the city, so the view is amazing, and the person who designed the house took that into consideration. there are multiple large balconies and terraces that offer a comfortable view of the city while still allowing some privacy from the neighbors. the street the house is on is made of cobblestones, and even the surrounding houses seem to be similarly well-designed. so, yup, the house is mine and i don''t care that sophie used her mambo jumbo to get a better price for my bracelet that paid for all of it. maybe i can just train and experiment here while asking rent from group 4 which seems to plan to play on the guild and go out for hunting. i won''t only freeload but i will also make some money, which are mana stones here, and buy myself some good stuff. currently, i''m sitting on the large balcony of my room, and in my hands are papers hadwin and tess left for me, all with some basic information they were able to gather. most of the info is useless as i don''t want to deal with this kind of stuff. as always, i will leave it to haddy and tess and if they need any help they can ask me anytime.0v3l.b11n. i''m like a parasite exploiting my extroverted group members who take care of boring stuff. good! so yeah, there are guilds, there are houses that give quests to those guilds. stuff like, "kill twenty giant hedgehogs that started to block trading roads" or, "bring me a live specimen of a giant ant." some of them pay much better than others and the payments sometimes are items, but most of the time they are mana stones. the stronger you are, the more dangerous quests you can take. exactly like in games, and that makes me curious. this kind of system isn''t that bad, so did it come into existence naturally or is it something that the system set up for us, people from earth? it could be both, and the system is also collaborating with these quests. one piece of information that i found interesting is that the moment you accept a quest from the adventure guild, the system gives you the same quest and the reward is a few shards. the system, being as greedy as it is, doesn''t offer that many shards, but it might change if they rank up and are able to take more dangerous quests. angry kittens have a lot to do. i''m also amazed by what they were able to achieve in just 9 or so days. sure, they had the cheat code called "a lot of money" and "mind-blender missy", but they were able to collect a lot of information. monsters around the city, maps, information on calamities, details on the city and lynthari, some powerful individuals in the city, information about shops, auctions, blacksmiths, and enchanters. all this stuff. the amount of information is staggering and it all sounds so interesting. from what i understood, the main difficulty of this floor, which makes it hell difficulty, is to actually kill one of the calamities. how the heck do you kill millions of bus-sized ants? how do you kill the fallen hero which is creepy armor using the body of a champion as a battery? how do you deal with a giant sentient tree that wiped out an entire capital? hell difficulty is different here. it''s not an imminent danger, just finishing the task is extremely difficult. plus, with my theory that you can spend an entire five years on a single floor if the floor quest allows it, it is nearly confirmed, and looking at the luxury and somewhat peaceful atmosphere of the city, this floor doesn''t seem like that bad of a choice. obviously, i won''t have that. if the rest of group 4 really wants, they can stay here, but i will just take a few months to get my rapidly growing power under control, practice my skill, and then i will look to deal with one of the calamities. hmm, the fallen hero seems like a good choice. and nope, it''s not only because of the valorplate. damn, that''s a cool name. instead of kick landing, at a dizzying speed, one of biscuit''s purple mana tentacles appears and hits the man, throwing him against the wall. the man slides down and groans with pain. biscuit then ignores him and continues to pass through the alley. i carefully follow him, and when i get inside the alley, far behind biscuit so he doesn''t notice me, i stop in front of the man. "fuck, was that a shitty animal. hey, you, stop looking around so creepily and help me," he says to me. after looking at him for a moment i stomp on his shin, breaking his leg with an audible crack. the leg he tried to kick biscuit with. i ignore the man''s painful cries and continue to follow the doggo. after a few more minutes, biscuit stops and looks around. when he doesn''t see anyone close by, he starts hovering again. the corgi-shaped blimp slowly floats right up, and after what feels like a minute, biscuit reaches the roof of one of the houses and continues his wobbly walk on the roof. where is he going? it doesn''t take long for me to get my answer: it''s food, obviously. dang it, biscuit. the doggo reaches an older, big house that has a few smaller buildings nearby, and each of these small, barely room-sized buildings keeps spewing smoke from the chimney. looking a bit longer, i identify them as smokehouses. observing a bit more and watching people open and close them, i realize they are smoking deer meat. most likely, it''s something similar to what i gave biscuit, which made him pick me over isabella''s amazingly smelling, expensive-as-heck meat that i still want to try myself. but i''ve known biscuit for a long time. his favorite snack seems to be deer meat, similar to the one we smoked on the first floor. it''s almost cute that the small animal prefers this kind of meat, most likely because of some fond memories from the first floor. it was at that moment he ate the meat of the deer monster that he started being different from a normal dog. i watch as he spends a few more minutes floating toward one of the smokehouses. biscuit then uses his mana arms to open it and grabs a few pieces of dried deer jerky with the same arms. the cute little doggo drools while doing so. then he creates another tiny mana arm that reaches into his clothes, the ones isabella put on him, and pulls out a small piece of glass. it''s similar to the mana stones they use as the currency here. he must have seen people buying stuff with mana stones and wanted to do the same, not realizing that there''s a big difference between a normal piece of glass and a mana stone. biscuit places the piece of glass in front of the smokehouse after closing it and then leaves the way he came. i don''t follow him this time and just take the longer way to get back to the house on the hill. when i get back to my room, i find a few pieces of dried deer meat on the table next to my bed. just from a glance, i realize it''s more than half of the meat biscuit was able to get today. it''s a sort of welcome gift, something that the doggo considers extremely precious, yet he still wanted to share with me. for a long time, i just sit there and stare at it. Chapter 194: Evening Experiments chapter 194: evening experiments i will take down anyone who ever tries to mess with biscuit. must protect! the little doggo is too precious for this darn world, and i don''t care if he might become earth''s absolute or some eldritch abomination that will end the world. even those creepy mana arms, i can deal with. biscuit can do whatever he wants and must be protected at all costs. damn, if i were a more emotional man, i might have started crying back then, seeing the affection of the little animal. one hundred boops for almost making me feel that way! it''s already late afternoon, and i spent the day slacking around, doing some tests with mana stones and my new skills to avoid feeling useless. i also swiped some sweets from the kitchen.0v3l.b11n. while i was locked in my room, sitting on the armchair near the balcony and training while enjoying the view of the city, i tried to examine the web made of mana that sophie set up. it''s something i don''t think i''d be able to create right now. it''s as frustrating as it is amusing. of course, i would like to know how to do that, but at the same time, i don''t feel a real need to learn it, already having plenty on my plate. i like that others are also experimenting, and even the kids are slowly using their brains more, choosing what they want to do and improving. it''s good for me. if members of group 4 improve, i can pick a thing or two i like and try to learn it from them if i think it''ll fit into my build. it''s like having them experiment for me! good, very good. (you did mess with my web.) sophie''s voice sounds in my head the moment she, isabella, and hadwin enter the house. (i just tried to observe it a bit, but it was too trigger-happy.) i send back at her and sense their presence as they return from the hunt and walk through the house. (that''s the point, isn''t it? it''s here to detect intruders.) sophie feels more relaxed than ever before. it seems like the deal we made about a clean slate made her happy. i don''t think she fully believed me, but isabella most likely confirmed my honesty to her older sister. (we can start with the coordinates in 1 hour? living room?) i suggest to her. (deal.) she answers and she and izzy move through the house. soon they enter the bathroom, probably to take a bath or shower and clean off the dust and sweat from the hunt. i''m already turning off my [perception] when sophie''s mana spikes up a bit, and an area forms around the bathrooman area that i can''t see through with my [perception]. what the heck! does she think i would peek?! i already located all the restrooms and bathrooms and excluded them from my senses other than just feeling mana signatures. annoyed, i stand up, walk a few meters toward the sweets i put on the table, and grab a few. then i activate [tether], and with the skill consuming a chunk of my mana, i teleport and reappear back in the armchair where i left the anchor. [tether - lvl 1 > tether - lvl 2] nice. i pop a few sweets into my mouth. the skill is still disorienting to use and takes too long to create to be useful in combat right now. it also requires a sizable chunk of mana that would be easy for an enemy to sense and try to mess with the anchor. but for hit-and-run tactics, it should work wonderfully. especially when i learn to leave longer-lasting anchors and multiple of them. (kim is asking you if you would like to be guild master.) another telepathic message reaches my mind, and i identify it as dennis. the same as with sophie, i let it connect. i''ve long considered an enemy doing something similar and disrupting my concentration, but my construct called mana sovereignty mantle would block it too. yet every time i feel their mana or biscuit reaching my mind, i let some of it pass, just enough for them to talk to me. (what do you think?) i send back to dennis. sophie shakes her head after just a moment, no, it''s bad, look, she gestures and puts the stone on the table, and both of us touch it with the tip of our pointing fingers. if you do it this way, then this twist will break everything, she explains while both of us use our skills to watch what''s happening inside of the stone. sophie with her [manipulation] and me with my [mana manipulation] and [perception]. but if i do it the way you told me, it will block this part, i point out. oh, you are right. hmm, how about changing it like this, she reaches out and makes a small change before i''m able to say anything. the delicate structure inside of the stone immediately dissipates. it''s as if every twist and corner is supporting the structure of the coordinates. oh, sorry, sophie immediately realizes what she did. it''s fine, i''ll try to do it again. this time you can watch how i''m trying to inscribe it. it might help." i say as i take out another mana stone. the living room is dimly lit, and it''s getting darker outside. there are blankets on the couch, and the house has become quiet as everyone does their thing inside their rooms or quietly relaxes somewhere. isabella is already asleep, and i can hear her soft breathing, a child with a blanket over her and resting against sophie, who is leaning over the table and touching the mana stone between us. like me, her eyes are also glowing while we experiment, and every obstacle only seems to make her more eager to finally succeed. it''s as if she doesn''t even remember why we started doing this and just enjoys the work we do. at some point, lily also tries to lean against me in a similar way as isabella does with sophie, but i just pinch her nose and push her back, to which sophie gives me a slightly surprised look. what? i ask her. i don''t have to explain anything. it''s fun pinching lily''s small nose. that''s how we spend our evening and a significant part of the night. in the end, we didn''t succeed. no, this feels like something that might take at least multiple weeks, maybe months. yet i can''t deny that i have fun doing it. working on something i consider interesting and with someone who shows a similar level of excitement isn''t that bad at all. i also notice that as time passes, sophie becomes a bit less stiff, her words become less cautious, and deeper into the night she doesn''t have a problem actively disagreeing with me. we confront each other''s opinions and improve our skills in the process. i wake up and stretch in my bed. ever since the body upgrade at level 100, i don''t need to sleep as much or watch my food intake and can go a few days ignoring it, yet i still prefer doing so. it''s more a psychological thing than a physical one. for a moment, i just look at the ceiling and replay our experiment with the coordinates from last night in my mind. i grab one from the small table near my bed and examine it. yup, not even close. this will take longer than i thought. maybe one or two months if we work together? cockroach lissandra did it so quickly; it made me think it would be easier. well, at least it will get me a good amount of shards. maybe even enough for another amazing passive. i''ll have to see how much the system will try to scam me. i stand up, stretch a bit, and while yawning, take a shower in the bathroom connected to my room. the shower is similar to the one in edwal''s manor on the third floor. heated with a mana stone that apparently needs to be changed fairly often and powered by more mumbo jumbo stones with weird etchings. similar to stones i encountered on the second floor, they seem to be coded to prevent their competition from copying them easily. the act of coding them decreases efficiency a bit, but i think that''s something they don''t care about. maybe i should try to decode some just for the fun of it. after taking a shower, i use the anchor i left over my bed to teleport back onto it and quickly burrow into the blankets. this anchor took an immensely wasteful amount of mana, just to stop it from dissipating while i took my shower. i burrow deeper into the bed. it feels so good, damn it. maybe i should just stay like this the entire day. the sensation of a warm shower followed by slipping back under the blankets is amazing. something worth trading an epic item for. but anyway, what does my passive, mana reservoir do? is it already full? i check the mana pool that is separated from my body and realize that it''s already twice the size of my mana pool and showing no signs of being full. oh boy, this is getting scary. Chapter 195: Set up chapter 195: set up it seems that the passive i got with my primary class isn''t as bad as i thought it would be. my mana is currently at 609 stat points. then the 1st stage of attribute upgrade adds another 609 to that, making it 1218. that makes the mana reservoir 2436 points big, and it''s still filling up. like, heck. isn''t that maybe too strong? i mean, i won''t complain, obviously, but what the heck? the reservoir is filling slowly, and getting it to this point took multiple days, as every time i spent a bit of mana, it stopped filling. plus, i keep taking mana from my natural mana pool and only letting the reservoir fill. so there are disadvantages. plus, it''s also nearly a one-time use, and then there can be situations where i will keep using my mana and it won''t be able to fill. but! this is really getting scary. the thing isn''t even filled yet. where will it stop? three times my mana? four? five? after i sell the coordinates, i really should buy another high-grade passive or start saving for one. a beam of light shines through the window right into my eyes, as if telling me to finally get out of bed. with a sigh, i do just that and go through the clothes and put on something more fitting. everything in the room is something the others bought. with my money. i''m rich, but i could be richer. maybe i really should be an ass and ask for rent from them. i can ask for it jokingly, and some of them might take it seriously and give me some money. at that moment, a weak pulse of mana is sent through the web sophie set up. i''m able to sense it only because i keep observing it, and i quickly follow the signal and detect movement at the entrance to the land the house is on. i switch to [perception] and detect 3 men standing there. one of them senses my perceiving touch and does something that blocks it. wow, so rude. i send my mana again, this time i change the frequency a bit and do it more carefully, and the man doesn''t notice it anymore. amateur. a mana signature exits the house, and i identify it as haddy, who quickly approaches the men. i also notice sophie and tess, who are carefully watching the interaction, ready to join. the trio talks to hadwin for a while, and then haddy gestures for them to leave. at that moment, one of the men swings at hadwin, and the older man lets him hit. even though the man is using mana, there''s no damage dealt to hadwin. instead, he just smiles, and i sense him using [strengthening] and then hadwin punches the man who attacked him. immediately the other two attack as well, one using some lightning attack and the other one by boosting his body. hadwin just lifts his eyebrow and allows a few hits to land, showing total disrespect, and then beats them up, breaking some bones in the process. then he just throws them away. he literally throws them. way to go, chadwin! curious, i turn to sophie''s web and push on it in a way i know she''ll notice. she identifies that it''s me and connects to my mind. (please, do not break my web, it took a long time to set up and i''m still working on it,) sophie says immediately. (who were those three chumps outside?) i ignore her words and ask her instead. i can almost hear her sigh. (some random guild full of jerks that keep wanting to get us to join them. probably so they can scam us for commissions.) well, i guess it''s not even surprising. (tess and haddy didn''t tell me anything,) i send it to sophie. (tess said not to bother you with little stuff like this. we can deal with it even without you.) (and the real reason is?) i ask. (she doesn''t want you around, beating people before we find out a bit more about the power structure of the city. anyway, i''m going to hunt with izzy and hadwin, so tonight again?) (yup.) her touch then disappears. damn, tess, i wouldn''t go around beating people... okay, i would. hmm, maybe i should track those three men and see where their base is. at that moment, i hear knocking on my door. i get up and open it, and there, tess stands. "nat, sophie told me you asked about what just happened. so, please, do not go out and track them." she seems serious as she says so. it seems like i was read like an open book. it''s annoying, to be honest. tess and i just wanted to go out and hunt a bit. "as i told you before, our guild is not interested in that, eve. just let us pass." tess says. "what kind of name is ''angry kittens''? you guys clearly don''t take it seriously." the woman takes a step closer and places her hand on tess''s shoulder. her smile is creepy, and she keeps glancing at me and my right hand. it''s probably my fault. they saw me before i finished restoring my right hand and guessed that i''m a healer capable of regenerating limbs, or we have one, and that''s the main reason they want us in. "tess, we would treat all of you nicely, trust me." her hand continues to squeeze tess''s shoulder, and she shows her teeth while smiling. to me, it''s surprising how confident they are. i can''t see their levels, but tess said they''re just a bit over one hundred. tess and hadwin also wanted to keep nathaniel out of all of this. something about not always relying on him for help with something they can handle, but i think they just don''t want him to blow things up. i''d like to see that, though. i don''t like this woman and the way she looks at me. but i''m not worried. if she touches me, i''ll use [disintegration]. "eve, get your hand off me." my attention is immediately drawn to tess, who said that. tess is smiling, but this smile feels dangerous. "come on tess, quit joking. you will get in trouble the moment you try something," the brunette laughs and gestures to the two men who move closer. "lily, don''t kill anyone," is the last thing tess says before white and red lightning sparks around her. her fist moves at a dizzying speed, hitting eve directly on the nose, breaking it, drawing blood, and sending her flying even thought the woman tried to block the attack with mana. tess smiles refreshingly. then one of the men grabs me. being careful not to kill him, i lower the power of [disintegration], and a short pulse of grayish mana disintegrates his arm up to the shoulder and i take a step back. huh? he utters before he starts screaming. tess quickly deals with the other man. it doesn''t even take three seconds. so annoying. blackrock is just a small bootlicker guild that clings to a bigger one. their guild master isn''t even at level 120, tess says. she remains calm even in this situation. in some ways, she''s really similar to nat. is that why he feels so comfortable around her? you bitch, eve lisps from the ground, blood on her face, just wait... a squad of guards followed by one male lynthari quickly arrives. too quickly, almost as if they were waiting nearby. oh, it''s cute eve. what happened to you? did they attack you out of nowhere? the lynthari asks while the human guards wait. he smiles at the woman who glares at us hatefully. the lynthari feels young and even though he tries to control his expression everyone can see that he is having fun. this might be a little troublesome, tess sighs, "it looks like we''ve been set up. pov lily chen one of the unspoken rules of the city is to never mess with lynthari. so we let ourselves be taken to prison and locked in a room, both together. it''s a reasonably nice room, but it''s unsettling to be confined here. i''m troubled by what eve said; maybe we''ll face problems, as tess mentioned. tess tells me to expect that we''ll spend a few days here and that they''ll most likely try to mess with us while we''re here. they might kidnap us or force us to pay outrageously high fines for "seriously" hurting them. and if we can''t gather enough money, they could force us to join their guild. but only a few hours later, the door unlocks, and a young man enters the room. his face has no emotion on it, but his brown and gray eyes seem to glow with hidden cheekiness as he looks at us. as always, he moves with such confidence, and unlike almost everyone else, he doesn''t emit any mana i could detect. it''s like he dominates all of it and doesn''t allow it to escape his control. are these your friends, feral one? a lynthari enters the cell. the way she speaks and moves makes her seem regal, even though there''s a long scar across her face. [elemental warden - lvl ??] her hair is white, and her cat-like eyes are golden. she is unearthly beautiful and probably extremely wealthy, judging by her enchanted jewelry and clothes. her clothes are also very pretty. yes, myrra, these two ''angry kittens'' are my friends, nathaniel says. Chapter 196: In order to have some fun chapter 196: in order to have some fun wow, tess seems really down, seeing how she keeps avoiding my eyes. what now, you silly tall blonde? you keep bullying me by reading me like a book and then saying how you will take care of everything. so, will you do now? "tess, just let me. i''ll take care of everything," the moment i say that, i can see she realizes what i''m poking at and how much fun i''m having. right now, tess really seems like an angry kitten. feral one, you truly are ruthless, myrra, the first lynthari i met even before i entered the city, notices as well. she''s a level 188 elemental warden, the highest level i''ve seen so far in the city. nat, you know it''s not our fault. they kept trying to force us into their dumb guild, lilly says in their defense. ha! blackrock was just a pawn, a small guild. it''s one of the five big ones that wanted you guys and operates behind the scenes, myrra tells lily and i listen to them in the back of my mind. so, things went like this: tess and lily were imprisoned. we learned about it a bit later from the association of guilds, and then things went downhill. normally, they would just get out, as i''m sure they were innocent, but one of the five largest guilds in the city kept meddling behind the scenes to the point where they could spend a really long time in there. i''m sure during that time they would try everything to get lily, because, of course, it''s always the healers these guys are after. this is what hadwin and sophie found out, and then i got the idea to use myrra here, who left me her address in case i was looking for a job. exactly as i expected from her level and wealth, she seems important, and it took only a few hours to get to this point, with myrra being really helpful. well, it''s the lynthari that rule the city. i didn''t expect you to be so corrupt. i tell her. feral one, obviously they are corrupt. only our young ones help with the leadership of the city, and they like to mess around, myrra giggles and her tail continues to swing from side to side as she shows me her sharp canines. she seems to be enjoying herself, usually this wouldn''t have happened, but you guys seem to have caught the interest of someone high up there, she narrows her eyes, looking at lily, "is it because of her? nope, i say. at that, myrra becomes even more amused, and even her ears perk up a bit. the entire time, i feel her mana in the surrounding area, touching each of us carefully, observing us. there is especially a lot of it around me, and even her eyes seem to glow slightly in the dimly lit prison cells. when we start walking outside of the prison, a few human guards and a single lynthari that''s present even bow to her, letting us pass without any problem. there, we meet hadwin, who is here with aaron, and tess and lily rejoin them. i''ll be back a bit later, i wave at them and then continue to walk by myrra''s side. your friends are also interesting, aren''t they? she licks her lips. why don''t you tell me, why are you so interested in us, myrra? in exchange, you can also ask me something, i offer. walking through groups of people that are still out on the streets, she gives me a long, examining look before answering, all of you are young, yet i can smell powerful skills from you. that much isn''t that surprising, but i can even recognize that you are someone who only started dealing with mana not a long time ago. a few months, a year at most. yet... she doesn''t finish. a few lynthari recognize her and gesture a greeting towards her. myrra returns that greeting with a smile. it''s something new to me and let me tell you, i rarely get to deal with something new and interesting, her eyes full of mana seem to pierce through me. she also probably has some skills or maybe a trait that allows her to know that much. oh boy, let''s quickly forget about that. i''m still nervous thinking about it. leveling shouldn''t be that easy, and the system surely won''t let it go. but that also makes me curious. i did deal with a few hundred ants, bus-sized ones. so, how could a much smaller guild compare to them? the ants were extremely flammable, probably their weakness, and even though they were big, their physical stats weren''t that amazing. what was amazing about them was their communication and the way they could fuel each other''s skills, and i think that''s where plenty of levels and skills went. otherwise, the ants didn''t feel as strong as their level might hint. a single level 100 ant felt more like a level 50-70 monster. just a bit big. as always, there are advantages and disadvantages to everything, and something tells me that the guild might be a bit more dangerous than a few hundred ants and that makes it sound fun. i think they''re not only after lily; they probably know that we did mess around to get more mana stones, for the bracelet and all the other stuff, tess says, and as i catch that, i focus back on the conversation. tess, there''s no need to plan that much. just point me in the right direction, and i will fuck them up, i tell her. no, nat, i have a better idea, tess''s eyes glow dangerously, we will fuck them up. she stands up, and a smile slowly appears on her face. oh boy, she is angry. we will beat the leader and his underlings and replace or have sophie to manipulate them. but before we do that, we need to collect more information: their numbers, strength, allies, and locations. we know that the lynthari won''t step in, so we just have to deal with humans. i like that, i say to her. the way these guys mess around with us feels annoying. it''s not like i''m bffs with everyone here, but how dare some lowlife gangster think they can mess with something that i consider mine? obviously, taking over a big guild won''t be easy. beating them? simple. taking over and making it run as before just with some changes will be a challenge. a few days have passed and out plan is still very simple. we''ll beat up the leadership and see if sophie can make them... more friendly towards us. unfortunately, even this isn''t that reliable. i removed her construct from my mind before, didn''t i? well, it''s something we''ll work around after dealing with them. so now, everyone is collecting information. we''ve spent nearly all of our remaining mana stones. tess keeps watching their headquarters from a distance. izzy and sophie as well. sophie also manipulates a few of the weaker members into telling us everything they know. about mind manipulation, healing skills, their guild and oh boy, there''s a lot. they were worried that they might know about sophie, but mind manipulation is something they don''t even know is possible, at least not the guild members we asked. as for healing, they really are after lily... again. poor girl, always the target of kidnappings and the unfortunate people who try. only a dumbass would run into her terrifying skill. oh, and one of the big five guilds, serpent''s eye? yeah, they''re assholes, total assholes. even lower-ranked members know about some of the shady things the guild does. a little bit of blackmailing, the kind where they ask for money so nothing will happen to your shop. some stealing of other people''s prey. and a few much much worse things. at first, i thought it was almost childishly villainous, like bad guys from cartoons, and that makes me wonder if it''s also something the system changed. you know, creating an environment we are somehow accustomed to. but the more i listen, the more i realize that all these acts are targeted to gain money, power, or both at once. it seems cartoonish but very human-like. i also keep forgetting that this is a world where there are people capable of destroying an entire city on their own so the rules are a bit different. plus, there are the lynthari, all-powerful and always watching with amusement, allowing humans to do nearly whatever within these unsaid basic rules, all in order to have some fun. in the end, it doesn''t matter. everyone here is just a shadow, a copy of a person who is most likely already dead or maybe even never existed. and they shouldn''t have messed with what is mine. Chapter 197: Just be happy chapter 197: just be happy turns out the serpent''s eye guild master is a normal-looking man. average height, has a plain face, and even the clothes he wears aren''t eye-catching. the man doesn''t seem strong, dangerous, or authoritative. yet, his level... [mana harbinger - lvl ??] somewhere deep inside, i feel my competitive spirit rise. so, how did we find the man? well, we didn''t. he found us. it was late afternoon and on arriving back at our base, my luxurious house at the top of a hill overlooking the city, i see the open door. "i hope you don''t mind that we let ourselves in," says an average-looking man, seated on my couch, as we enter. he moves a bit to make himself more comfortable and continues, or did you think that we didn''t know about your clumsy attempts at spying on us? looking around i notice 12 more people spread out in the living room and kitchen, all of them over level 150. "in fact, the lot of you were so clumsy, i would almost consider it cute. angry kittens indeed." he continued in a deep voice, exuding confidence and a bit of a sneer at the end. some of his goons seem amused by what he said, snickering even while others are carefully looking around or appear bored they seem to not understand why their guild leader would be bothered to personally meet this group. most of whom felt weaker than them. it isn''t surprising, since i am the only one in our group over level 150. the looks they give us are annoying the guild master, nonchalantly seated on my couch, props his legs on my table it''s infuriating. anyway, you must understand that i''m quite annoyed that you guys beat up my people. twice, he shrugs his shoulders. and i don''t know how you got the lynthari to stop sticking their noses into this but don''t misunderstand. that''s all they''ll do. they won''t care anymore, no matter what happens to you. the twins keep everyone connected, and they''ve been talking ever since we arrived. i''m the only one who hasn''t joined the conversation and blocked their attempts to do so. hey, you, weirdo, stop staring at me, the man bangs the table with his boots, a big smirk on his face. when i don''t react or answer, he laughs out loud. go on, keep hiding your mana. you might surprise some people with your immense mana pool. as if on cue, several men who came with him giggle. should i just kill him right now? so, my offer is simple, and i would recommend you guys not refuse. it''s a great opportunity, another round of cruel laughter ensues. serpent''s eye will be joining storm brigade and going on an expedition fairly soon. you might be asking: why is he telling us this? the man''s eyes scan each one of us, taking turns. despite his taunting demeanor, his skill seems real. no matter how cartoonishly evil you appear, you won''t become one of the most powerful people in such a large city without some skill. it''s quite simple! both serpent''s eye and storm brigade, two of the big five, he pauses briefly, emphasizing the fact, can take one small guild with them on this expedition. you know, mentor some people, bring in talented individuals from guilds under them. the usual stuff. and we''ve decided to pick angry kittens. the way he says our guild name disgusts me to my core. i hold myself back. the rage that keeps trying to surge to the surface is well-controlled, to the point where i almost want to smile, given how angry i am. how dare he act like that in my house, towards my people. the man doesn''t know he just signed his death certificate. i finally allow the twins to connect me to the others, and immediately the conversation stops when they notice i''ve joined. (tess, accept his offer,) is the only thing i say before cutting off the twins'' [connection]. for the rest of the conversation, i look around and etch the face of each man present into my memory. i remember the words the guild master said. i remember the faces of the men who laughed the most. i remember their mana signatures. then, when the conversation ends, the guild master stands up and approaches me. he reaches out, gently tapping the top of my head a few times and then my cheek, all to the laughter of his men. dexterity: 59 constitution: 187 mana (stage 1/3 - vast mana): 609 + 609 for a moment, i stare at my stat screen and then send my mana through the house while my passive continues to heal my body. i locate every single member of group 4, all of them actively discussing something in the living room and throwing ideas around. a few simple words come to me. they are mine. group 4 is mine. they are my people and i will fuck up anyone who tries to hurt them or take them away from me. flashback - nathaniel gwyn - 15 years old freak! the man swings his fist, and the thin, black-haired boy crashes against a table before falling to the floor. yet the boy''s face remains emotionless as he rises, confronting the man, a growing bruise evident. rob! stop! a young woman screams, rushing to the boy, hands cradling his face. look what you did to nat! she berates her husband, then turns back to the boy, does it hurt? she asks tenderly. both, mother and her son, possess the same striking black hair and similar facial features. thalia, that brat and his sister creep me out. they''re your children, our children. how can you say that! although smaller in stature, the woman confronts the man, fury in her eyes. who knows? maybe you''ve been messing around, the man retorts with a cruel smirk on his face. rob, you know i''d never... i love you, thalia whispers weakly. the two are both in their thirties. a young couple who became parents in their teens. after another exchange and a few more cruel words, the man storms out after shouting a few more curses. thalia sighs and embraces the boy, "you have to understand, natty. he wasn''t always like this. you also should remember how he was when you were younger," her petite frame seems even smaller compared to her 15-year-old son. mom, it''s fine. don''t worry about me, okay? nathaniel tries a comforting smile but fails terribly. a weird grimace appearing on his face. silly boy..." the woman sighs, pain in her eyes. pain and hope, "i believe rob will come back to his old self, she smiles at her son. even now she is hoping, but a small part of her seems to realize that it might be too late. the boy, with his two differently colored eyes, sees through his mother''s facade but remains silent. i''m sorry, natty, sorry that you go through all of this because of your stupid mom. you and victoria, the woman''s voice becomes weaker. i''m so selfish and weak. she sounds like she is about to cry. don''t be like that. it''s something i chose to endure. it''s all on me, this time a genuine smile appears on his face. i will do that much for you. so please, just be happy. you and your weird pride, the woman stays quiet for a moment and then whispers, "thank you. i love you, natty, and i''m so sorry," she then lets go, forcing a smile on her face, i''ll prepare something to eat. nathaniel just nods, and the smile disappears from his face when his mom leaves the room. his expression once again becomes an emotionless mask as he stares at the door through which the man exits. the woman thinks she''s hidden it from her son, but he''s noticed. he''s seen how thin she''s become, he felt the twitching of her body as she tried to hide her bruises from him and the heavy layer of makeup masking even more. although his face remains unchanged, the look in his eyes shifts and for a while, he looks at the door before forcing a smile on his face and joining his mother in the kitchen. Chapter 198: Its nice to see you chapter 198: it''s nice to see you expedition will start in three days, tess taps on the paper in the middle of the table. it''s morning the next day after we got unexpected visitors, and no one has gone out to the city or to hunt. everyone is staying inside the house. they laugh less; they talk less. as always, the system knows how to deliver the best wake-up calls. as that jerk said, the target is the house and valuables of the champion. the house is located in the territory of the living tree, one of the four calamities, she sighs. i know we have to deal with one of the calamities sooner or later, but this feels way too soon. i wouldn''t trust them too much when it comes to us being covert. their hidden tunnels into the house that supposedly allow us to avoid the living tree sound sketchy at best, hadwin joins the conversation. other than getting rid of most of us to keep some members, they most likely plan to use us as fodder. (food!) biscuit sends, but everyone ignores him. everyone except me. i pick up the doggo and place him on my lap. he tilts his head as if in question, "it will be fine, and it''s fodder not fooder. i whisper. he woofs and bumps my chest with his small head. he continues until i pet him, and while i do so, he closes his eyes. when the little doggo is satisfied, he rests his head on my chest, and together we listen to the others. there''s no way i''m going to their guild. if they touch me, i''ll use [disintegration], lily says. no one will be going to their guild, lily. we''re all together in this mess, tess looks around, her eyes determined. however, some of our members seem unconvinced. the people who visited us last night were all higher level than us, and the guild master''s strength could be felt even though he was holding back. i know most of our members haven''t even reached level 100. yet, why are they so unconfident? from what i''ve seen, i could have defeated most of the guild master''s goons even before i got to level 100. sure, they are mostly at 150, but so what? if we get good opportunity, i will take care of the guild master, whatever his name was, and his elites, i say, and for a moment, silence fills the living room. yet no one seems to doubt what i said, "we will use them to get the gear and to see what the living tree is capable of." his name is elydor, hadwin says after a while. he looks like he wants to ask something, but then he just closes his mouth and shakes his head. anyway. i''ll go over the info we already bought and find as much as we can on the living tree and the old capital. if we approach it smartly, we could turn it into an opportunity, as you said. then, without saying anything else, he leaves to do what he just said. nat, do you think your lynthari... friend could help and give us some support? tess asks me. i immediately shake my head. she won''t. i can already imagine myrra''s laugh and glowing eyes if i came to her asking for help, again. from our previous conversations, i''m absolutely sure she would have me beg, crawl, and enjoy watching it. then she would refuse to help anyway, hoping to get some "fun" emotion from me. that''s how she is. but there''s also another part of me. a part that doesn''t want any help. all that''s left is for us to train for a few days before the start of the expedition since hunting is out of the question now, maya says as she stretches her hand high above her head. it''s annoying, but that''s hell difficulty i guess. i wouldn''t be surprised if it''s one of the system''s settings to keep throwing this stuff at us. oh, is maya maybe slightly smart? finally, someone who understands the ways of the system. i keep telling everyone how assholish the system is. nat, would you like to spar? maya asks to my surprise. oh? sure, out of pure curiosity, i agree, and like curious little kittens, four teenagers follow us: lily, min-jae, dennis, and aaron. izzy, sophie, and tess stay behind with the best doggo of the 4th floor. when we get to the garden, i notice that it''s not in the pristine state as it was when i came here. there are some burns on the ground, deep slashes, cracked ground, and ruined grass. it somehow irks me. should i make them pay? maya stops opposite of me, and i notice the moment she activates her [focus]. her eyes become clearer, and her movements as well. like a wild beast that is controlling all its power, ready to explode in a deadly attack. her mana moves smoother than before, and armor forms around her body. unlike mine, it''s bulkier and seems to be thicker, and the mana that creates it becomes a darker shade of blue than she was using before. nice improvement, i tell her. you haven''t seen anything yet, maya answers me, and affected by [focus], her words sound calm and confident. a sword forms in her hand. the weapon is big, massive, and nearly as long as maya. yet, because it''s made of mana, it''s much lighter, and maya has also heavily invested stat points into physical stats so she moves it lightly. "hmm, i see." maya takes a step backward, "nat, why are you creating that mana baton in your hand?" "maya, let''s spar some more." "hey, hey, hey, i don''t like the look in your eyes or the tone of your voice, nat. at least tell me what i did!" "so, why did you fight maya?" "tess, i did it to help her improve! she gained one more level in [armament] and two in [boost]," i mention the name of maya''s newest skill through clenched teeth. "damn it, nat." later that day, i find myself in the garden again, this time with a different member of group 4, hadwin. hadwin watches me closely. it seems that news of my training with maya reached his ears, and he''s on guard. "so, what are your skills?" i ask him. "any new ones? come on, you can tell me, did you acquire [singularity], [invincibility], or maybe something like [immortality]?" "what are you even talking about? i have no new skills. i still have [disruption],[strengthening], and [wound contraction]." "oh? you didn''t get a new one?" "do you think it''s that easy? no, i didn''t even try. i''ve mostly focused on [strengthening], and it has served me well. it''s versatile. i can enhance my body and my weapons. it''s simple but effective," hadwin shrugs. "that''s why i have this." he shows me the epic sword he holds. the sword once belonged to one of the three warriors from the 3rd floor, the one held by a man named aias. i entrusted it to tess, along with a bracelet and a crown that lily is now trying to use. i agree with tess on this; the sword is in the best hands and will be most useful with hadwin. "i''m curious. punch the palm of my hand. first, only with your stats, then with [strengthening]." i point my palm to hadwin. without hesitation, he swings his fist and it hits the palm of my hand. oh? that''s quite good, isn''t it? it seems he has invested some stats into strength and not only into his constitution. when he swings again, this time using his skill, i notice the force of the attack and even use some mana to boost my body. his fist hits my palm, and i add even more mana to strengthen myself, trying not to show it. he''s getting closer and closer to level one hundred. not too long ago, i was sixty levels higher than him, but i felt that punch right now. sure, i''m not oriented towards physical stats, but i still think it''s impressive. i''ve also witnessed his endurance, so hadwin is building up quite well. "have you used your upgrade token yet?" i ask, genuinely curious. the upgrade token is something he should have received around level 75. "i haven''t used it yet. i''m deciding between upgrading constitution or strength," he looks at me, a question in his eyes. "constitution or strength seem like a good choices for you or maybe start allocating more stats into mana," i raise my hand to stop him, and he closes his mouth, a knowing smile on his face. "it''s not what you''re thinking, haddy. upgrade your constitution or strength and begin allocating more stats into mana so you can use your skill more frequently and for longer durations. don''t invest too much into mana; in your case, maybe twenty percent should be enough. then put around thirty into constitution and the rest into strength and dexterity. or mix it up and go with forty for strength, and twenty for mana if you want to double up. oh, and you could also..." "nat, check the community," min-jae interrupts me mid-sentence shouting from the window overlooking the garden. i open the community. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -dude, finally we are out, i fucking hate the third floor. lootenant (hell, whitewing) -tell me about it. do you think anyone is here? brainiac (hell, whitewing) -you''re sitting next to me, so why are you asking me in the community? and yes, i bet that mana maniac and savi are already here. noname (hell, group 4) -sup. lootenant (hell, whitewing) - of course, he is... brainiac (hell, whitewing) - fuck you, noname, and it''s nice to see you. Chapter 199: Your face chapter 199: your face brainiac (hell, whitewing) - is savant here as well? noname (hell, group 4) -that loser? savant arrived a week after us. mari (hell, whitewing) -you guys should compete during the tournament. mari is one of the members of whitewing. she barely speaks, usually letting lootenant and brainiac take the lead, but she sometimes chimes in to poke fun at people. other members of whitewing don''t seem too interested in the community and rarely talk. savant (hell, alone) -that''s the plan. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -savi! how did you clear the third floor on your own? you''re a monster. savant (hell, alone) -do not call me savi. i used my brain, obviously. noname (hell, group 4) -can you invest stat points into intelligence? brainiac (hell, whitewing) -you wouldn''t, even if it was possible, noname, lol. anyway, we lost one of our members. edwal killed him, you know, the guy echo who joined us from the hard difficulty. grumpy (hell, group 4) - sorry to hear that (t?t) lootenant (hell, whitewing) -yeah, he was a nice guy, but he angered that lightning jerk. hadwin (hell, group 4) -so how did you guys clear it? brainiac (hell, whitewing) -well, we got the warriors first, one after another, and then we went for the king. that guy was no joke, i tell you. but you know, teamwork. there are 12 of us. how about you? hadwin (hell, group 4) - ten. and even if we consider other groups that are still clearing the 3rd floor, we still don''t know who the remaining ten members are, the ones who haven''t spoken up until now. brainiac (hell, whitewing) - yeah, it''s interesting. anyway, how we dealt with the saint is a secret, so don''t even ask. noname (hell, group 4) -no one was going to. even i''m not that shameless. i say that after deleting the message where i was going to ask just that. noname (hell, group 4) -if you''re in the mountains. well, i left quickly. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -great, just great. mari (hell, whitewing) - wow, if even he says that, we should probably leave. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -nice one, noname! try sharing more, maybe you''ll be able to get something through. i ignore the rest of the conversation. as time passes, we''ve learned how to send subtle hints like this to others, and they return the favor. it''s not much, but it''s something. in my case, i issue danger warnings. other members of the community, wrongly, view me as someone who impulsively jumps into danger, so when i mention being cautious, they interpret it as a severe warning. they better repay the favor later. i leave haddy and the others to chat in the community and head back to my room. here, i sit in an armchair that offers a beautiful view of the balcony and, by extension, the city called virelia. damn, i really wanted to explore it a bit more, perhaps go on a treasure hunt, check out the auctions, or simply examine the trees. instead, i have to deal with a bunch of guys who have a death wish. still, there are a few days left, so i can work on my constructs. out of the four, only one needs some tweaking. reinforcement. currently, it drains my mana and uses 30% of it to fortify my body. the efficiency isn''t great, so that''s what i''ll work on. i''ll also increase the amount of mana it consumes. 40% should be enough. i enter [focus] and begin. the youngest member of the angry kittens doesn''t seem to like that, and i can see her gears spinning as she tries to come up with a comeback. before she can retort, hadwin joins us, pulling a chair closer, we should be ready now. i checked our bags, and we have enough calorie-dense food to last us for a week and plenty of water for at least a few days. tess moves closer and picks up biscuit, placing him on her lap as she sits next to me. the best doggo doesn''t mind much and closes his eyes as she pets him, in the worst case, we can use the system shop, so there''s no need to worry about food and water, tess says. do you think we can use them to deal with the living tree calamity since we will be there? hadwin asks sophie. the black-haired girl shakes her head, i won''t be able to manipulate the guild master or most of his stronger men, maybe just meddle with them slightly. well, maybe biscuit said so, but when you were gone, he agreed that your face is boring! isabella finally comes up with an answer and says it while smiling victoriously at me. so weak! oh yes? yesterday, he told me in my room that your face is boring! maybe we could pit them against the tree somehow and then finish off the one that remains, but we don''t even know how strong the calamity is, tess continues talking to hadwin while petting biscuit. yes, dealing with the calamity still feels premature. we should focus on survival and not be too ambitious. just testing it a bit would be enough, hadwin stands up, i''ll go talk with the boys. good night. night, haddy! your face isn''t boring at all, unlike nathaniel''s, isabella chirps cheerfully. biscuit, minus fifty nose boops if you tell izzy that her face is boring, i turn to the doggo. immediately, the little divine beast opens his eyes and turns to the little girl. (bor...) biscuit starts but doesn''t finish. he turns to me, a stern look in his eyes. have i been betrayed? plus fifty more nose boops, i say to the little traitor, but the kind doggo doesn''t budge, and isabella comes rushing to hug him. you guys just need to stay careful, and i will handle the serpent ?s eye guild, i tell tess, sophie, and lily, as for the calamity, we''ll avoid it as much as possible. if it''s as strong as the colony, we won''t stand a chance without either gaining more strength or having a solid plan. the ants weren''t that powerful, but their sheer numbers posed a challenge. i suspect there are even stronger variants. currently, it''s hard to even imagine a way to defeat this calamity named the colony. the fallen hero and living tree should be at least on a similar level of strength. sophie turns to me, can you really fight their guild master? he seems to be close to or over level 200. it doesn''t matter, is all i tell sophie, and after studying me for a moment, she nods. after that, i spend some of my shards to buy five pieces of rare equipment. hadwin uses one of my epic swords, so he doesn''t get anything. lily already received a rare amulet from me that helps her defend against magical attacks, and tess got an endurium javelin back on the third floor. so, these three don''t get any new items. we don''t have enough mana stones to buy good stuff in the city so i buy four rare light armors for the twins, min-jae, and little isabella. for sophie, i buy a bracelet that appears to improve her concentration and should enhance her primary skill. one thousand two hundred shards vanish just like that, leaving me with 890 shards. but i don''t mind. it''s just a bit awkward to see them thanking me repeatedly. now that i think about it, they live in my house, they receive expensive items from me, so why am i the one doing all the giving? where''s my plan to stay in the shadows and let them handle the burdensome tasks? as i watch the twins and min-jae excitedly putting on rare armors and checking the effects, i''m already thinking about what i should get from them in exchange. however, i come to a strange realization. i could ask them to show me everything about their skills, classes, passives, and traits, and help with testing, but they already do that for free. i can ask for mana stones, but i suspect they would give them to me without any issues, only being curious about what i would test. well, if they had any. it''s unnerving not to have a clear give-and-take. when i get to my room and start monitoring the house, i do it more carefully this time, using [perception] more deliberately. it still annoys me that i couldn''t locate them properly as they sat in the house, despite my skill. yes, i wasn''t fully attentive in using the skill, and the guild master of serpent''s eye is at a higher level than me and probably countered it. but still, it left me feeling annoyed. maybe i''ve become too overconfident lately, intoxicated by all this power, and becoming more and more careless. this night, i don''t sleep and continue to ponder over it while monitoring the house. i find an odd comfort in feeling the mana signatures of everyone in the house. Chapter 200: The Old Capital chapter 200: the old capital we came to bring you to join the expedition, one of the men says as all of us meet in our garden. there are five guild members from serpent''s eyes, all a bit under 150. even though it''s considered rude, they send their mana to check out our strength. i use my mantle and mana cycling to hide most of my mana, as before, so they just glance over it in a similar way as their guild master did. just like him, they think i''m at a similar level to the rest of group 4 and am just trying to hide my mana. taking our stuff, we follow them out of our house. everyone is quiet. as we pass by one of the restaurants, i notice myrra sitting on a balcony, eating something and looking down at us. the weirdo lynthari smiles at us, and when she meets my gaze, her smile broadens and she mouths something that i don''t even bother trying to decipher. it doesn''t take long before we leave the city, closely following the five men. a bit further, we meet the main group which is separated into two smaller groups. one of them is serpent''s eye with their guild master elydor and around twenty of his guild members, all of them clearly top of his guild. a smaller, but elite force. storm brigade also has around twenty people with them, standing to the side. unlike serpent''s eye, they all wear clothes of a similar shade of blue and each has a brooch pinned on their chest. a simple silver piece of metal shaped like lightning. then there''s another small guild, blackrock, the guys who kept annoying our group members. they, along with us, will mostly provide support, and probably act as cannon fodder, even though no one says it out loud. curious to gauge the reaction of another of the five big guilds of virilia, i watch storm brigade, but they barely show any interest in us. all of them have somewhat stern expressions. their guild master is called obelia, a sharp-looking woman with pale brown hair, and her eyes are silver with circuits covering the surface. most likely a trait. elydor approaches us. this time, he''s not as provocative, which confirms my suspicion that he just wanted to provoke us into attacking him so he could deal with us before the expedition. since it didn''t work, he chose a different approach. just listen and don''t do anything on your own, he advises shortly. the implications of not doing so are clear but it sounds somewhat empty, knowing what his intentions with us are. he then turns to leave, joining obelia and discussing something while we wait. (food?) i hear. you just ate, i respond. my answer doesn''t seem to please the gluttonous beast, so i throw him a piece of deer jerky. what do you think? i ask tess, who stops next to me. other than the two guild masters and a few others, i think most are quite manageable, she replies. i can''t help but agree. tess is already close to level 120, so dealing with some level 150 goons doesn''t seem unreasonable. sure, there are many of them, but i''m confident an opportunity will arise. i will try to focus mostly on defending and helping others, so the rest will be up to you, she tells me. yes, just do as we discussed, and it should be fine, i respond. while waiting, i watch a group of ten men working carefully. they clear a big patch of the ground to reveal a large circle made of some metal buried there. after pulling some mana stones from the special box, they place them into a few slots that i make sure to remember, as well as noting which mana stones they use. in the end, the number of stones they put into the metal circle equates to the value of multiple houses. all of the stones are glowing, filled to the brim with mana. when they''re done, they approach obelia. after exchanging a few sentences, the woman steps toward the circle. her silver eyes, intertwined with circuits, scan everything, and she even sends her mana into one of the stones, causing it to glow brighter. we are ready, she informs elydor. you heard the lady! the guild master of serpent''s eye shouts. everyone, get your asses into the circle. knowing what to do, his men move in, as do the storm brigade. hesitantly, blackrock and the angry kittens follow. after i, with a lot of luck got this record, it took years to decode. a challenging task, revealing much about the immense skills of a man who served under a champion. he reaches into his pocket and tosses another stone towards obelia, who swiftly catches it. a copy for our esteemed colleagues, as promised. obelia stares at the stone for a moment and then hands it to the woman next to her who takes out some items and starts examining it. original, obelia says shortly to elydor. annoyance flashes through the man''s face, but it disappears as if it never existed, and he smiles. sure, dear obelia, he then hands the original to one of his men who takes it and moves towards the storm brigade, holding it while they observe it [mana harbinger - lvl ??] as i look at the text over elydor ?s head, i think about how strong he could be. surely as strong as one of the three warriors from the 3rd floor, but stronger than the last king? when i look at obelia, i also check the text over her head. [stormshaper - lvl ??] these two will be the biggest problem and around five more that are close to 170. seeing that most of the expedition just sits down with a few keeping watch, i do the same, looking at the city in the distance and the giant tree that towers over it. it''s creepy, isn''t it? lily plops down next to me and then moves even a bit closer, our shoulders almost touching. damn, even here she keeps trying that? it''s silly but i gotta admire the grind. lily. i hesitate for a moment. should i say it out loud now? it could mess with her a bit and having a freshly rejected healer could get dangerous. yup, i know, you don''t like me, not the way i like you, she interrupts me. but nat, that doesn''t change anything for me. i will keep trying and will keep trying to sneak to you while staying patient. her smile is warm. what are you, a stalker? i ask. that surprises her and her eyes shake. she opens her mouth and closes it a few times. it seems that i have caused critical damage, don''t plant death flags and just focus on the expedition, okay? so how do you even defeat something so giant? she changes theme, gesturing at the tree. i don''t think my skill could hurt it much. it''s just too big. that''s what she said, one of the twins hears that as he passes by and doesn''t miss the chance. that starts another round of bickering. yet even as they do that, i notice the way they carefully watch the people near us, and as they continue to monitor the area, everyone in their own way. their bodies, even though relaxed, are ready to move, and their eyes are smiling as they joke, but they still feel dangerous, and wild. and it''s not just the twins and lily, everyone from the group is like that. tense, wild, and ready to attack. ten of us and biscuit against forty elite members of two of the five big guilds plus their guild masters and another ten members of blackrock, a small guild. and one giant tree in the distance. a tree that used to be powerful enough to deal with a champion but for some reason lost a big part of its strength, judging by its current state. oh, and there are plenty of items. these items were owned by a man bearing the title of champion. someone like that won''t have low-quality ones, right? anyway, i will be taking them. Chapter 201: Its too easy chapter 201: it''s too easy it takes a few more hours for elydor and obelia to hash things out. it seems like elydor used obelia and her guild to get there, offering them support and promising her a percentage while withholding a lot of information from her, sharing them only now. he most likely did this out of fear that the information would fall into the wrong ears. so, obelia and her guild examine the star-shaped mana stone under the watchful eye of a member from serpent''s eye, and then they discuss. while we wait, i continue to practice trying to etch coordinates into the mana stone. sophie notices and joins me, sitting by my side and watching the process while giving her opinion on it. there''s also one woman, apparently named eve, who keeps eyeing tess with hateful eyes. when i ask tess about them, she just tells me not to bother, so i do just that. did you guys try selling mana stones to the system shop? i ask when sophie and i take a break. almost as soon as we got some. you need to sell so many of them to barely get some shards that it''s not even worth it, she examines the mana stone in her hands and hands it back to me after making some suggestions, we also tried to go into high-end shops, touch expensive items, and try to sell them. it didn''t work; the system didn''t consider us as owners of the item to sell it. how about buying common and uncommon gear and selling it? i ask. if we become rich enough, we could buy plenty of them to get some easy shards. that did work a bit better. you can buy common gear from the shop for 20 shards, but buying a common sword here and trying to sell it to the system shop would usually get us only around one or two shards. if you buy an item from the system for 20 shards and sell it back, you get 10 shards. sophie pauses and glances at a group of two big guilds talking. she turns back to me, we have a theory that it''s either the system limiting our ability to exploit it this way, or there are requirements we don''t know about, or the system simply considers us getting these items too easily, so that''s why it''s low. we should try creating our own items; they could be worth more than items already existing on the 4th floor, i say. sophie thinks about it for a moment, i think you''re right. i hand her the mana stone and continue to think. it''s a shame; it would be nice to get some easy shards, but obviously, the system will hold us back. even the epic items i got from the 3rd floor are worth only 200 shards, while the system sells them for over 4 thousand. there''s still so much to examine. get ready, we will head out! one of the men from serpent''s eye shouts, and immediately the atmosphere changes. everyone becomes a bit more tense and on guard. we''ve known about calamities only for a few days, so i wonder how it is for the natives of these floors who grew up hearing about them, about the people these calamities killed. yet, they are still here, a group of humans motivated by greed and willing to risk their lives. some things don''t change no matter where you are. we move closer to the city while still keeping a long distance between us. following a map left on the mana stone, elydor leads us down the hill and then sideways towards one of the cliffs nearby. near the bottom of the cliff, we stop. multiple members of both large guilds start scanning the area with their senses, and mana to try to detect something. out of curiosity, i use my [perception], but not knowing what to look for makes it even more difficult. yet, i continue to try and even consolidate my [focus] to do so. and then i feel it. a tiny, weak mana signature on the side of the cliff. the signature is extremely faint, but the mana i feel from it is so different from any mana i''ve felt until now, so i detect it. i cancel my skills and then continue to recreate the signature in my head, examining it. i do so for a few more minutes, and that''s also when a notable member of serpent''s eye finds it. the man was the one who laughed the most when elydor came to visit us so unexpectedly. good job, varrik, elydor smiles proudly, seemingly poking fun at obelia because his guild member found it first, whatever it is. we then wait another hour while he approaches that tiny dot of mana signature and places the star-shaped mana stone on it. there seems to be a special method he needs to use, so that''s what takes him a while. when he finally does, only a flash of mana is sent into the area and nothing else changes. the man then puts his hand on the side of the cliff, and it burrows inside as if there''s no wall at all; the hand just disappears into the stone. yet there''s nothing. the stairs end, and the tunnel changes its direction, this time heading right towards the city and slightly slanted downwards. the material it''s made of remains the same, but this time, the tunnel is a bit wider. it''s tall enough even for a lynthari to walk without bending their head and wide enough for ten people to walk side by side. the longer we''re in the tunnel, the more i notice things. [perception - lvl 35 > perception - lvl 36] the walls aren''t just simple stone; there are veins of a strange material embedded and running through them. every time i try to examine them, i feel my skill being deflected, as if the material is being evasive. some sort of camouflage? to hide the tunnel leading under the city? i suspect that they are circuits that used to be filled with mana, creating some sort of effect, perhaps enhancing the tunnel''s ability to conceal itself. but right now, they are nearly empty, with just weak wisps of mana flowing through them. in almost absolute silence, we walk for several hours, with only the occasional conversation. nerves are at their peak, and i can sense the way others use skills change over time they become more careless or increasingly irritated, wasting mana. some even start to use their skills more frequently, more nervous than ever. i, on the other hand, become calmer and calmer, and my steps quieter. the longer we walk, the more i rely on my skills to warn me in case something happens. but there''s nothing. it''s easy, and when we reach the end of the tunnel, everyone hesitates, a shared sentiment evident on their faces. it''s too easy. more mana flows from their bodies as we continue to climb another set of stairs. by the time we reach the door, it feels as though they''re about to explode. what the fuck! one of the men nearly screams, how is it so... shut up, elydor turns to him, and the man instantly quiets down. no one else dares to speak. the guild master of serpents eye appears calmer than most of them. he walks past me, approaching a door that has a similar mana signature to the entrance on the side of the cliff. this will take a while, he says, moving past me to address his men. biscuit gets in his way, and a short blast of mana sends the corgi flying, even though he tries to defend himself with quickly created purple tentacles. the piece of dried deer meat that biscuit was excitedly bringing to give me fall down and with a whimper, the small corgi lands on the ground. get that fucking creature away from me, elydor simply says and turns to his men. [focus - lvl 36 > focus - lvl 37] biscuit looks around, stress evident in his eyes, and then he moves toward me, slightly limping. he pushes his head against my leg, and i reach down to pet him. just hold on a bit longer, okay? as i said before, don''t attack them yet, i whisper so only he can hear and continue to pet his head. (hurt.) sounds in my head while he limps a bit. not knowing what to do, i just continue to pet his small head. i look up and see tess holding back lily, and hadwin doing the same for others. it seems most difficult for sophie, who has to physically restrain isabella from doing something stupid. my eyes shift slightly towards elydor, who is talking to varrik, his strongest man, seemingly indifferent to what just happened. one of his men makes a joke, and elydor laughs briefly before shaking his head. he then returns to showing them the star-shaped mana stone and discussing how to unlock the door. [focus - lvl 37 > focus - lvl 38] Chapter 202: Underneath the Colossal Shadow chapter 202: underneath the colossal shadow i take biscuit to lily, who carefully heals him with a glimmer of mana, so others won''t notice it. the process takes much longer than it could but thankfully, the wound isn''t that serious. (nat, how can you just let them do this? let''s just fight them! we can do it easily!) min-jae shouts through the twins'' skill. a few people from two big guilds notice the link in between us, but they don''t seem to care enough to stop us. (kim, use your head, okay? there are fifty of them. even if we could defeat them all, what do you think would happen if we start fighting here, in the tunnels? how many of you do you think would die?) tess responds to him. min-jae immediately quiets down, and words from the girl he has a crush on probably sting even more. (two guild masters over 200, five people over 170, and another twenty or so around 150. most of us aren''t even at 100. stay low, and once the expedition is over, we''ll get stronger and have our revenge.) hadwin supports tess and also addresses min-jae. his words are logical. we are severely outmatched, and even though we''re treated as fodder, he hopes we''ll survive. hadwin thinks we can''t handle that many humans with such high levels. he''s mistaken. the entire serpent''s eye is already dead, and the storm brigade will join them if they make a move. i''ll make sure of it. it takes a few more hours to open the door. they constantly examine the star-shaped mana stone and even draw some circuit-like symbols on the door with white paint that seems to conduct mana very well. elydor is the one who unlocks the door, his mana radiating from his body. he continues to feed it to the symbols, adjusting them constantly. his eyes focused, and he finally takes a step closer and places the mana stone against the door. they shake slightly, and although nothing appears to change, i sense they''re open, similar to the ones in the hill. what do you think, obelia? quite good, isn''t it? with a smile, he turns to the guild master of the storm brigade, but the woman doesn''t even bother to reply. elydor''s mana stops radiating, and even his residual mana in the air gets pulled back into his body. he turns around, searching. his eyes land on me, and i anticipate his next words, get your ass going and scout for us. sure, i reply as i rise to my feet. i cut off the twins'' [connection] when some of them start complaining uselessly. it''s hard to understand them properly. sure, i know why they are angry. who would be happy to be ordered around like that? to be sent to risk their lives while being looked down upon. yes, it''s hard to endure, and yes, some of them might feel like their pride is hurt. but it''s slightly different for me. elydor is already dead, his men are already dead; i''m just deciding when i will let them know that. i will do it in a way that benefits me the most while being the safest for me and for this silly group 4. maybe i will try to pit them against the calamity to see what it is capable of. maybe i will let them collect the items we are after and then deal with them. you listen really well, don''t you? maybe i should keep you and help you control the immense mana you''re hiding. elydor smirks and whispers as i pass by him. yet, i ignore his words and pass through the door. immediately after entering, i scan the area around me and create a few orbs to light the room. yet, as before, there''s no danger. i don''t feel any mana; there''s no threat. it''s gigantic. when we enter the main house, there''s a sigh of relief from everyone, but i become a bit nervous. i could have sworn i felt a pulse of mana around the edges of the city but i do not dare try to examine it. following the plans, which they likely had from the start, and using shaped mana stones, both big guilds move through the house, going from door to door, while we and blackrock, another small guild, are left downstairs with a few people keeping watch. minutes pass, and occasionally, amidst the tense atmosphere, we can hear surprised shouts and excited talking. the main house is in much better condition, with walls made from more durable stone and even glass. mana circuits are everywhere, powering some peculiar effects, yet they''ve long been devoid of mana. even the insides of the walls are full of them: the floors, the glass. and the more i examine, the more i am amazed by the amount of work and time it must have taken to create all this. maya turns to me, why did they even bring us here if we''re only tagging along? hadwin answers instead one me, "it''s simple, we''re fodder in case something happens. but so far, this is too easy, too easy. we should be ready for anything the moment we get out of the city." he pauses, "or maybe we should run for it right now?" "they locked the door, and elydor has the key," i say, disappointing everyone. no one wants to try anything, not while we''re so close to a three-question-mark monster. even the idea of dealing with 50 or so people seems like a much better option. after what feels like ten more minutes, everyone returns to us. some of the men and women are nearly laughing with a big smiles on their faces. they are holding weapons, large mana stones, or full boxes. all items are meticulously packed, and at just a simple glance, it''s clear that they''re not commonly found. elydor even comes back with two of his men carrying a large chest that seems heavy, even for two high-level men. it seems to be made from weird black wood-like material and there are no locks on it. obelia and her guild also seem satisfied, and obelia herself holds something with a shape reminiscent of a spear, just tightly wrapped in cloth. it takes a few more minutes for everyone to return, each one laden with as many items as they could carry. the champion''s house, still brimming with artifacts, seems to lack any strong protection. after hundreds of years, the mana likely no longer powers the defenses or traps. our return journey is quick and easy. there are no enemies. there are no surprises. everything goes smoothly, even as we pass through the hidden passage in the living room back into the tunnels. when elydor locks the passage behind us, a few members of the expedition start laughing out loud, congratulating themselves. the atmosphere remains tense, but it''s noticeably more cheerful as we swiftly move through the tunnel beneath the city. some of them are already planning to return to loot again. i sense something ahead of us before anyone else does, but i keep it to myself. we continue to walk for another minute, and then a few of the more perceptive ones catch on as well. the atmosphere shifts immediately. there''s a flurry of harsh words exchanged, and they hasten their pace. but it doesn''t matter. we reach a part of the tunnel that must be just under the edge of the city, and there, in front of us, stands a barrier made of pale white mana blocking our way. they don''t want to believe it at first, so they keep sending their mana to examine it, but it''s futile. just like me, they realize a spherical barrier envelops the entire city. something only one entity in the area could accomplish. we''ve been trapped by one of the four calamities: the living tree. just then, a new side quest pops up. side quest:survive. Chapter 203: Not yet chapter 203: not yet i check the side quest and its reward. side quest: survive reward:500 shards seeing how high the reward is, this is dangerous. yet, it still feels low, aren''t we against the calamity? no, no, no, no, elydor mumbles under his breath while he examines the barrier. with his class, mana harbinger, he probably already realized how strong the barrier is. varrik, go and keep watch. take samuel and otto, he quickly calms down and orders his men, evir and zen, get your asses over here and take a look at this with me." everyone else is pushed away from the barrier, and in the darkness of the smooth-walled tunnel lit by a few skills, they start examining the barrier. at the same time, a few more people from storm brigade also disappear to where we came from, towards the passage to champion ?s house, to keep watch. there is a hint of panic on everyone''s faces as they move around, trying to find a way to pass through the barrier. (try to stay calm and be ready for anything,) i say through the link the twins set up for us, and while looking around, i notice obelia staring at me. it''s not the first time that has happened. ever since she felt me examining the circle that teleported us here, she keeps glancing at me once in a while. once, she even asked one of her guild members to examine me, and i felt a thin, almost impossible-to-notice thread of mana reaching me. after i noticed it and destroyed it, they didn''t try again. she reacts to me catching her gaze by nodding shortly, as if in some sort of greeting, and i return the gesture. obelia then turns back to her guild. her face is still calm, and her eyes covered in circuits continue to look at the pale white barrier created by the living tree.n??vl-b1n was the first platform to present this chapter. this doesn''t seem that good, tess whispers next to me, not using the twins'' link probably because she doesn''t want them to hear. after a few days, they will find out that they can''t pass through the barrier, so they will most likely want to get back into the city and try to find a different way, i answer back in a whisper. but the tree already seems to know about us, so the ones that exit the tunnels would most likely end up dead. even though i still don''t know why the tree is not attacking us inside of the tunnels, she says back. yes, they will send us out first, and tess, we are not strong enough to face the tree. not right now, not without more preparation, i tell her. tess just nods solemnly, we will have to fight if they try to push us out. there is a determination on her face. oh, and tess, i move closer and whisper even quieter, we already are under the attack of the tree. her eyes widen, and she leans her face closer to me. nat, what is happening? there is urgency in her voice. the moment we reached the barrier, the tree started attacking us. it''s some sort of hard-to-detect attack that uses really small amounts of mana. it''s almost unnoticeable. i tell her. i feel in the air tiny particles of mana that try to reach our bodies, touch them, enter them, and then do something to them. i''m not at the point where i''ve found out what they do, but there''s no way i would allow them to touch us. so tess, i''m dealing with it and also protecting our group, but it''s difficult. tell others to group a bit more and move somewhere to the side, a bit further away from the barrier, i say. at that moment, my skills level up. [perception - lvl 36 > perception - lvl 37] [mana domain - lvl 2 > mana domain - lvl 3] to defend against that attack, i''m using my domain to create a field around myself, and it expands enough to cover members of our group. then, while using [perception], i locate particles of mana and then destroy them with my own mana, which is easier to manipulate within [mana domain]. lily offered for me to try using her [disintegration] on the barrier, but i just told her to wait. even though her skill is terrifying i don''t think she has enough mana to destroy it or create a passage. not without sacrificing most of her body to do so. tess is trying hard to keep the group from becoming too... unbalanced, and it seems to be getting harder. after one unsuccessful attempt to destroy the barrier, elydor notices me sitting there, examining the mana stone. angry and frustrated, he sends a pulse of mana at me, destroying the stone in my hands and throwing me against the wall. i apologize and then watch as even obelia tries to calm him down. in the end, he lets me go, and i pull out another mana stone and continue what i was doing again. this time a bit more carefully and attempting to hide the stone. some members of group 4 give me worried glances that i didn''t understand, especially now that i constantly keep [focus] running and actively blocking certain emotions. pov sophie martinez he is becoming quieter and quieter. he wasn''t that talkative before, but now he rarely says anything. a week has already passed. a week in these terrible, always-dark tunnels, and everyone is growing tired from the constant worry and the ever-present darkness. yet he continues to sit there, lit by a few orbs floating nearby, his eyes glowing as he continues to examine the barrier of the living tree, attempts to break it, and the mana stone that he has now hidden in the sleeve of his shirt. it''s amazing how much progress we made in the past few days, something that would surely have taken us much longer outside. the inscription he works on is way beyond me, but even that is enough to help me to improve my skills, just from observing. but i worry. i worry for isabella, who tries to act brave, but i feel she''s trying to only focus on his feelings and not even touching mine. i can''t imagine how terrible it must be for her, feeling the emotions of everyone. so she clings to him as if he is her raft in a stormy sea. nathaniel doesn''t seem to mind it that much, and once again i''m amazed by the will he possesses, the determination he shows, and the sheer strength of his mind. he is constantly maintaining a field around us, around the entire group 4, and unlike other members of the expedition, his field uses much less mana. it''s more accurate, yet it must also take a much greater toll on him. nathaniel keeps it up for days, and i don''t remember if he has slept since this all began. he waits, and i don''t know what for. and that''s what scares me the most. something will happen, something terrible. he knows it, and he is expecting it. when tess asks him about it, he always tells her not to worry and not to distract him as he continues to keep his field running. i tried to help, but i wasn''t able to do it for too long, a few minutes at most at a similar level to his. the particles are too hard to locate and too difficult to influence, even though my skill is able to do so. so i continue trying and improving. again and again. i push myself even further, seeing isabella hugging nathaniel with closed eyes. i clench my teeth and try as hard as i can. it takes a while, but the field i create allows me to see these particles as well and try to destroy them. once again i realize how difficult it is. and he''s working on inscribing mana stone while doing this? a few more days pass and screams wake me up. quickly, while summoning my mana, i get to my feet and turn towards where the screams are coming from, after locating izzy who still clings to nathaniel. he also looks towards the source of the screams. and there, on the ground, one of the members of serpent''s eye continues to twitch, scream, and groan in pain, scratching his chest and body while tearing his clothes. with horrified looks in their eyes, his guild members continue to watch, and it takes me a while to see what they have noticed. there are things, small green things, all over the man''s body. it takes me a bit longer to realize that they are leaves. green leaves a normal tree would have. and right now, those leaves are growing from under the man''s skin. Chapter 204: Unforgiving rage chapter 204: unforgiving rage for a few minutes, i watch a man screaming and flailing on the ground. it''s one of the men that came with elydor to our house. a man with long black hair, pale skin, and an annoying laugh. after a while, i get bored, and since they stopped trying to get through the barrier, i go back to working on inscribing the mana stone. that''s nearly all i''ve done in the past two weeks; i carefully observe them trying to get through the barrier, and i''m learning a lot. i''m not sure i would be able to get through it, not even with [resonance], so watching them work while also examining it on my own helps a lot. well, maybe i could get through, but only alone, having to leave others behind. and i don''t want that. the inscription i work on is something that might help me create a passage in the barrier. i sigh when the man starts screaming again and take a look towards where he is. currently, branches are poking his skin, and on these branches, more leaves grow. blood is everywhere; his bones are breaking, and his screams become hoarse. his guild is trying everything they can, yet nothing helps. no matter how many leaves or branches they remove, new ones grow. they can''t even stop it with their skills. at some point, elydor sends one man to lily, and they grab her hand, pulling her towards the man and screaming something at her. the petite black-haired girl glances at me a few times and then tries something as well, yet even her healing is not helping and only seems to prolong the man''s suffering. in the end, elydor clenches his teeth and a sharp blast of mana blows off the man''s head, the screams finally stopping. as if not held back anymore, more and more branches poke through the dead man''s body, covering nearly the entirety of it, and beautifully vibrant green leaves appear, most of them covered in blood. tess pushes everyone from group 4 away and comes closer to me alone. she squats in front of me, her eyes more serious than ever.n??vl-b1n was the first platform to present this chapter. nathaniel, her tone is serious, i need to know what''s happening. i need to know what''s wrong with you and how the hell you don''t care at all when they pull lily around like that. or when they punched hadwin or... she shakes her head, you haven''t been acting like yourself. tess, as i said, i''m busy, i continue to examine her face. her words also made me feel a hint of curiosity. am i really that different? i have my [focus] constantly blocking my emotions so i can keep up the domain, and you guys won''t end up like him, i nod at the man, well, a bunch of flesh, bones, and skin intertwined with branches and leaves. nat, we can fight, we will deal with them all, and then we can get out of here on our own, she leans closer and whispers. it seems like two weeks down there have even affected tess; her eyes are wild like an animal pushed into a corner and ready to bite. i shake my head, we won''t be able to, tess. the moment we leave the tunnels to go to the city, the living tree will destroy us; i''m sure of that. the tunnels seem to block its influence to some point. as for the barrier, i need to observe them a bit longer. just a little bit longer, and i will be able to get us out. when i open my mouth to continue, i feel blood on my lips, and when i reach out to wipe it, i realize that it''s blood from my nose. it''s not the first time this has happened, but i didn''t want tess to see it. should i call lily? they already know she''s a healer so... tess offers. it''s fine; there is no wound. it''s just that there are more and more particles in the air, and it''s getting more difficult, i say. in response to that, tess''s face becomes even more worried. before she can say anything, i ask her, tess, do you trust me? without any hesitation, she nods, and for a long moment, i just look at her. she''s not lying. there''s only full and honest trust shown in her expression. i wonder how i earned that. give this stone to sophie; she can work on our project on her own if she gets bored. i think i won''t be able to do it right now. i try to lower [focus] to examine my feelings, but only deep, red-hot rage surfaces, so i slide back into the cold, calm embrace of the skill. and then, when all the men are dead and he stares down at their bodies, it seems to be enough. "we will try to get through the city," he says to the deafening silence that ensues. his voice is sharp and his face is determined. mana moves around his body domineeringly, and he now seems taller and stronger. "fodder will go first and buy us some time, and then we will run for it, everyone on their own. the ones that make it will meet outside the city," he says, ignoring the fact that the barrier is most likely around the entirety of the city. he is desperate and wants to try it while he still has some strength left. the most surprising thing to me is that he doesn''t even suggest attacking the calamity, clearly showing how terrifying the tree monster is. well, the waiting is finally over. after a long time, i stand up with a sigh of relief. i have learned all i could and i do not need them anymore. i throw the mana stone i was working on at sophie and she grabs it, giving me a short nod. she immediately sends her mana inside, keeping the field that protects us from the living tree stable over a considerable part of the tunnel. that much is enough. after close to 20 days, i reach out and start weakening the hold over my emotions that [focus] has. pov maya jones out of nowhere, the silence becomes even more deafening. it''s so quiet i can swear i hear my blood moving through my veins. then the air becomes colder and every movement i make is like i''m moving through molasses. and only then, a loud thump sounds, followed by another. as if a heartbeat continues to echo in the tunnel. nathaniel stands up, his face pale, bags under his eyes, messy hair, and even a visible hint of some weight loss. but he doesn''t move slowly, and i don''t feel any weakness from him; he stands up confidently, each movement sharp and strong. then mana starts radiating from his body. it slowly ramps up as if it''s a generator creating more and more of it, and it continues to flow into the tunnel, almost feeling like waves hitting and reflecting from it. oh, so you did hide a little bit of mana, elydor smiles, immediately noticing it, his tone almost as if delighted by the challenge. but it doesn''t stop there; even more and more mana continues to radiate from nathaniel to the point where the smile slowly disappears from elydor''s face, replaced by sheer surprise and then a hint of fear. get into formation 5, we are against an amplificator. estimated level a bit under 200, he hisses quickly at his men, his mana also activating. on the other side, nathaniel just lazily takes a step away from us and towards them, keeping group 4 behind his back. you with them? nathaniel asks shortly towards the woman called obelia, guild master of storm brigade. to elydor''s cursing, obelia shakes her head and only takes a step back, creating a barrier around her guild members that they continue to strengthen. and then nathaniel''s expression changes. the distant face he had up until now disappears as he deactivates the skill both he and i share. for the first time since we ended up trapped in the tunnels, his eyes become different. they are not so uncaring and distant anymore. like a burning fire, hate appears in them. a terrible, unforgiving rage. at the same moment, his mana changes, it stops freely flowing and freezes in the air, dominated by his will. change of assessment, level over 200, at least a rare-grade primary class, elydor shouts, and his mana rushes and clashes against nathaniel''s. Chapter 205: Sheer force of Mana chapter 205: sheer force of mana pov sophie martinez immediately after nathaniel begins releasing his mana, members of a small guild called blackrock, along with a few individuals from serpent''s eye who were nearby, attack us. tess runs in front of me and hits the man who is about to attack hadwin from behind, while lightning crackles around her body, burning the attacking man. her javelins spin around her, moving as if they have minds of their own, stabbing at anyone who attacks us. maya''s armor darkens, and she is thrown back by an explosion nearby. she is bleeding and her eye seems hurt, but her armor darkens even more, and i can see the wound healing at a visible speed. moving faster and with a calm look on her face, she attacks a woman who has flames around her body. the twins move even faster than maya, constantly attacking a single target while confusing him with illusions of other people. the illusions seem so realistic, it''s hard to determine what''s real and what''s not. hadwin continues to take attacks from people, none of them able to pierce his skin or even draw blood. hadwin is thrown back occasionally, but he always stands up quickly and slashes with a sword he got from nathaniel, each attack breaking barriers and piercing armor. kim maneuvers dozens of orbs made from silver metal around him, and seizing the opportunity, he shoots them at people trying to kill us. the orbs are boosted to an insane degree, barely a blur, and they deform or pierce the armors of anyone he attacks. often, he also targets an opponent or two, and when he does, their movement slows down. one of elydor ?s men performs something similar to teleportation and appears behind lily, slicing into her neck and almost separating her head from her body. just before we react, a few of lily''s fingers disappear and the wound heals nearly instantaneously. the man tries to vanish, but she''s already holding his hand. lily uses her terrifying skill, and with one pulse of grayish mana, the man disappears, gear and all. my eyes meet lily''s. i shudder and avoid her gaze. someone shoots ice-like spikes at me, and i don''t react as izzy creates bright blue flames that swirl around us. they melt and burn everything in their path, while our group doesn''t feel any heat. the man who attacked me gets surrounded by them, and his body burns and is set ablaze, even though he constantly tries to fight against them with his barriers made of ice. i continue to maintain the barrier that blocks the particles of the living tree. only when i notice one of the women creating a strong attack do i reach into her mind. at first, she reacts with extreme surprise, as like many, she''s unaware of mind manipulation, but she quickly defends herself, pushing against me. i don''t stop there though; i attack more aggresively and burrow deeper, destroying her mental defense and taking over her mind while the woman screams in pain. then i send a simple order. the woman''s expression changes and becomes calm, with only the fear in her eyes revealing her true feelings. the woman starts pumping all her mana into a single attack, ignoring the strain it places on her body and mind. she bleeds from her eyes, nose, and ears, but she disregards it all under my [manipulation]. when she''s done, she turns around and releases the attack against her guild, torn apart in the subsequent explosion. blood and flesh cover the walls of the tunnel. another man approaches, clad in armor similar to maya''s, and attacks izzy, only to be grabbed by the ankle with purple mana arms. these aren''t translucent as before; they''re a solid, dark purple color and seem to be affecting the man''s armor, dissipating, disrupting, or dissolving it. dozen more arms appear from biscuit''s back and surround the man''s body, angrily tearing off pieces of the armor and dissolving the rest. then, as the man screams, the mana arms tear off his head. biscuit looks around, and i notice his eyes glowing a purple hue. he shouts something at another enemy, using his telepathy differently this time as an attack. the man screams in pain, clutching his head. and then i feel that mana. it''s as if a monster is waking up from deep slumber. the domineering mana fills the tunnels, and it continues to do so. an immense, insane amount of mana that makes it feel as if it''s hard to breathe or move through. dealing with the last member of blackrock, whom tess kills with a burst of lightning, we all turn to the source of all of that. it''s him. nathaniel stands there in the center of all of that, releasing all this mana without any worry in the world and blocking ranged attacks that are thrown at him. his face has a bright smile on it, instead of the distant expression he''s shown in the past week. others probably can''t feel it, but i can with my [manipulation]. the area around nathaniel feels as if it''s his, the area within which he moves all this mana. there''s no efficiency, there''s no delicate control, and he doesn''t even use it to feed his skills. it''s just a sheer amount of raw mana that he controls and moves. the mana is so dense it''s possible to see it without any skills. my mana continues to move through my body, cycling in the way i want it to. [focus] changes and this time it only helps me deal with my skills. my emotions come to the surface, filling me with anger i haven''t felt in a long time. every expression, every movement, every word elydor says fills me with disgust as his mana rushes towards me, threatening and raging. he moves it in sharp wisp-like constructs that continue to slash against the walls, yet not damaging them at all; the tunnel is incredibly durable. [mana domain] encompasses the entire tunnel and not waiting for elydor''s attack to reach me, i take a step towards him. a disrupting wave is sent ahead, canceling his attack and a few attacks from his guild members. at the same time, i hear group 4 finishing their fight against the members of blackrock who stayed near them and a few members of serpent ?s eye who joined the fight. i feel movement in my shadow and a woman steps out of it, a short dagger glowing in red light, as she moves incredibly fast towards my neck. at the same moment, i feel pressure on me, some sort of gravity magic. [redistribution] slows the woman''s attack to a crawl as i absorb the energy of her movement. she tries to escape into my shadow again, but i disrupt the activation of her skill. they throw more attacks against me, yet i quickly create a barrier that is stronger than ever before. even then, a few cracks start appearing on it as i turn towards the woman, now blocked from the view of the rest of her guild. in front of her, i create an orb. not caring about efficiency, i use [mana infusion] to fill it with mana, then push more with [redistribution], the orb turning into a tricolored one: blue, light blue, and purple mana swirling inside it. i remember you. you''re the one who laughed when he came to our house, i say. she doesn''t answer. oh, obviously, she can''t; i''m holding her movement with [redistribution]. i laugh shortly, sorry, i didn''t realize, i apologize to her. then, strengthening my body and holding the tricolored orb in my hand, i bury it into her chest, blood, and gore exploding on me. but i do not care and leave the orb that starts shining brightly in her chest. this is too easy. the world is as if slowed down, and i take a deep breath in and out. then, fueled by the anger that still keeps burning inside of me, i reach towards my mana reservoir, which is three times the size of my entire mana, and use it for the first time. a few mana arms form within my [mana domain] and grab the men and women closest to me. with just a simple thought i control my mana and the arms tear them apart. limb by limb and i throw them at elydor, amused by his expression. multiple attacks are shot at me, but barriers and shields form immediately out of my mana within the domain. the barriers break but are quickly replaced as i disregard mana expenditure. right now my mana feels truly bottomless. elydor creates orbs that explode, dissipating large amounts of that mana within my domain. a terrifying attack follows, piercing through multiple barriers and throwing me against the wall. a man rushes at me, bright blue tattoos glowing on his body. it''s almost cute. quickly i form ten javelins around me and throw them at the man. he dodges three of them, the fourth hits him and throws him to the side and somehow, he destroys rest of the javelins. i form twenty more of them, each of them of a darker shade of blue than the ones before. by the twelfth one, the man gets pierced by it, the remaining javelins arriving and obliterating his body. a short silence ensues and then a loud thump sounds. five members of elydor''s guild encircle me. elydor as well and he holds a sword that has a beautiful blade seemingly made of transparent crystal. he does something, and all the mana around me gets pulled towards the blade, which starts turning blue to a darker shade of blue and emitting a pale blue light. i block a few attacks and start actively sending mana toward elydor and observing the sword in his hand. such a nice weapon. two women attack me from behind, their bodies covered in some sort of armor made of mana. i just release more mana and form four bigger mana arms that grab them and pull until they are torn in half. again, i throw their bodies at elydor. he shouts something and i can see tears appearing in his eyes. yet he still notices the tricolored orb inside one of the bodies and screams with rage, ordering a barrier to be created while moving at a speed that seems too high for someone with as many stats invested in mana. an explosion follows, accompanied by heat, but there is no implosion, once again canceled by elydor. a few more of his guild members die in the attack, unable to defend against it on their own. what a letdown. elydor starts pulling out and using multiple mana stones, an amulet, and some other equipment, but he doesn''t feel threatening anymore. his attacks are strong, yet they feel desperate, and seeing fear in his face is satisfying, yet disappointing. i expected more of them. the following fight takes barely over a minute. i don''t even have to carefully use my skills, i just radiate as much mana as i need and my attacks are simple enough to be called primitive. just simple mana shaping. there is nothing they can do, unable to deal with my vast amount of mana. their barriers are torn apart by massive mana arms. attacks are blocked with barriers. it''s not pretty and it ?s not efficient. there is no fight of wits, no exchange of skills. it''s just the sheer force of my mana. in the end, four big mana arms appear, tearing away every limb of the serpent''s eye guild master while i ignore his attempts to continue to dodge or defend himself. the man screams, twitches, and tries to attack even in such a state, but to no avail. i let kinetic energy flow from my body and explode his limbs on the ground, reducing them to nothingness. then i throw elydor towards biscuit. (asshole!) a single word resounds, but this time it feels different than usual. purple mana tentacles appear around the corgi, dozens of them, and they grab the man, completely enveloping him. it takes a long time but at the end, the screaming stops and elydor ?s mana signature disappears. i feel mana from obelia of her guild and with a push from my kinetic energy, i move in front of them. stopping at the spot in front of their barrier by absorbing my inertia. obelia and her guild. the storm brigade didn''t join the fight at all, yet now i feel them preparing their mana, ready for anything. it doesn''t feel threatening; it''s more like saying: if you attack, we will fight. i don''t like it. while staring down at them i start releasing more of my mana, taking more from my mana reservoir and using it to pressure them there''s no hesitation in what i am doing, and i''m ready to fight them. to fight and win. the pressure continues to increase on both sides, like two wild animals facing off and growling at each other. obelia says something, and reluctantly, slowly, her guild members, and then she herself, pull back their mana, deactivate their skills, and abandon their combat-ready stances. only then do i feel satisfied. i send one more strong pulse of mana through the tunnels and stop using my mana. i pull all my mana back to my body, copying something i saw elydor do and soon it all disappears as if it never existed. a long sigh escapes my mouth, and i feel my face revert to its usual expression. i turn back to group 4 and my domain reaches them again, once again countering the attack of the living tree. Chapter 206: Out of the tunnels chapter 206: out of the tunnels everyone from group 4 seems to be fine; there are some wounds, but nothing terrible. unsurprisingly, they were able to deal with a few enemies even though most of them were at higher levels than our group. i would be surprised if it didn''t end up the way it did. they totally decimated poor blackrock and a few members of serpent''s eye that were nearby. lily, would you mind? i might need a bit of healing, i say, leaning against the wall and sliding to the ground. immediately, a petite black-haired girl stops healing hadwin''s hands and comes rushing to me. wow, lily, that''s harsh. she sits down next to me and puts her hand on my shoulder, and soon i can feel her warm mana flowing inside my body. i''m also keeping plenty of thermal energy flowing through me to have my passive skill activated, and with lily''s healing, i''m quickly getting better. while sitting there, i check on my mana reservoir, and there''s still around thirty percent of its total size left. not bad. i mean, i could use my mana more efficiently, but it was worth it. i look up, just in time to see biscuit throwing elydor''s body far away into the tunnel. such a good boy. for a few minutes, no one says anything, just continuing to calm down and letting me rest a bit while i keep the living tree''s particles from reaching us. i''m getting quite good at it, am i not? my mood is also much better now, and even though some of the remaining people inside the tunnel seem to have grim faces, i''m not worried at all. obviously, i already know what i will do. if i didn''t, i would''ve endured the past few weeks for nothing and ended up disappointed in myself. tess and haddy, being as reliable as they are, are already looting the corpses of serpent''s eye. some of the items survived the fight, some of them of really high rarity, and then there''s also a chest and a few items they got from champion''s house. i notice a few greedy glances from storm brigade, but no one does anything, so group 4 collects a pretty sizable pile of items, mana stones, and some other valuables. temporarily, they take some items to use, and the rest they put on a pile closer to the barrier, packed and ready to be moved. i suppose you do have a plan? obelia moves closer, accompanied by one of her aides. neither of them is using mana. seeing her act so respectfully feels weird, but not in a bad way. obelia is smart, smarter than elydor, and even though she didn''t help, she didn''t underestimate me. it makes me wonder what she would think knowing that my level is lower than even that of the aide next to her. actually, should i tell her? it would be fun to watch. yes i have a plan, i will need the biggest mana stone you have for that, i say shamelessly even though there are plenty of mana stones we got from looting serpent''s eye. obelia hands me two of them. the ones that are even worth more than the ones worth a few hundred thousand dollars. two more, and that weird mana stone you guys got from the champion''s house, i ask. even though her aide seems about to complain, obelia just does so. she reaches into her inner pocket and gives me three mana stones, and even that nice, spheric mana stone i saw them get from the manor an item densely covered in mana circuits that i identify as epic grade. she doesn''t even hesitate, and her eyes are calm and decisive as she does so. she is simply paying me to help get her out as well. i bet i could get even more if i asked, but i think it''s better to create a good relationship with her. i really like her decisiveness and her logical thinking. it will take a while, maybe an hour or two, and then we can go on, i tell her. the only thing i do is [focus] to create as strong a burst of mana as i can without having my body torn apart, relying on the mana stone to do the hard work instead of my body enduring. the stone crumbles and the barrier only wobbles slightly, an amazing result compared to two big guilds being unable to do even that over two weeks, yet the barrier is still here. well, this is awkward. i reach out with an open palm towards obelia. without hesitating, she places another mana stone in the palm of my hand, and i get back to inscribing. it takes a few more days and two more tries to finally succeed. when the tear finally appears in the barrier, everyone rushes out, and then we continue to run without looking back. we run until we get out of the tunnels through a hidden passageway. yet no one celebrates. as quickly as we can, we get to the array we used to arrive there, and obelia and a few of her members start putting mana stones into the circle and operating it with their weird item. the entire time, the remainder of us face the old capital, staring at the living tree. even now, the city is entirely covered in a spherical barrier that seems to glow. it takes a few more minutes, and the barrier starts to expand. slowly, but surely, it grows bigger and bigger, covering more and more of the area around the city. that prompts the members of storm brigade to move faster, their movements urgent and exchanging short shouts while obelia, with a calm demeanor, leads them. when the circle finally activates, the barrier isn''t even that far off, and i welcome the feeling of falling as we get transferred away. we don''t find ourselves back on the circle near virelia we used for transport; instead, it''s a circle somewhere on the plains, and far in the distance, i can see mountains, anthills, the territory of good ol'' bus-sized ants. "we didn''t have time to pick the exact location," obelia says to us, "but we should be able to get to virelia fairly soon, so i think that much is fine." "sounds good," i tell her, and finally, there is more relief that i feel. looking at the items group 4 carries, i can''t wait to examine them all. "weird, they never leave their territory," i hear someone say and feel goosebumps on my back. oh no. tess also looks towards where obelia is looking and activates her [farsight]. "they aren''t that far away from the anthills," tess says to obelia. the guild master of storm brigade looks at tess and nods, "they are not. but even this is weird. i don''t think i ever heard of any ant leaving their territory." it''s fine. "miss, i think we should leave and maybe inform other guilds. they will want to set up some watches to observe their movements. just in case," the voice of obelia''s guild member is worried. it''s totally fine. Chapter 207: Boop chapter 207: boop tess''s gaze burns on the back of my head the entire time we are moving towards the city, and i don''t know why she does that. i did nothing wrong. everyone would have done the same. everyone should do the same and throw a few fire orbs into the tunnels. as we enter the city, obelia gives me a small mana stone that contains the address of her guild and different ways to contact her. it can also be given to the guards who should let her know that it''s me looking for her in case it happens. she also mentions that elydor''s death will create a lot of mess and looks at me as if expecting me to do something. knowing how much trouble it would be to get involved in this mess, i just wave my hand, not bothered by her look that tries to guilt-trip me into doing something. i will see you around and thanks, she says, and then leaves with her guild members.n??vl-b1n was the first platform to present this chapter. our guild does the same, and we quickly rush to our house. when we finally get there, everyone disappears to take long showers, leaving all the loot in the middle of the living room. items most likely worth more than some people can imagine just sit there: on the carpet, against the wall, thrown on the table. without a care in the world. it''s somewhat amusing to see items that caused so many deaths and took so much time for serpent''s eye to plan and acquire. we suffered over two weeks in a dark tunnel, constantly worried about getting killed, yet right now, they aren''t even worth more than a shower. i look at biscuit, what do you think? (sustenance?) the small corgi asks. yes, we will buy you a lot of food, i tell him. he woofs, and it somehow sounds thankful. then, after checking that everyone is still away, i kneel down to get my face closer to him. for a moment, i just look at this cheeky, yet gentle doggo and remember how they treated him while i was deep in [focus] and blocking my emotions to protect everyone. i''m sorry i let them do those things to you, i whisper carefully, still worried someone might hear it. then i carefully touch and pet his head. that makes biscuit stop swinging his tail, and he looks directly into my eyes. i continue to pet his head, once again feeling the rage for how he and others were treated. i know i did it to protect them, but it still feels wrong. i would never let them treat you like that, without really good reason. i continue to whisper, after once again checking that no one is around. telling anyone who could respond normally would feel way too weird and be too difficult for me. but with biscuit, it''s somewhat easy. so, thank you for enduring, i finish and boop his nose, but only once. in response, biscuit starts hovering and slowly floats higher until his eyes are at the same level as mine. for a while, he just looks at me in that way, his eyes feeling much more intelligent than back then on the 1st floor. then he lifts up his right front paw and touches my nose with it, a movement similar to how i always boop his nose. he doesn''t say anything, but his eyes seem gentler than ever. i wait until everyone is back in the living room, and only then do i tell them to wait for me and not to touch any items until i''m back. the boys seem to be extremely unhappy and excited to go through the items, but their slightly angry looks that follow me as i walk upstairs only make me more powerful. i need to do something petty like that to feel manly once again. epic items are something that can be taken away; a passive is something that i will keep, hopefully forever, and looking at them being twice as expensive as items of the same rarity, the system seems to agree with me. before i get another item, i pull out the spheric mana stone i got from obelia and check it as well. mana core sphere (epic):this enigmatic sphere contains a pulsing core that can be filled with mana, which then resonates with other magical energies nearby. when activated, it can disperse a wave of mana that temporarily silences the magical abilities of foes in the vicinity. did i back then feel that its effect is similar to [resonance] and that''s why i asked obelia to give it to me? i will check it and its effect before deciding if i give up on it. the item seemingly can create lasting disruption so that''s something worth examining. i put it away and take the last epic item from min-jae. darkstride ring (epic):this ring is imbued with a dark enchantment that allows the wearer to step into the shadows and reappear a short distance away in a different shadow, effectively granting the ability to blink through shadows for a tactical advantage. curious, i put it on my finger and send mana inside the ring, then, following the feeling, i activate it and reach towards the closest shadow near me. i feel as if my body elongates and turns into a blur, and i enter the shadow, and while inside it, i feel something like a sort of connection towards the shadows in the room. the more i send mana into it, the further shadows are connected to me. to test it, i exit the shadow and then enter it again to return to my original spot. wow, izzy looks at me with big eyes and reaches to take the ring off my finger, to which i pull my hand away, much to her annoyance. i like it but also have a feeling that if i take it, i will start relying on it instead of trying to improve my [tether] and my anchors. it''s also weirdly limiting in comparison to my skill. in the end, i put it on the table, and sophie immediately moves it further away from little isabella, who tries to take it. as for the rare grade items that we got, i don''t even look at them. there are probably some i would still find useful or interesting, but in the end, their rarity will limit them strongly and would soon end up being useless to me. selling them to the system might be a good idea, but the system drastically reduces the prices of items, so we wouldn''t get many shards. it probably is better to try to sell them through the auctions in virelia and then attempt to buy even better items or just save money for something interesting. how about the chest? i ask the twins, pointing to the chest near them. the one that two of elydor''s men had to carry, even with their strong bodies, and that made him so happy. we couldn''t open it at all, dennis shakes his head. there is no lock, and even sophie didn''t sense any mana from it, nor could she do anything, aaron adds. oh, isn''t that interesting? i stand up and move towards the chest to observe it. it''s made of a black wood-like material, yet it''s heavy. either the material is very dense, or the item inside is really heavy. it''s not that big, but big enough for a short sword, dagger, a bunch of books, or a piece of armor. anything could be in there. slowly, i go through most of my skills that might help me get inside, yet nothing works. even kinetic and thermal energy doesn''t make a difference, and something tells me that even if i go all out, it won''t change. lily? i turn towards her with a question. i already tried. [disintegration] didnt do anything, she says. this is what surprises me the most. lily''s skill is something that even made lissandra hesitate. yes, the cockroach-like absolute wasn''t at her strongest, not even close to it, but even so, it shows how scary the potential of that skill is. looking at the chest, i feel my hopes rising. knowing that we were going to the manor of the champion, i hoped for items with a higher rarity than epic, maybe even similar to peacemaker or sword of aeons from the second floor, yet we only found epic items. but looking at the chest, i feel my loot goblin side awakening. i usually don''t care much about items, but heck, even i''m attracted to shiny ones like the valorplate that one of the calamities wears, or maybe the one inside the chest. no matter how many months or years it will take, i will find a way to get it out! Chapter 208: Fallen guild chapter 208: fallen guild two days have passed during which life has become quite peaceful. no one leaves for hunting, and they enter the city only in larger groups as we wait for the consequences of destroying the leadership of one of the 5 big guilds of virelia. yup, myrra did promise to deal with the consequences, but i''ll believe that when i see it. meanwhile, i spend some time trying to get into the chest, yet unsuccessfully. i use the underground area that the house has, which is shielded. it''s quite large and durable, so i even use some stronger attacks, yet the chest resists. i don''t sense anything from it; there''s no keyhole, and it still looks like black wood. even lily, with her terrifying skill, is unable to do anything. she tries to boost it by using [sacrifice], and her entire arm disappears while she reduces the area of the skill and makes it stronger at a smaller point. she doesn''t even blink as her arm is used to boost the skill and only says that it will grow back and that she was able to gain a level in the skill. as i''ve said and as i will repeat until biscuit takes over the earth as the first and strongest animal overlord: no one from group 4 is normal. not a single soul. i, nathaniel gwyn, am the most normal here. another thing i do is work on coordinates with sophie. down in the tunnels under the old capital, i gained some experience and learned a thing or two, so there is progress. sophie, bored because she can''t hunt, also spends plenty of time working with me. i can smell it; just a few weeks and i will be rich! a lot of shards rich. during the past two days, i also tested the mana core sphere, and i was right: it works like [resonance] and it scales with how much mana i use to activate the item. when i use a lot of it, the effect becomes terrifying. with my skill, i currently can''t cover that large an area, and i can''t activate it in one push that would cover a huge area. the item doesn''t have such limitations; i can send a huge chunk of my mana into it and activate it. obviously, i didn''t test it properly. i have a feeling that if i use enough mana, i should be able to cover the area of the entire city. damn, what is it, a mana variant of emp? to balance it out and not make the item too powerful, the effect is a bit weaker than my [resonance] when it comes to single target raw power and using the same amount of mana. the efficiency isn''t nearly as good. then there''s the fact that it leaves a lingering disruptive effect on the target, and that''s something that i really like and the main reason why i''m messing with the item. it''s an effect i want to learn to duplicate. i could probably get it from a skill upgrade, but [resonance] is one of the skills that i want to master on my own, as i consider it one of my strongest ones. so that''s the mana core sphere, and i also have the ethercrystal saber. for someone else, it would be an amazing item, but i''m terrible when it comes to using weapons like swords or actually any other weapon. i never had the opportunity to learn, and i could see the difference in skill when i fought with someone at least a bit skilled. where they used technique, i relied on my aggressive attacks and the power of my body strengthened with mana. now that i think about it, it might be possible to hire someone in virelia to teach me at least the basics so i should do that. i reach out and pull the sword out of its sheath, revealing a beautiful transparent white blade that seems to be made from crystal. it looks delicate, yet i tested it, and it''s extremely durable. would you like to touch it? myrra asks, her golden eyes glowing with amusement as she catches me looking. yes, i say shamelessly. i''m not even lying. the same way i''m booping biscuit''s nose, i want to touch her tail and even pull on it, just to annoy her. my answer seems to surprise her greatly, probably expecting me to get all nervous and apologize. after freezing for a bit, her tail starts twitching from side to side, showing her amusement. this is why you are so fun, feral one, she leans a bit closer, her eyes looking dangerous for a moment. as always, she decides to ignore my name and just continues to call me "feral one." myrra then doesn''t otherwise react to my answer to her offer, and we enter an estate with a big manor-like building at the end of a pathway that is on both sides surrounded by beautiful, well-taken-care-of trees. slowly, we walk through the pathway until we reach the manor-like building. the closer we get, the more details i notice. broken doors, shattered windows, cracked walls, deep gouges in the ground, destroyed trees. there''s even an entire part of the house that''s missing, looking as if there was an explosion. we enter through the door, and there are corpses of men and women on the ground, blood everywhere. the inside of the manor is also destroyed, burned, and with small craters everywhere. this is the guild house of serpent''s eye, feral one. can you guess what happened? i don''t even have to think for long. most likely their enemies took revenge after finding out the guild master or elites of the guild died, i answer her. close, this happened as well, but do you know what''s funny? the fights started the moment the guild learned about the death of elydor. guild members fought each other to get the treasures the guild master locked away. killing people they knew for years, just for a few more mana stones or an item or two, myrra still looks amused. she pokes one of the broken chairs with her feet, only after they were done looting did the enemies come, and more fights started. there was this one human i really liked, arrogant, prideful, and with powerful skills. he was one of the first to start looting, and he killed the man he''d worked with for five years. there was no hesitation at all, her expression is difficult to read as she says, he got all the best things, he fought bravely, but in the end, he lost. he begged, he cried, and he tried to negotiate. but nothing helped, and he died just like that. the tall lynthari with white hair looks around as if searching for the right words, then just sighs, shaking her head. she continues, in the end, he was just a fake. someone pretending to be something he''s not. so tell me, feral one. is your behavior just a mask you show, and when things become hard, will you cry and ask for mercy? there''s only one way to find out, i answer her. her eyes examine me for a bit longer, and she nods in the end. yes, there''s only one way to find out, she agrees. then she decides to change the subject and drops a bomb on me, but now to the reason we came here, allow me to officially congratulate angry kittens for becoming one of the 5 big guilds of virelia and replacing serpent''s eye in their place. huh. what? Chapter 209: Poking a cat chapter 209: poking a cat for a moment, i try to determine if myrra is joking, but it doesn''t seem like it. even her tail seems to confirm what she said. it''s not moving nervously, just gently swaying from side to side, showing her interest. her fluffy tail wouldn''t lie to me, right? that sounds unreasonable? i say to her. i agree, she moves and sits on a chair nearby, ignoring the craters around, burned walls, and holes in the ceiling. her ears perk up slightly, and the light that falls on her face makes the scar that goes horizontally through it more visible. the main requirement to be able to be called a big guild is to be strong enough or have a strong member that could rival the power of an entire guild. surprisingly, the guild master of storm brigade said that your guild shouldn''t have a problem with that. so tell me, feral one, is it you who is strong enough that you made me sense fear even from proud obelia? her eyes glint as she stares at me, surrounded by all this destruction.0v3l.b11n. we are not interested in becoming a big guild, i ignore her question and answer. unsurprisingly, being the weirdo that she is, it only seems to make her even more curious. in a similar way as i watch her, she also continues to observe me. myrra watches every move i make, she stares at my eyes, and she keeps probing with her mana senses, trying to get a funny response from me. much like a human annoying a grumpy cat to get a reaction from it. very few would refuse that offer. what''s your reason? she asks. it sounds annoying, i answer honestly, we have no time to bother with politics and other guilds. what if i told you it would be more fun this way? myrra leans backward on the chair that is made for humans, not lynthari, and it seems it''s about to break, as a big guild, there are some rules others would need to follow to bother you. rules set by lynthari. small guilds don''t enjoy such luxury. was this her plan all along? why? i ask. as i said, feral one, i want you to rise to the top, i want to see you shine brighter than anyone else. through your own power, your will. and i really want to see if you will break or if you''re the real deal. she stands up, and the chair behind her instantly turns to ashes as flames roar around her. the flames are strong enough to start melting the stone under her feet and set ablaze all the furniture or cloth around us. not overly bothered, i just use [redistribution] and absorb the heat that reaches me, which would have burned me terribly if i hadn''t done anything about it. myrra takes another step closer to me, her flames stronger and the heat is directed at me, i want you to show me what you''re capable of, she hisses, showing a surprising amount of emotion, unexpected from someone hundreds of years old. i don''t like it. a burst of kinetic energy explodes from me at the center. i make it more blunt than sharp, and myrra is thrown away from me, crashing through the wall with a surprised squeak. immediately from my shadow, her bodyguard steps up, but i already know this skill. the moment he fully emerges, [resonance] disrupts his attack, and with a kick, i send him flying out of the window of the manor. i don''t like how everyone here thinks they can mess with me. i redirect more of my mana towards the kinetic mana heart and turn all generated energy from kinetic into thermal, continuing to compress it while walking slowly towards where i kicked myrra. tall lynthari is already on her feet, unhurt, but blue flames blazing around her. she is smiling. i send disrupting mana into the room, not allowing her guard to use any shadows around, and then release all the heat i collected, pressing it all against myrra. for a while, she fights against it, her own flames pushing against my own. the manor is melting around us, being set ablaze. the air dries, cracks appear in the walls, and furniture turns to dust. elydor, partially obelia, myrra, every single one of them wants me to move according to their will. just leave me alone. my flames turn golden, devouring myrra''s flames and pushing her to her knees. the tall lynthari hisses and more of her mana is released, this time in the form of chill that fights against the flames, the temperature in the room turning ice cold. unfortunately, something tells me not all of them would react to it as myrra did. she seems to be weird even for a lynthari. well, at least i showed her that there are limits to how far she can push. but i also dislike that she still held back, her bodyguard too. i almost got caught up in the fight and took the fight seriously. what would i do without good ol'' mr. [focus]? unlike on earth where i had more reasons to stay calm and control myself, it''s a bit harder to reason such behavior here. sure, i could do so; i was always good at that even without the skill i can control my emotions pretty well. the problem might be that i often catch myself not wanting to do it. venting once in a while is a nice compromise, isn''t it? as i walk through the streets, i find myself not wanting to return so soon. lately, i was constantly surrounded by people. talking with them, training with them, helping them stay alive down in the tunnel. seeing so many people pass by, and hearing them talk and enjoy their day somewhat drains me even more than usual. i still somewhat enjoy group 4''s company; it''s just that i feel like taking a break. not a long one, just a day or two. so instead of going back, i change direction and walk towards one of the giant trees. i''ve been curious about them ever since i got here. should i check them out? i use [focus] to filter out the sounds of people around me, and even their presence stops feeling so pressuring. the world loses some of its life but becomes a bit more comfortable to me. only in my own company, i continue walking down the street. pov isabella martinez what do you mean that he probably won''t be coming back so soon, izzy? lily asks me. she feels funny, all these emotions she tries to hide and show at the same time. pff, you guys couldn''t even see it! but he was slowly getting more and more annoyed! i explain to them. old people are dumb so i have to. annoyed? lily asks again. i ignore the not-as-old-as-others but still dumb lily and look around for biscuit. as he often does, he is sitting on the couch spot where nathaniel likes to sit. annoying! biscuit is only mine! when i get to him, i use my skill to connect to him and he allows me to do so. biscuit feels safe. safer than anyone else. like there is no evil in him. he must have been an angel in his past life. i hug him and he lets me. izzy, what did you mean by ''annoyed''? soph asks. you guys talk too much, are around him too often, ask him too many questions, i pet biscuit while talking to them, he likes to be alone sometimes. we don''t know how long myrra will take him, but he won''t be gone for too long. a few days at most, so there''s no need to worry, it''s tess who said that. tess is... weird. she''s not as dumb as the others and sometimes she feels scary. but it''s fine; nathaniel also feels scary, yet never towards his friends. and i''m his friend too! i think. "are we also friends, biscuit?" i ask. (food?) he says and i read his intention. "yes, i will get you anything you want!" (asshole.) he says louder so everyone can hear and i can feel gentleness from him. he even creates a purple mana arm and pets my head! "soph! did you hear? he called me his friend!" Chapter 210: Young guildmaster of Veilwalkers chapter 210: young guildmaster of veilwalkers only a few minutes pass since i left myrra when i realize that something is not right. there''s that weird feeling that keeps bothering me. something has changed, and it takes me a few moments to realize what it is. the sword i held in the sheath in my hand is gone.n??vl-b1n was the first platform to present this chapter. huh? i open and close my hands, but it''s really gone; my hand is empty. did i get robbed? immediately, i send a strong pulse into my area, detecting all the signatures around me, looking for something suspicious, maybe a phantom deer or something. or another corgi with amazing camouflage. the sword still holds some mana that it absorbed from myrra, so i locate it fairly quickly. not caring about the reactions around me, i boost myself high into the air and land on the roof of a nearby house. from there, i run towards where the signature is. what i find there is a man in a cloak with his face covered by a cape. [veilstriker - lvl ??] oh, so at least level 182 or higher. it''s amazing how quickly you noticed, almost the moment i took it away from you, his voice is soft as he waves my sword he holds in his hand at me, you are the first one. not even obelia was able to. the man throws the sword at me, and i let it land on the roof in front of me. i send a short pulse of disrupting mana at it, destroying whatever mark he left on it. only then do i take it from the ground and dash at the man, boosting my body and even pushing myself with kinetic energy generated by my kinetic mana heart. as i reach him, i send a thin cone of kinetic energy at his head. the man dodges; his cape turning into a weird blur. more than being made from cloth, it looks like it''s made from pitch-black shadow or smoke. i track him with [perception] and [redistribution] activates to full power, trying to absorb movement from the man and make him slow down. surprisingly, it doesn''t work; it''s like my skill is slipping on him, unable to grab him. i release more mana into the area and continue to observe his skill while he is dodging cones of kinetic energy. when i have a grasp on his mana, i send a pulse of [resonance] into the area, and finally, [redistribution] takes a grip on him, slowing his body to a crawl; his strength isn''t enough to fight against it. i push myself closer and direct a strong kick at him while more shadow-like substance forms in his hand, and he stabs at me. i don''t dodge and just create a shield-like barrier in front of the attack. it cracks after getting hit, but that''s when my kick hits him and sends him crashing against the chimney nearby. the man bounces off the chimney, leaving cracks in it, and a more shadow-like substance surrounds him, shaping into spikes that stab at me as i rush at him again. another pulse of [resonance], modified especially against the man, dissolves the attack, and i kick him again, sending him rolling on the roof. while doing so, i again have this weird feeling and grip the sword in my hand tighter, disrupting whatever he is trying to do. nice one, i can hear the smile in his voice as he stops rolling after my kick and stands up. the shadow-like substance that separated from his body as i kicked him, now like smoke behind me, becomes dense again and another spike is created, stabbing at my head from behind. such a funny guy. i pull the ethercrystal shortsword from the scabbard and slash against the attack, the white crystal blade turning black and absorbing the mana. at the same time, i change the setting on my mana regulator, and nearly all my mana is automatically used through the reinforcement construct to strengthen my body. i enter deep [focus] to be able to handle my increased speed, and the world around me turns into a blur. i reach the man so quickly that he doesn''t even have time to react as i grab his hand and absorb my own kinetic energy to stop the inertia of my movement. the man shows amazing reflexes and activates multiple skills: shadow-like spikes, his body becomes stronger, and he tries to use something similar to when i''m using [tether]. shadow spikes reach my body, and i don''t even dodge, watching them stop and only slightly poke my skin, unable to reach further into my body that is boosted by the entirety of my mana. i disrupt his attempts to teleport and even send disrupting mana into his body, making him lose control over his skills. are you dumb? do you even have any idea how much something like that is worth? there are just over ten epic items in the entire virelia! he shouts at me. huh, he is quite hotheaded for an assassin-like type, isn''t he? i take one of his rare daggers and break it just with the strength of my body boosted with my mana. i do it because he annoyed me. afterwards i let him strengthen his body again as he tries to attack me one more time and kick, sending him flying against another chimney. after that, i walk back to where i left myrra. feral one, are you actively trying to make things difficult for yourself? look, he asked for it, and how the hell is someone like that even a guild master? lorven, the guildmaster of veilwalkers, is young, but extremely talented and with a powerful skill. there''s even a rumor his guild has a few pieces of epic equipment. myrra pauses as i put the man''s dagger on the table, and she inspects it, it''s his dagger, isn''t it? she asks. yup. are you going to return it? she asks. probably, for a price. assholes like him would be too annoying to deal with if they went against my group. can you handle it? ask a lot of money from him to get it back, and you can keep 20 percent of it, i tell her. fifty percent, myrra says shamelessly and takes the dagger, and i will get as much as possible. looking at her, she probably doesn''t even need the money but does it just for the fun of it. fine, i tell her. myrra continues to quietly think while observing the long sharp dagger in her hands; the blade''s color slightly shifts from pitch black to light gray as the light falls on it. there are only very few epic items in the entire virelia, around two-thirds owned by lynthari and one-third by humans. and now there are you and obelia, who both brought back a few epic items each if i''m right in my calculations. her golden eyes move from the dagger back to me, then to the sword i hold, and then to the mana stone that is in the inner pocket under my clothes. things will become interesting, myrra''s tail swings again as she says so. annoying, i want to correct her, but i give up. well, it''s time for me to bullshit my way through all of this. angry kittens will become one of the big five, i tell myrra. lorven is easy to deal with as my skills counter him, obelia seems to overestimate my level because of the amount of mana i possess. with a bit of luck, the other two guild masters will be the same, and i will troll the entire virelia into thinking i''m the biggest dog there before i become strong enough to deal with all of them at once. i ignore myrra''s excited reaction and interrupt her, so, i would like to meet with every guild master. talk a bit, maybe make some deals. or maybe beat them up. funnily enough, showing strength often works best in these situations. just enough for them not to want to mess with me. they are all over 200, but i''m not that worried. i''m long since used to fighting opponents of a much higher level, and my skill set makes me really versatile. my constructs, kinetic and thermal energy, disrupting mana, boosting my body with a stupidly large amounts of mana, my high ability to detect stuff, and concentrate. i don''t have any glaring weaknesses, so i trust myself that i can do it. but only that much wouldn''t be enough. they could try to kill me secretly, join together to do so, or threaten me by hurting my group. so there''s one more thing i can do. i have an offer for them, i say to myrra. they are human, and human needs are easy to read. i just need to dangle a shiny, nice thing in front of them. something they won''t be able to get without my full help. something that will be much more valuable to them than just messing with me. tell them i will kill the living tree. that simple sentence makes myrra shut up entirely and stare at me with her mouth open, in the middle of the sentence, and myrra, please, explain to them what it means. they will move how i want, and i will milk this floor dry, if the calamity is dead, all the stuff in the entire old capital will be for us to take. Chapter 211: Spellsmith chapter 211: spellsmith you can''t be serious, feral one. this is not something that''s simple to do, nor is it something to joke about. myrra waves her hand, gesturing at something. i stay silent. the calamity can''t be killed, and it doesn''t matter if it''s the colony, the living tree, or the fallen hero. none of them can be killed by us, not anymore. i continue to listen. do you even have any idea how many times we have tried? even before i was born, there were hundreds of attempts, yet every single one failed, leaving us weaker and weaker. no one will join you and... i will kill it alone. she pauses, and the air becomes heavy, the silence taking over the room. her eyes seem to be trying to bore holes into my head. obviously, i need some time to prepare. most likely several months for preparations, and then help to get there. after that, everyone can leave. i return her gaze and notice that she''s looking at my veins, my chest, my eyes. is she trying to gauge if i''m lying, to see if my pulse has increased? feral one, i do think you are powerful, but what you''re saying is... impossible. moreover, you''ve already annoyed multiple powerful people, and they''ll see it as you dangling a promise you don''t intend to keep, just to buy some time from their revenge. then just help me set up a meeting with these people and let them decide after hearing me out. that much should be simple to do, i shrug my shoulders. i watch as myrra''s tail sways from side to side, this time in an annoyed manner. damn, i really want to touch that tail and pull on it. how do you plan to kill the living tree? she asks me. i stay quiet, and myrra seems to grow even more annoyed. it''s quite funny, to be honest. no matter how much she likes to observe people and their reactions to surprises or new things, she gets annoyed if she doesn''t understand or can''t control something. i think that''s a trait many powerful people share C people not used to being denied or not being in control. just imagine, myrra. the old capital without the calamity defending it. all the items, all the riches, all that history. i''m sure some powerful people escaped with their items, but our last expedition showed that there''s still plenty left, i tap on my chest pocket where i''m hiding a mana core sphere and gesture at the sword i hold. i''m curious if that might interest her. she has some nice items and likes to wear expensive clothes and jewelry. i watch her a bit longer and then change my mind, no, i don''t think so. myrra wants something else. imagine living during the era when one of the calamities fell. you being one of the few lynthari that helped with that, i lower my voice to a whisper and move a bit closer to her, maybe we could even do it secretly, without other lynthari knowing i say. she is dead silent, with neither her tail nor her ears moving. she just stares at me, her breathing speeding up almost imperceptibly, but i can see it while in my [focus]. myrra, can you imagine yourself coming to the other lynthari after everything is done and telling them the calamity is dead? my voice is so quiet i can barely hear it, but i''m sure she can, imagine observing all those lynthari. most of them hundreds of years old, experienced, bored. imagine all of them reacting C shocked, panicking, curious, annoyed, angered. all of them. her eyes are dreamy, her mouth slightly open. and then there''s you, myrra, a lynthari who helped make it happen. who saw it happen. i whisper in her ear, and i''ll be there with you. a human who accomplished all of that, walking by your side, treating you with respect, complimenting you, saying that it would be impossible without... out of nowhere, she shoves me away, and i absorb my inertia to make myself stop before hitting the wall. myrra is staring at me. she''s breathing heavily, audibly enough for me to hear. her tail is oddly twisted, and her ears are lowered. dangerous, you are very dangerous, feral one, she displays her sharp canines, as if ready to attack me. her mana is swirling wildly. before i can say anything else, she swiftly turns to leave, i''ll think about it and will let you know in a few days! myrra disappears, almost as if running away. i''ve always been good at reading people. there are certain feelings that i read well, and some not as much. sometimes i detect a feeling they have, but i can''t comprehend it. for instance, there''s min-jae. i know he views me somewhat like an older brother; he looks up to me to the point where i''ve noticed him observing my movements and mimicking some of my behaviors. he adopts a similar stance, tries to have a similar haircut, or wears clothes akin to mine. he constantly observes me, as if trying to learn. min-jae admires me. i can discern that much, but i don''t understand why. obviously longer. the better the mana stone, the harder it is to work with them, to force your circuits and etch them inside. more valuable stones have some resistance, and it''s hard to infuse your mana into them and then even harder to etch the pathways. he puts a few stones on the table. the highest value ones could be around ten thousand dollars'' worth back on earth and lowest value one only a few dollars. this one is what we usually work with. there are maybe five people who can work on more expensive ones given enough preparation and a few months of time. i think one of the best is a man called elydor, so try looking for him if you want to learn more. there are also very few people who can even work on this one, he shows me the one worth ten thousand dollars, and i''m one of them. i see, it really sounds respectable, i answer him. the entire time, i think. i did work on the mana stone that obelia gave me. i don''t even know how much it was worth, but surely much more than the one i took from hadwin and tess. the ones i took from them were worth one or two hundred thousand dollars. yet i was able to work with them. is this why obelia gave me such weird looks? i take out one of my mana stones, the one worth ten thousand dollars, and put it in front of the man, so how would you usually work on it? let''s say i want to make a heating stone from it. well, young man, i would call you dumb and ask you why you need a heating stone that only people with terrifyingly high mana can feed and why you need to heat up or burn an entire house, he smiles at me while reaching towards the stone and gestures for me to watch. the older man is not careful at all; there isn''t even a speck of distrust, nor is he worried about the mana stones he put on the table. he just seems genuinely happy to talk about his craft and share some knowledge. you seem to be well off, so forgive me for actually taking your word and showing you how it works on something so wasteful, he seems excited. not a problem, i answer him. i know that the moment we etch the circuits, it will be difficult to use the stone for anything else. it''s impossible to delete them and start over with the stone. you can only build on what''s already etched or scratch it, leaving imperfections on the stone. that''s something i have learned from my testing. curious to see how it''s traditionally done, i watch as he does it, carefully and precisely, doing calculations where i did it by feel. he explains how some things change from stone to stone and identifies the imperfections each stone has and how to avoid the most common ones. he shares all his knowledge without any worry in the world, voicing things i was always curious about and explaining things i had noticed and how they usually work around them. where i was guided by feel and by what i learned from ruining mana stones, he follows knowledge. not noticing the passage of time, we spend hours working on the stone, changing it, improving it, and clashing in our opinions, and i would like to say that i have shown him something new, just as he taught me a lot. i absorb all that knowledge, and it doesn''t even feel forced. for me, it''s fun the same way moving mana is. i''m creating something new, something with my own powers. when i finally notice the passage of time, it''s already morning. we spent the entire night working on the mana stone, and in the end, it''s not just a simple heater. well, if it isn''t the most efficient heating stone there ever was, he giggles excitedly like a small child. thermal mana core (rare):a refined variant of its lesser counterpart, this mana crystal boasts expertly crafted circuits. when filled with mana, it emanates a warmth, enhancing its heat-transmuting capabilities. the stone we worked on now can extremely efficiently turn mana into heat. where smaller stones waste around 40% of mana, this one wastes only around 5%. another thing is that it can handle much more mana, and someone with a big enough mana pool most likely can use it to melt iron or burn an entire building. it''s like gaining a fire skill of their own; the only disadvantage is that that person would be in the heat as well. thank you, i answer honestly. i have learned a lot from the old man. i put two mana stones of the same value we worked on, on the table, and he immediately starts complaining. no, no, i can''t take it, that''s too much. just... he says, seemingly embarrassed. i''m rich, i tell him simply. he stops in shock, staring at me like i''m some weird animal, and then starts laughing. in that case, i would like one more, the old man says cheekily. oh, i quite like him. two more, and i''ll be taking some of your smaller stones, i say as i put out two more mana stones. deal, he says, a smile still on his face. Chapter 212: Young lynthari chapter 212: young lynthari virelia during the morning is different from the night. the colorful lights turn off and people return to the streets, filling them with life. humans are everywhere, going about their lives, merchants open their shops, and couples walk around holding hands. and there are those annoying lynthari once again. oh my, look at him. his expression! a group of lynthari surrounds me and one of the women starts gushing. isn''t he annoyed? i would swear he was about to roll his eyes, another one says. as always, they are weird, yet they do not touch me; they don''t force me to do anything. they are just annoying. his eyes are pretty, another one says. should i find a way to change their color? maybe lily can do it for me. i''m sorry, i have something to do, so... i tell them. i would translate that as: can you fuck off already? one of them says, making the others laugh, seemingly not minding it at all. then i make a mistake. i release some of my mana to show them my level and exert pressure on them. it''s not an attack, at most something like baring teeth or hissing. and oh boy, that makes them even more excited. oh my, so cute! one of the lunatics exclaims. she doesn''t care that she is the lowest level out of her group and i could kill her with a single attack. she''s like a fool calling a black bear a dawg and wanting to pet it. i guess that''s what the unspoken rule of never hurting lynthari does to you. not seeing any other option, i use my skill to push myself high onto the roof and escape. my most dangerous weakness, extroverts, still exist and this time it''s an entire race of those weirdos. maybe the system is doing it on purpose. maybe this is the second trial of beyond masked as the 4th floor. that''s how dangerous extroverted beings are. it''s unnatural to be so friendly and talkative. there was some mistake in evolution and something went terribly wrong for something like this to happen. and it''s still morning, like, what the heck. be sleepy and grumpy like normal people after waking up. sending my senses into the area, i notice a signature i haven''t felt so far and, led by curiosity, i move a bit closer towards its source. when i get closer, i''m surprised to see a lynthari, but this time, this lynthari is just a small kid. a girl even shorter than me, the first child of that race i''ve seen. she has red hair and a tail and ears of the same color. unlike adults, her tail is even fluffier, and she walks on the street alone, without any worry in the world. like a wild animal, she senses my gaze and her eyes locate me nearly immediately. her eyes are piercingly blue. [riftwalker - lvl 87] the lynthari girl smiles at me and takes a step, disappearing from where she stands and reappearing behind me, stepping out of a gouge in the air that is filled with darkness.n??vl-b1n was the first platform to present this chapter. hello! she says, showing her sharp canines. so, how the heck does a level 87 have a teleporting skill? i thought stuff like that was illegal. is the system playing favorites here? hello, i answer awkwardly, to her amusement. how old are you? she asks. huh, that''s a weird question, isn''t it? twenty-one, i tell her, seeing no reason to lie. ha! i''m twenty-nine so i''m older! you have to call me boss now! for a moment i fight against the confusion that hits me. the what? how does that even work? still, she''s the first child lynthari i''ve seen and her teleporting skill is interesting, so i give in and decide to go with the flow, i apologize for my rudeness! i will call you boss from now on! i tell her. the young lynthari seems surprised but then happy, and she excitedly nods her head, her red hair flying around. she seems too happy, as if plenty of people already rejected to call her that and as if she expected me to do so as well. good! she then pauses, embarrassed, probably not thinking that far, huh, what now, she whispers quietly under her breath. boss, i''m hungry. will you buy a meal for me? it''s a master''s job to take care of their underlings. i can''t help but to want to bully this little girl. someone gotta pay for all the weird lynthari around. exactly boss! you are a talent. i tell her. of course i am, nya! she says and pauses, i like it, i really do, nya! she continues. i reach out and take a sip of water. i can''t wait to do it in front of my grandma, nya! oh yes, do it. i just wish i could be there to see it! huhu! i''m so evil. i take another sip of my drink while the young lynthari continues to excitedly repeat the word. maybe i can have granny order everyone to never use that word so only i will, nya! huh? order everyone? it would be easy with dumb humans, nya. oh, not you, underling, you aren''t dumb, nya! but other lynthari might not want to listen and try to steal the word from me, nya, nya! oh no. well, it doesn''t matter. grandma will beat them up if they don''t! she did it before, so all lynthari listen to her now, nya! hehe. maybe i should leave quickly. thankfully she turns to me, i''ll be going now, underling, nya! i will find you soon! as she teleports away, i don''t even observe her skill. i watch the place where she disappeared from. this can''t be good. this is when i decided i''d had enough of the city and decided to go back to our house. i check if there isn''t any tracker on me, i use [resonance] a few times, strengthen my mantle, and quickly buy some stuff from the shops. i already have plenty of etched mana stones for examining, but i buy multiple kinds of mana-conductive paint, some metals that seem to be able to be etched with mana circuits, a few more items that use mana stones to function, and other stuff the old man recommended. in the end, i spend a lot, but back at the house, there is much more. all the stuff elydor left us so gracefully. i wish he never died. so i could kill him again, maybe while having lily heal him constantly. plus, there are some valuables from the champion''s house that we plan to put into the auction to get as much as possible. the plan is to finish the coordinates deal with sophie and hopefully be able to buy another epic passive. if i don''t have enough, i can sell some items until i get there. after that, i will start working on my plan to kill the living tree. i already know how i will do it and how to get to that point; it will just take some time. there''s no speck of doubt i will be able to do it. in the same way i hate elydor - i hope we both will get reborn and meet once again one day. well, the same way as that guy, i hate the living tree. i haven''t forgotten about the time we spent down in the tunnels, and even though i was deep in the [focus], i remember the faces of other members of my group and some of the feelings i had. i will kill that tree. i don''t care about valorplate or the colony, not even the mystery of the 4th calamity or stuff in the orbit. the tree will go down. getting closer to our house on top of the hill, i sense weaker threads of sophie''s web reaching even beyond the house and its garden. they are barely noticeable, yet functional. her web has improved by leaps and bounds. it is stronger and more delicate at the same time, and there are even some fake-outs, hidden detections, and even some weak attacks that will activate under some conditions. so i spend one hour standing outside the house, observing the web, obviously. (damn it, please get in already. i can feel your probing and lily keeps asking why you don''t get in and staring at you from the window on the second floor.) sophie says in my mind after i allow her to create a link. when i look at the mentioned window, i really see lily''s face, hiding behind the drapes and staring at me. (tell her i said hello and that i can see her,) i tell sophie, and soon she does just that because lily jumps backward, probably falling down and pulling the drape down with her as i see it tearing and disappearing. (anyway, the guild master of storm brigade came here yesterday, and she should be coming here today. she came personally, saying that she would like to talk with you,) i get the info as i move towards the door. interesting, so obelia is looking for me. she probably hasn''t heard anything yet from myrra, so what does she want from me? well, i''ll see soon enough. Chapter 213: Bullied chapter 213: bullied oh, you are back, lily says the moment i enter the house, holding her hands behind her back. it''s almost amazing how shameless she is acting. lily, i saw... i start. oh, i didn''t see you coming. welcome back. she interrupts, and we both fall silent. i open my mouth to say something. healing, lily says, quietly coughing, as if trying to mask saying that, and i stop. hehe, it''s nice to see you, lily, for the first time in a few days! i say instead, and with a giggle, she turns around. that creepy woman, obelia, was looking for you. is she annoying you? i can scare her off with [disintegration], she says while walking towards the living room, and i follow her. i give it a little bit of thought. maybe i should be a bit nicer to lily. to get on her good side the same way i''m getting on biscuit''s. maybe she will also become extremely powerful the way the absolute candidate, biscuit, does. lily, don''t disintegrate people just because they are a bit annoying, tess shouts from the living room. but tess, she is bullying nat! lily defends herself. as if, she is most likely scared of him and wants to have a good relationship with him, tess says as we enter the room. another reason to disintegrate her, lily whispers under her breath, but i hear it. oh boy. this is getting scary. asshole! izzy immediately comes and jumps into my arms, even though we haven''t seen each other in just a few days. her skill, as so often before, reaches out to me and examines my emotions. you seem in a good mood, something good happened? she asks, letting go and returning to sophie, who waves at me. i improved my skills, i tell her before lily gets the wrong idea, and then i move towards the armchair in the corner. before i sit down, i can hear lily whispering to izzy, is he telling the truth? and izzy nods innocently in response. okay, let''s never become weaker than lily. i mean, never ever. things could get dangerous if something like that happens. anything interesting happened while i was gone? i ask as i sit opposite tess. well, you heard about obelia already and not much else. we sorted the items and are mostly taking it a bit slower, getting some rest after the expedition. in a few days, we will start going to hunt again, and we plan to test the items we got. especially the three epic ones, she says. she grabs some weird fruit from the table and takes a bite, i want us to level up as much as possible, both levels and skill levels. tess then puts the fruit down, i don''t like this one, she turns back to me, we are quite rich, nat, so we are looking into auctions and some expensive items that we could buy and continue to use. we are also paying a lot for as much information on calamities as possible. i also grab fruit from the table, a different kind than tess''s, and take a bite. it tastes good, so i quickly finish it up, and when i look around, there aren''t more of them. i will continue to practice with sophie, and i made a deal with myrra, so she will be coming in a few days, i tell her. what kind of deal? i will kill the living tree in a few months, i say, and that''s when i notice that everyone else is silent and looking at me, i already know how i will do it, so i just need some time to prepare. in exchange, i will have people stop annoying us and maybe a little bit of support. now that i think about it, i might have to beat one or two guild masters, but that much isn''t a problem. [mana domain] creates a small field around the stone i work on, increasing my control over the mana even further. [mana infusion] thanks to which i can push my mana even inside higher-quality mana stones that people usually have trouble with. [resonance] to inscribe it all inside and most importantly, [focus] that grants me nearly inhuman concentration, allowing me to keep switching between skills while keeping the construct from dissipating before i decide to inscribe it. oh, and there are also my constructs. they are something similar to inscribing the stones, but instead of using mana stones, i''m inscribing inside my body. almost as if it''s an item. some might consider it a bit creepy, treating the body as if it''s an item, but i''m not like them. i don''t mind losing an arm or two; lily can restore them. i can get hurt; it will heal, and i constantly push and abuse my body. similarly, i don''t mind throwing away items and don''t want to be tied to them; i partially don''t mind doing something similar to my body. i cut off my thoughts and stretch my body while connecting to sophie''s net. just yesterday i learned how to do so without destroying it, and i even started helping her to improve it. unlike her, i don''t know how to anchor the net and make it semi-permanent, so i just make some changes that she goes through and applies them. it''s still fun, especially when sophie gets annoyed as i keep finding small mistakes she didn''t notice. hmm, maybe she isn''t annoyed because of the mistakes but because of the way i tell her about them, but that''s her problem, isn''t it? if she doesn''t want me to make fun of her, she shouldn''t make mistakes in the first place. i open my hand and look at the stone i was working on. thermal mana stone (uncommon):an azure mana crystal etched with intricate circuits. when infused with mana, it radiates a comforting warmth, a useful tool for those braving cold environments. i want to sell it, do you really want to sell the following item for 20 shards? thermal mana stone (uncommon): an azure mana crystal etched with intricate circuits. when infused with mana, it radiates a comforting warmth, a useful tool for those braving cold environments. yes/no i confirm, and the stone disappears from my hand, sold to the system shop. in the past two days, i was able to create a few more of them and sell them. unlike items we sell that come from the floor, the ones we create are sold for 50% of the amount we can buy them for. uncommon pieces of gear are usually around 40 shards, so getting 20 is 50%. when selling items we get from the floors, without working on their ratings, the amount of shards is much less. for example, the epic equipment we got from the third floor is sold in the shop for around 4000 or more shards, and we can sell it for 200, which is 5%. sometimes it''s 10% for some items. i feel someone carefully touch sophie''s net, and then there''s a hint of surprise. i send back something like a greeting, and that person uses the net to connect to me, and i let their voice sound in my head. (you should have some locks and mana signature detections so people won''t be able to connect to your field,) the voice says calmly. (probably,) i send back and wait. (i see. can we talk? i came alone.) (sure, you can come into the house.) i finish and cut off the connection, then spring to my feet. i yawn, stretch, and then put on a shirt that i find comfortable and that has become my favorite one. i create a domain that reaches downstairs. within that domain, i create an anchor and use [tether] to teleport there. immediately, i take a step and gently slap the back of lily''s head that already waits there. no [disintegration] allowed until i say so, i say as i pass by her and open the door. obelia greets me with a short nod, and when i step to the side, she enters the house. Chapter 214: Five energies chapter 214: five energies obelia enters the house, and in the room, only tess and i remain. everyone else who is currently in the house is shooed away. i enter the living room and, after gesturing to her, she sits on the couch. both tess and i sit opposite her. obelia looks around curiously, and somehow, she doesn''t seem to fit in here. she''s the guild master of one of the biggest 5, now 4, and maybe 5 again when i think about it. i could help you find a better place now that you will become one of the five big... nope, i interrupt her, i like it here. the house isn''t too big, so most of the rooms are occupied, and it feels full most of the time. but in a good way. it feels alive and cozy, and when i need privacy, i can just lock my room. i apologize for that. i also apologize for recommending you as one of the 5 guilds to miss myrra. i thought it would be something you would want, obelia says, and as i observe her, i don''t think she is lying. well, i didn''t back then. i also got really mad at you, you know. so that''s something you should work on, i tell her, and i notice that even tess is somewhat surprised by my shamelessness. yet obelia seems to have been expecting that and puts a box on the table. without much hesitation, i take it and open it. inside, there are multiple high-quality mana stones, a few pieces of metal that seem to be extremely rare and mana-conductive, and a few other materials. i''m not angry anymore, i tell her, and obelia nods as if also expecting that. she seems to understand me well. if you don''t cross the line, a lot of things can be fixed with me by giving me good stuff or some other helpful services. there will be an auction in a few months, the biggest one in the past ten years, and i can help you get some items or assist you in getting in, she offers. sounds good, i don''t even have to think about it. the timing is also good. i should be able to finish working on coordinates and probably before or after the second trial of beyond. storm brigade would also like to establish a cooperative relationship with angry kittens, she says the guild name in a much different way from elydor, and that''s what i like. no matter how silly it is, i don''t want other people to disrespect our guild name. other people, other than me, obviously. those three little twerps that picked it are still going to suffer a bit longer for that. damn, we could have had some amazing guild names like biscuit and friends or nathaniel''s underlings. and they stole it from me! anyway, i gesture at obelia to continue. there isn''t much i would expect from you for now. we could cooperate once in a while. trade. meet once every few weeks or months. there would be no attacking between us or other similar actions. i''m asking also because there''s an expedition i have in mind. obelia pauses for a while, and then after giving me a long examining look, she continues, it''s something i would need elydor for, but hesitated to have him join. he wasn''t exactly the right person to work with. you, on the other hand, i prefer much more and seem to have a similar skill set to elydor, and that''s what i need. this is also something that sounds interesting and could be fun to do. okay, i have something else to do right now, but in a few weeks or months, we could talk about it more? i look at her, is it time-limited? when she shakes her head, i continue, good then, for now, you can give some information here to tess or hadwin, and we will check it out. they will check it out; i will be locked in my room experimenting. will do so. then there is another thing, she turns and looks at tess, this young woman, you called her tess, i would like to take her in as one of my apprentices. oh? isn''t that interesting? did she like tess''s lightning? obelia''s class name is stormshaper, so maybe. the silence stretches, and only then do i realize that she is waiting for my answer. what? just ask tess, it''s not something up to me to decide. for that answer, i get a curious look from obelia and a small smile from tess. i''m not saying no, but i would like to know first what it includes and why, tess says. she also seems to be curious. it''s quite simple. i already have two disciples, and you would be the third. the main reason for that is mostly to help you in hopes you will become stronger, and that way i will create a strong relationship with someone like that, obelia is honest as heck. i don''t know if that''s how she is or if she judges this to be what will be appreciated more. there is a matriarch that has led the lynthari for hundreds or thousands of years already. she is the strongest being in the city by far. but she is quite hands-off and only acts if needed. otherwise, there are some basic rules lynthari follow and rarely break. if they do, there is a special group of them that deals with it. what are their rules? i ask. we human don''t know all of them. but there is most likely one for not killing humans without a strong reason, not forcing humans to do things, or not touching them if it seems like it''s against their wishes. there are more but nothing special. older lynthari rarely deal with humans, so it''s mostly younger ones that we interact with. what happens if you hurt or kill lynthari? tess asks obelia. you die. there is an elite force of lynthari that deals with it. they investigate, they gather proof, and then they logically and methodically deal with you instead of being driven by anger. lynthari can be really cruel if pushed there, from the way she says it, something tells me it''s a notion that terrifies her. we talk a bit more, and then i leave the room so she can converse more with tess. damn, lightning energy surely sounds cool. but i''m not jealous at all. i have two of them! surely having two primordial energies is better than one, whatever the energies actually are. they are strong, and that''s enough for now. i open the community. noname (hell, group 4) -anyone with primordial energy? lootenant (hell, whitewing) -huh, what is that? foodfood (hell, group 4) -food! biscuit?! brainiac (hell, whitewing) - what, it sounds cool. i want one! noname (hell, group 4) -amateurs. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -oh come on! did you just want to show off? noname (hell, group 4) -nope. i totally wanted to. it always makes one feel better to flex on some people. i should totally try to get lightning. brainiac (hell, whitewing) - oh, btw, fuck ants. dude, i might hate them more than cinderbear. the sound their legs make as they walk is creepy as fuck. hadwin (hell, group 4) -did you guys run away? brainiac (hell, whitewing) - you bet, hadwin! i probably won''t be able to say more because of censorship, but fuck ''em! i let the poor people without primordial energy talk, close the window, and quickly locate biscuit. the doggo somehow unlocked my door and is currently on my bed, burrowed in my blankets. he is staring into the air as if reading the community, but as always, there''s the question of how. how does he type or read what others say? i enter my room and stop in front of him. but most importantly, biscuit? do you have primordial energy? (food!) he shouts at me. oh boy. which one is it? thermal? kinetic? lightning? void? gravitational? i continue to ask him, but he doesn''t react to any of them. either he''s hiding which one he has, or... or he has a different one. i get on the bed and lean my head closer to him, my nose almost touching his, you have to tell me, biscuit. i need to know! my curiosity will kill me if he doesn''t! (food!) he just shouts happily and boops my nose with his, then he burrows himself under my blankets with only his head poking out. Chapter 215: Time heals all wounds chapter 215: time heals all wounds a few more days pass, and i''m slowly getting used to it all. i wake up after four hours of sleep. i practice while most of group 4 sleep, and then i practice a bit more while they have breakfast and make plans for hunts. then i go downstairs just before they leave, getting some important info and eating as well, and then i spend more hours in the big mana-shielded room under the house or in my room. if biscuit is there, i tease him a bit while training, and if he''s not, i fully focus on experimenting with coordinates or new mana stones and materials i got from obelia. sometimes i feel like going on a hunt for a bit, but decide against it. i keep reminding myself how terrible, in my eyes, people from hard difficulty were in handling their stats or skills. even now, i''m by far the highest leveled member of our group and probably of our entire round of the tutorial, with only maybe savant being close. if i take into consideration the stats i got from active tempering, i''m at a high enough level to make the current hell difficulty tutorial somewhat easy, with only beyond or bosses of the floors being the challenge. hell, i beat up quite easily two guild masters from two out of the five big guilds, both of them over level 200. the biggest boost for my strength i can currently get is the second epic passive skill, and i should be able to get it before the second beyond trial. things are going quite well, and sophie and i now spend a few hours every night working together. she doesn''t tell me, but i can see that her skills are improving as well, and one more thing also changes.0v3l.b11n. sophie was right, and me treating her this way also makes others feel a bit more relaxed. i see them talking with her more and without constant worry about her skill. sophie is trying to hide it, but i can see izzy happily smiling while reading sophie''s emotions, so that''s quite telling how she feels. it also translates into her better mood and some sort of thankfulness towards me as she works harder to help me. well, it''s not something i will complain about. i feel a movement of mana signature and stop my thoughts, using my [perception] to watch it. this time it''s maya going to sophie''s room, late at night. the first time it happened, i almost fell from my bed over such a show of late-night adultery, but i quickly realized that it was not it. my curiosity got the better of me, and i used [perception] to watch mana only, leaving out other senses, and after talking with tess a bit, i pieced things together. being myself, i didn''t notice it, as something like that doesn''t trouble me at all, but some members of our group have nightmares or anxiety attacks. all the result of 20 days down in the tunnels. constantly treated harshly by serpent ?s eye, not knowing when they''d die, darkness, and the three-question-mark monster do that. even to maya, who couldn''t keep [focus] constantly running. tess told me that some of them have nightmares that wake them up shaking in the middle of the night or make them sleep with lights on or sometimes just straight up cry, remembering that. i think it''s not unexpected, but it surprises me; it''s not something i thought of. sophie is someone they now trust, and after talking with tess and seeing me treat her somewhat nicely, they sometimes go to her, asking her to dampen some memories. as tess recommended, they never ask sophie to delete them, and mind-blender missy doesn''t even offer to do that. instead, she just manipulates the memories to make them feel as if they happened months or years ago, all fitting the saying that time heals all wounds. i watch as, after a few minutes, maya leaves sophie''s room, and there''s a bit of the mind manipulator''s mana on her. a part of me wants to stop it, worried that sophie might mess with them in a way that would make them into her puppets, but there is also a part that thinks she won''t dare to do that. a part that is sure she won''t do that. however, it once again reminds me how terrifying and powerful her skill is. from some point of view, sophie is much more powerful than lily with her [disintegration]. that tree is going down no matter what. i look at myrra, who stood up and moved closer to me, her golden eyes observing every twitch of my face, and movement of my eyes. oh my, you are so angry, she says softly, reaching with her hand towards my face. yet she doesn''t touch me and pulls it back. her eyes seem to be glowing, i should be laughing at you, but it somewhat makes even me feel a twitch of fear when i see you like this. feral one, you truly are interesting. the way she says it feels somewhat off. it''s as if she still isn''t taking me fully seriously and sees me as a cute angry kitten. myrra, do you want to get stabbed again? i ask her, much to her amusement, and she quickly moves back and sits down on the chair. anyways, here''s half of what i got for lorven''s dagger when i sold it back to him. he was also angry, but not in such a fun way, she smiles, showing her sharp canines. ignoring her remarks, we then spend some more time talking about how i plan to kill the living tree, which earns me a few curses from myrra. i get called a weirdo, dumbass, liar, and dumbass again, and she even shamelessly asks me to give the items i plan to use to her, instead of wasting them on what she calls silly attempts. myrra is the dumb one, not me. i''m the smart one here, but as always, the world is holding us smart people down and we have to deal with such weirdos talking about useless things like common sense, probability, and the like. as always, nothing ever goes according to plan, so i will prepare multiple of them. and then, when all of them inevitably fail because this is goddamn hell difficulty, i will just bullshit my way through. this is something i don''t tell myrra; she wouldn''t like it. you could at least dress somewhat more presentable as our guild master, tess pokes at me as we walk towards where the meeting with the guild masters of the big guilds is. she herself is wearing edwal''s epic chest armor. it doesn''t have any effects now that it''s not connected to the saint from the third floor, but it''s extremely durable and conducts lightning. tess spent a lot of money, probably my money, to have it fixed to fit her body. and by a lot of money, i mean a lot of money. epic-rated items are extremely hard to work on. now that i think about it, was i robbed? i want to say that, but tess seems happy with it and, to be honest, the silver armor with simple ornaments and a nice design fits her really well. why isn''t she the guild master? i don''t want to deal with annoying stuff. i just sigh and continue. as always, held down by a cruel world, if they complain about my clothing, i will beat them up, i answer tess. obviously, i''m lying. i will do it even if they don''t. i will find the badest, biggest guy in the room and beat him to show dominance. first impressions are important, aren''t they? after passing by multiple guards and even some lynthari, we finally stop in front of a giant wooden door inlaid with silver metal filled with mana circuits. when they slowly, soundlessly open, tess and i enter the room where myrra sits on a chair in the corner, drinking some alcohol from a glass. inside the room are obelia from storm brigade, lorven from voidwalkers, as well as one more man and woman, the guild masters of obsidian circle and luminous order. all of them are nicely dressed, with each having one more attendee, similar to me having tess. their eyes are anything but friendly, with the exception of obelia. i like it. feeling the pressure of their mana, i release some of mine as well, with my now-filled mana reservoir full to the brim. Chapter 216: Five big guilds chapter 216: five big guilds all of them turn towards us, and i quickly examine the people in the room. obelia from storm brigade. pale brown hair, silver eyes with circuits. [stormshaper - lvl ??] lorven from veilwalkers. his face is hidden under the cape, yet his eyes glare at me hatefully. [veilstriker - lvl ??] thalen from luminous order. older, friendly-looking red-haired man. his figure is thin, and there is a slight smile on his lips as he nods to greet me. [pulsebinder - lvl ??] and isola from obsidian circle. a short woman with pale skin and short black hair. as if bored, she just sits there and keeps yawning. [stoneheart - lvl ??] why don''t we make it short? whoever wants to fight can attack me, i throw into the room. obelia straight-up ignores it, while lorven jumps to his feet, his shadowy mana already swirling around his body. the epic dagger he just bought from somewhere is already in his hand, unlike the last time. isola, a black-haired pale woman, laughs out loud and glances at me. then, to the surprise of everyone else, she gets to her feet and stands by lorven''s side. the guild master of veilwalkers seems to be the most surprised out of them. isola stares at me, and i can see competitiveness glowing in her eyes. oh, she is one of these. a battle maniac. did my challenge poke at her? miss myrra, is this really necessary? the only healer in the room said, red-haired thalen. i do not even bother to look at myrra to gauge her reaction. i already know what expression she is making. after a short exchange, both guild masters attack me. all the shadows around me become darker, and at once turn into spikes that attack me, even my own shadow. i redirect most of my mana into a reinforcement construct and let them hit my body and watch how they are unable to pierce my skin. already, isola is in front of me, tattoos glowing on her forearms, the most intricate ones i have seen up until now. there is a slight haze around her fist as she punches at me. ignoring more shadowy spikes, i push myself away from her with a blast of kinetic energy and send a disrupting wave at the shadow near me as lorven tries to use it to appear behind me. isola is once again in front of me, tanking a significantly strong blast of kinetic energy, mana roaring through her body, and her feet tearing apart the floor. i let her grab my arm, and she pulls, almost surely wanting to tear it off my body. nothing happens. her eyes widen in surprise, and more mana fills her body, skills activating one after another, and she squeezes and pulls again. my body doesn''t move at all. well, fuck, she says just as my fist hits the middle of her face, sending her flying through the room. my body is strengthened by nearly the entirety of my mana and some. to say shortly, i don''t think i will lose easily to anyone when it comes to physical strength. well, at least while i have my mana. if i don''t, even isabella might be too much for good ol'' me. i redirect some mana and send a pulse of disrupting attack through the room, making lorven materialize. then i continue sending pulse after pulse towards him, disrupting his attempts to hide or strengthen his body. it reminds me of good old times when i was hunted by mage hunters on the third floor. just this time it''s me bullying someone. before i reach him, lorven pulls all the shadows around him towards himself between my pulses. the shadows enter his body, his eyes turning pitch black. he slashes the dagger in his hand, and invisible attacks carve deep holes into the floor and walls as i continue to use [perception] to detect them. a few projectiles i shoot at him, he cuts apart, the mana dissipating into nothing. simple, harmonious relationship with clear roles, as it should be. but looking at thalen and feeling his mana, i can say that he is quite a strong healer, and a hint of competitiveness rises up inside me. lily should level up more, so i can show her off and wipe that smug smile off his face. i feel tess tapping on my shoulder, and i look up to her. "what?" i ask. tess leans to my ear and whispers, "you should limit your mana a bit; you might be scaring people." huh? i start doing that and notice relief on the faces of the attendees. did they think i was threatening them? is there some acceptable way of dealing with mana and rules that people in some circles follow? well, who cares, that''s for tess to learn and deal with. as my vice guild master, she will do so while i only show up once in a while. "i think we should start with the colony," obelia says simply and explains. apparently, the ants started leaving their territory, not too far as of now, but they were seen by us and multiple other people watching the area outside of the anthills. multiple people with detection skills were sent to the area, observing the ants and even checking if they weren''t digging tunnels underground. so far, nothing happened, so it''s fine. it''s totally fine. the reason for their behavior was still not found, so the mystery lasts. the colony and its ways are truly mysterious. they talk about ants a bit longer, and i mostly only listen, leaning in my chair and cycling mana inside my body, doing shaping exercises with an orb hovering over my hands. a few people don''t like it, but that''s their problem. tess is listening well enough for both of us, and i notice that she holds a gravity anchor thing made from mystical metal or something. i already forgot its name. that makes me curious who got the cloak and the ring. maybe i should ask a bit later. "so elydor is dead," thalen says, and all eyes turn to me and then towards obelia. "damned asshole, i already paid him to make an item for me, and then he just goes out and dies like that," isola complains. she seems bored too and also creates a mana orb in front of her and starts copying what i am doing. when she catches my gaze, she smiles at me and shoots the orb at my head with strong enough force to explode the head of a normal human. i send my mana towards the orb and slow it down, holding it in front of me. [mana infusion] activates, and i fill it with my mana and take over, then i push even more with [redistribution], and the orb turns dark blue. finishing, i boost it with kinetic energy and shoot it back at isola. the woman tries to do the same thing i did, but the orb is too dense and moving too quickly, and it hits her shoulder, moving her and almost making her fall from the chair. "we all knew elydor; he got what was coming to him," is the only thing obelia says, mostly ignoring what isola and i are doing. "i would like to know what happened to his and your expedition to the old capital and where you got so many epic items from, obelia," lorven says from under his cape. "i don''t think that''s your..." obelia starts. i interrupt her, "i killed elydor and a few of his elites. then i took the loot he got from the old capital." the silence that ensues is almost deafening. "i also called him an asshole," i whisper, to no reaction. "miss myrra, what..." thalen starts, but when he sees myrra watching us with amused eyes and her swaying tail, he just gives up, "i guess there was a good reason for that?" he asks. "self-defense," i say. "ely was always kind of weak and an asshole," isola sighs, "only his skills with inscribing were top-notch." "storm brigade will be auctioning off one of the epic items we got from the expedition," obelia says out of nowhere, and that turns all the attention back to her. expressions of sheer surprise on every face. myrra''s tail starts swinging quicker, and her ears perk up. Chapter 217: Siblings chapter 217: siblings obelia continues, "the reason is simple," our guild has no use for it, and we hope selling one of the epic-graded items we got will reduce the attention that we might be getting now because of it. we also hope people will turn their attention to the auction and will try to get the item that way instead of starting useless fights." she explains it in her typical calm and logical manner. "what kind of item is it?" isola asks first. "spear," is the simple answer obelia gives. "what effects?" this time it''s lorven. "that''s all the information i was willing to give right now," the storm brigade guild master answers. "what about you, newbie, are you selling some as well?" isola asks me in an amused manner. her face is telling that she already knows the answer. "elydor''s wallet was quite full, so i''m not in need of cash," i tell her, and she laughs shortly. "that reminds me, there was a rumor that you know how to kill the living tree, newbie. so how is it?" isola rests her chin on the palms of her hands, and her eyes look at me like i''m some sort of interesting animal. just that simple sentence brings all the attention back to me. "as you said, and heard from myrra, i will kill the living tree," i dissipate the orb i was using to practice mana shaping and give them my full attention, "the deal is simple. you guys leave me and my guild alone for a few months so i don''t have to deal with you and kill you," at that isola chuckles, "in that time, i will prepare all i need. obelia and her guild will help me use the array to get near the old capital and disappear. after that, it''s all up to me, and i will either die or the calamity will fall." "forgive me for not fully believing that you would be capable of doing that," thalen says. that''s when i decide to use my trump card. a weirdo sitting in the corner, "myrra trusts me. oh, and i believe you know the consequences of letting out anything that was said here today, so keep it to yourself" i say, having no idea what these consequences are. thankfully, it seems they know, and i see a few flashes of fear. damn, myrra, what did you do? "that still doesn''t give us anything of worth," this time it''s lorven who says that. "i think an old capital without the calamity defending it sounds quite interesting, doesn''t it?" myrra finally joins the conversation and stands. as she walks around, it''s clear that she is towering over anyone in the room, and her golden eyes shine. "the feral one isn''t too good at this kind of stuff, so allow me to continue and explain. it isn''t too difficult to understand. the calamity will fall, and the feral one and his guild will have a day or two to go through the city and get themselves something nice. they could end up with more epic items, or just some trinkets. no one knows," she stops in front of the table and shows her canines, "after that, i and a few of my reliable friends will join too and try to find something pretty for ourselves. a few days will pass like that, and we will let you guys in." "miss myrra, that might be nice and all, but during the first few days, you and his guild most likely get all the good items," lorven complains, and unlike when he talked to us, his voice now is full of respect. "young lorven, i think obelia can tell you how big the old capital is and how difficult it was for them to get into the place they... visited. traps, rooms covered in metal that shields detection skills. missing map that won''t allow us to find the best locations. the sheer size of the city. i wouldn''t be surprised if it takes years to just superficially search the city." the greed that appears in their eyes is fun to watch. even calm obelia and thalas, who tries to act dignified, show it. but i think it''s quite understandable. in the entire virelia, there are only less than 20 epic items. only so many of such items are in a city of hundreds of thousands. each item has a long history and legends said about it. just how amazing it would be to get just one of them. another round of talking starts, and i filter it out already. bored, i once again start mana-shaping an orb in front of me and cycling mana through my body. this time it takes a bit longer. they complain, they make deals. they offer more help, they ask if it''s even possible. then they ask to be let into the capital much sooner. in the end, it''s myrra who gets annoyed, and the sound she makes almost sounds like a hiss. after that, it goes much smoother, and then we land on details. in exchange for being let into the city a bit sooner, they supply me with materials i might need and deal with middle and small-sized guilds that could look into annoying us. not a bad deal, especially when my main objective is killing the calamity and not the items inside the city. when we leave the room after a few hours, i''m tired. it''s as if i fought bus-sized ants for multiple days in a row. hell, maybe even longer. nothing drains me more than useless chatter. nathaniel hides them from her sight and moves into the room, sitting on the bed opposite victoria and returning her gaze, "our father... rob... won''t be coming back home," he says in a similarly simple way his sister did. the silence that ensues is interrupted only by the sounds of cars moving on the road outside the window. it''s late at night, so there aren''t too many of them, and light shines into the room every time a car passes by. "i see," victoria says. "i don''t care if mom hates me." "you are lying." "i did it for her, for us. he won''t hurt her ever again. i don''t care if she hates me for that," he repeats again as if trying to persuade himself. "that''s how you are." "yes, that''s me." the silence that ensues is even longer. "but nat, you made a mistake," victoria stands up, a small smile on her face. it''s a gentle and loving smile. at the same time, police car sirens sound far in the distance, slowly getting closer. victoria sits on the bed next to nathaniel and hugs him tightly, kissing the top of his head, "you poor, hurt little soul," she whispers gently, "you couldn''t do it, right?" "i beat him, vic, i broke his bones, i made him bleed. i forced him to swear he won''t ever come back. i even used tess as an alibi." nathaniel says quietly. "tess will hate you if she finds out." victoria leans onto him, "you still saw him as your father and couldn''t do it, right?" victoria hugs him even tighter, "you still remember him being nice when you were young, and you still think of him as your father. that''s how you are," she repeats, "if you like someone once, you are way too forgiving to that person." the sound of sirens is slightly louder, yet the boy doesn''t notice it. they are still far in the distance. victoria stands up and walks in front of the mirror, "that''s why even beating him was so hard for you. the thought of being hated by mom as well, and you spent a few hours walking around to calm down." slowly fixing her clothes and hair she continues, "while you were gone, nat, our father changed his mind and decided to come back. to punish you, mom, and myself for what you did," she says in a calm tone. nathaniel just stares at her, unable to say anything. "that''s why i had to kill him," she admits simply, and then sighs slowly, "you should really try to control your emotions a bit more. how many times did i tell you to wait until i find a good job and take you and mom away from him?" the police sirens now sound louder, and nathaniel finally notices them, guilt and realization appearing on his face, "no..." he barely gets out. "it will be a bit difficult, but i will try to tell the police that i beat him as well, but i will try. as for his... passing, self-defense will be a bit hard as i went a little bit overboard while... dealing with him. i guess i also should improve my control," there isn''t even a hint of regret in her eyes. "vic, i will tell them. i will tell them it was me who did it." "that''s enough. do i look to you like i don''t know what i am doing?" with her clothes fixed, she stops in front of her brother, "nat, it''s you and me. no one else in the whole world can be trusted," she reaches and ruffles his hair, "i''m your older sister and i will protect you, so just wait a few years, okay? i can spin it into second-degree murder, and for that, i should get maybe ten years? i will behave nicely, so most likely even less." she doesn''t seem to be too bothered. at that time, lights start flashing outside the window, blue and red ones, and policemen start shouting something. thalia, their mom, also wakes up and starts shouting and trying to get into the room that victoria locked. "mom is silly but not stupid, so she will most likely know and hate you as well, but still, check on her once in a while, okay?" victoria says. the sound of a broken door sounds inside the apartment, and more shouting ensues. victoria moves to unlock the door when nathaniel says something, "vic, you, me, and mom. no one else matters." "no nat, that''s for me. you do whatever makes you happy." Chapter 218: Two months later chapter 218: two months later almost two months passed, and during that time, i went hunting a few times, but not too much, so my level increased by a little bit. it could be even less, but at some point, i got into a big fight. who wouldn''t get angry, having to fight against a big group of invisible snakes somewhere in a jungle-like forest? well, i kind of burned it down, so it''s not that much of a forest anymore. and less than five days remain until i can enter beyond once again. my status also looks nice as heck. name:nathaniel gwyn difficulty:hell floor: 4 - waning realm time left until forced return:4y 130d 16h 21m 16s traits (1/3):mana circuit (passive) lvl 170 strength: 83 dexterity: 86 constitution: 221 mana (stage 1/3 - vast mana): 650 + 650 primary class:focused channeler (epic) sub-class:[initiate of pride] active skills: focus (dual focus consolidation) - lvl 39 mana manipulation (advanced mana manipulation) - lvl 41 perception - lvl 39 redistribution (symbiotic transference) - lvl 38 armament - lvl 36 mana infusion - lvl 35 resonance - lvl 31 mana domain - lvl 11 tether - lvl 9 constructs: reinforcement (construct) kinetic mana heart (construct) mana regulator (construct) mana sovereignty mantle (construct) passive skills: cerebral harmony (rare) mana-fortified resilience (rare) pyrokinetic resurgence (rare) mana reservoir (epic) tokens: beyond difficulty entrance token shards:2990 currently, the orb is filled enough to explode the entire house and take a big chunk of the street with it. that''s my girl! it was my idea, obviously, and izzy seems to love it. especially the name of the orb that i came up with. us, two fire enjoyers, call it the antomic bomb, to her amusement. sophie doesn''t like it, and apparently, izzy is allowed to train that way only when i am around so i can disrupt the orb in case something happens. it''s silly, a little bit of danger will only make her improve faster! maybe we should get her an epic passive a bit later. something similar to my mana reservoir to store her fire. unfortunately, epic passives start at 8 thousand shards and much more for some of them so it might take a while. i also found out what izzy''s subclass is and bought information on sophie''s. isabella picked one of the seven blights, kindness. she refused to tell me more about the effects as i was unable to sell biscuit anymore. sophie went with greed. it looks like i''m still the only one with pride, even after talking to others in the community who were willing to share their subclass. surely my subclass is the best one! just looking at how much it helps me to improve my control over skills and class, i can say it must be one of the best when it comes to improving personal power, and i''m curious to see what higher stages of it will prove. initiate, adept, and master. the difference should be huge. i lean over maya and take some dried fruit from the bowl in front of her while she fiddles with some musical instrument on her lap. she has been nice lately and supplies me with nice snacks, so i ask, how is your practice going? i gesture at the instrument, similar to a violin. i used to be really good ten years ago back on earth, so i believe i can do well here, she says. from past conversations, i even know she hired a teacher in virelia who helps her learn to play. what happened that you stopped playing? i ask. i have learned that a few of my friends constantly called me a fat bitch behind my back, so i dropped it and started going to the gym, she turns to me and smiles. black hair, dark skin, and a figure that only proves what she said. even though maya is close to thirty, she starts to look younger with each passing week. it''s something that is even more noticeable on haddy. it''s not like they are turning to teenagers, but their skin looks better, and some wrinkles are disappearing. not too much, but if you look deeply enough, there is a difference. gym can be really addicting, i tell her. yes, after two years, i called them fat bitches and made their boyfriends leave them. then i ditched the guys before they got what they wanted, she smiles even wider, but it''s as you said, the gym is really addicting, she laughs shortly. after saying a thing or two more, i quickly leave. heck, even maya is scary. all hell difficulty people are scary. i am the most normal one here. nommimg on the same snacks that i got from vengeful maya, i reach hadwin, who is diligently taking care of his armor and epic sword from the 3rd floor that i gave him. his armor is only upper rare grade, but not bad at all, and the older man takes care of his equipment extremely carefully. it''s something i do not understand that much. having his [strengthening], i would just walk around without armor at all. i saw his fight a few times during hunts, and he is really extremely durable, and rarely do enemies draw blood from him, even when they are at a higher level. hadwin has already used his attribute upgrade token on constitution, and that made him even tougher. the cheeky ex-policeman even asked me for help, and he learned to use his [disruption] to create a barrier of disruptive mana on his skin. instead of using it to directly attack, he creates a disruptive barrier that reaches only a little bit over his skin. that allows him to ignore plenty of magic-based attacks, and when he attacks, it also disrupts the enemy''s defense magic. when i finally get to create a construct for him, he will become even scarier. his only weakness is a somewhat weak attack, but with a strong item that he uses [strengthening] on, he becomes quite cool. and that item is the epic sword that i gave him! epic-grade weapons cost around 4 thousand shards in the system shop, and even though this one isn''t too strong, its effect was lost after all, it still is nice of me to share it, isn''t it? old haddy is even taking some swordsmanship lessons in virelia and apparently, he has a talent for it. nat, i think i got it, i hear out of nowhere. it''s sophie''s voice, and when i turn to her, there is a big happy smile on her face. there is no fear towards me in it anymore, and sophie looks happier and more comfortable than ever. she shows me the mana stone i gave her, i finally did it! finally! there is excitement and happiness from success in her voice. it looks like after months of hard work, we can finally try to sell coordinates to the shop and get ourselves a huge amount of shards. just in time to buy an epic passive before the 2nd beyond trial. noname -hey, weirdo, any advice on the second beyond trial? savant -nope, just don''t die. noname -simple as that? savant - and maybe invest some stats into your brain. noname -it didn''t help you. savant -screw you. to make it hurt, i do not answer and just close the window, absolutely sure it will annoy savant more this way. i look at the mana stone in my hand and then at sophie, "okay, let''s sell the coordinates." Chapter 219: Selling Coordinates chapter 219: selling coordinates "are you sure?" i move back to the living room and sit on the couch opposite sophie, who still holds the mana stone in her hand. "yes!" sophie is still smiling brightly and says it without any hesitation. she seems confident. "okay, let''s do it then," i tell her and open the system window, "i want to sell..." i start when sophie interrupts me. "wait! wait, wait, wait!" she nearly screams and stands up, putting her hand on me, "what are you doing?" her voice is urgent, nearly scared. "what else? i''m going to sell the coordinates. don''t you remember, that was the deal," i tell her. "i know! but right away?" she hesitates, somewhat unsure. "there is no need to wait, and you just said you remembered the coordinates, so what''s the problem?" "i could screw it up somewhere, what if i''m wrong and i made a mistake. what if we are wrong..." she pauses and looks at me. ohhh, so mindblender missy is getting cold feet. so weak! "i see, so allow me to ask. are you sure you did it right and you tested if it works by putting the coordinates into the mana stone and then checking the ''pocket'' in your mind?" i ask simply. "obviously, i did! multiple times, over and over again until i was absolutely sure." sophie can be surprisingly timid and unconfident at times when she is not defending her little sister. but i trust her when it comes to this. over the weeks we''ve spent together working on coordinates, i''ve come to recognize her skill. when it comes to handling mana and inscribing, sophie is really good, and that was confirmed even by her creating inscribed mana stones to sell to the system in her spare time. so there is no need to hesitate. "sell coordinates," i say and amusedly watch sophie''s horrified expression. do you really want to sell the following item for 10,000 shards? eladore coordinates:the precise address to the world of eladore. while they provide a pathway, travelers must be wary of eladore''s inherent and man-made defenses against intrusion. yes/no okay, let''s not panic! everything is according to plan! so lissandra''s world is called eladore. it somewhat feels weird to learn that. and why the heck is there so much? is this real? i expected a bit less as most of the coordinates start at 20,000 and even more, and when selling to the system, the stuff usually goes for 5-10% of their shop price. we didn''t create these coordinates, so in the past few days, i was worried that i might have big eyes back then, thinking i would scam the system shop a little bit. sure, i saw most of the coordinates for 20 thousand with some coordinates for 100 thousand and a few even for 200 thousand. so there are two options. option one, the coordinates to lissandra''s world are worth 100-200 thousand shards, and we are selling them for 5-10 percent as we usually sell items gained inside the tutorial. option number two, they are worth around 20 thousand and are sold for 10 thousand because they are considered as something we "made," even though i only gave them to sophie and then remembered them again. well, that''s for later. future nathaniel can deal with that, really, screw that weirdo. "sell coordinates," i quickly say before the system changes its mind, and the weirdest feeling hits me, and i feel lightheaded for a bit. after a moment, i try to check the coordinates i used to remember, and they are gone, totally gone. it''s the weirdest feeling. i just can''t remember them. she quickly lets go and rushes to her sister, immediately telling her what to spend 5 thousand shards on. meanwhile, to feel manly once again, i put my legs on the table and start loudly chewing on some snacks that i stole from maya. should i also burp or whatever manly men do? i ignore the weird looks sophie is giving me. it takes some time, but in the end, sophie buys something, and a small egg appears in front of her. a simple white egg, covered in circuits, and inside it, i can feel the heartbeat of a living being. before i can ask anything, isabella shouts, not telling! tsk. im sorry, biscuit, i might have no other choice. sophie smiles at me apologetically but also doesnt say anything. what a siscon. keep 5 thousand shards for now. i don''t need anything right now, i tell her. unfortunately, she can''t transfer them for me to buy another epic passive, only maybe some items, or mana stones, or materials. i already have an idea of what i need from her to buy, but i will deal with it after the beyond second trial. first, i need to spend my 13 thousand shards. i activate my domain, and as it reaches my room, i place an anchor there and then use [tether] to get there. the process is mostly smooth and much faster than before, and i sit in the chair and open the window. once again, i scroll through the passives. i''ve already done it so many times, yet i do it again. the list is long, very long, yet i think there are some epic passives that do not show for me. i confirmed it by others having significantly different rare passives than i do, so maybe it''s slightly personalized to some extent. there is nothing i can do about it, so i once again open my three current favorites. there are more passives i would like and even more than these three, but i think the ones i picked can help me the most right now. passive skill: phoenix embrace (epic):the user harnesses thermal energy, channeling controlled bursts of heat to accelerate the healing process, using the primordial energys transformative nature to heal their wounds. passive skill: mana affinity (epic): the user has a natural bond with ambient mana, subtly drawing it towards them in places of high magical concentration. passive skill: arcane resilience (epic):the user''s body has adapted to resist the side effects of powerful spells, significantly reducing the physical toll of casting. phoenix embrace is a stronger version of my current passive. passive skill: pyrokinetic resurgence (rare) -the user taps into pyrokinetic energies to fuel their regeneration. by channeling controlled bursts of heat, they expedite the healing process, using fire''s transformative nature to mend their wounds. it sounds stronger and it''s more connected to thermal energy instead of just some fire. the healing effect could be much stronger as it''s one of the primordial energies and should be more pure as obelia once said. arcane resilience could allow me to experiment more with my mana and maybe once again try to create the black mana that i created with the help of [focus] and didn''t die only thanks to the saint''s healing aura. mana affinity could allow me to delve deeper into absorbing ambient mana. i dont think this passive is strong; it''s probably the weakest out of the three, but when thinking more about the future it could become much stronger. i already started experimenting with the ethercrystal shortsword, the epic item i got from elydor, but i have yet to actually absorb external mana or turn it into my own. unfortunately, all of these passives seem to be the better ones as each of them costs around ten thousand shards while most epic passives start at eight thousand, so there is no way i get enough shards that soon to buy any. hmm, maybe if i go all in and sell everything i have and steal some other stuff. actually, should i do that? it doesn''t sound like a bad idea. yet, something stops me from doing that. that sounds like a lot of trouble for a low amount of shards and we already have enough with ants appearing further and further away from their territory. a few days ago, they even caught some of the ant scouts halfway between their territory and virelia. we still have to learn why they actually do that, but i''m already worried that it will forever stay a mystery. the colony and its ways truly are mysterious. i just wish tess would stop looking at me like that. once again, i realize that i am just putting off a decision that i was unable to make over a few weeks. all three passives are just that good and i already know how i could change my fighting style a bit to fully utilize it. okay, let''s pick the passive. Chapter 220: Congratulations on reaching a milestone chapter 220: congratulations on reaching a milestone you only live once as someone smart said, so taking care of yourself is the best you could do. making sure your body is healthy is a must. and how better to do that here in hell difficulty than by obliterating your enemies before they can hurt you? i pick arcane resilience (epic):the user''s body has adapted to resist the side effects of powerful spells, significantly reducing the physical toll of casting. i will fuck up anyone before they get close to me and be able to hurt me, yup. my genius sometimes terrifies me. black mana thing, just wait! soon! from experiencing it on the 3rd floor, i know i''m still far from ready, but i''m getting there! 10,958 shards disappear and a new passive appears in my stats. now that i think about it, i could buy more passives, rare ones, but i think it will be a better idea to start saving up. i''m sure the second round of beyond will give me some juicy rewards and probably some shards as well. there''s also a side quest that i got some time ago. side quest: reach level 200 reward: 2nd trait yup, finally the second trait. seeing how amazingly well mana circuit serves me, the second one surely will be strong, especially with the fact that traits can be strengthened up to three times and i already strengthened my trait once. another side quest that appeared is this. side quest: get five skills to level 40 reward:skill upgrade token even the side quests are getting harder. breaking through the bottleneck to level 40 isn''t easy at all, and even after all this time, i have only a single skill over level 40, [mana manipulation]. sure, i still plan to sell the skill upgrade token for a nice amount of shards. or maybe i just use it for some of my less important skills. my decision to not upgrade my most important skills still lasts, and i think i''m getting better and better, the decision showing also at how easily i got rid of elydor, damn, i miss the guy. i wish i could see him again. i stretch and yawn and check my body. the new passive is already changing and affecting it, but as often, and similarly, with stats, it isn''t an immediate change but a slow, gradual one. looking at the progress, a day or two should be enough, just in time for a few days of practice and testing before beyond. in a good mood, i open the community. noname (hell, group 4) -mana is the best stat.n??vl-b1n was the first platform to present this chapter. anotheronehere (hell, theguild) - i don''t know, i prefer not dying. strongestone (hell, group 4) -skill issue! min-jae joins in and stands by my side. nice one. brainiac (hell, whitewing) -noname, at this point i''m sure your brain is replaced with mana. savant (hell, alone) - that would be possible only if he had any to begin with. bendover (hell, idk) - nice one, savant! also, fuck you, noname. my favorite member of the community still seems lovable as always. he and his group also came to the 4th floor some time ago. his idk group and group called theguild which lost one member on the 3rd floor. noname (hell, group 4) -tournament when? brainiac (hell, whitewing) - probably never? to be honest, it''s getting annoying. bendover (hell, idk) - such a shame. i would really like to see you with my own eyes, noname. notification! congratulations on reaching a milestone, the required number of groups has reached the 4th floor in all the difficulties. preparation for the community tournament is in process! not knowing my thoughts lily continues, "but no worries, i only got it so i can combine it with [rejuvenation]," she tells me with a flash of determination. "you still haven''t changed your mind?" i ask, feeling a hint of curiosity. "i did not. i will fulfill all 4 requirements and then enter beyond. tess will probably get there before me, but it doesn''t matter; i will catch up." "so why are you doing it?" this is the first time i''m actually asking her the question. "i killed kevin," lily says shortly. "there''s no way of going around it. i killed him, unable to control my skill." she reaches out with her hand, a gray smoke-like mana swirling around it and slowly changing shape into that reminiscent of an arrow. lily then, with extreme focus, waves her hand, and the arrow shoots toward a tree in the corner of the garden. when the arrow hits, it doesn''t pierce the tree nor stab inside. the arrow is weak, and smoke-like, so it instead crashes against it and disperses like smoke hitting it. the grayish residual mana soundlessly splits the tree, etching out a big chunk of it, and a few wisps of the attack even eat up some stones on the ground after landing on it. the attacks disintegrate everything without leaving anything behind. the size of the attack itself isn''t that scary. it''s the level of destruction i would be able to achieve a few days after the start of the tutorial. no, the scary part is that lily, just a bit over 100 now, and that this attack would be enough to kill a human or monster at around level 200. i have no doubt about that, not even a speck of it. that''s how scary [disintegration] is. so nat, i will learn to control my skills. i will become stronger. i will heal and save anyone i want to save, and i will kill anyone i decide to. not by mistake or lack of control, but because i choose to, lily says. back in my room, i''m about to practice again when a third person interrupts me. as annoyed as curious, i get on the balcony and look at myrra standing on the street. she waves at me, and somehow, i want to create a tricolored orb and throw it at her. i will need a lot of slacking to calm down after all this attention. my weak introverted heart isn''t built for it. i push myself with kinetic energy and land on the cobblestone next to the tall lynthari, and without saying a word, we start walking side by side. its been a long time since i saw you, feral one. a few weeks, myrra starts first, and i detect her bodyguard nearby, as always. that once again makes me curious. i''ve seen her getting a lot of respect from the strongest human in the city and even from other lynthari, yet her level isn''t that high. she has leveled a few times but is still under 200. i was training, i say simply and quickly grab some sweets one of the merchants is selling while throwing him a mana stone probably worth as much as his monthly earnings. im rich. i see, myrra answers simply, and for a while, we continue to walk in silence, and i slowly feel myself calming down as myrra even picks quieter streets with a lot of calming greenery. is she maybe doing it on purpose after sensing my mood? i squint and look at her. is... is she trying to tame me? feral one, why is the matriarchs granddaughter looking for you? finally, she gets to the reason for her visit and turns her golden eyes towards me as we stop in the middle of the park, surrounded by trees with pink leaves. oh boy. why is she going around and saying that she is looking for her underling, a strong, regal human with two differently colored eyes? as myrra says so, she shows a bit of her canines in a slightly threatening manner and leans closer to me. myrra continues, feral one, you are mine, she nearly hisses, not really angry at me, but more annoyed that someone is trying to take her toy, i dont care if she is a once-in-a-millennium genius or the matriarchs pampered granddaughter. you. are. mine. no, myrra, im my own person, and if you want, we can talk about our opinions on that again in a fight, i answer her simply while returning her gaze. her next words will decide if i blast her away with a cone of kinetic energy or not. in the end, myrra looks away first and sighs, her fluffy tail swaying around in an annoyed manner, you know what i meant, feral one! i found you first, so i wont allow any other boring lynthari to take you away from me, she just says, little princess will have to get through me to get to you, nya! myrra adds. the last word she says makes me freeze and forget about everything; even the thought of a fight disappears from my mind. n-nya? i ask carefully. myrra, as if realizing what she said, smiles apologetically and somewhat shyly. an expression i had yet to see on her face. excuse me, feral one. its something a lot of younger ones lately like to add to their sentences, she waves her hand as she starts walking, and i follow her, to be honest, its getting really popular, and plenty of lynthari use it, you know how trends go. Chapter 221: Rich chapter 221: rich "little princess has been looking for you for weeks already, but so far, i was able to hide you from her. also, feral one, why does she call you her underling?" myrra asks. "stuff happened," i say simply and then watch myrra''s tail twitch in annoyance. "anyway, i finally secured the metals you were asking for and some mana stones. they will be delivered to your house tomorrow, nya." "took a while." i decide to ignore the last word of her sentence. "obviously. they were expensive. and when i say expensive, i mean expensive even for me."0v3l.b11n. "i''m rich, i can pay for them," i say. myrra smiles and then tells me how much they cost. "i see, thank you for your patronage, miss myrra!" i say respectfully. maybe i''m not as rich as i thought. i should prepare some stuff to sell in the auction. my pride won''t allow me to be some sort of gold digger sucking up to rich weirdo lynthari. "the plan still applies?" two lynthari bow to myrra, but she ignores them. "yup," i answer while munching on a snack i bought from a merchant, "the auction is in around two weeks, and then around two weeks after that, we can go on and deal with the living tree." hopefully, the second trial of beyond won''t take longer than two weeks. i''m really excited for the auction. so far, i have no reason to think that it will take that long, but it''s not like i have too much information to judge it from, so who knows? the system is an ass. we exchange a few more sentences, set some plans, and myrra leaves to go and talk with other guild masters as well. lately, they have been really quiet and i bet it''s also thanks to her. the past few weeks were... easy, unfitting to the 4th floor, and something tells me it''s as i thought and only the "final bosses" will be strong enough to turn it into hell difficulty. damn, i bet easy-difficulty people might only have to kill one level 150 ant or something. i''ll make sure to ask them during the tournament. before returning, i stop by the workshop of the enchanter whom i met one night and who so excitedly taught me about his craft. the older man is someone i have visited a few times already and even talked with him about my plan, obviously without much detail. he offered truly priceless advice and saved me quite some time and a lot of wasted materials. "you again," he sighs as i enter his workshop, but i see that he seems in a better mood immediately. i still don''t know his name, nor does he know mine, and even though it should be easy to guess what i might plan to do, he doesn''t ask and pretends not to know and just talks about his craft. i put a mana stone on his table, "i think i almost got it," i say. "sure sure," he grumbles but immediately takes the stone, and with almost youthful curiosity, he starts going through my inscriptions. "you twisted it in a really weird way here and here," he shows me the mana stone, pointing out the twist. "yes, i did, it has something to do with my skill," i tell him. "what a weird skill you have," he says and then continues to inspect it. it takes 10 minutes longer, but when he is done, he just looks at me. "i didn''t ask you before, but who are you?" he says carefully, his voice solemn. "the things you are inscribing are terrifying, and the speed of your progress is even more so." i stay quiet, but that doesn''t stop him. "i tried to hold my curiosity back, but this," he waves the mana stone in his hand, "this is way too much. you don''t even realize what you just created." "with your help," i tell him. the old man laughs. "i''m not dumb, i know how small my help was." he sighs. "this stone, with its inscriptions, is probably worth more than some epic items to the right people. you don''t realize it, but there is so much new stuff and theories that can come up from this." oh? "people would pay good money for it?" i ask. he laughs. "they would sell their firstborn son just to glance at it for a few minutes." what weirdos. i spend just a few minutes playing with the stone and training for my plan of killing the living tree. "are these people rich?" i ask. a few pieces of rare equipment? not a problem, dennis. a metal that conducts mana and you want to use it as projectiles for your [telekinesis]? i will pay, min-jae! the amount on the card doesnt even change and it seems to be impossible to spend it all. but, there is a thought in my mind. should i maybe sell biscuit this way and use him as collateral against loan? the best doggo of the 4th floor surely will be more valuable than some random epic item. then, to flex on maya, i buy some extremely expensive snacks and a few mana battery stones she could use, as a thanks for showing me a new use for a skill both of us posses. for tess, we order a few rare javelins, also made from endurium. the boys keep telling me to buy a ring for lily. so i just ask izzy to read their emotions while i start asking them why they keep staring so much at tess, sophie, and maya when they think the young women aren''t looking. the trio shuts up surprisingly quickly. only when we reach the house do i realize that we forgot hadwin, but i shrug it off. he can buy whatever he wants a bit later. i hand the silver card to tess, there will be an auction in a while so dont spend much. tess checks the number on the card multiple times and then shakes her head a bit. nat, do you even know how much it is? huh? not really? i didnt bother learning how their currency that are mana stones works here. i wave my hand at tess to gesture her to stop from explaining, i leave it up to you. sure, money is nice, but how can it compare to personal power or even mana? yeah, i thought so. then i enter the living room that is already taken over by isabella, who also returned with me and immediately rushed in. she continuously pokes the egg on the table, the one that sophie spent 5 thousand shards to buy. an amount enough to buy an epic item. hopefully, it isnt consumable. (food?) biscuit also asks. indeed, brilliant minds think alike. i ruffle his head a bit and we continue to look at the egg. its not food! isabella shouts, sounding like an angry kitten. the system called it a beast egg and the description says that its a beast with the bloodline of some ancient monster, sophie says, and isabella gives her a harsh look, yet her older sister continues, we dont know what monster and it seems to be randomized? i picked it so i could have someone to defend me close range hopefully, and isabella wanted to make biscuit jealous. ehm? i get out of myself. yes, i know, sophie sighs, izzy saw something similar in a drama on tv before we got into the tutorial. just with men and women instead of a monster. oh, that quite makes sense, doesnt it? you got it wrong, soph. its for your protection and for us to get a new friend! even while izzy says it, i can feel her connecting to the egg and constantly trying to grasp any emotion from it. the little girl also continuously uses her [pyrokinesis] to keep an egg nice and warm. as i watch how she handles it, i see a clear mark of improvement. the way she handles her skill and mana is much better now, and the heat she produces is nice and warm, but not overly so, and evenly covers the surface of the egg. just a few days and it should hatch! izzy says after a while as she turns to me with a big smile on her face, just wait! you will be so jealous. arent you too cheeky right now? i continue to let her read my emotions, so she immediately knows what i am doing. n-no... isabella whispers in a broken voice. but i already pull out a piece of dried deer meat and offer it to biscuit, who immediately follows me back to my room, leaving isabella behind, only with her weirdo egg. back in my room, i jump into the armchair, and biscuit jumps onto my lap, closing his eyes immediately while i check the timer. two days left until beyond''s second trial. with closed eyes, i get back to training what maya showed me a few days ago. Chapter 222: Second trial chapter 222: second trial two days later the time comes and i start getting ready for the second trial. the farewells are short. everyone in group 4 already knows about beyond, some a bit more, others less, so there is no need for an explanation. biscuit gives me a nice piece of glass that he still thinks is the same as the mana stones they use here as currency. he also gives me a few pieces of dried deer meat. isabella somehow isn''t petty and just hugs me and wishes me luck. the boys are the boys, so they just tell me to level up a lot. haddy just nods his head and tells me to be careful.0v3l.b11n. tess smiles at me and says not to worry about them while i''m gone. lily uses the opportunity to hug me and only stops after i knock on the top of her head a few times. i even have to boost my body a bit so she lets me go. that reminds me that if i ever lose mana, i will be weak like a baby against most of the members of group 4, even with my stats from active tempering. sophie waves her hand awkwardly, and maya puts a small bag into my hand, full of some rations and other useful stuff. by the time i separate from them, i feel tired already and quickly get to the basement of our house. use beyond entrance token, i say, and after the portal appears in front of me, i step through. welcome to the beyond''s second trial! after passing through all three trials, you will be able to enter the beyond. the place i''m in isn''t the second floor, nor any of the floors i visited before. the sky is dark, lit by stars that shine brighter than they should. i slide into [focus] and the world loses even more of its colors, yet the lights become brighter, shining on the ground i am standing on. as far as i can see, i see deep craters and mountains spewing out fire and smoke. it''s hard to breathe, and the gravity that affects my body is much stronger than it should be, forcing me to use mana regulator to put more mana towards reinforcement and strengthening my body. the cold that threatens to freeze my body is terrible, the worst i''ve ever felt, and i reach in and start releasing some heat i stored in the thermal orb i started filling with thermal energy days before beyond. releasing more of the heat, it flows through my body and pushes away that terrifying cold, that is not visible at all. there is no ice, no freeze. a hole forms next to me, and from it, a fire spews out, melting the ground around, threatening to do the same to me, only to be absorbed and turned into heat, stopping me from freezing. sensing a stronger eruption coming, i boost my body and move high in the air, hovering at the place and watching as the hole expands and tons of melted material spew out, a heat so strong i have to move further to not overwhelm my skill. at the same time, the gravity that pulls on me is much stronger, so it''s difficult to even float and the amount of mana i spend is so high i decide to land. i check the quest and reward. beyonds second trial quest: survive for one week. quest rewards: active skill combination token (low-grade) 1000 shards i take in the text in front of me and there''s a single reward that i can''t stop looking at. the active skill combination token. the token with the potential of being a really good reward. after reducing the amount of thermal energy as much as i can, i move again, away from the place where i feel another crater forming. then, after examining my body more, i realize that i''m not wrong and it''s as i thought the moment i entered here. that weird feeling i immediately got and started examining my body, almost unable to believe it. my heart is not beating and generating any mana, affected by something that i can''t even detect right now. i seem to be otherwise fine. the blood is still somehow flowing through my body and my current mana pool is filled and not leaking, it''s just not getting replaced. multiple hours have passed and the strain of gravity put on my body is getting stronger, the monsters are getting harder to detect, and my heart doesn''t move at all. but, that''s it? i send another blast of kinetic energy underground, reducing the surface of the attack and moving it as efficiently as i can. [you have defeated crater worm - lvl 191] is this really a beyond trial? i dodge two leeches and this time i do not even use the sword, just create a thin thread of mana that i cover in [resonance] and cut both monsters apart. [you have defeated mana leech - lvl 179] [you have defeated mana leech - lvl 183] before another worm has time to shriek, i send a small thermal orb at it, and it explodes inside the monster''s weird mouth filled with dozens of sharp teeth. the monster screeches even louder while thrashing around and burning, unable to stop the flames even in this terrifying cold. [you have defeated crater worm - lvl 168] more thin threads of mana appear around me, each covered in widely resonating mana, and this time it''s me who tracks the monsters and attacks. one day has passed. the gravity is strong, but it feels weirdly comfortable as it keeps pulling on my body. with the little amount of mana i''m using, every step hurts and every wrong move threatens to send me tumbling, but the efficiency continues to improve. the air closer to the mountains is getting colder and i''m forced to use more thermal energy from the orb. i don''t like it, but the extreme temperatures are hindering my ability to fight, so i do it. as time passes, i come to like the planet i''m on. other than blasts of iron-melting fire from the ground and monster attacks once in a while, it''s quiet, so almost scarily quiet. there is no day and night, and no sun comes to the sky. it''s permanently dark, the planet lit by beautiful shining stars that are lighting the way through the extremely clear sky. even though i''m moving for a day already, the mountains are still far in the distance, clearly showing how giant they have to be to still be so far on the horizon. six days remain, and i know i won''t be getting any sleep, having to constantly manage my mana, and thermal energy, and keep fighting the monsters that will jump at me the moment i show weakness. and i am fine with that. as always in these situations, my mind feels sharp. it all makes me feel more alive than ever. it forces me to stop thinking of useless stuff and focus on survival at the place where a single mistake could end me. yet, the more threatened i feel, the stronger the danger is, the more i realize how much i want to live. amazed, i observe myself utilizing everything i have learned. my skills, my body, my mana, and my talents. all of them constantly used to keep me alive. the second day comes, and the sky is still the same, and the mountains look as far as before. while fighting against cold and gravity, the monsters continue to attack me, but that much is fine. the problem is that just now i realize that there is something or someone messing with my perception of reality. i used a decent chunk of my mana to check my mind and it doesn''t seem to be affected, only my senses are being fed fake information. my skills are unable to fight against it, it being too ever-present and shown by me being constantly fed the wrong positions of monsters and the world around me looking different than it is in reality. the result of that is more wounds on my body, and i''m being forced to create armor to protect myself and feed my passive with thermal energy to heal the wounds. unable to rely on my eyes anymore, i close them, but the effect still lasts as if the effect is delivered to me even through closed eyelids. [perception] is being fed the wrong visuals too. so i reach inside my body and cut nerves leading to my eyeballs, blinding myself. then i actively stop the passive from healing this small wound that will be easy to restore later. my usage of [perception] changes, and instead, i continue to feel waves of kinetic energy and heat from the monsters'' bodies. a day passes, and i start being fed wrong information even from kinetic and thermal energy. Chapter 223: Day six chapter 223: day six it ?s the start of day three and i''m using only my mana to observe my surroundings. the reach becomes much smaller and the cost of keeping it up is annoying, so i take some mana from the mana batteries i have on me, feeding it to the skill. efficiency isn''t as good as my own mana, but it helps me to keep my own reserves as high as possible. i still haven''t touched the mana reservoir, and the thermal orb i have prepared is half full. that''s when monsters able to hide their mana signature start appearing. after the first one bites off a piece of my shoulder, i''m forced to change my strategy. the monster that bit me i kill with a sharp blast of kinetic energy and can''t even check what it was without my senses. i release dozens of small mana particles into my surroundings and then use [mana domain] to observe them and keep them floating around me. the notifications continue to ring in my ears as i continue to kill anything that moves the particles close to me. at the end of day three, the monsters that appear start countering these particles as well by avoiding them, so i release even more of them, my non-regenerating mana getting to half and the thermal orb to twenty percent. i''m once again forced to start using more heat to keep myself from freezing. when i fall to the ground, under the strengthened gravity, i also boost my body a bit more, just enough to wobble back on my legs. the mana batteries i took here with me are empty. the monsters slowly sucked the mana from them without me realizing it. it''s my mistake. i boost empty mana batteries through the bodies of the monsters and notifications ring, announcing the kill. observing mana particles around me, i sense that they hesitate. come on, you wanted them so much. so just take them, i say to the dead world. then i boost the last remaining mana battery, and another notification sounds. as many times before, i try to use my epic item, the ethercrystal shortsword, and when i cut the monster, it sucks in its mana, trying to strengthen me. but, as many times before, something or someone fights against that. some of the mana that is in the process of being sucked into the crystal blade starts to get pulled away from it, and fighting over that mana wastes more of it than i would be getting, so i stop. in the end, the sword absorbs only a small part of it. that makes the sword close to being just a nice decoration, but i continue to use it when the monsters get closer to save some mana. it''s colder than ever before, and the heat i have to generate increases, but with it, my efficiency in the way i handle it. it''s not even radiating away from my body and just reaches the skin to keep maximal possible efficiency. i also reduce the amount i send towards my limbs as they are able to endure a bit more than my core. i start day four with my mana at forty percent and the thermal orb at ten percent. all the food and water i did bring with me froze over. the result of me reducing the area of effect of my heating. such a mistake is almost funny and i untie and drop the bag on the ground. i restore my sight multiple times, but i always see only for a second before i start getting fed the wrong information again, so i blind myself. but even that second is fine, and i find that i have reached the mountains. they are tall to a terrifying degree, making me feel extremely small. i''m nothing but a speck of dust in comparison to how tall they are. it somehow terrifies me even in [focus], as i feel the wind that starts hitting my body and vibrations in the air as the lightning continues to strike the mountains in front of me. the entire ground shakes, and i feel aftershocks even down here; that''s how strong it is. it''s clear that the area in front of me is much more dangerous than what lies behind me. my mana is getting lower with each passing second, the thermal orb is almost empty, and the gravity that threatens to crush my body is pulling on my muscles. the place i''m in will become more dangerous as time passes; i''m sure of it. even if i stay on the plains with worms, leeches, and fire geysers. the difficulty will ramp up. yet the mountains in front of me are much more dangerous even now. so, i take a step towards them, leaving the plains behind me. the entire time i continue to observe my mana heart and the weird aura that renders my senses close to useless. the mountains tower by my sides as i walk through the valley. from the second i''m able to use my eyes, i find out that the valley is unnaturally straight and flat, and the mountains by its sides are set there in too unnatural a manner. it feels just like a sidewalk surrounded by trees. the wind slows down and the air becomes warmer, just in time to leave me with five percent of my thermal orb, but the gravity and pull on my mana increase, even now partially ignoring my mantle. no monster appears anymore. it''s quiet. i boost mana projectiles with kinetic energy. i create tricolored orbs, and explosions and implosions scar the planet. burst after burst of brilliant golden flames melt the monsters, keeping me warm against the cold that surrounds me and heal my body through my passive. and i continue to get hurt. the monsters are just that strong. a big chunk of my leg gets bitten off, unable to be fully restored with my passive. a big wound in my side, carved off by some extremely fast monster that passes by me. i fight and fight. i get hurt and i kill. over and over again as my mana roars and hums, free at last. that''s when the biggest monster appears. as tall as a small apartment building, a few floors high. the monster is bipedal and with long front legs with mana circuits all over its forearms. the monster reminds me of a gorilla with an extremely muscular body and four eyes. i restore my eyes for a second. [skystrider beast - lvl ??] javelins filled with thermal energy crash against the monster, barely doing any damage. my flames burn its skin, being weakened the closer they get to it. kinetic energy disperses on the beast ?s skin. tricolored orbs burn the monster, even making it stagger a bit, but the implosion does nothing. spending more time forcing my mana through a javelin that is three times my length and filled to the brim with thermal energy, i boost it while my heart thumps loudly. the monster is hurt by that, golden flames burning its body, the smell of burned skin and hair filling the air. yet it''s durable, extremely so. much more durable than the undead deer from the third floor. i move closer, then, pulling out the sword and covering the blade with resonating mana that i extend. just a small human jumping against the big monster while surrounded by pale blue armor and with a glowing sword in hand. using everything in my arsenal, i continue to avoid deadly attacks while i feel disrupting properties from the glowing forearm of the monster. all the damage i deal is barely a scratch, the monster is just that big and durable, and that''s when the monster roars as i dash at its head, a shockwave throwing me on the ground where i hit it and continue to roll, pieces of my armor breaking together with my bones. when i finally absorb the inertia of my crash, the monster stands in front of me, moved there with one big leap, and its fist heading down at me. at the last moment, i release all the kinetic energy i collected, propelling myself to the side and then immediately again to avoid another shockwave. the lightning starts cracking on the monster''s pitch-black skin, and its red eyes seem to glow with malice. it roars again, this time redirecting the shockwave and boosting its body towards me in a similar way i used my kinetic energy. watching the monster move towards me, i slide into deeper [focus] and the world feels as if it slowed down slightly. breathe in. breathe out. my mana radiates from my body, creating an armor around myself that becomes a darker and darker shade of blue. it becomes as big as the one maya showed me, making me three heads taller than before, surrounded by my mana. but i do not stop there. i push more mana from my body and with a speed that would tear me apart without my newest epic passive. the armor around my body grows more and more, lifting me in the air until i''m at the chest of the translucent blue armor, surrounded by all this mana. [armament - lvl 37 > armament - lvl 38] [armament - lvl 38 > armament - lvl 39] my domain encompasses it all, allowing me to stop it from dissipating and increasing my control over it. [mana domain - lvl 13 > mana domain - lvl 14] [mana domain - lvl 14 > mana domain - lvl 15] and i continue to infuse more mana into it. [mana infusion - lvl 35 > mana infusion - lvl 36] mana radiates all around me, making me over twice as tall as my normal height. the effect of the sub-class pride doesn''t allow my [armament] to look shabby, so it gains some delicate ornaments, and the pieces of armor are functional and deadly, yet beautifully looking. i reach out my own hand, and the giant one made of my mana mirrors the movement. with a strong push, more mana flows there, and a sword made of mana, much bigger than the original in my hand, is created. a blade of a darker shade of blue than the armor and with wisps of light blue mana flowing through it. then i grab the sword and, taking a stance, i face the monster. Chapter 224: Beast chapter 224: beast the skystrider beast uses a shockwave roar again, but this time i burrow the feet of the armor into the ground, and the attack mostly disperse on the mana surrounding me. like a strong wind, the shockwave tears off chunks of my mana, but i ignore it all. as i take a step toward the monster, i continue to radiate more of it, repairing the damage done. the sword in my mana hands resonates and clashes against the monster''s skin. unlike the ranged attacks, the sword is surrounded with [resonance], so it doesn''t disperse, and i finally draw more blood, making the monster roar. a swing of its fists sends me flying, the armor crumpling. the skystrider beast is still three times as tall as me, vicious and quick, and while i''m restoring the damage, it uses a shockwave and pushes me even further. and then another one. one more after that. each attack is stronger than the previous, craters forming around me, pieces of stone as big as cars flying to the sides. the air itself vibrates and roars under the force of the monster''s skill. bigger and bigger chunks of my armor get pulled away from me like a building getting torn apart by strong winds. so, i reach into my reservoir, and within my domain, mana moves quickly, filling the gaps, the armor becoming denser, and the sword even longer. i take another step and the ground under me cracks. the mana has weight to it, either by itself or because of the combination of my skills. as i run towards the monster, each of my steps breaks the surface under my feet, and with each passing second of the fight, my control over the armor improves. i dodge the shockwave. i duck under the swing of the monster''s fist. while doing so, i lose balance and use my hand to push myself back up, taking a hit from another fist but swinging my sword and dealing more damage. [mana domain] expands, and mana from the reservoir flows into the air, filling it with a pale blue shimmer. in the air, i form projectiles that fly toward the beast''s eyes, trying to blind it. a hand forms there as well, expanding and growing until it''s as big as the monster''s, but when it hits, it disperses, unable to endure the monster''s disruptive field on its skin. unlike my armor around my body, my ranged attacks do not have [resonance] fighting against its barrier. i stop releasing mana and just focus it more on the armor. i use [redistribution] and [mana infusion] to make it stronger and slimmer, and then i charge the beast again. my movement is awkward, yet so much better than before. it''s getting easier to keep balance, and i slash with the sword again, tearing the barrier on the monster''s skin and burrowing the sword deep into its side. the beast''s fist hits the head of my armor, destroying it, but my body is lower, in the middle of the chest. i duck under another swing and then again when the monster uses a shockwave to boost its body toward me. a giant fist hits the ground, creating a crater, and it roars again. this time the shockwave hits me but slides on the armor that i move. the armor is more durable than before. when the beast attacks again, i''m ready, already knowing what attack it will use. i dodge to the side and swing the sword towards the fist, the blade humming audibly and for a moment shining brighter than before. it cuts through the monster''s skin, flesh, and bone. easily as if there is no resistance. the cut-off hand falls to the ground, it being as big as a car. more mana radiates from me as i move again while the monster holds the stump. both the monster and i move quickly, but slower than i would be if i was smaller. the mass and weight of [armament] not allowing me to move faster. when i step close and am about to attack, the beast waves its hand at me. the moment blood makes contact with the mana surrounding me, it immediately disrupts it and consumes it like poison. it causes a burning sensation, and large sections of the armor begin to disappear. i disregard this, even as the blood reaches my real body. a few scary minutes pass like that. my consciousness is kept only thanks to strengthening through the sword and flames that feed my passive. i watch as my hand shakes, and observing my body, i find out that i nearly depleted my body''s mana. the mana reservoir also took a bit hit, with less than a third of its capacity remaining. but as always, good things do not last. the monsters start moving towards me from all sides, not scared anymore by the skystrider beast. there are dozens of them. with a sigh, i pull the sword from the corpse and dodge to the side as a leech breaks the ground. i send a sharp pulse of mana through my body, strengthening it shortly at the top of the sword, and slash. [you have defeated mana leech - lvl 170] i move away from the corpse and my body staggers a bit as i feel weak in the legs. that makes an attack hit me, and i absorb only a bit of kinetic energy before i''m sent rolling on the ground. sensing another mana signature underground, i use the collected kinetic energy and send my body to the side, rolling even further before i stop. when i get on my feet, i can barely stand, my body shaking and screaming in pain, and each use of mana sends sharp pain through my head. dozens of monsters start hungrily eating the giant corpse, disgusting noises sounding as they tear the skin and flesh from the body. their devouring movements twitch the body, making it seem as if it''s moving. for a moment, i feel a hint of a weird emotion. what a scary opponent the beast was, how far it pushed me. yet now its lifeless body lies here, devoured by monsters that wouldn''t even dare to come close to it while it was alive. and now they eat it, not even giving it enough time to cool down. i feel the strengthening i''m getting from the sword weaken as the mana it was able to absorb starts to deplete and looking around, i detect a few dozen monsters moving toward me from all sides. breathe in. breathe out. [focus] more. [focus] more! [focus] my body stops shaking, all the emotions gone other than one. sheer arrogance i show against all the odds. how dare they try to attack me like hyenas, thinking i''m easy prey. the pain is still here but pushed to the back of my mind, and i squeeze the sword i''m holding. my mana starts filling my body once again, as always, giving me all these powers and skills i got so used to. my heart beats, and this time it''s i who attacks first. Chapter 225: Door in the mountain chapter 225: door in the mountain even though i strengthen my body, it''s still weak, so i dodge the first attack by letting myself fall, my knuckles scratching as i still hold the sword. the leech passes over my head and, without even turning around, i send a short pulse of thermal energy at it, hearing it screech in pain. another attack from the ground hits me, and this time i let it. i create armor only in front of my chest, absorbing some of the hits, strengthen my arm as much as i can and stab the monster. i continue to keeping up the armor on my chest and stabbing the monster. in the end, i also shoot a pulse of kinetic energy, finally killing it. both of us fall down, and i keep the sword stabbed inside the corpse to absorb as much mana as possible. i pull the sword out and stagger backward, only to avoid a nearly invisible mana attack that the leeches like to use. small part of it still hits me, making me spin. falling down to my knees, i push with kinetic energy, sending myself rolling away and dodging another attack. another pulse sends me back to my feet, just in time to surround my arm with mana armor and stab the sword deep into the monster''s mouth. sharp teeth bite on the armor, cracking it, even sucking on the mana and weakening it further. crumpled armor presses against my skin, even slightly cracking the bone, and i send thermal energy through. the armor lights up with yellow flames, and the leech, while screeching, lets go. i send a cone of kinetic energy against its head, killing it. the fight continues for what feels like hours. i''m so terribly weak right now, and killing a few dozen monsters strains me as much as nothing lately. i roll on the ground, i stumble, i dodge. i groan in pain. all while killing one monster after another, slowly and methodically, saving every point of mana mana and straining myself as little as possible. at some point, everything stops existing, and there are two orders i follow. keep thermal energy flowing through so you won''t freeze. the second one is to kill anything that moves through the mana particles i use to track the monsters. even then, the time comes when the last notification sounds, and after sending my senses into the area, i feel no presence. a surprise hits me, and with it, a hint of disappointment. i start coming back to my senses and to this dead, dark world with only stars lighting it. the second beyond trial. once again, i stagger towards the closest corpse and stab the sword into it, the blade hungrily sucking on the mana and strengthening my body. that''s when i promise to myself that my next epic passive will be a healing one. either a strengthened version of my current one or a better one. actually, should i go and buy a rare passive now to heal me? after restoring my eyes for a moment and checking the timer, a greedy part of me decides against it and that i would rather save for a stronger passive than buy a weak one. the fight is over anyway, and ill soon have lily to heal my dumb ass. with ten minutes remaining until the end of the trial, i stand up and start moving back into the valley between the mountains. only five minutes remain when i stop in front of the door, my chest moving up and down heavily even after a small usage of mana to get here faster. the next four minutes i spend staring at the inscriptions and remembering as many as i can, even etching simpler versions of them into a mana stone i have on me. they dont do anything, and it''s more akin to drawing on paper, just that the mana stones are much more expensive, yet i do not hesitate and do it as much as i can. one minute left. the world starts feeling as if it freezes over. i hear no sound and nothing moves at all. in the deafening silence, even mana inside my body refuses to move, and so does my mana heart. only by checking the timer do i confirm that time didnt freeze, as it continues to tick down. then a whisper sounds in my head, (so very curious. haven''t i met you during your first trial?) there isnt any connection that i could cut off, nor mana i could feel. the voice is just there, in my head. the inscriptions on the door start glowing even brighter, and the entire mountain feels as if it''s shaking. who are you? i ask. (just an intent i left in the tutorial.) the voice says as if it explains everything, yet it only creates more questions for me. why? (to mess with @*--?#)!) it pauses, and i can nearly feel amusement from it. (so she censored even her name.) this time it laughs, the mountain shaking even more, and big pieces falling all around as it continues to crack. the inscriptions glow in a painfully intense light, and i feel sick just from sensing the enormous amount of mana they contain and manipulate. five seconds remaining. who is she? i ask my last question. (the ruler of greed, obviously.) then i get forced out. no portal appears near me; it''s just my body that is yanked backward, everything around me turning into a blur. when it all stops, i find myself in the underground area under the house. i sense that i triggered some sort of trap, and when i send my senses into the area, i realize that it''s only sophie''s vastly improved web that surrounds the house. the effect i triggered was something akin to detection or a doorbell. (welcome back,) i let sophie connect to my mind through her web. (can you send lily here?) i ask while sliding to the ground, my back against the wall. huh, there is still so much blood? (i did it already. are you...) i do not hear the rest of the words, and finally, after a week, i let myself pass out. my last thought is that lily will be pissed off. when i get back to myself, i decide to keep my eyes closed and dont move at all, nor change the way i breathe. instead, i only send my senses and detect three people in the room: lily, tess, and hadwin. so, how is he? hadwin asks first. at least a few hours must have passed already, so this more looks like he and tess are checking on me while lily heals me. but there is one question. does she need to touch me that much? i mean, it''s probably so her powers can more easily enter my body and all, but it still feels a bit awkward having her hand move on my chest and around the wounds there. if i use [sacrifice] i can heal him much faster, but i dont think it''s needed. his passive did help a bit, from lilys voice i hear contempt, as if she is looking down at my rare graded passive. that''s quite rude. pyrokinetic resurgence is trying its best. mana domain - lvl 15 tether - lvl 7 constructs: reinforcement (construct) kinetic mana heart (construct) mana regulator (construct) mana sovereignty mantle (construct) passive skills: cerebral harmony (rare) mana-fortified resilience (rare) pyrokinetic resurgence (rare) mana reservoir (epic) arcane resilience (epic) tokens: beyond difficulty entrance token active skill combination token (low-grade) shards: 3032 nice, the reward of 1000 shards is already here. i have gained 12 levels, three of them from that annoying beast. a few skills leveled up too and broke through a bottleneck, meaning that i need to get two more skills over 40 to get a skill upgrade token as a reward from a side quest. well, maybe i will ignore this quest and just use the active skill combination token as it seems much more useful than the skill upgrade token. it could also take me a few weeks to break through the skill bottleneck to level forty. but the biggest reward surely is the way i used [armament]. a mecha-like armor allowed me to increase my size and fight against a much bigger monster that was resistant to my ranged attacks. with a few improvements, this could become terrifyingly strong, even though right now i should hesitate to use it. my proficiency is still terrible, so it used way too much mana and the process was so bad it put a useless strain on my body. a few weeks of experimenting with it should improve it further and add another weapon to my arsenal. but now, the thing i want to check the most. use active skill combination token. you have used an active skill combination token. please pick two skills from the following ones you would like to combine. warning! combining two skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill. warning! a combination of not-compatible skills can result in worse skills. warning! after combining the skills, it will become extremely difficult to acquire the skills used for combination. list of available skills to combine: mana manipulation (advanced mana manipulation) - lvl 41 perception - lvl 39 mana infusion - lvl 37 armament - lvl 40 tether - lvl 7 oh, so [focus], [redistribution], [resonance], and [mana domain] are not available for combination. it can either mean that the skills are just too high tier to be used this way, or the skill combination token is too low tier, and i would need to acquire a stronger one to actually combine these skills. well, it doesn''t matter; i wouldnt use it on either of those four skills. they are way too important to me to use them this way. [mana manipulation] with [perception] [mana manipulation] with [mana infusion] [mana manipulation] with [tether] [mana manipulation] with [armament] [perception] with [mana infusion] [perception] with [tether] [perception] with [armament] [mana infusion] with [tether] [mana infusion] with [armament] [tether] with [armament] now then, i have ten possible combinations. let''s get into theorizing. Chapter 226: Hatched egg chapter 226: hatched egg first, i look at [mana manipulation]. it''s probably the skill i use the most, and even though it''s not as high-tiered as some others i have, i still hesitate. for someone like me, the skill is extremely important and i don''t know what would happen if i got rid of it, so let''s rather keep it. that leaves me with 6 options. [perception] with [mana infusion] would probably vastly improve my detection of mana. maybe even allow me to feel it better and, in the end, improve the way i use it. [perception] with [tether] would most likely improve my placement of anchors. a new skill could straight up end up being some sort of teleport. that doesn''t sound bad at all. [perception] with [armament] would most likely end up being a skill that would make my mana creations smarter, and maybe even allow me to program some behavior? or maybe not, it sounds weird. then there is [mana infusion] with [tether]. so maybe something to create traps that i can infuse with more mana or some stronger ranged attack? [tether] with [armament], i don''t even know what to imagine. [tether] is still a bit weird, so i have trouble with that. and then, there is an option i like the most. especially ever since i saw maya using it and i used it on my own in the second beyond trial. [mana infusion] and [armament]. i used both skills this way, to infuse mana into my armor, which made it much stronger. an improved version of that would make my mecha-like armor even stronger, projectiles as well. to be honest, this might be the first time i could really use a lot of my mana. what i did before while fighting beast is extremely mana-hungry but also really strong, especially against opponents who can ignore my ranged attacks. weirdly, even with all that mana, getting up close and personal is a great option. and then there is also an idea i have had for some time that might allow me to circumvent the system a bit. for one more time, i look at [perception] with [tether]. it sure sounds like teleport. but who needs to teleport when i can create giant armor around myself, and i just stomp an asshole? plus i can just improve my [tether] and [mana domain] for maybe even better result. i want to combine [mana infusion] and [armament], i say quietly, still careful not to wake up biscuit. congratulations, you have successfully combined [mana infusion] and [armament]! a new skill has been created. you have acquired [regalia].n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. [regalia - lvl 0 > regalia - lvl 6] damn, [armament] was at 40 and [mana infusion] at 37, so this skill better be cool as heck. the name is a bit weird when comparing it to other skills, but not in a bad way. i start creating a mana orb over the palm of my hand, and my mana moves there easily, the orb nearly instantly changing to dark blue with wisps of pale blue mana inside. observing it tells me that i need to push just a little for it to turn into a tricolored orb. the speed is just that immense. the orb itself feels heavier than before and even denser. i would need to test it a bit more, but it feels much tougher while still listening to me as before and moving according to my will. the best part of it is that the skill is at level 6 only, in comparison to [armament] which used to be 40. i mean, i won''t complain, but isn''t this too much? i reduce the density a bit, and the orb becomes a lighter, more transparent shade of light blue, but it moves much faster and changes shape however i want, expanding, shrinking, all according to my will. right now, i really want to pump more mana into it and try to create armor, but the cute corgi sleeping on my legs holds me back. i guess i will have to stay here for a while. now then, back to a little bit of scamming. i expand the orb in my hand, turning it into a dagger, and then try to fill it with more mana. it obviously works, either using [mana manipulation] or [regalia] to do so. but this is not what i want to do. i long since learned to infuse my creations with thermal or kinetic energy, and ever since the third floor, i was attempting to infuse them with my skills. even back then, my goal was to turn [mana infusion] into [infusion], and now with the skill out of the way, it seems as good a time to try. i already made a lot of attempts over the past few months, even before the end of the 3rd floor. i close my eyes, let''s try it. (food?) i hear with my mind and open my eyes. "i must never become weaker than lily," not surely knowing why i say it out loud instead of keeping it in my mind. even the twins seem surprised, but soon they smile. "i never thought of that. i wonder what would happen to you if you were weaker." dennis''s quiet laugh sounds in the room. "i''m more and more sure lily is an initiate of lust," aaron joins in without hesitation. then the twins continue to joke with me. it''s barely noticeable, but their laugh seems a tiny bit more real than before. later that night, sophie and izzy return first, followed by maya. maya greets me first and tells me about the spot where she hid good snacks, and then she disappears to take a shower. i''m already impatient to show off my new skill to her, but this will wait. biscuit is awake and well, floating around and annoying people to get some food. as if offering a sacrifice to keep their souls, everyone gives him something and the corgi floats to another target. who would want to mess with a divine beast with one of the rare primordial energies? me, for sure not. i notice that izzy is holding her arms behind her back as if hiding something, and when i try to probe with my mana, she shouts angrily, "no, don''t look!" and stomps. that sends a weak pulse of mana from her that blocks my vision. it only makes me more curious. "the egg has hatched," sophie tells me while putting away their gear. my curiosity grows even bigger. what could be inside the egg that cost five thousand shards? an amount close to an epic passive. "izzy?" i say carefully, but she seems to be waiting for something. "please?" i add. she seems to hesitate but still shakes her head, "you will have to tell biscuit to be more friendly with..." she pauses, "with mine and sophie''s pet!" just tell me the name already, you silly girl, "i will tell him that, i promise," i say, still curious about what kind of beast it is that biscuit apparently doesn''t like. for izzy, such a promise is enough, and she runs to me, taking her hand from behind her back and showing me an animal. it is a beautifully white snake with emerald green eyes that have a surprisingly intelligent look in them. the snake looks towards me, sticks out its tongue, and i can feel it, tasting my mana? that''s the best way i can describe it. then the snake tries to move closer to me. "oh, he really likes you! he didn''t do it with anyone else," izzy says, surprised but also a bit annoyed. the snake seems to like my mana, not me, you silly girl, i want to say. there is no text over its head, and the creature still feels somewhat weak. "izzy, i have a few ideas for a name," i can''t help myself. the snake looks cool, even though it''s still small and wrapped around isabella''s arm. "maybe something like hissarion, whitey, emeraldie, snek, jo?rmungandr." "oh, you don''t have to. we already have a name!" izzy stops me. "izzy picked it," sophie joins in the conversation. i already know where this is going. "we call him noodle!" the little girl says proudly. noodle looks first at her and then at me. it might be only me, but his eyes seem tired. Chapter 227: New group member chapter 227: new group member i continue to look at noodle, and he looks at me; soon, we both come to an understanding. we are the same. noodle here is introverted as well, suffering under the hand of his energetic, extroverted child owner. "hang in there, buddy," i say. as i do, he sticks out his tongue and swivels it towards me, once again tasting my mana. for a moment, it also looks like he is trying to reach me, but isabella quickly hides him, and i can see a hint of jealousy on her face, "noodle is mine!" she fights back. meanwhile, sophie shakes her head while looking at me, "i''ve noticed it a few times, but animals really like you. biscuit, some from the city, now even noodle, what are you? a disney princess?" too proud to answer, i just ignore her and pass by izzy. while doing so, i send a bit of my mana toward the white snake, and i notice him opening his mouth a bit and swallowing it. the cute little snake seems to enjoy it. we introverts have to stick together. "i will go to the city for a bit," i tell sophie before leaving, and she nods in acknowledgment. when outside, i boost my body and lift up into the air, flying over the houses and towards obelia''s guilds. the guild house of storm brigade is one of the highest towers in the city. it''s really wide, allowing nearly anything they need to fit in. a place to sleep, training areas, learning areas, and labs. just all in one. the walls of the tower are interwoven with circuits that have mana flow through them. the circuits strengthen it and have detection in them. i also long since noticed some nasty traps hidden there, ready to activate. i land just outside the garden that surrounds the tower from all sides and then walk towards it. the air here is also filled with multiple effects that make flying much more difficult. at the door, i meet two guards who greet me, used to my visits from before. yet they still reach their hand towards me, and i send a bit of my mana at them. using an item, they collect it and find it in their database, only then allowing me in after greeting me. apparently, i have one of the highest possible clearances. either thanks to tess, who is obelia''s third disciple, or thanks to me being the guild master of angry kittens. after getting inside, i get going and fly through the tunnel made for people with this ability and get to the highest floor. there, i stop in front of the door to obelia''s quarters. as a guild master, she takes up the entire floor, the inscriptions in the wall denser, and the floor has an office, shielded labs, a strengthened training area, and a vault. anything she would need. it doesn''t take long, and obelia herself comes to greet me. knowing it''s me, she doesn''t even wear the uniform storm brigade uses, just some comfortable-looking homely clothes. when dealing with me or tess, she just does that. otherwise, she is uptight and nearly always formal with her guild. what can i thank for your visit? she says, dropping formalities. she then leads me towards the outer wall and then onto a balcony that oversees the city. here both of us sit, and for a moment i take in the view. no matter how many times i get there, i still continue to enjoy it. i just wanted to ask you for a few more pieces of ethercrystal and selenium, i ask. from my testing, i found that these two materials are nice to work with, and both are good at holding or leading mana. sure, there are some that are even better, it''s just that they are too expensive for how little i would be able to get. i will have them delivered to your house tomorrow morning, obelia says without much hesitation, and i just nod. feral angry kitten, welcome! she immediately ditches her sparring partner and comes rushing to me, a big smile on her face. unlike elydor, she says our guild name without ill intention or contempt, so i dont mind it that much. isola is already preparing to fight and i can see her mana starting to activate, strengthening her stupidly strong body even more. i give her a short greeting and then [regalia] activates as i use it to surround myself with armor. unlike the old one, this one is even more dangerous looking. it''s not as bulky, being nearly skin-tight, yet its design is improved by the skill itself and then even more by my pride sub-class. simple, but beautiful and somewhat regal feeling. oh, this is a new one! isola says excitedly, her skin-tight barrier already surrounding her body and she adds to it even more as a reaction to my improved skill. she attacks first and i stand there, watching as her fist is about to hit me. before it does, i decide to use kinetic energy and send it through the armor with the help of [infusion]. her fist hits the middle of my chest and that''s all. on the blue armor, a ripple appears, sent through its entirety. like a stone thrown into a calm lake. at the same time, i feel the effect of [infusion] that combined with [regalia]. my mana rushes into the armor at the point of hit, strengthening it and then using infused kinetic energy to absorb the energy of isola''s attack. i feel nothing, my body doesnt move at all. the armor absorbs it all and kinetic energy flows through it, instead of being sent inside my body. interesting! without hesitation, she switches stance, mana appearing from intricate tattoos on her forearms and she hits me with an attack, switching to attacks that use mana. again and again, she hits me, yet the result is similar. the kinetic energy of her attacks gets absorbed and mana attacks just crash against the armor. at places where they damage it, more mana rushes there, filling the cracks and repairing the armor. the drain on my mana is noticeable even with the amount of mana i possess. i start moving as well and using the kinetic energy i''ve collected, i punch at isola. she dodges it, and we continue to exchange punches and kicks, moving all over the area. the more we fight, the more i realize how amazing the skill is, especially in combination with [infusion] that adds properties to it. closer to the end of the fight, i disable the armor and start creating projectiles using [regalia]. even they are much stronger and unlike those from our spars before, isola isn''t able to disrupt or destroy them. the decision i made seems to be really good so far. when i return to the house, i find that everyone is back inside. ignoring the front door, i carefully pass through sophie''s web, able to do so without triggering traps or alarms, thanks to my extensive help in creating it. after jumping onto my balcony, i look at tess, who is standing there. she is resting against the railing and looking down at the city that is already filled with colorful lights as the night came. tess seems to be thinking, so i just join her in silence. the wind continues to blow, and unlike most of the time, her hair isn''t tied into a ponytail and just waves in the wind, even at night showing its pretty blonde color. when she turns to me, her steel-gray eyes are serious, and i see a hint of excitement and worry in them, i was able to combine two of my skills, she says simply, [lightning armor] and [lightning manipulation], she names her old skill and the skill she was able to get around two weeks ago. tess uses her mana to feed her new skill, and the moment it activates, i realize how powerful it is, not dissimilar to my [regalia]. slowly, red and white lightning moves and collects over her head, at first creating a halo that hovers there, then the halo changes its shape a bit, turning into a crown made from red and white lightning. the tips of that crown turn slightly yellow as if heated metal. the power of her new lightning is extremely pure. its called [stormcrown], tess says, red and white lightning lighting her blonde hair and face. even before she continues, i know what it means, nat, i can now enter beyond 1st trial." Chapter 228: The second strongest member of Group 4 chapter 228: the second strongest member of group 4 i spend the rest of the day and a big part of another helping tess to get used to her skill. [stormcrown], while activated, improves her control over lightning by a lot. it also allows her to let lightning flow through her body and create something like [lightning armor] from before. in some ways, it''s a bit similar to my [regalia]. while watching tess use it and feeling the force behind her attacks, i cant help but feel admiration for her. she is extremely hardworking, in both dealing with people from our group, all the planning, and even with her training. i dont think i ever saw her skip a day of training and similarly to izzy, she also always walks around the house, having some of her skills activated. all of that transformed into her being the second person from our group about to enter beyond. other than her, only lily and min-jae show interest in it. lily should be fine with her skills and after gaining some levels, but min-jae... its something to deal with. he is strong and has improved a lot, he also works hard, yet he is missing something that is hard to describe. its easier than i thought, the new skill feels like a combination of my old ones, keeping them intact, but adding to them while strengthening them as well, tess says. she then gestures with her hand, a dozen lightning arrows shooting at me, only to be met by a shield made of [regalia]. i didnt infuse it with any other skills, but its vastly stronger than before. my sub-class also seems to be working nicely with it. as she says so, [stormcrown] activates again and the crown that floats over her head shines brighter, and white and red lightning create it. tess, without any gesture, moves her dozen javelins towards her, each of them rare graded and made of endurium. lightning cracks around her body, filling the weapons with it and all at once fly at me. this time the shield i make is much thicker and i infuse it with [resonance]. the javelins stab into it, but the moment they do so, i feel a pull on my mana and my skill disrupts the lightning. tess uses her skill and the javelins that she declared to be hers fly back and float behind her back. the look in her eyes changes and she opens her mouth, i declare this to be my domain, the tone of her voice is different as if she is forcing the world to listen to her will. thats her [declaration]. it takes a toll on her and i can feel the amount of mana it uses, even making her [stormcrown] flicker. yet it works and her mana fills a spherical area around her in a similar way my [mana domain] does. within that domain, lightning continues to flicker in the air, ready to bend to her will, and the stones on the ground start to float upwards. tess pushes more and the crown over her hair shines brighter, and her blonde hair floats, lightning passing through them. following the blast of lightning comes out of nowhere, without giving me a chance to feel it, and crashes against my body i strengthened. pushed by it, i absorb my inertia and [resonance] activates, weakening her domain and pushing against her. each of tess''s skills activates faster within her declared domain, and the javelins that fly at me move as if they have their own mind, each with a different speed and trajectory, but all of them are trailed by lightning. sliding into [focus], i calmly observe them and, strengthening my body, i deflect all of them. the lightning that fails to damage me floats in the air and gets pulled to tess, spinning around her body. the moment the ground explodes under her, she shoots at me a sharp blast of concentrated primordial energy. it''s fast, very fast, and it pierces the barrier i create and fails to push further, crashing against a glove made of [regalia] that i infused with [resonance]. my [mana domain] activates as well and starts clashing against tess''s. i feed it more mana until i win over her skill and cancel it. i create an anchor behind tess''s back and send kinetic energy to it. i do it much faster than before and tess barely reacts by creating a lightning armor around her before my attack throws her to the side. then she is nearly out of mana and i stop my attacks. the time we spent testing and her [declaration] spent the last big remaining chunks of her mana. i liked your last attack, i say as i grab a bottle from a bench nearby and throw it to her, with a bit of practice, it could become really deadly. tess grabs the bottle and takes a sip while moving a strand of hair off her forehead. she also seems to be thinking and replaying our fight, i prefer quicker and weaker attacks. this one uses too much mana and takes a bit longer than i would like to use. in the silence that ensues, we continue to wait. forty minutes remaining. thirty. five minutes. a minute. ten seconds. a portal appears, and tess steps through it, immediately falling to her knees. the lightning wildly cracks around her body, her eyes wild and unfocused. she falls to the ground, a big chunk of her leg missing, and a hole in her side, the wound burned and closed by her lightning. then her eyes meet mine, and they clear for a moment. she looks proud and slowly closes her eyes to let herself doze off. the moment she does so, i feel her heartbeat slow down, and as i take a step towards her. white and red lightning that still remains around her body bursts against me, hurting me like a whip, burning wounds into my flesh. the same lightning hits her own heart and restarts it, making her regain a normal heartbeat. lily passes by me and her mana activates too. the lightning also shoots against her, but the black-haired healer annoyed, furrows her brow, and thin wisps of gray mana shoot from her, clashing against the lightning and disintegrating it. for a moment, the two skills continue to clash, yet the gray smoke-like mana wins, getting rid of all the lightning. without any hesitation, lily puts her hand on tess and pushes her mana into the blonde woman''s body. lily doesnt use [sacrifice], she just heals with her improved skill and with the entirety of her mana, and the wounds close, even new flesh creating at places where it is missing. she pushes until she is out of mana. tess''s breathing calms down and her face looks peaceful, the pain disappearing from it. that''s when two of lilys fingers disappear, and new skin creates over the wounds. unlike the pale arm she made for me, this skin is the same tan as tess''s original skin. after observing the blonde a bit longer, another of lilys fingers disappears and she heals something i think are internal wounds. when she is done, tess looks almost like new. once again, i''m reminded why on each floor there are organizations willing to kill to have capable healers in their ranks. "she would have been fine without me, but now she doesn''t need days to heal, lily says while turning to me, seemingly not bothered at all by her missing fingers. she did have a few smaller internal wounds, but i took care of it. lily then pretends to want to tie her hair into a ponytail but is unable to do so because of missing fingers, and the look she gives me is a bit cheeky, and i immediately know what she wants. after i get behind her and start slowly tying her hair into a ponytail, you did well, i tell her. i did, didn''t i? tess better be thankful, lily smiles, tilting her head a bit, a big smile on her face. oh, and i got a few ideas of how i could combine [rejuvenation] and [reshaping], so soon i will go there too! yes, yes, just level up a bit more. the amount of mana you hold is pathetic, to be honest. you can''t keep sacrificing your fingers because of it. i won''t be. soon, i will learn how to [sacrifice] items instead of them. and since we are rich, i will be able to get myself plenty of small, expensive items to do so. as tess seems safe, i feel some tension leave my body and my mood improves as well. obviously, i won''t show it to this pesky black-haired healer of ours. lately, she has been too shameless and i wonder, would having an annoying younger sibling be like this? i am rich. you are just a leech, i tell her. i am, am i not? she giggles a bit. then, are you technically my sugar da... before she finishes, i tap the top of her head and poke her side. but that makes her only laugh more. Chapter 229: Little Princess chapter 229: little princess when tess wakes up, she is at first surprised by the people around her. only slowly she realizes that she is in the living room instead of her room. it was my idea. that''s what she gets for making me worry. unsurprisingly, tess deals with people who immediately ask her questions fairly quickly. a harsh look here, some lightning there. yet, i notice that she is not that mad and realizes that they are just that worried. even though she is trying to hide it, i can see her smiling a bit. this is the kind of camaraderie she always hoped for. people going through the same terrible experience because of things out of their control and learning to help and worry about each other. all the attention is on tess and even biscuit is there, and it takes a lot of time until she patiently answers their questions while they keep offering her food, snacks, and something to drink. tess''s first beyond trial was different from mine. the area was the same, but the monsters she had to deal with were different, with the end boss being a giant troll, a variant of troll with immense regeneration and huge stature that made it quite hard to kill. a test seemingly to improve or check on her damage output, as tess usually prefers more and weaker attacks. her skills improved and she leveled up, now being close to 150 and to getting her primary class upgrade. i went to beyond at around level 120, while tess went a bit over 140. i can see that it still annoys her a bit as she is quite competitive. when i check the beyond community, i see the change. beyond 4/10 unknown guy, savant, me, tess, that makes four of us here with probably lily being the next one. damn, group 4 is quite dominating this field, not like i will complain. more capable people mean more of me leeching off them. the others become rowdy as well, and dennis starts shouting something about them having to celebrate this, and i carefully disappear while masking my mana signature. when outside, i take in the fresh air and boost myself, flying towards one spot in the city. i get greeted by a few guards obelia left there when i asked her to. all three of them are over level 150, which makes it quite expensive. after getting inside, i get welcomed by an older man with graying hair. [spellsmith - lvl 79] such a shame, i thought you forgot about it and i will get to keep the items you left with me, he jokes. there in the middle of the table lies an ethercrystal shortsword, an epic weapon that elydor used to own. it''s surrounded by multiple weird contraptions, a few mana stones, and even some metal rods with immensely delicate inscribing. parts of my plan to kill the living tree. maybe i can beat one guy and get you a nice epic dagger if you want, i offer. im sure lorven will piss me off once or twice in the future, so i can take the dagger from him again. yeah, no thanks. just from your expression, i can tell i dont want to mess with it, he says immediately. some people are scarily good at reading my expression which rarely changes. skill, experience? smelling my mood? all sorts of annoying stuff exists. so, how''s it going? i ask. the man has been helping me ever since the start, to my not-too-big surprise he is one of the best inscribers in the city and was even able to get help from a few others, men and women similar to him who are more excited to work on this project rather than by the amount of money they will get for helping. the amount of theory crafting they did in the past months is immense. we are mostly ready, but the inscribing is something you will have to do. not even combined do we have enough mana or levels in required skills to inscribe an epic-graded weapon, he sighs. it would be amazing to work on it, but i can live with just observing it. yeah, its nice to see you, i say carefully, still not sure how to treat her in front of this ancient lynthari. boss! you have to call me boss! oh boy, i apologize, boss! in the end, i just decide to go with the flow and at the same time, i remove the mark the matriarch left on me. i rouse up my mana and meet her impossibly blue eyes. i don''t push more and only use it to send the message that there is a line i do not want to cross. in the same way as the lynthari, she doesnt seem to find my behavior annoying, just amusing, and for a short moment her canines show before they disappear as quickly. little riftwalker, the matriarchs granddaughter, continues to talk about how much she likes the word i told her about. some other lynthari also started to use it! she complains, but its fine, nya! everyone knows that it came from me. good job, as expected from my underling. even though she is 29, her mental age is even less than that of izzy. maybe closer to a 6-year-old? she also talks a lot, as if getting out all the words she couldnt say to anyone, and then i start to realize how lonely this little girl must be. being the granddaughter of the most powerful woman in the city and one of the very few lynthari children. just how happy she was when i decided to go with her play on boss and underling, how quickly she talks now as if trying to get out all the things before i disappear again. she is constantly checking if im still there with her. she looks so lonely. i sigh and lift her up, putting her to sit on my shoulders, her small hands holding my hair. w-what are you doing! she complains, even though she doesnt seem to mind it that much. we cant have the boss walk around like some... underling, i add some feigned despise to the last word. for a moment, i notice a surprised expression on the matriarchs face, but it quickly disappears, her eyes carefully observing me. thats true, the lynthari girl muses, ahead then, underling, i will tell you where to go! for the next few hours, im forced to walk around, getting surprised looks from a few humans and lynthari as well. the entire time, im examining my own feelings and questioning myself why im doing something like this for someone i just met for the second time. is it an attempt to get on the matriarchs good side? partially. but for a big part, it was just the look i saw on the little girls face that made me do it. an expression similar to one my sister victoria used to make when she was younger. so we buy some food, i walk on tops of giant trees while she tells me what she has learned about them. we break a few windows on the house of the veilwalkers guild, the ones with lorver as guild master. my idea, but i have decided to blame it on the little princess in case someone wonders. i also decide against throwing a tricolored orb inside what i identify as lorven''s quarters. for the whole time, i continue to listen to her excited blabber, and the matriarch quietly follows us. and when the night comes, the little girl becomes sadder, but she quickly hides it behind a smile. i will visit you soon! she says before creating a rift and stepping through it, disappearing somewhere. the entire time, the little girl didnt know about her grandmother being there with us. she thought there were just the two of us. the matriarch keeps looking at the rift left by the girl, the structure of the skill still in the air. she reaches towards it, about to reactivate it and use it to transfer herself. for now i will ignore what you and champion candidate myrra are planning to do. that''s the only thing she says for the entire day. she then reactivates the skill and leaves me there alone. Chapter 230: Expedition to ancient mine chapter 230: expedition to ancient mine so, champion candidate myrra. that explains a lot, as well as gives me new questions to wonder about. how do you become a champion candidate? matriarch is stronger than myrra; is she also a champion candidate? i will have to ask myrra when i meet her. when i get back home, it''s already night and most of the people seem to be sleeping, with the exception of tess, who is sitting in the living room, looking much better now. the tall blonde is sipping on a drink with steam coming out of it and nibbling on some sweets. i miss the internet, hell, i would even be happy to watch some ads, she says, and i can hear that she is smiling. given enough time, i believe we could create something like radio or tv here. then we would show the natives the power of ads and become disgustingly rich, i joke while sitting next to her and stealing some cookies. that''s beyond evil, she shakes her head. in silence, we nom on the cookies, and she turns to me, some crumbs already on her shirt, nat, how do you feel about everyone on the 4th floor most likely disappearing after we leave it? tess asks. i try not to think about it. i see. its not something i could change even if i wanted to. no matter how real they look, everyone here is fake, and we have no idea what happened to the original. did their world die like the one on the second floor? is the king and his warriors from the third floor still alive somewhere, defending the saint that spreads decay? is myrra still alive and already a champion, or did her world fall to the calamities? i dont like it, tess says quietly. i nod and then i stand up, good night, i say. night, nat. tess stays in the living room, looking at the wall and thinking. when i wake up after two hours, i sense a presence behind the door. i quickly identify it and then, with a sigh, i create mana arms and open the door with them without getting out of bed. the moment i do so, a small, white snake slithers inside, and i close the door. it''s still dawn, and after checking, i find out that everyone is sleeping. noodle slithers onto the bed, the entire time sticking out his small tongue and tasting my mana. so, i create a bit more, reduce the density, and send it to him. that seems to make him happy, and his movement speeds up, and his tongue flickers more. the green-eyed snake seems... tired, beat up. izzy won''t leave you alone, right? i ask. he doesnt answer, but the pain in his eyes is evident. you poor creature. i lay back on the bed and create an orb over me that i continue to use to practice mana shaping. i also keep running mana cycling. at this point, it''s almost constantly on, the entire time i''m up. seeing that i''m just relaxing there, noodle moves closer. he does it carefully to not touch me, finds a cozy place next to me and lays there. i can sense him slowly absorbing my mana. its either food, a delicacy, or something to make him stronger. well, the little creature is cute and he isn''t annoying, so i just let him. a tiny pitch-black grain of sand that, even though it is so small, feels extremely domineering, and it keeps trying to pull on my mana. unlike lissandras [singularity], this thing seems to affect mana mostly. its not like it has some physical pull. the feeling is more akin to domination as if the sheer quality of mana is so high it tries to take over any mana it comes into contact with. the black mana still feels scary. ever since the start, when i picked amplification mana upgrade instead of potency, i planned to improve the quality of my mana on my own, but this might take a while to get under my control. thankfully, the small orbs i create crumble on their own after a while, and i estimate i should soon be able to create one the size of my fingernail and be able to control it somewhat. you are scaring our scouts, obelia slows down to walk by my side, her silver eyes staring at the speck of black mana over the palm of my hand, they said they never felt such scary mana in their life. i stop feeding it and it slowly dissipates, just a little bit of practicing, i say to obelia. she nods and rejoins her guild after one more curious look. it takes a few hours, but we get to the mountain and walk around it to find the small entrance that is covered by greenery. when one of obelia''s guild members uses a skill to move that greenery away, i realize that it was made by them to hide the entrance. we already tried to go through there a few times, but as i said, obelia turns to me, we need someone really good with inscriptions and barriers to open the door for us. i nod. i see an old cliche? of digging too deep and our greed awakening some ancient evil. classic. nat, if a balrog pops out, you dont have to try to stop him and fall into the hole with him. we will fight him together, min-jae joins my side, as often, followed by twins. why would i do that? i will throw you at him and run away, i retort. (food?) no biscuit, balrogs arent food, i answer and once again send some mana towards the white snake wrapped around isabella''s arm. noodle gobbles it up. isabella''s mana sensitivity isn''t that good, so she doesn''t notice it, but sophie does. she is currently keeping up a web of mana over the entire expedition, even over the storm brigade. some of the members know about it, but after checking on it, they don''t seem to mind. the web is used for detection, counterattack, and as defense as well, and it''s so much better than it used to be. improved by me and sophie with a few pieces of advice from obelia and even myrra. slowly, we enter the mines, and i notice a few members of the group twitching and hesitating, unsurprisingly, even some members of the storm brigade do that. memories of our time under the old capital surfacing. the mood immediately changes, and the conversations stop. there is no joking, and everyone feels more tense. like they are ready to jump and attack anything that moves. one after another, skills activate, multiple of them, lighting the tunnels we enter. they are surprisingly wide and tall, more like a cave than tunnels, the walls almost smooth, something people wouldn''t spend time on back on earth, but here with all the skills people possess, it''s a question of a few hours. obelia touches one of the walls and sends her mana through it, lines appearing on them with her mana activating extremely simple inscriptions created by grounded mana stones turned into mana-conductive paint. the stripes on the walls fill the tunnels with dim white light, and i reach the wall by my left and do the same, lighting the opposite side. the objective is simple. we get to the door. we will unlock it, get to the vault, and unlock it as well. then we take everything we can before leaving, obelia looks around, giving a confident look to a few members who seem to be affected by the tunnels the most. in the same confident tone, she continues, we examined the area before. we left the markings on the walls, we have the maps, and we cleared the monsters. obelia taps on the ground with the beautiful spear she holds, an epic weapon she got from the champions'' manor and that she plans to sell at the auction, but do not let your guard down and be ready for anything. she then turns around and takes a step towards the darkness of the tunnels, the darkness that is pierced only by the glowing lines on the sidewalls. and slowly, we all follow her, the sound of our steps echoing inside the tunnels of the ancient mine. Chapter 231: Ancient mine chapter 231: ancient mine for a while, there is nothing, just darkness, damp air, and the sound of our breathing and steps as we continue to touch the walls once in a while to send mana through the lines that light them up. it''s calmingly quiet, and there is something that i can''t identify that improves my mood. maybe it is the unknown in front of us, the mystery to be solved, the expectation of a strong enemy. or i''m just excited about this expedition that is something akin to a treasure hunt. after a while, attacks start. small, annoying monsters pass through the walls only to throw an attack at us and then disappear back into them without leaving anything behind, no mana or heat signature to follow. curiously, i observe other people dealing with them. maya, for example, calmly calculates the direction of an attack, dodges it, and shoots a mana projectile at the monster, often quick enough to kill it. her projectiles are getting quite good, something i forced onto her, having a feeling that her ranged attacks are severely lacking. isabella does something similar, but instead of mana, her attacks are made of small blue flames that burn extremely hot, melting the monster and pieces of the wall, all observed by a white snake coiled around her arm. biscuit also once in a while uses a thin mana tentacle that catches a monster. the tentacles move extremely quickly and bend and twist in a way that clearly shows mastery over them. the best doggo of the fourth floor then expands the tentacle, crushing any monster dumb enough to attack our group. the tunnels continue on and on; they are surprisingly vast and the ever-present darkness seems to disturb some people. the network has multiple ways we can use and twists, and as we walk deeper, i notice that sophie is also leaving marks made of mana behind me, in a similar manner to me. however, even after a few hours, there seems to be no end to them and slowly they become rougher, more ancient feeling, and the air becomes colder as well as more humid. some parts of the walls are crumbling and some mana lines start flickering and blinking, not working properly. all to the point where we start using our own skills and items to light the way. the monsters also become stronger and more sneaky. humanoid creatures without any eyes and with big mouths full of ragged teeth are now behind every corner, the echo of their screams filling the tunnels as they continue to attack. at this point, i also start helping so group 4 can save their mana and not waste it on such mobs. unlike them, i have much more of it, so it''s not a problem. [you have defeated hollow stalker - lvl 91] [you have defeated hollow stalker - lvl 101] [you have defeated hollow stalker - lvl 88] precisely aimed mana orbs made of [regalia] continue to one-shot them, and i''m barely using mana, always only creating a small orb, that isn''t even that dense, that i shoot at their heads. soon enough, i also learn to detect them with the help of my [perception] and shoot them before they let out any sounds. [you have defeated hollow stalker - lvl 102] [you have defeated hollow stalker - lvl 82] when we reach the first cave, the attacks nearly stop, either the monsters are avoiding us or just waiting for a better opportunity. filling the orb with thermal energy and changing it a bit to let out light rather than heat, i send it towards the ceiling, revealing the impressive size of the cave we are in, surely as tall as some higher building and multiple times wider. that''s also when we see them; monsters clinging to the ceiling. most are humanoid and with unnaturally large heads. their limbs are thin and reminiscent of spider legs rather than human ones. they immediately start hitting the ceiling they cling to, accurately dropping stalactites as big as cars on us. min-jae and tess, with the use of their respective skill, redirect some bigger stones while stopping the smaller ones and throwing them back at the monsters clinging to the ceiling. unsurprisingly, that makes even more stones start to fall down, but they just continue to grab them and throw them back at those weirdoes at the ceiling. it quickly gets out of hand, and dozens and dozens of pieces of stones as big as a fist or as big as a small motorcycle are annihilating the monsters. once in a while, i also redirect some or explode them with kinetic energy, but i don''t do much more as min-jae is smiling for the first time since we entered the mines. when we start moving again, there are no monsters around, and we enter another tunnel, this time even older looking, the ground covered in debris and dust. three of obelia''s people start monitoring the tunnels even more than before. they are sending their mana or using their skills towards the stone all around us, something done in worry of tunnels breaking and swallowing us all. so far, it appears safe; they only use their skills occasionally to strengthen the tunnel while i observe them doing so. more lights, we need more lights! everyone becomes busy, movements urgent, and faces and bodies are covered in the dust from the crumbled stone. one after another, they start examining the situation we ended up in. meanwhile, i continue to stare at the door, probably our best option to get out of this situation, obelia steps closer, and i can see her trying to catch my gaze. she is literally drilling holes into the side of my face. anyway, my barrier should last for quite a while, i tell her. i didnt even touch my mana reservoir yet, and arcane resilience made using this amount of mana so quickly a fairly painless process, so im not even hurt at all. as i send more mana inside the door with extreme care, even more extreme care than before, i feel a movement at the edge of my [perception]. monsters are drilling through the tonnes of stone above us and heading towards the barrier. without anyone stopping them, they reach it, and an attack starts, this one even more taxing to endure than the weight of the stones. some monster with a somewhat disruptive skill? i dont even have to say anything as sophie turns to me, connecting to my mind through her web, (i will carefully deal with them. obelia and some others might sense my skill, but i will try to do it in a way they wont have suspicion of mind manipulation.) (i will open the door in the meantime,) i send back and return to the door. the inscriptions here are extremely dense and beautiful. what feels like miles of circuits all over the door, creating pretty ornaments while staying functional. they are nothing in comparison to what i saw on the mountain-tall door during beyonds second trial, but they are still nothing to scoff at. multiple circuits strengthen the door, more of them lock it, then there are some detections and a few more that i identify as very nicely hidden traps. i mean, anyone could have missed them. the person who created these traps must have been extremely skilled. most likely some sort of master. as i said, such a trap is super easy to miss even by someone examining the door extremely carefully. i myself know i would never be angry if someone tried to open them and triggered one of the traps. yup. could have happened to the best of us. i touch the door and [focus] on both the barrier and the locked door in front of me. a few hours pass, and i have a feeling that i''m close to opening the door. i have already locked the keyhole, and now i keep constantly using my mana to infuse the door, sending it through the same circuit as the defenses in attempts to learn them. i already have a few ideas on how to improve the door into my room, and soon they might really be able to endure lilys [disintegration]. at some point, i dont even perceive the people stuck there with me, and it all starts feeling like fun. on purpose, i trigger a few more traps but cut off the signal they send as well as destroy the circuits they use. this reduces the amount of mana i have to decipher, as well as removes annoying obstacles. obelia and sophie have sensed that as they are also partially following what im doing, trying to be helpful. when i destroyed the traps, they became a bit worried and started preparing for another attack. then, when i told them there would be no attack and the traps i triggered were on purpose. for some reason, that made them even more worried. but slowly and surely, i get through all of this, and when i finally etch the circuits into one of the expensive mana stones i get from obelia, im almost regretful. it was really fun. ready? i ask. after checking, i hear confirmation from both tess and obelia, and i put the mana stone against the door and activate it. the door splits vertically, a red glowing crack appearing across their entire length while the circuits dim out. on their own, the doors slowly open inward, a terrible stench hitting us. a dozen of my thermal orbs float inside, lighting up what seems like a room. the walls are expertly carved, and beautiful pillars support the enormous room. there, all around this room, corpses lie. dozens, hundreds of humans and even some lynthari all across the ground, bodies terribly torn, limbs missing. and all of the bodies look only a few days old. Chapter 232: Want to know chapter 232: want to know .r3ef92b57db494258a407b33deda04b84{ display: none; } the moment the door closes behind us, i cancel my barrier. even though there are most likely tonnes of rock and stone filling the place where my barrier used to be, we hear nothing. observing the door for a while, i see that the inscriptions are up and running once again, powered by an unknown source. i wonder, should i use the anchors i left far behind in the tunnels to get us out? it wouldn''t be that difficult, to be honest. i just need to activate the skill and get out. a few people might agree to become test subjects in desperation. to be honest, i''m not sure if i can take someone else with me, but probably yes? in the worst case, we can do it slowly, destroying the rock and strengthening the newly created tunnel. that option would take much longer. looking around at the expressions of people from the storm brigade, i guess that no one has some sort of group teleport skill. biscuit, the copses are not food, i say to the corgi next to me just in case, and he looks at me like i''m crazy. i guess he has different tastes now, getting expensive food from isabella all the time. why the fucking tunnels again, maya stops by my side. soon, other members of the group join us as well, and no one particularly interested in moving inside the room. there are so many traps, sophie sighs. tess also nods, mana shining in her eyes, [farsight] allowing her to see mana. let''s just take it easy for now, says hadwin, who doesnt seem to be that worried either. from what i noticed, with the exception of tess and future animal absolute, he seems to be the best at dealing with what happened when we spent twenty days in the tunnels, constantly threatened by the living tree. i''m a busy man, haddy, and i really want to get to the auction in time. people kept teasing me with it for months, i say and take a step ahead, pulling out my second epic item. mana core sphere (epic):this enigmatic sphere contains a pulsing core that can be filled with mana, which then resonates with other magical energies nearby. when activated, it can disperse a wave of mana that disrupts the magical abilities of foes in the vicinity. i feed it mana and then activate it. a pulse, stronger than i would be currently capable of bursts into the room and deactivates most of the traps in there, as well as disrupting the mana of some weaker members of the expedition. i send more mana inside the stone and activate it again, this time sending an even stronger effect through the massive room we are in. then i do it again, the amount i use big enough to create a few tricolored orbs, yet my new arcane resilience allows me to shrug it off easily. finally, the weird field inside the room breaks, and i put away the epic item. at the same time, the corpses on the ground start breaking apart, as if up until now they were unable to rot naturally. it''s fascinating and and disgusting to watch them crumble, flesh rot, hair fall off, eyeballs dissolve. soon enough, only bones are left on the ground, still easy to tell apart much taller lynthari from humans. why don''t we check what''s left? maybe there are some nice items? i will keep watch, i tell my group as well as to obelias while i take the first step. some carefulness is fine, but too much of it is no good, to be honest. making mistakes is fine too, but the important part is to not make the same mistake twice or be able to deal with it, isn''t it? as for the door and trap that got us here, it''s my fault; there is no going around it, i triggered it. but it won''t happen again, and i will handle whatever awaits us here. it takes around ten minutes, but the room is checked over; there are no hidden rooms, no more items to take. the results are some rare items, a few empty mana stones, broken weapons, and that kind of stuff. apparently, each tier of items is separated into 3 tiers: upper, mid, and lower tier. the living tree, the colony are most likely the weapons, created during the war either by human or lynthari . the fallen hero is the last human champion, killed by lynthari, and his body used as a power source by his valorplate. everyone from her guild listens quietly and without much surprise. something they all kept in extreme secrecy, yet all of them keeping the secret that could result in the destruction of their guild. and i believe we can find some answers here, she nods towards the second door that is on the opposite side of the room we are in. what is this place? i ask her. i didnt lie before, i think it''s a vault of a disciple of the champion that is now the calamity called the fallen hero. a vault with information left behind and hidden from lynthari. and what if you get it? what if it all is true and lynthari really came here hundreds years ago, fighting with your predecessors? what will you do? i ask her. then i observe her expression. this is something that really makes me curious. how would she behave? will she want to take revenge for people she never knew? will she try to punish lynthari for sins most of them probably aren''t even aware of as they didn''t live back then? the war, if there was one, most likely took a toll on both humans and lynthari, looking at the state of what is left afterward. two races without their champions and the world without the absolute. i am not sure what i will do with this information, but its something i want to confirm, the expression on her face changes, and for the first time since i met her, there is passion bordering on obsession in it. obelia sounds almost urgent as she continues, i didnt know these long dead people. i dont know if even the lynthari know about what happened, but i still want to find out what happened, what this all means, and why it happened. what will you do after you find out? i repeat my question. to that, she just closes her mouth, obelia herself unsure of what she will do. and partially, i can understand that, the need for knowledge she doesnt know what to do with. she just wants to know the truth and find out if she is being lied to. well, that much isnt a problem. if she doesn''t betray me, i don''t mind helping a little, lets find out then, shall we? i take the few remaining steps and put my hand on the door, sending my mana inside i immediately find the traps similar to before and quickly destroy them. there are even more of them and better hidden, yet i destroy them too. making the same mistake twice isnt something i like to do. inscription after inscription gets examined by me, looked at, worked around. i find and destroy the trap, find the circuits that need to be used, create an image of the key in my head. i examine the mana and resonate with it. when i inscribe the mana stone with the circuit, i dont even check and put the stone against the door, and the stone cracks right after. with a loud crack, a vertical crack appears through the entire length of the door, mana leaking from the inside. i push and the door opens wide, the mana disappearing from them slowly and they start crumbling too, the stone they are made of pushed away with a blast of kinetic energy and then with one more to clear the way. [perception] shoots inside the room, taking in its size and looking for mana signatures. there is only one signature right in the middle of the circular room and nothing else. there are no riches, no epic items, no monsters, and no traps. in the middle of the room lies the corpse of a man in light armor. he is wearing a dark blue cape with dozens of holes in it and some of his limbs are missing chunks of muscles, showing the bone underneath. from that corpse, a constant field is generated, and i have a hard time identifying what it is, but it apparently notices us and an extremely weak signature is sent to the beautiful mana stone that is imbued into the man''s chest. even looking at it i''m amazed by it, the circuits that cover it are the most intricate i saw on the 4th floor. receiving some sort of the signal the corpse then starts moving. it grabs the bow from the ground, ignoring the fact there are no arrows and the pose it takes is confident and relaxed. slowly, the eyes of the corpse open, revealing beautiful eyes made out of mana stones, also with delicate mana circuits in them. the mana that then radiates from the mana stone imbued in the chest expands and fills the room with pressure that makes it feel as if i can touch it. [arcane archer - lvl ??] Chapter 233: What would you like to know? chapter 233: what would you like to know? level at least 220, ranged base class, get into formation 5, full power from the start! obelia shouts, lightning immediately cracking around her. a few of her guild with heavy armor immediately get to the front, mana surrounding their armor or shields and further strengthened by the barrier of their teammate. more members get further back, mana surrounding their weapons or fire floating around them. two of her members put their hands on obelia''s shoulders and the amount of mana she releases intensifies. (why would we fight, dear child?) without the arcane archer''s mouth moving, the words sound in the room. the voice is quiet, yet chilling, lacking emotions. (i dont sense any invaders in between you, nor did i identify you as a traitor yet.) the archer takes a step, reducing some of its mana signature, and to that, obelia does nothing. she doesnt attack, but she also doesnt stop carefully observing the corpse in front of us. i also take a step ahead, passing by hadwin and maya who moved to the front of our group the moment the corpse moved. nice reflexes, something they built up while hunting with our group. the archer looks at me for a moment, the eyes made of mana stones shining brightly, but then they move past me and he examines everyone in the room, all in a matter of a few seconds. (are you looking for death or knowledge?) the voice that sounds a bit robotic continues to sound in the room and i slowly start realizing what the thing in front of us is. an imprint similar to what lissandra did, an extremely delicate web of mana circuits able to store knowledge and personality. yet there is a huge difference. where lissandra created an imprint on my body with her potent mana, the thing in front of me contains the imprint on one of the mana stones, either in the eyes or on the chest. the imprint of the archer is much less intricate than lissandras. we didnt come to fight, we came looking for knowledge, obelia says in her calm voice and i cant help but admire how quickly she got back to herself. (ask then, child of nabulon.) the archer says, weirdly cooperative. you said child of nabulon, what does it mean? obelia asks the first question. (nabulon is the name of the planet we are on.) is nabulon a planet where only humans live? (it used to be before the lynthari came.) how, guild master of storm brigade shakes her head, tell me first who you are. (im a personality imprint of champion orvens disciple, reynar.) i can hear a few people muttering, not because they recognize the name, they just seem amazed that something like this is possible. for them, titles like champion, or champion''s disciple are something they only heard in legends. are the real you and champion orven already dead? (with high probability. the imprint was created and imbued into this body before we collected the remaining force for the last try to fight the lyntharis absolute.) what happened then? (i do not possess the knowledge of that.) the entire time they talk, i keep looking at the arcane archer, and dozens of questions swirl in my head, yet obelia is asking the right ones so i just listen, collecting kinetic energy within me. my body with arcane resilience is capable of holding a terrifying amount of it. the mana arrow digs through the barriers as if they are not there, and the legs of one of obelias guild members explode. immediately another one flies over, hitting hadwin and throwing him to the side while he tries to shield lily. my [mana domain] encompasses the room and i radiate much more mana into it. when an arrow flies at me, i create an anchor and teleport away, the arrow piercing through the wall. then i use [infusion] to fill my [mana domain] with [resonance]. having seen and perceived the arrows, i continue to track them and every single one that enters my domain or tries to pass through it to hit someone gets disrupted. one after another, a dozen arrows get destroyed like that while attacks continue to shower on the corpse. when they stop for a moment, all the effects of them disappear and in a massive crater created by them, a movement appears while even the walls around it are cracked. the body, the personality construct of the disciple of the champion stands up slowly, entirely inside a spherical barrier made of pale blue mana. the surface of the barrier ripples like calm water when a stone is thrown into it. thats when another attack flies at it, an arrow made of gray mana, and it hits the barrier. for a moment the corpse ignores it as the attack just crashes against it as if its made of smoke, but then we can see big chunks of the barrier get dissolved, disintegrated without any resistance. as if awaiting that, i feel a strong pulse of mana from tess and the javelin that flies towards the archer is glowing in red and white lightning, the material of the spear barely visible through it. when tess''s attack is just an arm''s reach away from it, the archer turns and looks at lily. and then he disappears. i activate the anchor i left next to group 4 and mana flows inside my body at the same moment he reappears behind lily. another arrow forms in his hand, but he moves it down and stabs lily with that arrow, the pale blue projectile made of mana piercing her back. the black-haired girl barely staggers under the force of the attack and a few of her fingers disappear, and for a split of a second she moves terrifyingly quickly, grabbing the hand of the archer. gray mana envelops it and [disintegration] eats into the hand that she is holding. when i reach them, the archer disappears again, missing a hand lily destroyed. instead of that hand, a limb made of mana is created and he starts shooting again. the arrow stabbed inside lilys back glows brighter and brighter and i''m sure the following explosion will kill the girl if we don''t do anything about it. save your mana! i shout at her, seeing she is about to use [disintegration] on it and maybe [sacrifice] a limb to do so. unable to destroy the arrow from the distance i reach out and touch it, finally breaking the resistance that blocked me from destroying it. [resonance] tears it apart and lily starts healing again. i jump backward and the arrow meant for my head pierces the walls. in just that short moment, the archer killed two members of obelias guild and maya is barely keeping her [armament] active, with a few wounds on her body. sophie is using her [manipulation] to change the direction of arrows and her mind blender thingy doesn''t seem to work. yet her redirecting the arrows seems to be the main reason why no one in group 4 is dead. her and biscuit. a dozen dark purple tentacles swirl around the corgi while he floats in the air, even his eyes glowing in a similar purple color. each arrow shot is met with some of the tentacles, no matter how fast is that arrow. biscuit just continues to deflect the ones sophie can ?t take care of while floating in front of isabella. he even uses one to grab hadwin and throw him towards lily, only hadwin ?s [strenghtening] keeping him standing with a massive wound on his chest. the arrows pierce almost through everything. [regalia] forms around my body and i force more mana into it, the armor turning dark blue. at the same moment tess steps to my side, [stormcrown] made of lightning floating over her head and her body surrounded by flashes of red and white lightning. together? she asks. together, i answer as simply. my domain expands and both of us rush at the corpse. Chapter 234: 5th explorer chapter 234: 5th explorer [mana domain] expands and i fill it with resonating mana again, canceling the arrows that the archer shoots at group 4. then his eyes made of mana stones glow and the stone lodged inside its chest radiates more mana. its attacks become stronger and some of the arrows, even though weakened by my domain, clash against barriers i create. that''s when tess reaches him, the mana exploding around her as she tears stones off the walls and the ground, making them spin around her before flinging them at the archer. in between these attacks, a dozen of her rare endurium javelins continue to move as if they are alive. they change directions and let out a piercing noise as they pass through the air while leaving a trail of black and white lightning. the archer disappears, appearing behind tess, the arrow lodged in its bow and aimed at her. within the domain, i quickly create an anchor and teleport behind him. his barrier forms once again, but i resonate mana on my skin at the same frequency and my kick sends the archer flying, rolling on the ground. immediately tess''s attacks start hitting the monster, the lightning burning its body. i use tether to appear close and flames that i infuse with [resonance] blaze against the archer that once again creates a spherical barrier. the flames crash against it, the barrier enduring for a bit before getting disrupted by flames infused with resonating mana. as they start touching the archer, he teleports again, this time appearing behind group 4. before he does anything, a javelin comes flying and lodges itself deep into his body. the arcane archer staggers backward, lightning cracking around him. tess predicted this kind of attempt. before the archer moves again, mayas spear made of mana stabs against the barrier he hastily creates and before lilys [disintegration] hits it, he teleports again.??vl?1n. this time im better at tracking his teleport and appear next to him soon after, my kick hitting the barrier and sending ripples through it. the corpse changed the barrier''s frequency. an attack explodes from it and the arrow that pierces everything it touches hits [regalia] infused with kinetic energy. i stagger backward, pushed by the force of the attack, and most of the energy gets absorbed by the armor. then i infuse [regalia] with [resonance] and the arrow explodes, the attack mostly disrupted by my armor. two of tess''s javelins hit the archer''s barrier, forcing him to move right to one of the multiple anchors i left all around the room. i rely on arcane resilience and send as much mana as i can into the anchor, it quickly turning into a tricolored orb that starts glowing white. tess moves behind me, lightning trailing her body and the archer tries to teleport, but he is unable to do so as i send a pulse of disrupting mana at him. instead, he strengthens his barrier and the exploding orb obliterates it, sending immense heat into the room and burning the archer. i absorb any heat that reaches me before it can hit storm brigade or group 4. the following implosion pulls the archer towards where the core of the orb was but he resists and more mana radiates from him, an immense amount that destroys all the anchors i left around and deals with the implosion. when he turns his head to me, there is no hate in his lifeless eyes. he is just a personality construct, and an imperfect one. both of his eyes lose their light and the mana stone on the chest starts glowing brighter. the amount of mana he releases threatens mine, pushing it, trying to dominate it. what a funny guy. i reach into my mana reservoir and let the mana flow. pov obelia jenth the amount of mana that fills the room is almost sickening and all of it radiates from two figures in front of me. a terrifying young man and the corpse of the champion''s disciple. there is no beauty in it, no delicacy. just like wild animals growling towards each other, pressuring the other one with their mana. tess moves to my side and looks at me, let''s not do anything. it''s better to not interrupt him when he is like that, she says simply and even the crown disappears from over her head. the lightning crown i never saw anyone using before. and the woman i dared to call my disciple uses it with such ease, not realizing the power she possessed. what a terrifying bunch of people she and her guild are. but most of all, their guild master. the archer throws away the bow and a dozen of projectiles form around him, each of them as big as a thick spear and twice as long. he shoots them, at us, the shockwave following each one of them. yet, moving only a bit they stop once again. unable to pierce the field around the terrifying young man. even more mana radiates from him and it tears apart each and every projectile, then as if making fun of his opponent, he also creates projectiles, three of them, all dark blue with wisps of purple and light blue mana swirling inside. all the stones are part mana battery, part personality construct, partially allowing the corpse to use skills or the mana, but there is something else too. a piece of information that is encrypted inside. a message left to humans, most likely talking about the invasion of lynthari, pairing, maybe calamities, or about the war. or maybe it is a recipe for the best smoked deer meat. who knows. i also pick up the bow that didn''t get destroyed during the fight, not even damaged by my tricolored javelins. windrider composite bow (epic):engineered with high-tensile materials, this bow is designed to enhance and compress any mana or other projectile it fires. this results in a remarkable increase in both the distance the projectiles can travel and the force with which they strike. quite a shitty weapon to leave to someone for a fight in a small room underground. somewhere outside with his teleport, the arcane archer would be a much more terrifying enemy. now what to do with the bow? it would be nice for tess and would allow her to create projectiles out of lightning and shoot them much further. the same goes for lily who might be able to shoot [disintegration]. or izzy for some long-range fire attacks? maybe even min-jae after getting him arrows made from mana conductive metal he likes to use and increase its weight with [gravity well]? hell, even maya could create some mana projectiles, strengthen them with her [boost], and have them even more compressed before shooting. do you mind if i keep it? i ask obelia, who is looking at me and unsurprisingly she doesn''t seem to mind that much. i check one more time the mana stones in my hands and all of them look somewhat similar when it comes to encrypted and stored information. the size of that information seems the same in each stone so there shouldn''t be a difference. then i hand her the mana stones that used to be the eyes of the arcane archer and look at her with a question in my eyes. obelia just takes them and nods. still, i feel a bit bad as an asshole from beyond messed up with her collection of information so i will make sure to pay her back a bit in the future, even though she doesn''t realize it''s our fault. i put away the big mana stone and hand the bow to tess, you can decide who to give it to. the moment it gets out of my hand i feel relief as i get rid of the annoying decision. tess and others can fight over it. i know that tess is using abyssal anchor (epic):this gravity anchor is made from a heavy mythical metal. when activated, it creates a gravitational pull, dragging foes towards the item and locking them in place, leaving them vulnerable and restrained. twins got veilshade cloak (epic):tailored from the rare and elusive shadow silk, this cloak grants the wearer a veil of obscurity against magical detection. its dark aura masks the user''s magical signature, making it a prized possession for those seeking to move unnoticed through realms guarded by magical sentinels. and the last epic item we got from the old capital and our friend elydor went to hadwin - darkstride ring (epic): this ring is imbued with a dark enchantment that allows the wearer to step into the shadows and reappear a short distance away in a different shadow, effectively granting the ability to blink through shadows for a tactical advantage on the battlefield. damn, i miss elydor. i wish i could start the floor over again and meet him one more time. check the beyond community, tess leans closer and whispers into my ear. i do so right away. beyond 5/10 with tess being the 4th it looks like someone else joined. gareth - how do i change my name here? sset - you can''t gareth - oh, hello, friend! thats unfortunate indeed. gareth -i wanted to leave the community to maximilian and jakub, but they are unable to join this one. sset -who are maximilian and jakub? gareth - sorry, my friend! they go by brainiac and lootenant in the community. the newest beyond explorer immediately starts doxxing his group members. gareth -my name is gareth vogel, leader of group number 1 we named whitewing. i''m 40 years old and from germany. i just finished the 1st beyond trial and hope we will get along. not only his group members, but he is doxxing himself too. Chapter 235: Why are you here? chapter 235: why are you here? can you take care of this? i ask tess, and when she nods, i turn my attention back to the room. first, i check on group 4. hadwin''s wounds, even the big ones, are already nearly healed thanks to his weaker healing skill and lily. the petite black-haired girl is still missing some limbs and fingers, but she seems fine. [sacrifice] is a scary skill and even scarier is how used to it she got. i will have to sit down with her and force her to learn to sacrifice other things than her body parts. the skill also seems fairly good as for a short moment she was quick enough to rival the arcane archer. it was a really short moment and it did cost her, but the amount it boosted her speed is quite nice. everyone is fine, sophie says after stopping by my side, some wounds, but nothing too serious, and lily will get her hands back. sounds good. you couldnt do that much, right? she shakes her head, the archer didnt have any mind i could manipulate. i will have to be more careful. i rely too much on mind manipulation. i cant help but agree, but i don''t think it will be that hard for her. [manipulation] is a fairly versatile skill and she will find something even though mind manipulation is something she is best at. (food?) i turn my attention to the best doggo of the 4th floor, no, the best doggo of the tutorial, you did fucking amazing. (food!) yes! you totally destroyed him, he couldnt do shit against you! (food food!) yes, you are the good boy! i keep petting the mighty young divine beast and the future absolute of earth. the archmage biscuit. may he remember me when he rises to his throne. to be honest, seeing him sometimes do things like he did during the fight against the archer makes me wonder how strong he actually is. i dont think i saw his full power yet. does he also have classes? subclass? is it a gluttony subclass if yes? what primordial energy does he have? what is his level? well, it doesnt matter that much. he is cute so he can keep his secrets. walking towards obelia, i notice one of min-jae''s orbs on the ground and lift it. it''s much heavier than it looks, surely as heavy as little isabella. and he is moving dozens of them like it''s nothing. then i remember that a long time ago i gave him practice where i told him to make the stone heavy with his [gravity well] and move it around with [telekinesis] at the same time. oh boy. did he continue to do that the entire time? is this why he asked for mana conductive metal to make it better to accept his skills? the orbs are small, but with how durable they are, how heavy they are, and how quickly they move, they deal a lot of damage. what a silly teenager. can group 4 people stop being scary for just a moment? min-jae, this thing is terrifying. good job. i hand him the orb and he gives me a big smile back. the twins immediately make fun of him, but he only smiles brighter. i reach jenna, who is already examining the two mana stones i gave to obelia, hey. she greets me with a nod and i look at her guild master, how does it look? jenna is trying to decipher them. it will take a lot of time, but i dont mind it that much. we already confirmed our suspicions so hopefully, the mana stones will contain more information. i nod. i also have one mana stone that i plan to examine and then use as a mana battery. i glance at it. whispering echo stone (epic):the whispering echo stone is a rare, iridescent mana stone that serves as a powerful mana battery and harbors an imperfect personality imprint. there is something encrypted inside. yup, another epic item in my collection. something tells me it shouldnt be that easy to get them even though this one isnt that useful. the part that would make it a bigger mana battery is ruined by inscriptions of the personality imprint and encrypted information. in the end, the amount of mana it can hold is really small, a few hundred stat points worth. any luck with finding a way out? i ask. i know there are already multiple of her guild members looking around the room in hopes of finding an array that would allow us to teleport outside. seems good, this should do. i look up and my eyes meet those of jennas, who also waits for me to finish my work. can you tell where it''s leading? i ask her. let me see, she passes by me and puts her hand on the array. the mana she sends in is a bit weird, and she even uses one of the items obelia takes out when working on arrays. curious, i examine the process and try to remember as much as possible. most of the arrays are multi-directional. for example, the one we used to get to the old capital leads to two more places. the one we used to get out of the old capital also leads to three places in total, her voice is quiet as her mana continuously flows inside. in the end, she shakes her head, this array leads only in one direction, and i can''t tell right away, but i think the one it reaches also connects only to this one. jenna stands up and after excusing herself, she leaves to meet obelia. interesting, isn''t it? i hear the soft voice from behind me. i dont even have to turn around to know who it is and decide to stay quiet. nice reaction, the voice continues to speak softly. at the same time, lily also continues to talk to me, her expression clearly showing she doesnt hear the voice that talks to me. i will check something else, lily. can you check on hadwin? just in case? my steps become heavier as i head away from the room, reaching the far corner of the big room we first entered. after making sure i''m behind the pillar, i wait a bit and soon the lynthari woman, who is barely taller than me, passes by my side and stops in front of me, the lynthari matriarch. i wonder, why is the matriarch shorter than any other adult lynthari? is there a reason for that? her piercingly blue eyes meet mine, and she moves a strand of her red hair from her shoulder. my mana continuously flows through my body, strengthening it, defending my mind, and trying to perceive everything around me. out of nowhere, the matriarch is here. no, she was here the entire time; she entered the mines with us, and she walked by our side. she observed the fight. the entire time just an arm''s reach away from us, yet no one could see her, no one could sense her. i can see why myrra calls you the feral one, the matriarch, who looks barely thirty, just smiles. its a somewhat friendly smile. why are you here? i manage to get out of myself. for a moment, she muses over her next words and then she just says, at first, i went here to kill everyone from storm brigade. obelia long since started asking too... uncomfortable questions and her obsession isn''t helping either. she turns around and looks towards one of the men from obelia''s guild. he is walking towards where we are, but then, without me sensing anything, the man''s expression changes and he stops, a surprised giggle escaping his mouth and he walks around where we are as if there is a wall in front of him. as for you and your guild, i planned to keep you alive. mainly because you have a few guild members with interesting skills, she thinks a bit longer, oh, and eris seems to like you, calling you underling and such, so i would feel bad for killing you. her voice is calm and confident, even as she talks about killing a few dozen people. a voice of someone confident in their decisions and power. a voice of someone who is used to ruling and making difficult decisions for a long time. but? i ask. the array you just fixed, do you have any idea where it leads? a few steps and she stops in front of me. i could reach her if i lifted my hand. jenna said it''s one-directional, i answer as i still have no idea. yes, it leads to the tunnels far away from here, her canines show, to the lab where the lynthari champion created the self-sustained biological weapon called the colony. Chapter 236: Back on the surface chapter 236: back on the surface it had long been suspected here in this world that the colony and the living tree were weapons used in a war long ago. but learning in one day that the war was against invaders called lynthari and the colony was something created to be used against humans would be quite earthshaking news for someone from this floor. so, you guys invaded this world during the pairing, you fought humans, you created the colony and the living tree and a few hundred years later you are at the point you are? if you say it like that, it sounds quite rude, her tail, which is much fluffier than other lyntharis, moves, showing her amusement. the pairing is something that is forced onto us by )0u? +!o?u?#*, she continues to explain, but the system automatically censors everything else. what a surprise. i see, i nod and pretend to understand, the living tree is also your job? i ask. the lynthari matriarch doesn''t say anything else and a weird smile appears on her face and she nods, it''s been a long time since i talked with someone about it, she breathes in, it''s refreshing. so that means the other lynthari don''t know? they are too young, and i made sure to kill everyone who knew, leaving only kids behind. i open my mouth to ask why, but i freeze at the start of the sentence. her eyes clearly show that this is as much as she will say. asking more than this would be dangerous. i see, i say in the end, and her tail moves a bit, showing an emotion that is hard to describe, seemingly both annoyed and amused at the same time. without explaining anything else, she turns around and walks into the wall, passing by it as if it''s not there. what level is she? surely over 250 and her class is [enthraller - lvl ??],showing only two question marks so she is still under level 300. it''s all really weird, she is a matriarch, probably the strongest living lynthari, yet she called myrra champion candidate. does it mean that myrra only possesses the potential to become champion while the matriarch does not? before this floor ends, i will have to ask her a few questions. for a moment, i examine the wall she left through and there is no illusion or hidden entrance, it''s just a normal wall, meaning she used some skill to pass through it. that''s interesting, but there is something that annoyed me more than her ability to pass through materials. it''s her skill that allows her to hide from other people. i guess that it is something similar to lorven''s skill or the twins'' skill called [sensory deception]. their skill doesn''t affect the mind, just creates an illusion that the twins slowly learn to make more and more believable. sometimes they even give them some fake mana signatures, and i could swear they somehow make them radiate heat. the matriarch probably has a similar skill that allows her to hide from people or remove her signature from the world. i know that she is maybe even 100 levels higher than me, yet it still annoys me that she is capable of doing that. especially while not being a champion and not even a champion candidate as far as i know. while observing the wall to make sure, i even kick it a few times and obviously, that''s when tess appears. we are fighting walls now? she asks. only this one, i sigh, so how is our 5th beyond explorer? he is from the same group as brainiac, lootenant, and mari, group whitewing, and apparently, he is their leader. also the strongest one out of group 1. yes, he is a bit... trusting and seems nice, but it''s hard to say how much of it is an act. right now, he seems like some paladin of justice, just from the way he speaks. i move away from the wall, someone in beyond being nice? tess, wanna bet? i think he is evil, maybe the worst guy from here, and is only acting all nice and just. that''s so like you, she shakes her head, anyway, what do you think of the array? that? it''s a no-go for now, it leads to the colony. min-jae, guard them for me, i tell the korean boy who is closest to me, and he nods. then i use [regalia] to create armor around my body and strengthen my body before using the ring. the world around me changes, and i feel my body being pulled and moved towards the shadow i targeted. the skill of the ring ignores the stone and just moves me toward the shadow where i pop out. as suspected, it''s one of the tunnels we used, and further behind i sense one of the marks sophie kept leaving behind. immediately, i leave an anchor in the air and this one i feed with even more mana than the ones before. examining it for a while, i send mana towards the wall, making the lines light up. then, to be even more sure, i create one orb and fill it with thermal energy, making it create even more shadow and be able to last hours. giving my surroundings one more look, i then activate the anchor and teleport back through [tether]. the skill is currently level 9, so testing if i can teleport with people will surely make it break the bottleneck, right? so who will be my test subject and find out with me if i can transport other people? my eyes meet those of hadwin''s and he seems a bit nervous out of nowhere. who told you to be so durable and upgrade your constitution? in the end, it worked. hadwin went first, after using the entirety of his mana and [strengthening] his body, even putting some heavy armor on. such an amount of distrust almost hurts my sensitive soul, but i decide to forgive him. while transferring him, i did it extremely carefully, even though i might have seemed unbothered. i spent a few minutes preparing and carefully calculating. surprisingly, it all went without a hitch, just the chunk of mana it took was much bigger than expected. it''s hard to guess, but probably around 20 percent of my mana? maybe even more. enough for quite a strong tricolored or antomic bomb. still, having enough mana in the reservoir and my regeneration being somewhat decent because of the big mana pool, i spent plenty of time transporting everyone and waiting for my mana to replenish. it could go a bit faster if i took more from my mana reservoir, but i have decided to keep it at least mostly full. damn, i missed the sun, maya groans while she stretches. a sigh of relief is something i noticed. next time we will take some people specialized in stone manipulation and tunneling. it would take them just a few hours to get us out, obelia stops by our side. her saying that isn''t surprising at all. most of us are more inclined towards fighting rather than tunneling and stopping the tunnel from falling on our heads. well, just a few hundred more levels and i will just destroy the mountain, not bothering with such things as tunnels. judging by the time, the auction will start tonight. i will be taking tess with me as my disciple and you will have a spot for two more people if you want to take them with you, obelia says simply. will do so. so we will meet there? i look at her. yes, i will be waiting for you, she then waves and leaves for her guild, all of them moving towards virelia. how big is that auction, nat? min-jae asks while walking by my side. i also notice a few others listening. myrra said the biggest one in a few dozen years, so probably quite good. obelia will be also auctioning an epic spear, i answer him. but best of all, i will also be auctioning off some inscribed mana stones. with the help of the old man and just to get a bit more money from all the weirdos that drool over some new inscriptions. i have to find a way to spend all that money. there will be some nice items in the auction, something said even by myrra and obelia, both extremely rich and one of them having multiple epic items while the other one surely has one as well. so, who will you be taking, i don''t even have to turn around to see the shine in min-jae''s eyes. Chapter 237: Dressed up chapter 237: dressed up i check myself one more time in the mirror. i''m wearing simple gray suit-like clothes. they are tailor-made, and it took a few weeks to get a few sets. something i, in the end, let happen even though i prefer my casual clothes. the clothes are surprisingly comfortable, with gray pants, a similar color jacket, and under it, a black shirt with long sleeves and a vest-like thing that is also gray. in a few places, there is simple embroidery made with a golden-like color. my hair is also put into a somewhat presentable state. for a moment, i stare at my reflection, and the weirdo in the mirror stares back at me with his differently colored eyes. well, i won''t be getting any points for the expression my face almost constantly has, but at least i''m handsome, right? my mom said it once when i was nine years, six months, and ten days old, so it must be true. then i spend a few minutes thinking if i should create a thermal orb and store it inside my body, but decide against it. a few lynthari could sense it, and explaining it would be a bit... difficult. asshole, i say to the weirdo in the mirror, and the guy mouths the same words. the words biscuit likes to use so often. finally, i exit my room and walk downstairs where most of group 4 are. tess is the first i notice. a tall blonde wearing a simple white dress that somewhat looks comfortable and reveals a nice chunk of her shoulders and back. curiously, i locate min-jae and, as expected, he turns away his gaze from tess the moment he sees me looking at him. oi, you will drool. i shake my head and stop in front of tess, no high heels? as if i would put on such uncomfortable things, she also eyes me the way i did her, see, you can be quite handsome if you try. i don''t have to be handsome, biscuit likes me no matter how ugly i look, i point out. you look pretty. i compliment her. i can see that i made her a bit happy. who wouldn''t like compliments? and who is this handsome boy? i squat down in front of the best doggo. (asshole!) yes, yes you are! i pick biscuit up and examine the clothes he is wearing. somewhat, they seem to be even more quality and expensive than the ones i have on myself. biscuit is wearing a dark blue jacket and vest, both reminding of a suit, and he also has something like a red tie. all of it fits well and is custom-made. the best thing the silly group 4, probably isabella, spent money on. seeing how handsome he is, i think i would be willing to sell an epic item just to get a few more clothes like that for him. well, my point of view might be skewed a bit when it comes to money, as epic items keep falling into my lap. (food,) biscuit says after looking at me. oh, really? thank you, buddy! you too look very handsome. it''s so weird how those two communicate, i can hear maya somewhere in the background but ignore her. we fancy-dressed people often have trouble being able to hear people like her, where are sophie and izzy? i ask about the two people i decided to take with me. sophie to check the items with me and maybe make some people more... cooperative and izzy to read other auctioneers and give us a nice advantage. i mean, some people didn''t like it, but the decision is the most logical. well, that changed a bit. izzy got sick, and sophie decided to stay with her, tess tells me. oh... so who is coming? lily and hadwin, the blonde sighs. before you ask, lily didn''t do anything. i checked multiple times. if that doesn''t suck. the first one to climb downstairs is hadwin, wearing a light blue suit in a style similar to mine. the older man has a short, well-kept beard and a nice haircut. the longer i look at him the more i wonder how much longer i can call him an older man. hadwin now looks under 40, unlike his real age which is closer to 50. he is still well-built and only a bit shorter than me. unlike before when he was bulkier, he is a bit slimmer, yet the muscles are apparent even under clothes, not bulky, but flexible and tough, clearly showing how much he got into swordsmanship. i also check his face and i swear it looks younger than before. is it a result of a constitution upgrade or just the sheer power of stats? or maybe he just enjoys this new life that much? tess continues, i think he enjoys having people rely on him and asking him for help. and you are poking both hadwin and the kids to make it happen, i answer her back, also in a quiet voice. maybe a little bit, she flashes me a smile, but is that so bad? i guess it''s not, i answer to the best, after biscuit, manipulator of group 4. when i notice obelia moving closer, i stop talking and warn others too. the guild master of storm brigade reaches us soon, followed by her attendee jenna. both of them are wearing nice dresses that have their guild emblem embroidered into them. both dresses are in pale blue color. excuse me, but i''m rather surprised how well you look in your clothes, nathaniel, obelia says, with jenna nodding in agreement. i also notice lily saying something under her breath that i''m sure is an insult to, according to her, the old woman obelia. feeling my social batteries already going down, i just answer quickly, thank you, you and jenna also look nice. one surprised lifted eyebrow from obelia and a few sentences she exchanges with tess, hadwin, and lily, and we finally follow her inside the auction house. just following close to her gives us a lot of attention from other people, and every time someone tries to reach out to sense our mana, i destroy the attempt in a way that should hurt at least a bit. through the door framed with golden lights, we enter a giant hallway. the walls are full of beautiful paintings, the stone of the floor is smooth and shiny, and everywhere are dozens of powerful or rich people. and in-between them, lynthari. a race of people-like beings that just have cat ears and tails, towering over everyone. all of them are young for lynthari, confirming that most of the old ones rarely mingle with humans. oh, obelia, it''s nice to see you, a woman lynthari joins in, her tail short and both it and her ears brown, similar in color to her hair, i heard you are also auctioning some items, nya! i''m already excited to see it, the lynthari chirps. for some unknown reason, my body twitches. thank you, miss lynthes, you are charming as always, and i hope you will have a lot of fun tonight, obelia answers in her calming tone. i will, nya! who are your friends? i already know smart jenna, but i didn''t see the others. guild master of angry kittens, nathaniel, his vice guild master tess, and these are their other members, hadwin and lily, obelia introduces us shortly and without much grandeur, but it looks like something the lynthari would prefer. ahh, for a moment, my eyes meet those of the lynthari woman, and her tail twitches and her canines show, you are myrras... her tone of voice sounds disappointed, shame, she adds and licks her lips. with a few more sentences, she leaves, and in my mind, i don''t know if i should thank myrra for scaring them off or be angry that she seems to be so possessive. walking around and grabbing some snacks here and there, i continue to follow our small group, and my mood only grows more and more sour, surrounded by all these talking people. your expression is fun, another lynthari who started talking to us smiles at me, somewhat shamelessly and not scared off by myrras name. once again, i wonder why they won''t annoy tess, lily, or hadwin. the lynthari sniffs, and for all i know, he can be trying to sniff my emotions or whatever they do. (asshole!) biscuit shouts, making sure the lynthari hears it, and for a moment, the lyntharis expression becomes annoyed. i noticed it long since, but the race of cat people don''t seem to like biscuit, to my surprise. i mean, how could you not? just look at him, especially now when he is wearing a dark blue suit with a red tie. that creature, can you get it away, it disturbs me, the lynthari sighs in an annoyed voice and with slight disgust in it. well, maybe you should just fuck off if you don''t like it here, i get out of myself. the expression of sheer surprise i get from the lynthari and people around me is almost funny. i did spend the last one hour and forty-two minutes dealing with their bullshit, surrounded by all this noise and people. and now they will trash-talk biscuit? what? you didn''t hear? i said you can fuck off if you don''t like it. the lynthari man then licks his lips, more amused than threatened, i can see why myrra likes you, he says before gracefully bowing and leaving. as a reward for that, biscuit thankfully bumps my leg with his head. let''s not let him know that i partially did it so biscuit doesn''t obliterate that weirdo. i turn to the person who got us here, so, obelia, i''m bored, how about we go and see the items that will be auctioned off? Chapter 238: Start of the Auction chapter 238: start of the auction there are multiple rooms where the items are previewed, and there are already plenty of people in this rooms inspecting the items for one last time before the auction. a few guards are in each room, while the items are in glass boxes with circuits etched into them. armors, amulets, rings, some weird eggs, and bottles that are hundreds of years old. some expensive meats that are also apparently hundreds of years old and perfectly stored. this meat can be smelt even through the glass and is from high-level monsters. mana stones with information stored on them and even plenty of items people don''t know what they are for or that are straight up broken. we pass through multiple rooms like that and even though some items are good, they don''t catch my interest that much. sure, i will buy anything that seems useful, yet they don''t excite me, so we pass into a room with more and more valuable items. soon the rooms have much fewer people in them and there needs to be an invitation to even be able to enter them, something obelia has so we can enter. i notice a few rare armors of the upper tier, mana batteries that are hard to find anywhere else, and encrypted mana stones. old manuals inscribed into mana stones containing information on classes. finally, this is getting better. this is the last room, obelia says, and this time the confirming of her identity takes longer and when we enter, there are barely ten people inside and two lynthari guards. there are only ten items in there and i recognize a few of them. first, the epic spear obelia got from the old capital and that has most people around it. the plan is to buy it for tess so she can use it as a projectile. might be overkill, but with the amount of money we got from scamm... from leveraging our epic items to the lynthari, we should be capable of buying this. plus, we got more money from sophie and her... well, her ability to make people cooperative as well from me selling some inscribed mana stones. we are not a scammers. oh, feral angry kitten! i hear the voice and can only sigh as isola rushes towards us. one of the strongest humans in the city has a smile on her face and is wearing a black dress that reveals a big chunk of her belly, you are quite handsome if you dress up, but i still prefer you with some normal clothes, she complains and also greets other people. is there anything you want to buy, isola? obelia asks her. isola scratches her head, not really, just a few members of my guild want me to buy some mana stone, she gestures towards one of the glass boxes, apparently it has some amazing inscriptions on it made by some upcoming genius enchanter. she then pauses for a moment, oh, and did you notice lynthari saying nya after every other sentence? lately, more and more of them do that, do you think they are trying to mess with us? oh? you noticed it too? maybe it''s some trend from their youngsters? obelia answers, and they get into a conversation and i use the opportunity to move around the room. one after another, i check all the items and as expected, the mana stone isola talked about is the one inscribed by me. as for why it''s here among the most valuable items, i don''t know. well, it''s probably the old man selling it here, but i don''t know why it''s considered so valuable to be next to an epic spear. none of the items look more interesting than the heavy chest without any holes we got from the old capital. yes, even after all these months and dozens of attempts, we were unable to open it. not me, not lily, not even biscuit after i told him there is the best food stored inside of it. at this point, i might give it to min-jae or tess to use as a heavy projectile as they did during the first floor with heavy chunks of iron. some items here are really nice, the best rare items i saw, and probably close to stepping into the epic grade, hadwin joins my side and i notice that he is playing with the ring he has on his finger. the epic rarity one. we will buy most of them and you guys can take them, i shrug my shoulders. nothing caught your eyes? nothing here, but in one of the first rooms, i noticed a few broken items and mana stones that i really want to get, i answer him. i''m not even lying. more than these highest rare-grade items and even more than the epic spear, i saw a mana stone that had such dense and weird inscriptions that they seemed like cracks and made the organizers put it into the trash items they want to get rid of. there was also a bracelet that was twisted and broken, yet the metal it was made of was reacting extremely weirdly to my primordial energies. to be honest, it made me so curious i almost tried to steal it right there. i spend the remaining time there talking with hadwin and lily, who sneaks closer to us while tess deals with other people in the room. all the guild masters are here, even lorven, who looks at me so lovingly, and thalen, the redheaded guild master of the luminous order. the healer tries to get into a talk with lily, but she just straight up tells him that she is not interested, whatever she meant by it. as for me, i still plan to make lily a stronger healer than him so i can show off. now that we are here, i wonder if i should introduce hadwin to isola; both of them have a similar fighting style. i don''t trust the woman, but haddy could learn a thing or two from her. jewel stone: $100 crest stone: $500 mirage stone: $1,000 heart stone: $5,000 gem stone: $10,000 moon stone: $50,000 star stone: $100,000 sun stone: $500,000 eclipse stone: $1,000,000 there are probably some even more expensive ones, but that''s not something you are usually able to see as a human. i also quickly forget the names of cheaper mana stones and try to remember the names of the more expensive ones. i don''t think i will need this information outside of this auction. in the end, i also ask, so, how rich am i? i could tell you that we have a few sun stones in the bank and you would have to believe me, tess teases. that''s true. tess, are you stealing my money and building yourself a villa near the sea? just one? with how much we have, i could build multiple of them and you wouldn''t even notice, she snorts and smiles, glancing to the side at our healer, but to quickly answer, before lily gets even more jealous. in the bank, we have well over one hundred eclipse stones. huh, what? come again? yes, nat, you are rich, disgustingly rich, tess shakes her head, it could be double that, but the loans you got against epic items were extremely predatory and you guys could get much more. so next time, please take me as well. tess, do we really have over a hundred million dollars'' worth of mana stones? i decide to ignore that it could be twice that. yes. i''m still in a bit of shock that you didnt even realize it. for a moment, i think about it, and then my eyes move down and i look at the cute corgi that lies by my legs. how much are you worth? surely more than some useless epic item, right? biscuit senses my look and lifts his head, tilting it a bit, surprised i stare at him so intensely, (food?) he asks. no! i can''t! i quickly pet him and tell him that he is a good boy and cancel the isolation field around us, the voice of the auctioneer getting to our ears once more. that''s when i feel goosebumps on my skin, and looking around, i identify the source of it: a little lynthari girl staring at me from one of the balconies. she is there alone and when her eyes meet mine, a big smile appears on her face. i just give up and prepare my [perception], and as the rift appears next to me, i observe it, how it is created, how it interacts with space around it, and how mana moves inside of it. underling! the redheaded girl smiles, totally ignoring the other people in the room. obelia''s eyes are so wide open that for a moment i think they might fall out, and jenna seems like she is about to bow or kneel. it''s good you are here, i was getting bored, nya! she stops next to me, let''s watch the auction together. things have become more... interesting. Chapter 239: Bidding chapter 239: bidding what are you doing here... boss, i say, ignoring the looks i get for that. meanwhile, the granddaughter of the lynthari matriarch sits on my lap. shamelessly. the matriarch called her eris before, so i guess i should call her that. grandma said that i should go there and buy myself something nice if i want to. she even gave me her card, eris takes out a card made from transparent white crystal and with delicate blue circuits that create something like a panorama of the city. unlike my card, there is no number on it. don''t tell me... is it unlimited? looking at this silly lynthari girl, i get an idea. should i use her to buy me everything? but seeing her happy expression, i quickly change my mind. even i''m not that evil. underling, nya, i will buy you one thing you like, so pick anything, okay? eris says. really? in that case, i also want to buy something for the boss, so pick something too, i tell her almost automatically and shift a bit so she sits more comfortably. no matter how much i think about it, i just can''t force myself to treat her too harshly. i mean, i would be able to do it if my life was at risk or the life of someone from group 4, but in situations like this? there is no need for that. eris continues to chirp something, quickly telling me about her day while the auctioneer keeps showing item after item and selling them off. then i wonder. what happened to the original eris. did her world get destroyed by calamities? did she grow old, get a family, and then die in bed surrounded by her grandchildren? seeing how obelia acts now, did humans find out that lynthari are invaders and try to fight them and either got eliminated by the matriarch or were able to win? and myrra? she is a champion candidate; was she able to reach that level or died before it? if she did, is she still alive? did the system copy her world millions of years ago, and there is nothing left of it anymore, maybe even the planet was destroyed, and only shadows of all these dead people exist in the tutorial? their lives, struggles, hopes, and sadness used to make it feel more real for people who are taken in here. the more i think, the less i like it. it''s disgusting. underling, you have a scary expression, does your tummy hurt? the young lynthari asks, and there is even a hint of worry. great, now even i have little children to worry about myself. im fine, boss, but you were telling me about how you tricked one of your servants, so what did he do when he found out? yes! he was so surprised, nya... eris continues to tell me about it while i listen and also pay attention to the auctioneer and wait for the items i wanted. i think they should be numbers 113 and 189. going once, going twice...the item was sold for five heart stones! the auctioneer shouts. one heart stone is worth around 5 thousand dollars, so the prices are slowly but surely going up, the items are also auctioned in order from cheapest to the most expensive. first underling! eris grabs my shoulders and shakes me slightly. yes, boss? i ask absentmindedly while watching some weird book being auctioned off. who are the humans with you? are they your underlings? now that i think about it, i''m the guild master, am i not? so probably? i think so. i answer her. i see, that means they are my underlings too since im your boss! she declares. i mean, she is not wrong, and there is some logic in it, and i just nod, which makes her laugh happily, and she jumps from my legs to examine her newest targets. for the following few minutes, i observe as she bullies tess, who just goes with it in a similar way i do, and then switches to lily and hadwin, who are less successful. before coming back, she plops on the ground and pets biscuit, who patiently lets her. unlike other lynthari, she doesnt seem to dislike him. cute, she says. at that moment, i start liking her a bit more. at least she is someone who can recognize the majesty of the divine beast that is biscuit. i will buy him from you, she immediately says something that sours my mood. biscuit is not for sale, i tell her without hesitation, and a surprised look appears on her face. it can be caused only by a woman, i say. do you think lily finally got her fangs into him? she is an initiate of lust, so probably? while taking a sip of his drink, dennis smiles. "you and your theory about her subclass; nat sees lily as nothing more than a kid. the way he treats her is similar to how he treats izzy," maya sighs, i mean, he is still scary when he wants to be, but it''s harder and harder to call him an asshole, while shaking her head, she reaches and steals some snack from the bowl in front of kim. i think it''s simple, kim says in a somewhat somber tone, nathaniel is someone that is nicer the stronger he is. the way he says it is really confident. (should we make fun of him?) i hear through our link. (we can a bit later, let him cook.) i send back. seeing that we dont react, kim continues, nathaniel acts harshly only in a few cases. if he feels threatened or if someone threatens someone he likes, he shrugs his shoulders, during the 1st floor, it was really scary, and we didn''t know what to expect, and there were monsters all around. nat also wasn''t that strong, so he was a bit cruel at times. as always, there are a few orbs made of weird metal floating near him. kim does this almost constantly and practices even as we play. but the stronger nat became, the less of a threat we were to him, and the more confident he was with his powers, so he kind of calmed down. (oi, that somehow makes sense.) (shh, listen to him.) right now, we are almost no threat to him, so he acts nicer. of course, if we betray him, it will change." kim shrugs, "i thought about it a lot, you know? i was really scared of nathaniel for some time, but then i slowly realized how it works. kim smiles a bit and shakes his head while looking at his hands, nathaniel is someone who becomes nicer the stronger he is. because that''s when he thinks you can''t hurt him. i swear, when i become stronger, i will bully the entire lynthari population into oblivion. i will force them to use ''nya'' at the end of every sentence, and skills that allow invisibility will not be tolerated, and their usage will be punished. while at it, i will order them to annihilate every single monster with such an ability. oh, and calling me feral one will not be allowed either. the reason? the goddamn bidding stone item in my hands. i tried to bid on one of the items, and not knowing how to use it properly, i bid one eclipse mana stone. yup. i bid one million dollars'' worth on an item maybe worth fifty thousand. calling once, calling twice... the auctioneer quickly shouts, even his eyes showing his surprise. what annoys me are the giggles of lynthari who even know who did the bid and stare towards our balcony, not even caring that i''m here with the granddaughter of their matriarch or that i''m something champion candidate myrra cares about. no, they giggle, smile, cover their mouths, and their ears and tails move in an amused manner. some even shout cute! at my reaction to my blunder. oh, you are quite rich, underling! eris is not helping this either, and what''s left is to act like it''s all according to plan. yeah, i didn''t want it to take that long, i say simply, trying to keep what is left of my dignity. sold to the rich young man with black hair and unusual eyes! the auctioneer shouts, even giving my description. okay, dude, you''re the next. the next item is the rarest consumable on our list... the man on the podium lets his voice sound into the room, the last words quieter than a whisper. once again, all of the attention turns to him. we would usually auction it later in between one of the last items, but why dont we spice things up? he smiles and steps to the side, allowing a big glass box to be brought next to him. inside that box, a chunk of meat as big as the auctioneer lies. i could swear that even through the glass, i can smell the aroma of it. this, my dear guests, is the oldest piece of meat that we ever had a chance to auction off. a few people start to whisper with excitement. i''m not that surprised; old meat is quite a delicacy here, the older, the better. obviously, its not every meat that is capable of keeping such worth. no, only the meat of high-leveled animals or monsters is either resistant enough because of a high constitution or high mana that remains in it. meat of such a monster can be hundreds of years old and if stored properly, it''s safe to consume it. not even mentioning its often delicate taste or rarity that makes the right people want to get it just to show off. an estimate is two hundred twenty-nine years old, he says, pausing, knowing his audience, and as he predicted, people talk even more, estimation on the level of the animal is close to two hundred fifty! the volume of his voice increases, as for the animal it belonged to, it''s believed to be the archdeer that our matriarch personally helped to slay! Chapter 240: Preparation to hunt the Calamity chapter 240: preparation to hunt the calamity did he just say deer? archdeer? oh my, surely nothing wrong will happen if i buy it? i can''t strengthen bambis curse, and i''m sure biscuit would like that piece of meat a lot. we have the first offer, one star stone! the auctioneer shouts. surely we wont end up at one only! one star stone is worth around 100 thousand dollars. two star stones from an older gentleman in the audience! three star stones from a beautiful lady in a red dress on the balcony! the price quickly climbs higher and higher. we have a sun stone from a young lynthari gentleman! half a mil, damn, they might be bigger foodies than biscuit. but it doesnt matter; that piece of meat is mine. for a moment, i imagine biscuits thankful shouts and him impatiently tippy-tapping while waiting for the meat. what do you think, biscuit? i move eris a bit to the side and look at the corgi nestling by my leg. (sustenance,) he says, and there is a hint of determination in his eyes. if i don''t buy this meat, he will go and get it himself. (i require sustenance,) sounds in my head, but this time it''s different. the voice is quieter, like a gentle whisper, and i feel goosebumps all over my skin. when i look at biscuit, i notice that his eyes are glowing slightly in a pale purple color. leave it up to me! i tell him quickly and send a signal through the bidding stone. oh! we''ve got two eclipse stones from a young gentleman with pretty eyes! the auctioneer calls attention to me, and i just nod. damn, how does this thing work? i wanted to bid only one eclipse stone. after a few moments of silence, the auctioneer shouts, calling once, calling twice? the silence that fills the room makes a few more people look towards me, and they also notice eris sitting on my lap. her strikingly red hair and blue eyes. now that i think about it, rich or powerful people probably recognize her as the matriarchs granddaughter. does it mean it might make them scared to bid against someone who is in such a good relationship with her? am i indirectly bullying them? good job, boss! i whisper to eris. the young lynthari clearly doesn''t know what she did, but she nods and smiles, lifting her nose a bit higher. sold for two eclipse stones to the young man! the auctioneer finally ends the bidding, and his eyes meet mine for a moment. the auction afterward is quite boring. eris buys me some weird mana stone that she says has a similar color to her eyes, and in exchange, i buy her some ancient toy based on mana that helps to improve control. obelia bids a few times and buys some nice items for either herself or her guild. tess and hadwin also point me to buy a few high-rare items that can be spread to our group members, some mana batteries, and other stuff. buying all of it barely makes a dent in the amount of money we hold, so i just keep buying and buying, as we end up with two dozen items. that brings some attention to us, but at this point, i''m not that worried. the only person that i found could threaten me is the matriarch, and maybe a few more lynthari. and calamities, of course. otherwise, there isn''t much to threaten my life here on the 4th floor. as the night progresses, eris leaves to play with someone else, and i notice tess joking with obelia and jenna, while hadwin sometimes joins in. i spend my time continuing mana cycling, which i do constantly, and observing people on balconies, with some showing interest in me. mostly, it''s simple to guess from their gaze what they want. most of them just straight up want a good relationship with someone rich, others looking for a connection to eris and the matriarch, some recognizing me as the guild master of angry kittens, which is now one of the five big guilds thanks to its fighting power and not the size of the guild.??vl?1n. i just straight up ignore them, and when they reach out to me with their mana, i obliterate it, often doing so in a way that will sting them a bit. this crest is something we were unable to identify nor even scratch! it''s made of a material that reminds of wood, but it''s extremely heavy! sounds from the podium. that makes me curious again, and i look at the auctioneer, and the item inside the glass box reminds me of something. i didn''t notice it while checking the other items sent to auction, so did they just add it, or did i miss it while trying to avoid people? the material seems to be the same as the extremely heavy chest we got from the champion''s house and were unable to open it, no matter what we tried. the bids start at a sun stone, and i bid a few times until i win, ending up paying three eclipse stones and one sun stone. the next item is something extremely exciting; we are getting to the last ten items! the lighting changes, and the fake night sky on the ceiling as well, with stars disappearing and being replaced by soft, aurora-like blue lights that mix with white ones. allow me to show you this extremely precious mana stone inscribed by the rising star of virelia, someone said to be even more talented than mister elydor when it comes to inscribing! the stone they put out, i know very well; i inscribed it just a few days ago. the master inscriber''s identity is a secret, but the skill is real, as confirmed by the craft guild multiple times. i do not dare to be able to say what the stone contains, but our experts told me that they have never seen anything like it, and the craft guild master confirmed it as well. simply, the ones that know understand how valuable it is, and the rest of us can only look at it with amazement! he opens up both of his arms and lights spark off under the glass box, allowing the stone inside to be seen better. the starting price is three eclipse stones! i watch as the price climbs higher and higher. there are even a few lynthari bidding and plenty of older men similar to the inscriber that is helping me. at some point, they get outbid by lynthari, so they group together and probably join their money to continue bidding. ...once, twice, sold for 7 eclipse stones, one sun stone, and three star stones! the final amount is $7,800,000. easiest money of my life. i bid on a few items from the top 10: a shield for haddy, light armor for maya, a lump of heavy and extremely conductive metal for kim, a weird set of bracelets for the twins. finally, the main course of tonight! a mid-epic item we have received from storm brigade, one of only 5 big guilds of virelia! the tension can be felt in the air as they bring the weapon to the middle of the room, the glass box around it densely covered in inscriptions and housing a beautiful spear made from a single piece of metal-like material. first, i take the ethercrystal shortsword and put it into a densely inscribed, mana conductive holder. the thing reminds me of the shaft of a spear and it connects to the sword by holding its handle. it fits perfectly, and when i activate the inscriptions we made, it almost seems as if it connects with the sword, holding it strongly. i activate set after set of inscriptions, all of them in preparation for the next step and to work together with the epic weapon. it takes hours and a lot of mana, but soon i''m ready and into the slot that we prepared, i put the mana core sphere, my other epic item that can disrupt mana and leave a lasting disruptive attack. the core perfectly fits in, and another set of inscriptions secures it inside. so there it lies, a long shaft made of silver metal with its entire surface covered in inscriptions, and the epic sword as its blade. near where the handle of the sword is imbued, there is also the mana core sphere. "now, onto the hardest step," cael smiles, his eyes shining as he observes the process, careful not to interrupt me. huh, i almost forgot he was here. i shake my head and after a few deep breaths, i close my eyes, and [infusion], [redistribution], and [mana manipulation] all activate and i get to it. it''s time to connect them and change the inscriptions on the epic items ever so slightly. for that, a lot of mana is required, so i force my skills into overdrive. [redistribution - lvl 38 > redistribution - lvl 39] [infusion - lvl 13 > infusion - lvl 14] [infusion - lvl 14 > infusion - lvl 15] when this step is done, i use [resonance] to inscribe circuits into the handle of the sword, connecting all three parts in front of me together with a web of circuits. the weapon, handle, and sphere, are all interwoven together, the shaft connecting two epic items and forcing them to work together. [resonance - lvl 31 > resonance - lvl 32] [resonance - lvl 32 > resonance - lvl 33] i take a step back and give myself a moment to calm down and to get back to the real world. my mana has taken a noticeable bite into it, and i even used some from the reservoir, actually, quite a lot of it. it means we will have to wait a few days longer before hunting the tree, just so it can be restored, and so i can create a few orbs, just in case. and fill batteries... yeah, i need to let obelia and myrra know. finally, i take a look at my creation. ethercore javelin (epic): javelin that combines the ethercrystal shortsword and mana core sphere, connected by an arcanadium shaft intricately modified for enhanced mana flux. the ethercrystal blade rapidly absorbs mana, funneling it into the mana core sphere, which has been altered to continuously change the frequency of its emitted disruptive field, affecting a single target. these constant frequency shifts make the field unpredictable and highly effective against a wide range of magical defenses. the weapon in front of me is the strongest epic item i''ve seen, surely upper epic without a speck of doubt. i step back and let cael examine the item. he looks just like a kid getting a new toy and doesn''t ask anything. instead, being the craftsman he is, he wants first to examine it all by himself without asking questions. now then, i wonder how big the disruptive field will be with all the mana the tree possesses. and i wonder what will happen when the weapon disrupts its mana flow and how much it will destabilize the integrity of the tree that surely uses some mana just to stop itself from crumbling due to its sheer size. it takes a few days longer, but we are ready and standing in front of the array. so, for the last time, i turn to the group in front of me, we get there and everyone will use their disruptive skills to block our presence and other fields as well. that''s why i''m taking hadwin with me. after that, we will get a bit further and set the circle where i can collect my mana and prepare the attack, all while you block it all so the tree can''t sense us. meanwhile, obelia and a few of her members will keep the array running so we can use it in case anything suspicious happens. myrra is also quiet, but she and her bodyguard are both fully prepared. they have plenty of powerful items, and i have a suspicion that one or two might be epic. she will go there mostly as an observer, and the amount of trust she puts in my plan is almost scary. she truly is a weirdo. well, the one facing the most danger will be me; if the tree senses me preparing my attack, it might defend itself or attack me as well while others use the array. that would be unfortunate. all ready, obelia says, and i nod. we went over the plan over and over again and even practiced the formations so there is no need to hesitate anymore. it will work. after one more check, all of us step in. the air feels heavy, as well as my body. my heart is beating wildly, and i can hear the breathing of some members of this expedition. shaking hands, nervous glances, squeezing hems of their cloaks, last checks, and attempts at carefully controlling their mana. we are going against the calamity, a being that years ago wiped out the old capital on its own before it got weakened. the light flashes, and the feeling of falling hits me but quickly disappears as we get transported though the array. immediately obelia gives orders, quick, the fields. she is whispering, even when she doesn''t have a reason to do so. i notice that her voice is shaking. multiple fields pop up around us, and i join in as we step outside. i carefully move my mana as we layer disruptive fields around us to avoid detection. we even avoid looking at the tree as it could detect that. it takes a few seconds and everything goes smoothly, just as we practiced, and i feel my confidence growing. then it all comes crashing down when i hear myrra, oh no, she says, and her tail is frozen, not moving at all. i break the rule we set and follow her gaze towards the old capital, and then i understand the tone of her voice. gradually, more of us notice, and eventually, everyone is staring towards the direction of the old capital. the calamity called the living tree is gone. its colossal shadow doesn''t tower over the city anymore. Chapter 241: We were wrong chapter 241: we were wrong we are leaving, right now! for the first time, i hear extreme urgency in myrra''s voice, and she even grabs the item from obelia''s hand, and uses it to charge and activate the array after throwing a few mana stones on the ground. while they are preparing to leave, i send a pulse of [perception] towards the city in a thin cone instead of a field that surrounds me. i detect a few items all over the city, but the tree is gone. i can''t see as well as tess, but there is a crater in its place, and the buildings around it are not destroyed. it seems like the tree flew or teleported? my eyes immediately turn to the sky, and a few more members of the expedition look at it as well, coming to the same conclusion. skill after skill activates, trying to detect the tree, and myrra even uses her mana to activate the array faster. ready! myrra shouts, and all of us step back into the circle. looking at the capital one last time, we teleport and reappear back in the array near virelia. obelia, feral one, you are coming with me. we need to see the matriarch, right now, myrra orders, and this time she doesn''t joke nor ask. but this time i''m not even angry and am inclined to do as she says. unfortunately, there is something that doesn''t allow me to do that. hundreds, thousands of signatures of monsters are all around virelia, some of them even inside the city. ant signatures. how... how! they were weeks away! one of obelia''s guild members shouts. with me, we go to the matriarch, myrra orders again, and when i do not move, she looks at me, feral one? i will check on my group first, i tell her simply, my mana slowly radiating from my body, and kinetic energy collecting inside me. myrra hisses in annoyance and rushes towards the city without saying anything else, closely followed by obelia. be careful on your way back, i tell hadwin, and he nods in agreement.n??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. then, i use the kinetic energy i collected in an orb to push myself ahead with speed much faster than ever before. the nature around me turns into a blur, and the city becomes bigger and bigger, and i even pass by myrra and obelia. yet i use more and more, a bad feeling i''m having not wanting to leave me, and when i notice especially a lot of ants on the hill. on the street where our house is. [focus] when i get close, i find the house nearly destroyed, and members of our group are fighting ants that are much smaller than before. barely as big as a horse, yet they are much faster, and the barrier that resonates on their skin seems to disrupt mana attacks. i land in the middle of what used to be our house and absorb the inertia of my fall, not even cracking the ground under my feet. the first ant rushes me, and kinetic energy changes its frequency, turning into a high pitch, and the ant''s head explodes. [you have defeated weaver ant - lvl 189] the moment i do it, some link creates between all the remaining ants, and when i use kinetic energy on another, the ant endures. all hundred or so remaining ants somehow shared the damage i did to one of them, distributing it among all of them. instead of attacking again, i let [regalia] form all around my body to absorb its attacks. then, i scan the area again, confirming what i noticed the moment i arrived. sophie, dennis, and aaron are not here. i can''t feel their presences no matter how far i reach. that can mean only two things. they are either dead or they are beyond my detection range. the ant bites at me again, and i clench my teeth; [redistribution] slows it to a crawl, not allowing it to move. then, i reach for one of the orbs i prepared for the living tree and send kinetic energy towards the monster. it''s shared, so there is no damage, but i push more and more. the stronger and stronger attack and the high-pitched noise become more audible. the air seems to wave and twist, and a crack appears on the ant''s carapace. one more push, and all hundred or so ants explode into pieces. [you have defeated weaver ant - lvl 173] her flames start to melt the ground we stand on, pushing others back. brilliant blue flames make iron glow bright and melt the stones. dont come closer! isabella shouts, and her flames explode, pushing me back a bit before i absorb them and take another step toward her. our eyes meet, they want to do such terrible things to her, and i want to help, but i can''t! sophies skill doesnt allow me to follow her! isabella expends more and more of her mana, trying to force me away. she is crying but still using her [empathy] on me. she is scared, and frustrated. she is just a kid. before she hurts herself by using too much mana, i take the last step and kneel in front of her so our eyes meet. then, i stop absorbing her flames and only strengthen my body a bit, circulating more heat inside to activate my passive healing. immediately, burns start appearing on my face and body. reading my feelings, she shouts shortly and her flames strengthen even more, burning my skin and revealing flesh underneath, dont... she whispers. then, i disable my [focus] and let her feel everything. all my fears, my anxiety, my past trauma, and all these feelings i like to push to the back of my mind, i will help sophie, dennis, and aaron. i myself dont know fully why and would be unable to express it. so just feel it yourself, i reach with my hand and touch her cheeks, still constantly burned by blue flames, a simple answer would be that i consider you my friend, i think. the small smile that appears on my face just comes up on its own, and i dont even have to force it. with a sob, all of her flames disappear, and she hugs me tightly, and i can feel her small body shake in my arms, you wont take me with you to save her, isabella sobs. no, i wont. you wont do it in case she will be... yes, i caress the back of her head, but izzy, check the community, the number didnt decrease, meaning she, aaron, and dennis are alive. i feel her body freeze, and the relief she must be feeling is clearly noticeable, "do you promise you will save her?" "i can''t do that. i don''t know what to expect, but izzy, i will try. i will try really hard." the last sob sounds from her. "that''s enough." then i send a weak pulse of [resonance] to her head, making her pass out. when i stand up with her in my hands, i feel my body screaming to move, to run, but i can''t. even a small mistake i make could mean their death. i pass by a few people and stop in front of biscuit, who looks at me from the ground. this time, i''m serious and dont use the tone i usually use with biscuit. right now, i talk to him in a way i would talk to anyone else from group 4, will you protect them while i''m gone? just a simple question. biscuits tail doesn''t swing at all, and the look in his eyes changes. the usual cheekiness is gone, and they are calm and firm. instead of answering me, mana starts radiating from him. the one that feels extremely disturbing, and his eyes gain a soft purple glow. even his shadow on the ground grows until it''s dozens of times bigger. biscuit is strong, stronger than he lets show, but even this is only a hint at his potential. the same as us, he also needs to grow. (friend?) he asks. yes, i consider you a friend too, i say to him. (friend,) he repeats and hovers into the air, his right front paw bumping my nose and i do the same. with this, i turn around and put izzy into hadwins hands. the older man just arrived, and there is a surprised expression on his face, they will explain everything to you, i tell him, and then turn around, tess, lily, will you join me? i ask them to risk their life, to go into the heart of the enemy forces. i would go even without you, tess says. i will help, lily nods. neither of them hesitates. biscuit, hadwin, min-jae, maya, please take care of izzy. i pause. there might be a traitor, so be careful. the living tree is gone, it disappeared, so expect anything. i quickly explain the rest of it to them and then put lily on my back, push us high in the air, and boost us towards the middle of the city. tess similarly follows us, lightning trailing her body. Chapter 242: Eris Chapter 242: Eris We reach the area with flooring that is impossible to destroy, and most of the important people are already around there. There are even a dozen lynthari wearing the same black armor, each of them around level 200. Unlike most of the lynthari we met until now, they are calm and serious. How is it, Myrra? I catch her to the side. Oh, this? This is nothing. Even if a hundred times more ants attacked, we would be fine, feral one, and soon all of them will be dealt with. We just dont know what the intention was. Whatever it is, this means war. Myrra is also wearing beautiful armor that I immediately identify as epic equipment, most likely mid-grade. It''s multiple pieces of armor that seem to be tailored for her, and she must have been wearing it under her clothes even as we went against the Living Tree. And the tree? I ask. Soon, we will send scouts there. They will use arrays all around the old capital and some that are even further, and try to find out where it is. Meanwhile, we did send more to all sides from Virelia, in case the calamity heads here. Her tail twitches, and even while talking to me, she listens to other people and lynthari talking a bit further from us, I will be leading our enforcers, she gestures at the group of twelve lynthari warriors, all in black armor, Obelia, Isola will be coming too, and even other two of the five guilds will send some elites while we keep some powers here. You are coming too? Yes, me, Tess, and Lily. I see, it''s good to have a healer with us. Thalen is too important, so he will stay in the city. Nathaniel Gwyn, can I have a moment of your time? I hear a soft voice next to me and when I look, the matriarch stands there. No one else seems to be able to see her, no matter if lynthari or human. Out of nowhere expression on Myrra ?s face changes and she leaves in the middle of the sentence to talk to other humans, the same other lynthari that unknowingly create a circle with me and the matriarch in the middle, yet no one seems to see us or realize it. You knew why the ants were coming to Virela, I immediately throw at her. There is no smile on her face, but her canines show, Why do you think so? You are manipulating people and lynthari in the city. You hid all mentions about the possibility of mind manipulation; that''s why we didn''t find anything about it, they are all suspicions I came to over weeks and months, And that''s why you kept watching us ever since we came. You and the ants both, for some reason, want people with abilities similar to yours. You really are fun, she smiles, and I don''t even notice how but she stands in front of me, her nails against my neck, moving over it. A smile climbs onto her face, The Colony has [Hive Mind] while my skill is [Kin Control], she tilts her head and creates another scratch on my neck, They don''t enter my territory, and I don''t poke theirs. But you and your guild ruined it. That black-haired woman with green eyes seems to have a really irresistible skill. I wanted to slowly examine it, but I underestimated how much the Colony wants it." I reach to grab her hand, but my hand passes through the air, and she stands a bit further away from me. You know, even though me and the Colony have such skills that give us immense powers, we live in constant worry that someone with a stronger one comes and takes over the network weve built and destroys everyone connected to it, she says. The ants never were after me; they sensed the use of Sophies [Manipulation], the Twins [Connection], and Isabellas [Empathy], all of them mind skills and similar to theirs. They most likely went after Biscuit, and I still remember the huge number of ant corpses around him. Yet, he didn''t seem to be their priority, and neither did Isabella.?vl?1n. Not killing them means that they want to use them somehow, probably to deal with the Matriarch or have an advantage over her or straight up evolve [Hive Mind] to take over. The Matriarch probably wanted to do the same; she just didn''t expect the ants to get there so secretly without her noticing. You want to either kill or get back my group members, I say. There must be someone like Eris, an ant that similarly controls the Colony through [Hive Mind]. An ant that got terrified by Sophies [Manipulation], and now wants to use it to strengthen itself. I turn to Tess, Try to calm down; your mana is seeping out. The expression she has is proof of her worry, and impatience. I''m sure she is constantly checking the number of members of our group in the Community, hoping it doesnt go down. Instead of answering me, she only nods and clenches her teeth, and I can see her mana slowly calming down. So, I check the gear I have with me. My newest epic weapon, the Tree Obliterator 9000, may not be very useful there, since it''s designed to be effective against a single, larger target, and will take some time to activate. I also have a few mana batteries, the one I got from the Arcane Archer included, and an upper-grade rare armor I got from the auction. An orb filled with thermal energy floats near me, and I continue to fill it with more. My mana is full; my reservoir is full. Tess''s [Stormcrown] is also floating over her head, and she keeps storing Primordial lightning inside it. She has two epic items on her, the Abyssal Anchor and the spear we just bought not long ago. Lily also has an epic bow with her, the one we got from the Arcane Archer, and multiple pieces of mid or upper-grade rare equipment. As I try to move Lily reaches me and puts her hand on mine, Nathaniel, she says and she puts the crown into my hand. The one we got from the 3rd floor. Crown of Eternal Vigilance (Epic): This finely crafted crown used to be seamlessly linked to the Saint, but now bears an imperfect connection to a novice healer, enabling the wearer to receive healing powers from them. After examining it I look at her. Just in case, she says, her eyes determined. Miss Myrra, we are ready, Obelia stands up from the array and, taking a few steps, she hands an item used to activate it to Myrra. They might detect us the moment we pass through, so we should immediately shield ourselves so they cant do it too accurately. Obelia, do you know why we didnt deal with the Colony as of now? Myrra asks instead, putting the item away and fixing her armor. Twelve lynthari elites, the enforcers, surround her, doing the same, and dozens of skills activate, strengthening their bodies, making their mana flow. Every one of them is much more dangerous than Elydor, either at or way over Isola''s level of strength, not only in pure level, but just sheer amount of experience and control over their skills. After Obelia shakes her head, Myrra continues, The Colony and even their leader aren''t that strong or high-leveled. Their advantage is the insane numbers and cooperation they have through [Hive Mind]. Not even once were we able to push deep into their territory to be able to deal with their leadership, but now? We will get to the heart of their territory, kill their leader while preventing them from evolving, and then we will use this, she shows us a small sphere of brilliant blue light. She continues, This is a return sphere made by the Matriarch herself. It''s only one way and it will create a rift to allow us to the place where the sphere was created, to Virelia. Myrra puts the sphere under her armor, We have one hour before the sphere dissipates under the spatial defenses the Colony did set up, so keep that in mind. Enforcers step into the circle that is now increased in size, all sorts of effects sizzling on their skin, tails moving calmly, and ears perked up. Tall with great equipment that is just a step away from epic, they look imposing. One hour should be enough to have some fun, Isola also steps inside the circle, seemingly not imposed by the lynthari. On her skin, tattoo-like circuits appear and start shining. Let''s not waste more time, I also step in, closely followed by Tess and Lily. Following suit, the rest of our group gets in, and Myrras eyes meet mine. Then the array activates, and with the feeling of falling, the scenery around us changes. Chapter 243: Obstacles Chapter 243: Obstacles Using [Perception] in the darkness that surrounds us, I find us inside a single half-sphere-like shaped room. That''s when a few of the enforcers join their skills together and create some sort of domain that doesn''t allow me to perceive further nor any mana to pass inside. Myrra also sends something towards the edge of the domain and continues to carefully examine something, I feel no skill trying to pass through the silencing field, we should be fine for now. Multiple skills and items light up the area. Everything inside the room is broken, with pillars made of crystal-like white stone, flooring made of polished white wood-like material, things that used to be tables and multiple pieces of furniture. There isnt even a hint of mana inside the room, and most of all, it reminds me of some kind of research laboratory, even though it''s all covered in dust, rotting, and unusable. Locate the source, Myrra orders, and with a bow, two enforcers start scanning the room, Take these stones; they will point you towards where I and the return sphere are. The less time you have, the weaker glow they will emit, Myrra hands a small mana stone to everyone in the group. Unlike what I''m used to, she is serious, and there is a hint of dignity to her. I wonder what her being a Champion candidate means, how she compares to Eris, the Lynthari Matriarch? Myrra, the ants took away a few of my guild members. Getting them back is my priority, after creating a field around us, I tell her. Intrigue shines in her eyes, and she nods slowly, I smell her on you. Did you talk with the old woman? I guess you mean the Matriarch? Obviously, feral one, I nod, She knows about it. Then it''s fine, Myrra leaves my field and joins the enforcers. Now it''s nearly confirmed that even she doesnt know about the Matriarch being two beings at the same time. Before she complained about the Matriarch''s granddaughter. Or maybe she knows and pretends not to. Who knows. With a soft hum, the white crystal pillars around the room start emitting a gentle light. The ceiling also changes a bit, generating flickering light for a few seconds before it turns on. On the floor, mana circuits also appear, creating circles around some places that now contain only broken apparatuses. One of the enforcers most likely located what Myrra called the source, and it seems to be a weird stone imbued in one of the pillars. He sends more mana inside and then does something that turns the walls of the entire room transparent, allowing us to see outside. The web of tunnels big enough for three bus-sized ants to pass through are all around us, the walls covered in colorful mushroom-like stuff, some of them even glowing softly. Then there are ants, crawling through the tunnels at dizzying speeds, often on the ceiling or on the walls. There are many more variants than I ever met. Smaller ones with giant jaws. Bigger ones with shiny carapaces and thin legs, extremely quick and smaller ants. There are even much smaller ones that climb on the bodies of bigger ants and get carried around. Being covert doesnt seem to be an option, seeing how many of them are here, Obelia says. Doesnt that make it better? Isola giggles, Its been long since I fought them. We should first locate the queen or whatever leads them, I say and take a step towards a suspicious group of circuits on the floor. I send my mana towards them, and nothing happens. Nice catch, feral one, Myrra says as she passes by me. But this is safeguarded, and only lynthari can use it, she then sends her mana to it. The ceiling starts flickering again, and thousands of dots appear on it, dots of three colors. Red for ants. Green for lynthari. Be careful, I say, and thats when the ant disappears, cracked ground left behind him. He moves with a speed I''m almost unable to track and stops in front of me, his jaws shutting down, the sound of them piercing the air audible. I started pushing myself back with a blast of kinetic energy even before he reached me, and now I watch as his jaws snap shut with thundering noise, the air vibrating. Then the ant disappears again, standing back at the place where he appeared. Slowly his mandibles open to 180 degrees again. There is no mana radiating from the ant other than from his mandibles. What he just showed was done only with the sheer strength and speed of its body. Before he can dash again, I shoot a dozen mana orbs at him that he swiftly dodges, and only then the ground under his legs cracks and he disappears. [Redistribution] activates at full power as this time he passes by me and goes after Tess. His movements are too quick and the strength behind them too immense, so the skill slows him down only a little, but Tess already expects him, lightning crackling around her. She jumps up in the air as the trapjaw ant''s mandibles shut with a scary noise and immediately stabs with a spear she holds in her hand. The ant avoids it, moving back to the place where he started. There he stops and his mouth starts opening again, preparing for another dash. That''s when I activate an anchor I left there, and through the [Tether] I send a strong blast of kinetic energy there that explodes near the middle of his body, cutting him in half. Yet the ant doesn''t hesitate and dashes again, just half of the body with head and jaw, dashing using three legs only. He is much slower than before, and before he reaches me, a javelin pierces his head, killing him, and his body slides to my feet with all the inertia it possesses. [You have defeated Trapjaw ant - lvl 203] My domain activates and as we continue and meet other Trapjaw ants, I immediately place an anchor near them, the ants unable to perceive it. Before they even charge, I send an attack through it, most of the time killing them before they even charge us. Slowly, more of them start appearing, some of them even a bit bigger than us. Lily and Tess already fight on their own, Lily somewhat awkwardly using a bow and shooting gray arrows made of a tiny bit of her mana. The arrows are deadly, piercing through anything they hit, and Lily mostly aims at bigger ants I slow down with my skills. Tess quickly moves around, defending Lily when needed and killing smaller and quicker ants with her javelins that constantly float around her. The closer we get to where the map leads, the more ants appear and the stronger the variations, and I have to spend more mana to counter their attacks. Gravity ants try to slow us down, Flame Legion ants start fighting against the fire I set up, Sentinel ants with glowing symbols on their carapaces fight always in pairs. Yet it''s not a problem for me. I saw most of these variations and since then my skills and stats have improved a lot. I have an evolved Primary class now, I have two epic passives, and I''m determined to fulfill my promise. At some point, I let my heart beat loudly and my mana flow through my body. The compressed thermal energy turns into golden flames that fill the tunnels and melt everything they come in contact with. The mushrooms, the Flame legion ants, all without exception, fueled by my mana. Through the flames, we walk, not affected by them at all as I absorb all the heat and store it in the orbs that continue to float around me and follow us. Getting closer to our destination, I absorb the heat and flames around me, which both almost instantly disappear. Instead, waves of kinetic energy fill the tunnel, throwing the ants against the walls, piercing their bodies, and exploding the ants in their entirety. Up until another rare variation appears. His mana fills the tunnel and pushes against mine while I feel some weird web made of mana around him. His domain negates mine, and he destroys my anchors. The javelins I throw at him he disrupts and shoots a similar one at me immediately that I also disrupt. I push more mana into my skills and more javelins fly at him, all of them on the brink of turning into white shining bombs. Yet he pushes out even more mana, tearing them apart into small motes. The ant in front of us is small, barely reaching my waist. Its antennae are glowing in pale blue color and the entirety of its carapace is covered in circuits and inscriptions. His eyes are the same as those of the other ants, emotionless, black, and eerily alien-looking. Then his smaller mandibles, which seem soft, open and close a few times. His legs burrow deep into the ground. Right after, the mana that radiates from him feels impossibly strong, palpable in the air, and his body, unable to contain it all, starts breaking apart and immediately healing. Yet with every heal, a few symbols from his carapace disappear. The ant is getting the mana from the other ants, hundreds or thousands of ants sending it towards this one that is unable to endure it all and will die the moment all healing inscriptions are used up. But for these few moments, the ant in front of us is terrifyingly strong. [Mana Channeler Ant - lvl ??] Chapter 244: Crown Chapter 244: Crown "We don''t have time for this," Tess says, releasing a bit more lightning from her crown, and Lily uses more mana to create a gray arrow. "This will be quick," I say. I''ve long since thought about how I would fight myself or deal with someone with mana similar to mine. The javelin that I have created, boosted by kinetic energy, absorbs the mana trying to slow it down and lodges into the Mana Channeler ant after breaking the barrier he creates. N??vl--?1n hosted the premiere release of this chapter. However, as expected, before the effect of the Sphere imbued in the weapon activates, the ant pushes it out of its body and quickly regains control over his mana, the weapon not affecting him fully. This weapon is made for a different kind of enemy. [Regalia] forms around my body, and I infuse it with [Resonance], the armor turning transparent blue. Then I redirect most of my mana into the Reinforcement construct and dash at the ant. He shoots dozens of mana javelins similar to mine at me, each of them as thick as my arm and twice as long as my height. Yet the moment they touch the armor, they are disrupted, like snow melting before a red hot iron. The ant creates something reminiscent of a chain that tries to coil around me and hold me in place, yet it too is disrupted, unable to take hold of me. Next, he tries to disrupt the armor around my body. I wait until he is almost successful before changing frequency, so he has to start over. Whenever his attempts come close, I repeat it. A barrier forms in front of me, filled with an immense amount of mana and dark blue to the point where I can''t see through it. [Perception] activates, and I detect its frequency, applying it to my armor and passing through as if it''s not there. An immense amount of my mana is being sucked up by [Regalia] and [Resonance], yet I continue using my skills to fight this ant as a huge numberof other ants continue feeding him mana. I watch as his body crumbles under the pressure, constantly healed by healing inscriptions, only half of them remaining. The ant doesn''t seem to be capable of more than just channeling mana. This variant is either imperfect and incapable of using more skills or too young and inexperienced to fully utilize all that power. An arrow passes by me, and I feel the hair on my body stand up as I get goosebumps. The gray arrow made of [Disintegration] quickly reaches the ant, and the monster, recognizing the danger, dodges to the side, while in haste creating barriers in front of him. Then, judging it insufficient, more barriers start forming, and a good dozen of them one after the other face the arrow as it starts breaking through them. Each barrier pierced has a slowly widening hole in it, slowly increasing in size, as its eaten by the grayish mana. I send a pulse of disruptive mana toward the barriers, weakening them further, and the gray arrow hits the wall, eating away at the wall and leaving uneven holes in it as the skill disintegrates everything it comes in contact with. That''s also when I reach the ant and it creates some sort of mana shockwave that cracks the wall and causes stones to fall from the ceiling ,and totally obliterates any mushrooms on the wall. But nothing happens to me, and I push through the javelin Ive created absorbing the mana as the blade turns blue. Then the amount of mana the ant is getting increases even further, most of his legs exploding and parts of his body crumbling, twisting. All the symbols on its carapace shine bright, and the next attack that hits me disrupts my armor, while the spear in my hand absorbs even more mana. The Mana Channeler''s body starts glowing bright white, the monster sacrificing itself to turn his body into a bomb, using all the mana thats ruined him. For a short moment, I observe as his compressed mana fills each part of his remains. Then I have a feeling that our eyes meet and behind his eyes I feel a different presence, The presence of someone much stronger. The ant clacks its mandibles one last time before his head also crumples. I redirect all of my mana towards Mantle and then activate [Tether], teleporting towards the anchor I left some distance away from Tess. Then I divert a lot of my body''s mana into the barriers I form in front of us, each of them shattering one after another, unable to resist the explosion of immense mana compressed in the tight space of the tunnels. I slowly breathe out and form a mana orb over the palm of my hand. [Focus]. [Focus] Each of them unconscious, fleshy vines touching their bodies, some of them even burrowed inside their limbs. [Focus] Each of them is barely alive, hearts palpitating; their faces show signs of intense pain. [Focus] [Focus - lvl 40 > Focus - lvl 41] I move my mana and stop Tess and Lily from jumping inside and ignore their screams and the tears in the eyes of our healer. Even Tess has an expression I had yet to see on her face. Calmly, I examine the rest of the room, the monsters inside, exits, and the timer Myrra left us. My mana crashes inside the room, and when the ants try to push against it, I reach inside the reservoir and mana batteries I have on me, obliterating their coordinated attempt to do so. "Not one of you will leave this room alive," Tess Declares, her voice bearing a deep undertone of the skill she possesses. There are only four ants, all the others left. [Rift Shifter Ant - lvl ??] [Inferno Brawler Ant - lvl ??] [Arcane Juggernaut Ant - lvl ??] [Ability Leech Ant - lvl ??] Ability Leech Ant stays near our group members, barely bigger than Biscuit, and I can feel waves of mana from him, a skill similar to Sophies web. Other ants jump down from the walls, and the first one to step in front of us is the Arcane Juggernaut, the biggest ant I''ve seen so far, most likely twice as tall as the other bus-sized ants and with a carapace heavily armored and surrounded by a body-tight barrier that is so similar to the beast from Beyond. Before I even move, the thermal orb I was creating dwindles and disappears, while all the heat within the room disappears with it. The work of the Inferno Brawler that stole all the heat and made it its own, flames creating a circle that spins above him. Sophie twitches and a painful groan escapes her mouth, one of her eyes opens, and the little veins all over it burst. She tries to use her mana, but one of the fleshy things twitches, and she screams in pain. Nat, Lily calls up to me, and I follow her gaze. She is looking at the crown tied to my belt. Her expression is the same one she had when she sacrificed all of her limbs to destroy the Saint. I see. So it will be. I take the crown and put it on my head. The crown is not perfect and doesn''t seem to work immediately, but I know what to do. [Resonance] activates, and I connect to the crown in a like Lissandra did to connect to the Saints healing aura and restore her body. [Resonance - lvl 33 > Resonance - lvl 34] And then gently, Lilys warm mana flows into me, a feeling akin to that of the Saint at the end of the third floor. Fuck them up, the petite healer pushes through her clenched teeth. I reach into my mana reservoir, and my [Mana Domain] encompasses the entire room, placing a dozen anchors all around. Chapter 245: A promise made Chapter 245: A promise made POV Tess Hansen Have I ever been this angry in my life? Have I ever hated another being this much? If Nathaniel hadn''t stopped me, I would already be in the middle of the room, fighting those four ants and probably risking the lives of my three precious friends in the process. The lives of my comrades. Can I trust you to save them? I want to ask, but our eyes meet for a second and I know I don''t have to. Right now, Nathaniel wears an expression I had yet to see on his otherwise emotionless face. Fuck them up, Lily spits out, and his mana crashes in waves inside the room. Nathaniel disappears, teleporting, and reappears on top of the biggest ant, the Arcane Juggernaut. Mana radiates from Nathaniel in a torrent that I''m sure would tear my body apart, and armor manifests around him, armor that continues growing until Nathaniel is three times taller and surrounded by all that mana condensed into the form of the armor. A few fire-based attacks crash against it, followed by some invisible ones that leave deep gouges in the ground behind him. He just shrugs off any that land and stays on top of the comparatively slow ant, yet from the look, extremely durable. Lily groans, falling to her knees, and a few of her fingers disappear as she continues to stare at the crown on top of his head. Then more mana radiates from him, the armor turning dark blue and speeding up its movement. The hands of the armor become bigger, and he grabs the head of the ant hes mounted as it tries to shake him off. With sheer shock, I watch as he tears the head off an ant, twice the size of a bus. The barriers around the ant just vanish the moment Nathaniel''s armor touches them. The Juggernaut''s body isn''t able to endure, and the head just comes off. Nat throws it at the Inferno ant who summons a wall of flame in response, turning the head to dust in the blink of an eye. The massive body of the dead Juggernaut ant falls to the ground and I notice that Lily barely has any mana left as Nat continues to bleed from the wounds hes sustained all over his body. Lily''s left leg disappears and I feel movement behind us. [Stormcrown] activates and my lightning surrounds us, clashing against a few attacks directed at us. Then one of Nathaniel''s anchors activates nearby and his disrupting mana hits the Rift Shifter ant before he can disappear. Immediately I boost my javelins as much as possible and a few of them strike its body, sending lightning coursing through it. The ant tries to create another rift, but another anchor near him explodes, Nathaniel''s kinetic energy destroying a few of the ant''s legs and that''s when I increase the weight of my spear as much as possible until it gets hard to move. The spear pierces the ant''s carapace, the sheer momentum behind it allowing it to do so, but the ant disappears again, appearing near Lily. Before he touches her, a few gray threads spin around her and pass through the ant''s body while another of her legs disappears. For a moment the ant looks almost confused and then his body falls into two pieces that continue to move. My javelins stab through him while I push against him with my [Psychokinesis] at full power. He uses another rift-like attack that crashes against my lightning, forcing me to use more of my mana until they cancel out each other and my spear finishes him off. When I look up, Nathaniel floats in the air, standing against two remaining ants. He has no wings and uses no mana, lightning, or anything. He just floats there and I cant feel anything. It''s almost eerie. A small ant jumps on the Inferno ant''s back and golden flames burst forth from them at the same time as it feels like they are sucking the heat from the room. Just an arm''s reach in front of Nathaniel they stop, like there is some invisible barrier, and I hear a sound that reminds me of a heartbeat. One heartbeat later I feel an immense amount of mana radiate from Nathaniel. The second heartbeat and some of the flames move and swirl around Nathaniel as he takes them under his control. Third heartbeat and Nathaniel''s legs twist and break as if under immense pressure. Fourth heartbeat and Lily''s right hand disappears. I grab her and hold her against my chest. Nathaniels face is calm and I can see that he is careful to not allow any of this to touch our friends. Roaring like a terrifying animal, the flames around Nathaniel burst forth, extremely concentrated. There is no heat filling the room, his thermal energy just becomes more concentrated, focused into a single beam as thin as my finger at speeds impossible to track. It strikes the Inferno Ant in the middle of its body and then moves diagonally, cutting him in half like some sort of laser. The small Ability Leech Ant tries to run, but Nathaniel does something, and the ant freezes in the air, unable to move. No don''t kill him, someone says, and it takes me a few moments to realize it''s Sophie. Have I given up already? This much is fine. I can do it. Deep breath in. Breathe out. Immediately I scan the rest of of our group, but no one shares the mark in their brain the three who attacked us had. Good. "Through the rift," I say calmly and grab Sophie''s head, ignoring Lily and Tess. When I pass through it, I wait until everyone is here and watch as wounded Myrra closes it. "I will be alright," Myrra says, blood on her lips. I put the twins on the ground and then put Sophie''s head next to her neck. It''s fine, we have a few minutes, We can heal it. "Nathaniel, I don''t have enough mana," Lily cries knowing what I''m thinking, "even if I sacrifice most of what I have left, I won''t be able to heal it and restart her..." The petite brunette sobs. "Items?" "I don''t know how! I tried, I tried so hard!" "I see," I nod and look around. There is no other healer. For a few precious seconds, I stare at Sophie''s body and then get on my knees and settle in front of Lily, "Sacrifice my body parts," I tell her. "I won''t be able to, it would be even harder than" "I know," I tell her and then, creating a resonating mana along my hand. I cut off my entire left arm and burn the wound closed with thermal energy. I put the arm in front of Lily, "This is the arm you restored for me. You sacrificed your arm to restore it. It''s made by you and strengthened by me. You have a connection to it." Slowly, her eyes open wider, and with shaking remains of her left arm, she touches it, "If I fail..." "You wont," I say. With her eyes wide open, she points what remains of her arm towards my severed limb. Her brow furrows and a few seconds pass, feeling impossibly long. Then my arm disappears and the mana that flows through Lily is grander than ever before. The arm she sacrificed came from someone of a much higher level than her. With constructs etched into it, the arm is filled with mana and came from a body bearing two epic passives. It''s a good arm. Her healing skill activates, and I watch as the two pieces of Sophie''s body connect. It happened just a few seconds ago. The brain didn''t have time to die. Lily can restart the body. It will be fine. Lily uses more mana, and it keeps flowing through Sophie, restoring her, circulating around her heart, and her brain. Sophie isn''t a normal human either; she has stats, levels, skills, and passives. Something like this should be possible even with a normal human, but Sophie is more akin to a superhuman like all of us. It will be fine. Sophies heart starts beating a few times, and some color returns to her face. More warm mana radiates from Lily, and Sophie''s chest starts moving. I don''t want to break a promise I made to a little kid. A promise I made to a friend. Sophie breathes out and in, and her eyelids move a bit, and she opens her eyes, immediately closing them because of the light. I look at Lily, Tess, Sophie, Aaron, and Dennis. All of them are fine. Chapter 246: The Message Chapter 246: The Message Our trip back to Virelia is faster than before. I refrain from using mana as much as possible to restore it as I carry the battered members of Group 4 in arms of mana. The three of them are all missing legs and are all currently unconscious, something Lily did with the rest of the mana she got from my arm. She also used what was there to restore her legs and now walks next to me. Missing her arms, but on her own two legs. Tess is scouting ahead of us with Obelia, while Isola and the rest of the group, and Myrra, run beside us. We do not hurry, but we also do not move slowly, and I notice Lily constantly staring at me. You were amazing, Lily, I really mean it. The young girl had to endure the strain of keeping me alive while I was dealing with the stronger ants, and constantly use sacrifice to save our group members. For me, it''s fine, but it''s hard to imagine how stressful it must be to use all of your limbs powering your skill and then have to rely on someone else, unable to move, and barely able to do anything. Such weakness is something I never want to feel, yet Lily did it constantly, something that once again confirms how far from normal some members of Hell difficulty are. I will do anything you want when things are a bit calmer, I return her gaze, All within reason, obviously.Unravel the Unknown, Unleash the Unimaginable: N?vlB?n. I see, she smiles, but it''s a tired smile. Can you please tell me again I did well? That it was worth all of this? the pain is still apparent in her eyes. No matter how used she gets to it, or how much she pretends to be ok. Without a skill like my [Focus], it must be terrifying. You did well, really well. I step closer to her and for a moment pull her armless body close. We saved them thanks to you." She nods energetically, the tears flowing down her cheeks, and she doesn''t say anything else. A bit of time passes as we get closer to Virelia, until some of Obelias scouts and enforcers seem to panic and speed up, as we keep pace. It doesn''t take long, and I feel it as well. The presence of the Living Tree. Then we see it as well, the colossal tree has fallen just outside Virelia. There is still some remaining mana, but the Calamity is dead, and there is not even a text over it. Most of the walls around the city are gone as well, cracked and revealing the inscriptions etched inside them. One of the enforcers starts crying, and more of them join in, with even Myrra lowering her ears and her tail just hanging down. What happened, Myrra? I ask carefully. The white-haired lynthari turns to me, tears in her eyes. The Matriarch is dead, feral one. For a moment, I just stare at her and then toward the city and the tree. Slowly, all of the lynthari with us turn towards Myrra all at once and lower their heads, getting down on one knee and facing her. Myrra ignores their gazes and continues to look towards the city, tears rolling down her cheeks. After we reach the city, we split up and quickly find the rest of group four, all of them fine, yet bearing signs of a big fight. Isabella comes running and hugs the unconscious Sophie. For a few minutes, she refuses to leave her and continues to listen to her older sister''s heartbeat and breathing. Then she jumps in between me, Lily, and Tess, and thanks us, her small body hugging us with all the strength she can muster. The entire time, Noodle stays coiled around Isabella''s arm and watches it all with weird interest. (Safe.) Biscuit sends me. Thank you, I tell him and caress his head. Im sure you did well. The memory sighs, a smile not leaving its lips, "It was fun and I thank you for that," she turns to me and adds, "Underling," her tone is almost as if making fun of me. "The Living Tree is on its way to the city. It''s an out-of-control weapon I helped to create a long time ago. We sent it against the old capitals of humans, so I will be the one to deal with it. I will pay for the crimes against humanity I helped commit. I''m too old to avoid it and soon I will be too weak to deal with it and that would only leave the tree behind to threaten my city. My lynthari and my dear humans." Eris jumps down from the wall and emanates a hint of mana detecting me and steps in front of me so the message can continue. "I suspect it''s all the work of the First One; he was always smart. The moment he sensed your friends'' skills and detected them reaching Virelia, he probably increased his efforts to manipulate the Living Tree. Hes been trying for years." Eris smiles, "What a creepy ant, right? He even kidnapped your friends the moment you left the city. For some reason, he is just as scared of you as he is of the Fallen Hero." Eris sighs, "I got lazy, my skills dulled over the years of peace and stalemate, and now I will pay for it. As for you, underling, never let the First One get the opportunity to take your friends'' skills. I would tell you to kill them if needed, but I suspect you would tell me to screw off, such is your Pride," she giggles. "But know this, the moment the First One evolves his [Hive Mind] will be the moment another being with the potential of reaching the rank of Champion is born." Her eyes meet mine, "Myrra is childish at times, but she will be a good replacement for me, and in the future, she will grow much stronger than I ever was. But, underling, there is something I wanted to ask of you too. Please, don''t hate the lynthari." Her hand reaches to me and passes through my cheek, "Every lynthari that remains is just a child, born after the war, none of them know about what happened before. So please, do not hate them, do not fight again, and try to live with them as I always wanted." The memory starts becoming a bit more transparent and slowly disappearing, "Hating me and those lynthari who did fight in the war is fine, but the others are just kids, so please, get along." She becomes even more transparent. "Nya... I wonder what that word means," she giggles, her voice becoming weaker, "I hope you had as much fun messing with me as I did messing with you, my dear and last underling." For a moment I feel as if our eyes meet. "Farewell then, stay well... nya." She flashes me one last smile that stays on her face even as she grows and turns into the tall lynthari woman with two tails. She then turns around and, after taking a step away, the memory disappears and all the mana from the blue stone is gone. For a long moment, I stare at the blue mana stone in my hands and try to send my mana into it, to activate it again, but it doesn''t work. The intricate inscriptions are gone. That''s when I hear a movement and Tess walks from behind the wall. "Sorry, I heard most of it," she apologizes while sitting on the armrest of the armchair I sit on. "It''s fine," I reply. "So that was the matriarch and the little girl we met during the auction." "Yes," I nod, "we now know who was behind all this." "Are you sad?" she asks. "I barely knew her." "You didn''t answer my question, Nat." "I only met her a few times and we mostly made fun of each other, and I didn''t even know she was messing with me." "So that''s how it is?" she asks. "Yes." I''m about to use [Focus], then I hesitate and stare at the blue mana stone, but in the end, I decide against it, and stay like that a bit longer. Chapter 247: Little Kitten Chapter 247: Little Kitten After a few hours of sleep, I wake up and stretch my body. Jumping from the bed, I take a few steps and enter the balcony, looking outside at the city. Virelia is unusually quiet, and the walls that used to surround it are gone, as well as dozens of buildings destroyed and a few towers have tilted or just straight up toppled. Further in the distance, I can see the trunk of the Living Tree. Colossal, grayish bark, and branches without any leaves. Defeated, destroyed, killed, just like that. All the preparations and planning gone and useless, the Calamity was defeated by Eris at the cost of her life. I can''t understand it fully; it''s so dumb. So fucking dumb. She could have run away, she could have held it back and waited for me and others to join the fight. She could have just kept us in the city and not sent us after... but, that would mean sacrificing Sophie, Aaron, and Dennis, wouldn''t it? Looking down I clench and unclench my fist. If I were stronger, I would solve it all. I would be the one deciding the result, and no one would have to die. I wasn''t strong enough, and it leaves a sour taste in my mouth, even though I know they are fake. I wonder, could I have pushed myself more? Could I do it differently and focus more on leveling instead of improving my handling of my power? Could I have just left the tree alone and stopped the ants from kidnapping three members of our group and fought against the Calamity with Eris? Taking a few steps, I jump back into the bed in the room Storm Brigade has lent me, Obelia has offered to board us until we can find another house. Status, I say. Name:Nathaniel Gwyn Difficulty:Hell Floor:4 - Waning Realm Time left until forced return: 4y 81d 13h 15m 7s Traits (1/3):Mana Circuit Lvl 189 Strength: 87 Dexterity: 89 Constitution: 224 Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 707 + 707 Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic) Sub-class:[Initiate of Pride] Active skills: Focus (Dual Focus Consolidation) - Lvl 41 Mana Manipulation (Advanced Mana Manipulation) - Lvl 41 Perception - Lvl 39 Redistribution (Symbiotic Transference) - Lvl 39 Resonance - Lvl 34 Mana Domain - Lvl 21 Tether - Lvl 11 Regalia - Lvl 10 Infusion - Lvl 16 Constructs: Reinforcement (Construct) Kinetic Mana Heart (Construct) I think about it for a while, It might be just as you said. Isabellas soft cries sound from inside the room, she seems to be having a nightmare as she twitches on the bed. Sophie stands up and opens the door. Lilly finished restoring her legs a few hours after sacrificing my arm. When I hand her Noodle, she looks at me one more time, The matriarch is dead. You know what that means, right? I nod, The Colony will be coming. Yes. I tried to kill as many of them as possible, especially the ones capable of creating arrays, and I even left some traps in their links. But it wont slow them down for too long. A few days maybe. Isabella twitches again, and Sophie just waves and closes the door, immediately lying on the bed and hugging her sleeping sister, who quickly calms down. Not wanting to interrupt their moment, I jump from the balcony and glide back to my room. There, I open the balcony and pass through my room, opening the door outside. The hallway is empty and simple, mostly made of stone and wood with a thick carpet on the polished floor. It has a nice cozy feeling to it. Taking a short walk, I reach the door to the room where Tess is staying with Lily, the two of them are together so she can help our silly healer. I knock and wait. Tess opens a few seconds later, Come in, Nat. She just lets me enter immediately. The moment I do so, Lily sees me too, and a big smile appears on her face. I notice that one of her arms is already nearly back. The left one that is once again pale, and I would bet if she restores my left arm too, it will be pale as well. The speed with which she is regenerating her arms is much faster than before. Guess who can enter Beyond now? she asks me, her smile becoming even bigger. I can hear Tess sigh next to me, and I sit on the edge of the bed next to Lily. This is serious; I can see it in her eyes. The moment she heals, she will enter Beyond. As always, her reason is simple: to reach me. To become closer to me, to be strong like me. To become more useful to me. That''s how shes thinking. Ever since the floor started, I havent heard her speak about her family, and Tess, who knew Lily just a little bit from school, told me that the black-haired girl was someone you might call a loner. I wonder how her life was before for her to become so possessive of me, to cling to me and the others so much. To have such fear in her eyes that we will throw her away the moment we become much stronger or she becomes less useful. It doesn''t matter how much Tess works on it, it doesnt matter that I tried to help too. Lily still lives in constant fear of being left behind. Don''t enter Beyond for now, I tell her. She continues to smile for a moment, thinking that I''m joking, but I just look at her and slowly her expression changes from that of happiness to hurt and anger. I move closer and put my hand on hers, I will train with you. I will help you prepare. Lily might have the strongest damage skill out of all of us, and she is extremely hard to kill, but she is lacking when it comes to reading the flow of combat and over-relies on her damage and healing. I squeeze her arm, I will make sure you become stronger. The expression in her eyes changes a bit, hurt and sadness replaced by pleading and hope. I want everyone to live, Lily, so we will prepare, okay? Her eyes shake and she stares at me, taking in every detail of my face. I continue, And when you are ready, you will crush the trial and join me and Tess. Lily nods, Yes, yes. I will do it. Flashback - Lily Chen - 8 years old In a dark, small room, a little girl sits on a thin blanket. A little girl with black hair and bangs long enough to fall into her face. "Are you angry, Grumpy?" the little girl asks, pulling the cat in her arms closer to her chest, "And don''t meow, it makes you look even more like a grumpy," she says, smiling. Meow. The little kitten tries to escape for a bit, but still being weak, is unable to do so and gives up. That makes the little girl laugh for a bit longer as she snuggles the kitten with two differently colored eyes, yellow and blue, and with black fur. Then silence fills the small room and the entire apartment. It is around nine o''clock, and the girl is entirely alone, the floors cold, the power cut off, and tap water rarely flows. Something normal for the girl, too young to realize that it shouldn''t be like that. "We will be alone again tonight," she mumbles, holding the kitten tight. Slowly she stands up from the floor, her feet are bare and her pajamas are old, dotted with holes. The little girl takes the thin blanket and moves away from the door where she has been waiting for someone to return, excited to talk about her day with the little kitten. "Its fine, I have you, Grumpy," the little girl says, and after jumping on the bed, she wraps the blanket around them. With a smile, she continues to watch as the kitten falls asleep. Then, even though there is no other blanket on her bed, she slips the blanket off of herself and wraps it all around Grumpy. Feeling the cold, she continues to shake a bit, but the big smile doesn''t leave her face as she continues to watch the little kitten sleep. Chapter 248: This kind of person Chapter 248: This kind of person Dealing with people is hard, isn''t it? I could be on my own, not worried, not having to deal with them. It would be easier. Sure, I like being alone and I really often need solitude to recharge my batteries, but being able to walk into the living room every once in a while and just listen to other members of Group 4, joke with them, tease them, that''s also fun. I wonder what my life in the tutorial wouldve looked like now if I had decided to remain on my own. Noname - Savi, how is it going on your own? Savant -Great, now even you are calling me Savi. I will only answer if you agree to answer my question afterward. Noname -Deal. Savant - I prefer being on my own. No one tries to stab me in the back. I don''t have to deal with people screwing things up, and there''s no need to babysit weaklings. Noname -What happened to your group? Savant -They got what they deserved... I''ve answered your question. We''ll see who made the better decision during the tournament. Noname -I think so too. You can ask your question. Savant -I''ll ask later. Noname - Sure. I close the Community, come to a door, knock carefully, and wait. The hallway is empty and quiet, the entire floor has been lent to us by Obelia. The door opens slowly and Min-Jae pokes out and whispers, Dennis and Aaron are sleeping, he says after exiting the room and joining me in the hallway. Min-Jae seems tired and worried about his friends, yet it''s much better than when we brought the twins back, after losing their legs and nearly being tortured to death by ants. Are they alright? I ask. He shakes his head, They kept asking for Sophie and after she left they calmed down and went to sleep, his face takes on a sad smile. The implications are clear, the twins most likely asked Sophie to do for them what she did for herself. Is it a good decision to take such an easy way out? Should they get over it on their own and become stronger in the process? Is our logic flawed as Sophie suggested, should we just use our powers as we like? Is it pointless trying to apply regular human common sense here? Is it a smart decision given that we are still in Hell difficulty and have no time for people dealing with trauma while the Colony threatens us? Nat, I dont think they did a bad thing. I know you probably think that they will become weaker if they take the easy way out, Min-Jae looks into my eyes, but I dont think there is a need for them to be scarred because of this, or for them to wake up shaking and crying. Nat, they are just kids. Looking at him, Min-Jae himself is only 15 years old and the twins are 17, yet here he is. A troubled young boy who kept copying me, looking up to me, defending his friends and opinions. You are right, Min-Jae, I tell him. Am I? he asks, a bit unsure. Oh, was he faking it all? When I look at him it doesnt look like it, he still thinks hes right but seems weirded out that I might agree with him. Keep watch, okay? I will be nearby, I tell him. He nods energetically and goes back into the room. For a moment, I stare at the door after he closes it and try to read my feelings. Back, down in the tunnels, I pushed my emotions to the back of my mind, I kept [Focus] running and tried to deal with the four ants that guarded them as quickly as possible at the cost of Lily healing me through the crown. But right now? I constantly feel the suppressed anger raging inside me. They kidnapped them, they hurt them, they dared to touch Group 4. Because of that Sophie almost died, Dennis and Aaron suffered a torturous experience, and Lily had to push herself to the brink. She nods, Yes. Her expression says that she already considered it. Yet, I still think it''s something other humans should know. Even if plenty of them might die because of that? I ask. It''s not like I''m worried about people I dont know. I''m just that curious. Over time, I''ve built some respect towards this logically thinking woman in front of me. She is smart, talented, and good at reading people and, most of all, she knows when to take a step back. The way you look at me reminds me of a lynthari, she says out of nowhere, a small smile on her face. You keep observing me like Im some interesting animal. As if everything that just happened, all these threats, the Colony, the war with lynthari, the traitors do not affect you at all. I guess she also learned to read me a bit after dealing with me all these months. She continues, Don''t get me wrong. I''m not insulted or angry. I know people like you, she smiles, her eyes as if she is remembering someone, People like you are a bit crazy and I guess they have to be to be able to reach that level and not even think of stopping. Obelia stops remembering and looks at me, But be careful, that kind of person doesn''t tend to die in bed surrounded by the people they love. Before leaving for Myrras, I check the upper epic weapon I prepared to be used against the Living Tree. I could try to dismantle it and recover the two items I had before, but maybe I can use it against the Colony. Its slow to activate because of my insufficient skill, but it should be useful there as well, for the same reasons I meant to use it against the Living Tree, I think. It''s annoying, to be honest. If I were to dismantle it now, I would have to undo the changes Ive made to the items, and that would require some time otherwise I would risk ruining them. Sighing, I move past it and look at the chest we got from the champion''s house and the piece I bought at the auction. Months have passed since we got it, and we are not even close to opening it. I swear, it would be funny if we learned that it wasnt a chest at all, just a piece of wood shaped like one. Shaped and weighted like one. Sure, I would complain a lot and curse the system, this floor, and everything around me, but I would still consider it a bit funny. Well, at least Min-Jae said he is feeling something from the chest and the small item, either thanks to [Gravity Well] or [Telekinesis]. Seeing how heavy the thing is, it might have something to do with gravity and the former of his skills. Leaving Tess to take care of the items, I check my figure in the mirror. I''m still missing my left arm, but it''s weirdly fine, and I just replaced it with a replica made of mana. This one is much better and more nimble than before, nearly as mobile as my original arm. It will be fine, and when Lily takes care of her wounds and restores legs for the twins, she can take care of it. After leaving behind an anchor that should last for hours, I jump from the balcony, disrupting the effect the anti-flight zone has on me. Boosting myself with kinetic energy, I fly to the place I know Ill find Myrra and, as I get closer, land on the ground, closing the remaining distance on foot. The place I''m going is in the exact middle of the city. It is a beautiful spherical building that, at a glance, should fall under its own weight. Yet, like the dueling area, it''s made from the same indestructible stone, a remnant of the past. As I approach the area, Myrra''s bodyguard steps out of the shadows and nods in greeting. I return the gesture, and without any words, I follow him. It''s my first time being here, so I take it all in, the pretty garden with colorful trees and walkways made of indestructible stone. Entering the spherical building, I watch the lighting is similar to that of the auction house. The light seems dim and moves slowly as if reflecting the mood of every lynthari we meet on our way. We reach some stairs which run the entire length of the building leading upstairs, where there seem to be multiple floors, hidden above the lights and illusions on the ceiling. Even then, we ignore the floors and just continue until we reach the top and pass by multiple lynthari guards, one of them was even one of the 12 enforcers we met prior. Finally, the doors open, and I enter the room as Myrra''s bodyguard closes them behind me. The room is delicately beautiful, and massive circular windows offer a view from anywhere you stand in the room. Myrra stands in the middle of the room, wearing clothes unlike any I have seen her in before. They are less flashy and colorful than the ones she once wore. These are mostly made up of blacks and grays, simple, yet somehow beautiful, making her white hair and tail all the more striking. The matriarch has led us ever since I was young. I have never known another leader in my entire life, and neither has any other lynthari, she starts, her voice is not as haughty or energetic as it was before, I mean, sure, I fought with her a lot, but what kid hasnt fought with their elders? Myrra sighs, and I notice a bunch of mana stones on the table nearby, all bearing similar inscriptions, a memory from the matriarch. She notices where I''m looking, Yes, she left a lot and some things I have learned Taking a few steps, she stops in front of me, She left it up to me to decide what to do with Obelia and the fact that she knows what I just learned. She left it up to me to deal with your group too, feral one. Myrra reaches and fixes the sleeve of my missing left arm, replaced by one made of mana. I wonder what I should do with you all. Wont it wait? my eyes meet hers, Right now we both have the same goal. In the dim light of the room, her canines seem also shining. White and sharp, Yes, we have to deal with the fucking Colony first. Chapter 249: Craft guild Chapter 249: Craft guild "Your weapon should work against The First One as well if we''re lucky. Most of the skills need at least a bit of mana for activation and upkeep, so disrupting the connection he has to other ants should stop him from receiving their mana, and vitality, or ordering them around," Myrra says. "Only if we''re able to keep him impaled on it. How big is The First One?" I ask. "His head sits at about the same height as mine. His body is covered in pitch-black matte plating. Unlike other ants, he doesn''t shine at all. We don''t know what skills he has, but just the raw strength and vitality he received made it near impossible to deal with him." "It''s fine, I already have a plan," I tell her. "You are quick, feral one. What is it?" When I explain it to her, she starts talking about things like common sense, calling me an idiot, and the like. We repeat the conversation we had when I told her my plan to kill the Living Tree. In the end, she sighs, "I''m not even surprised, and somehow this sounds a bit more reasonable than your plan for the Living Tree. For now, prepare for it, and I will set some as well. The matriarch left us some things that should help us hold the fort here in Virelia." "What about [Kin Control]? Is it gone now that the matriarch has died?" She seems surprised. "First, I learn the matriarch got her kicks by pretending to be her own granddaughter and teasing the lynthari, then I learn about [Kin Control], and now I find that you probably knew before I did. Tell me, feral one, did she like you so much because you so often feel like a lynthari in human skin? Is it because of your bearing? Are you also a Champion candidate?" Each word she says moves her closer to me. "It''s not my fault, Myrra, it''s you guys that keep pestering and bullying me," I say in my defense. "Sure," she sighs, takes a few steps back, and sits on the windowsill of one of the big circular windows. "[Kin Control] is gone, but I don''t think shes even used it lately. She made sure the skill would lose its hold over us as soon as possible and so the ants wouldn''t be able to take it over and control us. Now that the matriarch is dead, it should only take a few days." "So from one point of view, the matriarch was the lyntharis weakness?" "If you want to think about it that way, feral one, sure. But at the same time, she could do the same to the ants, especially from within the city, so they didn''t dare to attack. That''s where your friends stepped in." She stops looking outside. "Before you came here, I spent a lot of time wondering if I should kill your friends, feral one. The last thing we want is for them to fall into the hands of the Colony again." Myrra giggles, her golden eyes shining, "Some lynthari even wanted me to lure you here and deal with your friends while you were busy." "But?" "But they don''t know you, feral one." she continues, her eyes on me. "Ever since you entered the room, Ive felt that thing youve been feeding with your power and that you plan to use against the Colony. I feel your connection with the tower, and I know you can return there quickly. And if we fail, you could end up being a bigger problem than the Calamity." "A wise choice you told them to fuck off, right?" She laughs again. "Yes, I did. But tell me and be honest. Would you kill me if I allowed it to happen and your friends died?" "Yes." "Oh, that absolute certainty of yours. It stings a bit that you said it without hesitation, but I like it. I like it a lot." "I will be going then." When I reach the door, she stops me. "Feral one, I did think about killing you and your friends. For causing her death, however indirectly. She sent us to stop the First One from taking their skills. Maybe she would be alive if the enforcers and I had stayed here." "Maybe," I pause. "Yes, maybe. I will see you later, then," she says. I leave after that, and unsurprisingly, half of the enforcers, the strongest among the lynthari, stand there. Just in case, ready to rush in to protect their new matriarch. "Davi! That''s rude to say in front of our guest! " Finally, the guild master of the Craft Guild reacts. Hes even older than Cael and has long gray hair and an impressive beard. He is the perfect image of a wise old archmage you might see in children''s stories. Even a cosplayer couldnt do a better job. Allow me to welcome you, Mister Gwyn. Cael told me about the things youve been working on, and I was able to find some help. In a few minutes, a few more people will be arriving. They started immediately after they heard about it. I can only stare at him. For some time, Ive been thinking about what I should do to pay them back for all the help they gave me while I was working on inscriptions to alter the functionality of my epic weapons and the arcanadium shaft that combined them. But this? Seeing their faces, hearing them gulp to keep from drooling every time I step closer to the empty mana stones on the table. Paying them back? Hell no, it looks like I''m not using them enough, seeing their greedy eyes. It''s at the point Im starting to have suspicions that I''m the one being taken advantage of. The door opens and a few more men rush in, excitedly asking if we already started. I''m too busy, so let''s start. If someone else joins later, you can inform them, I take a few steps towards the table in the middle and pull out the epic mana stone Sophie bought for me for 5000 shards and put it on the table, of mid or upper epic grade. It''s as big as a baseball and other than being a storage unit for mana and other energies, it doesn''t have any other effect. What makes it an epic item is the amount of energy it can contain. The mana stone already has a lot of thermal energy inside of it, yet I continue to store more, and the golden flames lazily swirl inside. I look around the room, There are three goals I want to reach. Their eyes flick between me and the stone. First, store as much energy as I can inside this stone. Two parts thermal, one part kinetic, without hesitation, I tell them about the Primordial energies I have and ignore the looks of pure shock even Cael gives me. I need help with this as even now I feel that soon I won''t be able to store anymore. It''s either the way I store it, the item''s rarity, or theres something Im missing. Maybe it''s just too much of it; I didn''t hold back when I started filling it, unlike the time I created one to bomb the ants. But that doesn''t seem to be it; the stone is an epic item, so it should easily handle something like that. "Second, come up with a mechanism that will release all that energy at once when I want it to, as well as the energies of other filled mana stones near it." Sure, I could start feeding it to the point where it can''t hold anymore and is about to explode. However, unlike orbs made of mana, I don''t have as strong a connection to it and it lacks that intuitive feeling. It would be unfortunate if the stone exploded somewhere in Obelia''s tower and took a good chunk of the city with it. Third, there is one of my skills I need to make sure it will work with As I continue to explain, they watch me, a childish curiosity replaced by an academic one, and I can see gears in their heads spinning already as they start coming up with solutions and ideas. All of them quietly listen and let me talk, waiting for a pause to start talking about how they would go about it. Yup, let''s just fake it and pretend I know what I''m talking about because I need their help. Just one of my orbs is not enough. It would be powerful, yes, but not enough. I will nuke these bitches into oblivion for touching what is mine. I return to the tower late that night, more tired than Ive been in a long time. Not physically but mentally. Everyone else is already asleep, and I find the quiet of the tower really comfortable, more so for the fact that no one will try to speak to me this deep into the night. I pull one of the armchairs out onto the balcony and plop down. The city is dim and quiet, yet in the distance, I can see the lights all around the trunk of the Living Tree outside of the city. Lynthari guarding it. Yawning, I stare out at it and think about how I feel about it dying without my contribution. I reflect on what happened and what I could change, but in the end, I stop thinking and just continue to enjoy the quiet. As if in revenge against my busy day full of meetings, I do not go to sleep and enjoy the feeling of solitude. Chapter 250: Surrounded Chapter 250: Surrounded Two days pass, in the same fashion. I wake up, I train, I spend some time with others, I join Cael at the Craft Guild, I meet with Myrra, I rest on my own for a while and experiment with the items I got from the auction. A few weird mana stones with delicate inscriptions and a bracelet that reacted to my energies. For the bracelet, I already found out that it''s the metal that reacts so strangely well to them, and even after asking around, no one was able to identify it, and I got a few offers from curious blacksmiths. So for now, I decide to keep it and continue examining it. The mana stones are more interesting. The inscriptions arent anything super powerful; I just like how delicate and intricate they are and I already have plenty of ideas on how I might improve my inscriptions. What''s interesting is that if I''m right, the stones were made to be implanted under the skin of an animal and synchronized with the animal''s pathways, all to some effect that Ive found impossible to divine from the damaged inscriptions. But I''m not even annoyed; the inscribed parts are enough to give me a few ideas for improvements to my constructs. Yup, I did not forget about them, and after getting my trait, I plan to go for a huge one and improve on my kinetic mana heart, probably the riskiest and the most powerful of my constructs. As I said before and will continue to repeat, the second-floor Nathaniel was impressive as heck. Knowing what I know now, I would probably have noped out and never attempted to do something like that. Yet that cute little douche did, and succeeded, even though he almost died. Quite impressive. So yup, I would like to get a few more levels and get my trait after level 200 from the quest, but in the past few days, Ive barely left the tower and only ever for short periods as I maintained an anchor inside. I also continue to send a trickle of mana toward the anchor I left near the black orb. I do this so the orb takes that mana instead of trying to mess with my anchor. As time passes, the pull on the mana Ive been sending through the anchor weakens. This is either due to the black orb weakening and crumbling after days, or the ants dealing with it. The Colony is confirmed to be sneaking around the city, and the only reason we dont attack is the protections that are especially set against them over long years by the matriarch. Eris had her lynthari and inscribers create massive circuits connected to dozens of power sources all over the city and then used her skill to make everyone forget. After she died, Myrra and a few other lynthari learned about them from messages left by the matriarch and immediately reactivated them and checked to see if they were working properly. In the end, it was judged that with how many there were and how many surprises the matriarch left, it would be best to just wait for the ants to attack and use it rather than go on a suicidal mission against the First One powered by the Colony. From what weve learned, the weaker ants stayed in the Colony, and that number is a high percentage, but theyre just doing nothing either. Nope, the Colony created a set of relays from their territory all the way to the city. Each step of that relay is a big group of ants that receives vitality, mana, and strength from the weaker members staying in the Colony then sends it along, to Virelia through [Hive Mind], where their leader can use it when they decide to attack. I''m sure there are massive losses, yet the sheer amount of energy they are sending makes up for it. Of course, that doesn''t mean there are no ants surrounding Virelia; nope, there are tens of thousands of them, each of them is one of the stronger variants, and they are still really far away so most people can''t even use ranged attacks. Rarely do I see Tess, Min-Jae, Obelia, and other humans or lynthari trying to get in kills, but the ants are protected most of the time. Surprisingly, Tess still gets some kills since she can see much further than anyone else, and her [Psychokinesis] is extremely good in combination with her Primordial lightning when it comes to ranged attacks. Especially when she borrows the epic bow we got from the Champion''s disciple down in the mines. Not wanting to be left behind, I take some potshots as well, but I don''t see as well as Tess and decide Id rather use my mana to feed the bomb I''m preparing. The ants also return fire to force defenders to spend mana on the barrier encompassing the city. This barrier is powered by the mana of their bodies and mana stored in batteries all around the city. I''m quite fascinated by the way its created in multiple segments and isnt always active. The barrier is split into hundreds of segments and makes use of something similar to Sophie''s web, which reaches far beyond the city. When the protections are activated, the detection web senses an attack aimed at the city, and through mana stones left behind by old humans and lynthari, it calculates the trajectory of the attack and then activates the required segment of the barrier. It''s much more difficult, and I''m not allowed to get close to the heart of it all, and no one else is. Hell, most of the lynthari and humans don''t even know where it is, and there are dozens of fake stations all over the city. Yet, no matter how good the protections are, most people are nervous and constantly shudder when a segment is activated and attacks crash against it. People scream and complain, and the mood between the lynthari and the humans becomes worse by the day, as rumors spread. Running away is impossible as the Colony seems to be ever-present and surrounds the entire city, and even try to dig under it, where they find extremely strong layers of stone and traps left behind by the matriarch. The Colony is highly capable, and its amazing cooperation is hard to imagine a single group being able to deal with, confirming my theory that there are always multiple ways to clear a floor. Maybe you can face the Fallen Hero on your own as it''s a single enemy. For the Colony, you can use Virelia, lynthari, and humans to deal with it. The tree is a single massive target, so maybe it can be dealt with from a distance, maybe it can be poisoned, or maybe you can even use another Calamity against it. You can change your body, Lily. So why do you need items? You can maybe grow another finger for each hand. Maybe you can grow some small fake organs inside you and sacrifice those. You can use my left arm, as weve found out. So what if I cut it off, we store it, you restore my arm, I cut it off again and you leave for Beyond or another fight with multiple arms to use to power your skills." Ew, Maya says. Amazing, Lilys eyes are almost glowing. So leave it up to me, well make a badass out of you yet. Yes! Lily shouts. A few days later we all stand around the chest from the Champions house. Yes, the time has come. It took months of curiosity, impatience, and frustration. We had people try to open it, we used skills, we used items. I even risked it and created a tiny orb of black mana, yet nothing helped. Not even Biscuit could open it after I told him there was better meat than the cut of Archdeer we bought at the auction. I look around the room and catch the eyes of Izzy, who smiles at me brightly. Lately, Ive become her second favorite human and the 4th favorite member of group 4 after Sophie, Noodle, and Biscuit. The ten, no, eleven-year-old girl hugs me every time she sees me and rarely leaves Sophie''s side. The twins are here as well, all four legs back and smiling. It''s not the same smile they had before, but it''s close. Thanks to Sophie, the memory has become more distant. Not quite gone, and the emotions are still there, but they use that as fuel, and over the past few days, Ive seen them train extremely hard, even coming to Sophie and the others for advice. Min-Jae continues to explain his process, and I listen to him with one ear while looking around the room. Everyone from group 4 is still here, safe and healthy. I can also say it''s partially thanks to me, and it''s getting harder and harder to lie to myself. It''s a weird feeling, as it''s been years since I had someone I could even consider a friend or someone I kept seeing day after day and created a bond with. It''s almost like camaraderie, like Tess talked about. I look to the left and catch Tess''s eyes, and her expression clearly shows that she has some idea of my thoughts. She smiles brightly, her steel gray eyes returning my gaze without wavering. I have a few pieces of Archdeer jerky saved, call Tess an asshole, I lift Biscuit and whisper into his ear. (Asshole!) he shouts before I even finish the sentence. That only makes Tess smile even more. So, as I said, I think this crest is something like a magnet activated by gravity-type skills, and I noticed pathways through the chest, so if I do this, Min-Jae, excitedly moves to the chest after using his skills to activate the crest. Then he puts the crest on the chest, and even though none of us can feel anything, he moves it across the chest multiple times in specific patterns. Clicking noises sound out one after another, and finally, he lifts the crest, sending more mana through it and places it on one last point, before taking a step back. Ready for anything, we step back, and I get ready to activate my skills. I think it won''t open on its own, I say and create mana arms that reach from me and try to open the chest. Feeling how heavy the lid is, I create a few more and then slowly open it. Curious, everyone takes a step closer and looks at the single item inside, a transparent glass tube filled with watery liquid. The tube is floating exactly in the middle of the chest, and inside that tube is a single thing. A human eye with a yellowed iris. There is no text from the system over it. No name, no rarity. This is not something that could be considered an item; it''s just an eye. The eye of someone who was extremely powerful, from what I can sense. Chapter 251: Eye Chapter 251: Eye I keep looking at the tube and just wait for the word that will surely follow. It''s inevitable. (Food?) No, it''s not food, I answer and only then scan the eye with my mana. As I thought, the eye is different in a way that''s difficult to properly detect. The pathways feel normal, and yet it''s not a normal eye. Maybe the eye has been changed by a trait the original owner had. Maybe it''s because it belonged to a high-level being. I take the tube and look at it up close. I wonder, if we have the leisure of dealing with it right now, what with an attack from the Colony due anytime? Will it even be useful? Nat, do you think you could gain a cool new power if you replaced your eye with this? Min-Jae steps closer, clearly excited by the idea. I don''t know, to be honest. Even if this eye contains some skill, trait, or whatever, could you gain it as well? How does the system work in such a case? I think about it. These modifications arent anything we''ve seen before.Dive into Stories, Embrace Enchantment: N?vlB?n. What if you could just acquire a trait that modifies your eye, then transfer the trait by removing the eye, and implanting it in someone else, then have a healer restore your eye? Does it mean you could repeat it dozens, hundreds of times and give people the same trait you have? I ask. Logically, probably, yes, Sophie joins in, But the eye you transfer could reject the host regardless of ones ability to use it or there could be other requirements for the trait to reactivate. Would the system even allow that? Hadwin asks. It could be a weaker version of the original, or it could be possible if the original owner was dead, and you had a host capable of using it! Min-Jae takes the tube from my hand and I let him. Min-Jae continues to stare at it, Even now I feel a connection to my skill, Nat! At first, I thought it was [Gravity Well], but now it feels like a weird combination of [Gravity Well] and [Telekinesis]! Tess takes the tube from him, It''s not that simple, Kim. I know where youre going with this, but we know nothing about it. We don''t know if it''s possible, we don''t know if Lily can transfer it, and we don''t know if it will hurt you. She glances at the tube once more before putting it back into the chest. Why would you store it if not for something like that? Min-Jae''s eyes do not leave the tube. I mean, there is some logic in it, and I grab it again, probing with my mana. There is no reaction at all, nor do I feel the connection Min-Jae mentioned, so I look at him. He isn''t lying in hopes of getting the eye for himself, right? I''m not lying, I really sense something! he complains immediately, as if he knows what I''m thinking. Are you guys really thinking of pulling an eye out and replacing it with this thing we just found? I mean, what the fuck. Maya says like a normal person. Maya, wanna bet it''s a super super strong eye that could give you an amazing ability? Aaron pokes at her. Maybe it will allow you to see into the future, Dennis nods. Maya only shakes her head, Or it might give you some ancient infection even Lily won''t be able to heal." There is risk, of course, but it was hidden in a chest that we couldnt damage at all, that itself came from the Champions manor, so it has to be good for something, I say. Is this some sort of hidden reward? An eye with some kind of ability? If so, is it for specific people? People like Min-Jae? He is the only one sensing anything from it. I grab the tube. Everyone, try to probe it with a bit of your mana and see if you sense anything. The tube slowly passes from person to person, and everyone just shakes their head. Izzy even quickly passes it while saying Ew. When the tube comes into Min-Jae''s hands, he passes some mana through, and the eye noticeably reacts. The yellow iris glowing slightly. Oh great, it was a flashlight in the end, Dennis giggles. Min-Jae continues to channel more and more mana through it, but the eye just glows a bit, a hint of circuitry ever so slightly visible on the surface. The way the boy looks at me makes his intention clear. And I find nothing. After probably hundreds of years, nothing remains inside the eye. Pass some of your mana through, I say to Min-Jae, and he quickly nods, touching it, and doing as I say. Then I start examining it again. There is some effect the eye is trying to produce, but it doesnt seem to be transmitting that effect through the optical nerve hanging from it. Its more like it projects in front of it and shares information through the nerve. Well, let''s do it. Ready? I ask Lily. She quickly nods and listens as I explain the steps to her one after another while Min-Jae nervously stares up. I will try not to make it hurt, she tells him and puts her finger on his right eye. Left one! he shouts quickly, and with a sigh, Lily does it. I activate [Redistribution] and restrain his movement while infusing him with my mana as he lowers his defenses. Its a lot of mana, and he shudders in pain, as much as he can under the effect of my skill, and I gesture to Lily. With a short blast of gray mana, his eye disappears, and immediately her mana rushes in, staunching the bleeding and healing it. Noting a lack of space, she uses [Disintegration] again, and more of his flesh disappears. The entire time I''m carefully observing and moving my mana through his head, ready to shield his brain. Lily quickly ignores the terrified expression in his remaining eye and the pain he must be feeling then pulls the yellow eye from the tube. After inserting it into the socket, she maneuvers it slightly, and I help by creating a thin thread of mana and moving the optical nerve into place. She uses more of her mana, and the wound quickly heals, regrowing skin, part of an eyebrow, and his eyelid. It immediately covers up the wound, and then she focuses on the inside, letting her skill and experience lead her. She works on the connections very carefully, connecting all the nerves and muscles, giving herself enough time to do it properly. Meanwhile, I continue observing the entire process and have my mana ready to activate the countermeasures. Soon its done, and I release Min-Jae from my hold. His eyelid moves, and he blinks a few times, both of his eyes moving as he looks around. the light brown original and the new yellow one. They both look the same and move the same, the only difference is the yellow color. I observe as his mana slowly moves and gradually starts circulating through the new eye the same way it does with the original. Lily also is ready, her fingers close as the mana slowly reactivates it. Then Min-Jae actively cycles his mana through the eye, just a little bit, a whiff, and the circular circuits on the iris glow slightly. I feel fine, he says and cycles more mana through it, the circuits activating more fully. The eye produces an effect that I identify as something like a combination of Tesss [Farsight] and my [Perception]. It''s really weird, I see these waves everywhere, and theres this creepy sensation to it, Min-Jae reaches out with his hand as if he is touching something invisible. Then he channels some of his mana into the air, activating his skill. His eye activates a bit more, and he closes his hand into a fist. At that moment, something in the room changes that is hard to identify, and a big chunk of the wall gets torn off and compressed into a small point, reducing all that stone into a smooth ball barely bigger than a golf ball. It takes a huge chunk of Min-Jae''s mana to create that effect, about half of it. Huh? he mutters and does it again. Another big chunk of the wall gets torn off and with immense gravitational force pulled towards the center where its then squeezed, and compressed. The rest of his mana disappears, and Min-Jae wobbles, on the brink of passing out from the strain of using too much mana too quickly, yet he smiles, and both of his eyes shine with excitement. Like me, he knows this is only the start of what the eye will allow him to do and my suspicion is as good as confirmed. The eye must have belonged to someone very powerful to allow him to use his skills this way, even with his relatively low level. Maybe a Champion or at least a high-level Champion candidate. Chapter 252: Obsession Chapter 252: Obsession After Min-Jae restores some of his mana, we do a few more tests, and I conclude that the eye is not giving him a new ability. It seems to allow him to utilize his skills more effectively or combine them? It''s hard to say what exactly it does, and he says his connection to his skills improved, whatever that means, and that he can see waves that he suspects are gravitational, again, whatever that means. So, what he did was channel his skill through that wave with a bit of mana and caused a spark, as he calls it, that in turn created a small orb of extreme gravity. It takes a lot of mana, but it''s something I think he should be capable of doing on his own in the future. So that''s it? Is the eye that weak, or does he just need some time to utilize it fully? Well, he seems happy and becomes even happier when he tries his [Telekinesis] and learns that he can use these waves to move heavier projectiles as well, so he goes to practice just that. I think it''s a good thing, he was starting to lag behind a bit and lately has been in a bad mood, Tess says the moment Min-Jae leaves with the twins and Lily to test it more. Kim focuses too much on comparing himself to other people and puts heavy expectations on himself, Hadwin shakes his head, He compares himself to you especially often, he says looking at me. Thats dumb; he shouldn''t do that, I respond. But he does. Even his subclass, envy, confirms it. He looks up to you, and he wants to be like you. One day it could kill him, Hadwin stands up, looking at me. Min-Jae is his own person, Haddy. If this is the way he wants to live, he can. If he thinks it''s worth risking his life to reach that, he can do it as well, I return his gaze. Kim is just a kid, he is young and dumb, Hadwins voice becomes a bit louder. Ive tried to speak with him multiple times, but he only listens to you. You should talk to him. The room becomes quiet, and everyone looks at Hadwin and me as I continue, Then, let me ask you, what will happen if I do speak with him? I can even beat him up a bit if you want me to, I can force him to take it easier. It wouldn''t be difficult, and I know the words. Tess pokes me slightly, but I ignore her and continue, What will happen if we leave the 4th floor and get split again? What if we end up on a floor where everyones on their own? Do you think every floor will be like this one? Giving us time to prepare in comfort? Things will inevitably go to shit sooner or later. We can stay here longer, we can train until were ready, and move on then, Hadwin sighs. I know where you are going with this, and I partially agree with you, but there has to be a middle ground, his voice sounds a bit weaker. Probably, but look at it this way. Currently, he has multiple stronger people around, and then we have our own pocket healer. When other than now will he get a better opportunity to push himself? Fuck, I hate how much sense it makes, Hadwin shakes his head. Tess also joins in, You also forgot one thing, Hadwin. Kim might be young, but he is not a kid. Sure, he is a bit more impulsive than someone older, but he can make his own decisions. her voice becomes softer. You know about his family situation back on earth and how much he hated his life there where they controlled him entirely. I think hes much happier now, however weird that is. Haddy is just worried! Isabella interjects, clearly annoyed, You all talk so much, just look! She exclaims before activating her skill. I let it connect to me, and I sense it''s connection to everyone else in the room, as a feeling of anxiety flows into me. It''s a pure and nice feeling, like a parent worried about their child. Then I realize that Isabella is sharing Hadwin''s feelings with us and cut the connection. Sophie realizes it as well and hits the back of her sister''s head, Izzy! You can''t do it without asking! she shouts at her. Meanwhile, I look at Hadwin and notice that the older man with his elegant haircut and well-kept beard seems to be the most embarrassed here.New novel chapters are published on At the same time, Tess giggles next to me. Not maliciously, as if she were making fun of someone. She just seems to be amused. Leaving another session with Cael and the craft guild and with another set of inscriptions engraved onto the epic mana stone, I reach the branch of one of the highest trees and for a moment sit there, observing the sections of the barrier activating. The attacks from the ants are more frequent now and getting stronger. They come from all sides, Virelia being totally surrounded. Some ants must have detected me because multiple times in a row the segment far across from me activates, blocking the attacks aimed at me. Cheeky fuckers. Once again, I feel the need to move, to attack them, to jump into their lines, but stop myself from doing so. It might be just what they want. The important thing right now is to not allow them to get Sophie and the twins, and to not allow the First One to evolve his skill. Well, that last bit was a bit dangerous. Was it the First One, or just some highly coordinated attack? I would love to jump in multiple times, but a suspicion tells me that the quickly improving and evolving Colony would be able to analyze my anchors and [Tether]. After a few tries, they could stop me from using them, and that would become dangerous. A few more notifications ring, and curious where they are coming from, I look towards the place I shot the first javelin tipped with black mana, and that area seems to have become hell for the ants. Dozens of threads of mana as thin as my pinkie swirl around from the remains of what used to be the javelin, and the threads with oscillation coating cut through the ants even now, to my surprise. The ants made a huge mistake and used a mana-hungry skill to stop it, only to find a nasty surprise in the black mana thing, whatever it is. That little black tip of highly focused mana constantly takes most of the mana the ants throw at it and uses a small part of it to fuel the remainder of the javelin and threads of mana while corroding the temporary inscriptions I left on it. But good things do not last, and soon the inscriptions crumble, and that small black part dominates the javelin, absorbing the mana to fuel itself. The ants finally identify the effect and, to my surprise, instead of trying to destroy it, they just create a field around it that seems to block all surrounding mana from getting to it and leave it as is. Just for the fun of it, I create another javelin, turning the tip of it into black mana, and this time fill it with thermal energy and connect it to the black mana like I did before, with inscriptions. The javelin once again passes through the barrier, but the moment it reaches behind it, the black part immediately devours the rest of the javelin, either because my balance is too off or I messed up with the inscriptions. The ants once again surround it with some field and leave it there. Well, enough playing; let''s visit Obelia, as I promised Tess. When we reach her office, we get in without incident and are left alone with the Storm Brigade guild master. You seem serious, Tess. Did something happen? Tess nods. I want to ask you to please stop spreading the rumor of the lynthari invasion of this planet, she says directly, without beating around the bush. I have to remind you that this planet is called Nebulon, and the lynthari ARE the invaders here, Tess, Obelia says directly, her eyes flicking to me for a moment. Then Obelia grows cautious. Her body straightens up, and I see her subtly warming her muscles and letting more mana flow into her body. She is getting ready for a fight. Tess notices it as well but ignores it. I agree, but I dont think this is the right time. I disagree, Obelia stands up. No one from the human guilds is dumb enough to fight lynthari now, and we will all cooperate, she walks around her table and stands in front of us. What will happen after the Colony is dealt with will be up to them. You are worried that Myrra will try to kill you after the war before you can spread the information. So you want humans to know in the event that the lynthari are weakened and they decide to fight, Tess realizes it the same moment I do. Obelia doesnt answer, but she doesnt have to even confirm it; she takes the tiniest step toward the door, and an item in her pocket activates. Dont, I warn her, and our eyes meet. For a moment, she returns my gaze, her eyes wild and threatening, Would you really do that? she asks, her mana not stopping and filling her body even more. Yes, I answer with absolute certainty. "Before things get out of control, why don''t we do it like this," Tess interrupts us quickly, "Be more careful spreading it, spend much more effort on making sure there isnt any trouble during the war with the Colony. After we deal with the Colony, humans can decide what to do. Nat and I don''t care about what happens afterward." Tess starts sounding more threatening, "If you decide, you can murder each other, Obelia. Fight against lynthari, burn the city to the ground, you are free to do whatever you want when this fight is over. But I won''t allow you to risk the lives of my companions over your obsession." Obelia looks between me and Tess and nods, "Deal." The entire time, I observe her curiously. It''s fascinating how much a logically thinking person can change their behavior when it comes to the things that matter to them. Chapter 253: Against the Colony Chapter 253: Against the Colony After getting back, I train on my own until my head starts to hurt. I keep trying to improve efficiency and create tiny black mana orbs that crumble on their own after a while. They take quite a large amount of mana for their size, and I have to reduce the amount I channel into the mana stone I''m charging, but I think it''s worth it. The last king seemed to recognize the black mana, and he was close with the Absolute of their planet, so it surely is something good or scary. Or even better, both. Even I myself am not sure what it is. I suspect that it''s just something similar to the second stage of Mana upgrade Potency, the Dynamic mana. Or it could be something similar to Lissandra''s [Singularity], with its effects limited to mana while requiring huge amounts of mana to use. Back then, when I created a black dagger from it, I was able to cut the connection between the king''s crown and the Saint''s healing powers. A connection that I could barely sense and couldn''t affect with any of my skills, a connection that had been weakened, though, it was made by an Absolute. The other thing it did was ignore the king''s absorption ability, the sheer density of mana having been enough to avoid the skill. Then there was the case in the Colony territory where a smaller black orb absorbed an amount of mana that was enough to turn a Mana Channeler ant into a massive bomb, powered by hundreds and thousands of other ants. And the last case where I was able to create a tiny black mana thing that, through inscriptions for a few seconds, continued to power my skill by dominating the mana of the enemy. That last part gave me a few ideas on how to finally utilize it and do something Ive wanted to do ever since I saw Lissandra doing it, the reason I spent months examining the epic Ethercrystal shortsword. Maybe I can finally absorb mana. Not ambient mana like Lissandra did, that much is still impossible, no, maybe I can absorb the mana of attacks made against me. I will use [Focus], [Redistribution], and [Mana Domain] to that end, and damn, will I need a lot of healing to test it properly and to get a feel for it. Once again, I will have to rely on Lily and her crown, but it''s fine; our silly healer improved a lot in the past few days. She just needed some instruction, and when she got it, the speed of her improvement became staggering, like with Maya, after I gave her my advice or even Kim a long time before. Most of the time, I thought it was better to leave them on their own to come up with their own ideas, and they did, they really did, but now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn''t just end things at that. I myself learned a lot of my skills by observing others. [Disruption] from Hadwin, and [Armament] from Maya, for example, even my [Regalia] came to me from Maya''s ideas. Let''s just hope they don''t get lazy and rely on me too much. So, should I take this responsibility and try to be a bigger influence on their growth and give them some pointers? I could make them much stronger short term, but it could make them overly reliant. Or would it just be a slight push to further their improvement? With a sigh, I hold my right arm in front of me and continue drawing inscriptions on it with mana-conductive paint. The paint is extremely expensive and made of dust from pulverized mana stones, iron particles, and other components that are kept secret. The paint needs to be used quickly, and when you channel mana through it, it becomes extremely durable and hard to remove from skin. It''s my first time using it, but I do not hesitate as I draw a mix of circuits and inscriptions on my arms, inspired by my experiments with the black-tipped mana javelin. Yes, the plan is simple. I will create a black orb that will absorb mana and attacks, and my arm will transfer that mana to me, then I will use [Resonance] to change its frequency in combination with [Redistribution] to make it my own. As Dennis would say, this is an extremely ghetto way to do it. Exactly how I like it. Of course, my arm might explode if I do a poor job while creating the black mana and use too much or too little, but it''s something for emergencies. I don''t have to use it, but it''s better to be prepared. It could also be useless, as the orb takes a lot of mana to create, so if I cant absorb more than I used to create it, I will end up with a net loss. Well, whatever. I finish the last inscription and send my mana through it, and the lines glow for a moment. I do it again, and this time I use [Resonance] to cut into my skin just under the lines and infuse them with more mana, strengthening the effect. If I had more time, I would rather prepare a construct, but this is the most I can do at the moment. I look up at the constant shower of attacks that currently light up the night sky. They are timed to constantly activate a few segments of the barrier, and at this point, they feel more like a psychological attack. The First One is here, and the citizens of the city shudder under the siege. No one seems to be able to sleep, and a lot of people are out on the streets or hiding in bunker-like facilities. It''s nearly impossible to find anyone without some amount of armor or a weapon. I jump from my balcony and land in one of the sitting rooms, and even before I enter, I hear slow, soft music reminding me of tones I used to hear on Earth, unlike any music I''ve heard here. For a moment, I listen, and a weird feeling of familiarity and coziness washes over me, and then I enter the room. Maya is sitting on the couch, holding a violin-like instrument she plays on. She makes mistakes and misses notes, but the music she plays makes me want to ignore those small imperfections. Tess is there as well, with her eyes closed and a distant smile on her lips. She is sitting near Maya, leaning against her, and even humming along to Mayas playing. I catch Isabella''s eyes, and she brings a finger to her lips and taps the seat next to her. I oblige and sit down, which causes Noodle to slither from the little girl''s arms and climb onto me. Used to it already, I send bits of my mana towards him. The white snake is heavier than before and a bit bigger, yet he is still young and really weak. He might have the blood of some ancient beast but he hasn''t shown any powers as of yet. Out of nowhere, he straightens up and quickly leaves my lap, climbing back onto Izzy. That''s when Biscuit appears and floats up onto my lap. I hear him growl quietly, and the white snake seems like he''s bowing his head, and only then does Biscuit calm down and woofs at me. Obeying his order, I pet him. The sounds of attacks crashing against the barrier mix with Maya''s music as our entire group sits there and quietly listens. Soon the attacks become more frequent and impactful, and the vibrations can be felt. Some people even scream in alarm, and constant waves of mana wash over the city, strengthening the segments of the barriers and activating secondary defenses. And Maya plays, slowly, gently. Her fingers move more nimbly, and the expression on her face is distant, and she smiles sadly. I look to the twins, as they lean against each other, exchanging constant messages through their skill. Even now, they don''t seem to be back to their normal selves, and out of all of us, seem to be the most worried about what''s to come. Min-Jae, beside them, his eyes on Maya. His original brown and the new yellow eye. The atmosphere around him is different now. He seems more confident, but not in a bad way. Unlike before, when confidence felt forced and fake like a threatened animal raising its hackles to appear bigger. He is calmer now as if the power he just acquired gave him the hope he needed. Sophie, next to Izzy, is working on multiple mana stones and etching similar inscriptions into each of them. Just from observing them a bit, I know that the stones are meant to work together, probably strengthening the web she constantly layers around herself in preparation for the clash of her [Manipulation] against the First One''s [Hive Mind]. Hadwin, sitting near the doors, seems protective, by the way hes looking around. He is in full armor as he has been these past few days, and I can feel him constantly using his [Strengthening] to make it more durable. Then there is Tess, her eyes closed as she leans against Maya. Over her head, a [Stormcrown] hovers, creating shadows and crackling quietly as she continues to fill it with a terrifying degree of Primordial lightning. [You have defeated Worker ant - lvl 71] [You have defeated Flame Legion ant - lvl 119] [You have defeated Gravity ant - lvl 101] [You have defeated Gravity ant - lvl 79] [You have defeated Gravity ant - lvl 93] [You have defeated Ant warrior - lvl 60] [You have defeated Worker ant - lvl 81] [You have defeated Worker ant - lvl 68] ... The notifications continue to ring constantly, line of text after line of text, nearly all of the ants at 100 or lower, the weaker ants left behind in the safety of the Colony to fuel their attack effort through a set of relays. [Lvl 190 > Lvl 191] [Lvl 191 > Lvl 192] [Lvl 192 > Lvl 193] [Lvl 193 > Lvl 194] My lynthari, human joint attack continues to give me and everyone else involved, including the few members of group 4 who were able to fill weaker mana stones. The lights appear far away on the horizon against the shadow of the giant anthills, and even the clouds in the sky are bathed from below in multi-hued light. Orange mixed with blue, yellow, gold, and green. Before the set of relays feeding the First One with mana from the Colony cuts off, he harnesses all he can connect to. Simultaneously, he throws it against the city barriers, causing them to immediately crash and crumble under the force. A green attack crashes against the city like a wave, destroying buildings and killing thousands of people in the area. The barrier tries to reactivate again, but the wave locates its sources and obliterates them, and then slowly particles of mana from what used to be the barrier start falling from the sky. And the notifications continue. [Lvl 198 > Lvl 199] [Lvl 199 > Lvl 200] [Lvl 200 > Lvl 201] [Lvl 201 > Lvl 202] Congratulations, you have completed a side quest. You can now pick your second trait. Please remember that humans are limited to three traits in total. Choose carefully. Your traits are based on your performance up until now within the tutorial. Mana-Responsive Musculature Enhances the user''s muscular strength in direct correlation with their mana levels. The greater the mana, the more pronounced the physical strength, enabling the user to perform impressive physical feats that go beyond ordinary capabilities. This enhancement adapts to the user''s mana levels, making it highly effective in various scenarios that demand physical prowess, from combat to challenging physical tasks. Mana-Dependent Regeneration This trait enables the user''s body to utilize their personal mana reserves to accelerate the natural healing process. Unlike standard healing, which is typically constant, this regeneration rate dynamically scales with the user''s available mana. When the user''s mana levels are high, the healing is significantly faster, but it slows as mana diminishes. Arcane Skeletal Framework Alters the user''s skeletal structure to efficiently conduct and store various forms of energy, including mana. This not only strengthens the bones, making them more durable and resistant to damage but also creates an internal energy reservoir. This reservoir provides a steady supply of energy, augmenting their magical capabilities. Compact Mana Heart Transforms the user''s heart into an organ capable of sustaining and compressing mana. This modification enhances the effectiveness of all mana-based abilities and reduces the physical and magical exhaustion typically associated with high-level spellcasting. The heart''s ability to compress mana allows for more efficient and potent use of magical powers. Mana Wavelength Iris This trait endows the user with the ability to perceive a vast spectrum of mana wavelengths, far beyond normal capabilities. It sharpens the user''s ability to detect even the most nuanced mana fluctuations, providing an unparalleled awareness of magical currents and energies. This leads to refined insight into the flow of mana. Energetic Dispersion Dermis The user''s skin gains the ability to diffuse a wide range of incoming energies, including kinetic, thermal, and magical attacks. It acts as a protective barrier, effectively spreading the impact of these energies across its surface to significantly minimize damage. This trait is especially effective against concentrated mana attacks, providing a passive defense mechanism that can be crucial in magical combat. Mana Echo Chamber Converts the user''s chest cavity into a chamber that resonates with ambient mana, storing it until the user chooses to release it. This stored mana can be unleashed in powerful bursts, useful for amplifying the impact of spells, creating sudden protective shields, or as a burst of energy in critical situations. The Mana Echo Chamber is particularly valuable for spellcasters who need an extra reserve of energy during intense magical confrontations. Chapter 254: The First One Chapter 254: The First One Quickly, I read all the descriptions and without hesitation, I pick Mana Wavelength Iris. Immediately, I feel the trait making changes to my eyes, and I squint a bit from the pain as they gradually change. A terrifying pressure weighs on the city, and from under me, I feel Myrra activating something the Matriarch left behind. The three giant trees inside of Virelia start moving, branches cracking and leaves glowing. Those trees start releasing leaves that float around the city and frequently interrupt the incoming attacks. Of course, the trees arent normal, the Matriarch said she helped create the Living Tree, didn''t she? Myrra joins me on top of the building, fully armored and her face serious, followed by her bodyguard and 12 enforcers clad in black armor. That seemed to work better than expected, she says. I nod as I observe the improved level over her head as well as the higher levels of lynthari with her. The pressure of all that immense mana from the First One doesn''t let up. He still has a lot of the ants he brought with him to attack the city, ants that may be lower in number than the ones left behind but are higher leveled. And currently, the First One is using all of that shared mana and vitality. Everyone in the city hears the loud crack, and the crashed trunk of The Living Tree starts moving, floating into the air. [Reanimated Sunseeker Tree - lvl ??] A text appears over it as the tree floats higher, a gray trunk with branches without any leaves on them. The tree floats high in the air, a sight feeling much more terrifying knowing how much weight is moved like that. So these fuckers really were behind the Tree attacking us, Myrra hisses through her teeth. I can only nod as I observe the tree create a barrier around itself and even from as far as it is, I can see it releasing particles that are carried toward the city, crashing against the swirling leaves of the three giant trees. The Sunseeker Tree, The Living Tree used to be a Calamity at the level of a Champion. It was severely weakened after destroying the Old Capital to the point of getting to three question marks. And now its reanimated remains are weakened even further to the point of two question marks. Yet it''s still much stronger than the defensive trees left behind by the matriarch. Feral one, your weapon? Myrra asks. I show her my empty hands and continue to wait. A gray arrow pierces through the air, and everyone with some sense can feel the disturbing mana it contains. That arrow splashes against the barrier of the Reanimated Living Tree, eating a big hole into it without any problem.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only Then, like a falling star, a long javelin pierces through the air. The javelin flies even faster than the gray arrow, white and red lightning trailing it. The blade of the javelin, made of an Ethercrystal shortsword, burrows deep into the trunk of the Living Tree with a thump that I can hear even here in the city. It only takes a few seconds for the blade to fill with mana from the Tree, and pass that mana through the arcanadium shaft into the Mana sphere core which creates an ever-changing disruptive field. For a few moments, the tree floats there and fights against the effect, yet soon enough it starts falling down. To get confirmation, I shoot a mana projectile through the hole in the barrier and hit the tree with a weak attack. The capsized Reanimated Living Tree stays on the ground, its barrier disappearing first, and soon its particles follow. Its trunk starts to crack, some of the branches even break, and thousands of giant green leaves from the city attack it as well, covering and corroding it. A few minutes later, finally, the notification sounds. [You have defeated Reanimated Sunseeker Tree - lvl 283] [Lvl 202 > Lvl 203] Even though I didn''t do much, I leveled up, either because my creation of the javelin was considered an assist, or I was just so close to 203 that even a little bit of experience was enough. Well, I hope Tess and Lily got quite a few levels from it. I turn to Myrra, "Did you think I wouldn''t expect those assholes to try to pull something like this?" Interrupting my speech, silence fills the city, as if someone absorbed all the sound. It''s deafening and ever-present. All the fires burning, the sound of battle, the sound of the wind, all the voices. Everything is gone. An absolute quiet ensures. Then a single sound permeates all. Clack. If there were trait rarities, I''m sure this one would rate quite high, just from observing the changes it makes to my eyes. (Here he goes!) Tess shouts through the connection. He appears again, just like before, all sound vanishing from the city and then a single snap resounds, the attack destroys dozens of buildings and barriers, cutting in a straight line. This time the First One doesn''t disappear. Even before Sophie uses her [Manipulation], I feel a gaze on me, and this time I''m sure I meet the compound eyes of the Colony''s leader. A clear challenge. [Hive Confluence Sentinel - lvl ??] Then a disgustingly huge amount of blue mana starts radiating from the ant. Every time I think it''s enough, more and more of it flows from him, feeling never-ending. (I can''t do anything! There is too much mana!) I hear through the connection. All of that mana surrounds the ant floating in the air, moving, changing, shaping, and forming something like my [Regalia]. The mana takes the shape of a giant ant with the First One burrowed somewhere in the middle. This doesn''t feel like the most efficient attack possible, no, this feels more like a message. A show of power, as the ant surely knows what I used down in the tunnels. This is a challenge. Loud and clear. The giant ant made of mana takes a step, its leg destroying a massive building that it dwarfs easily. The attacks crashing against the ant amount to nothing at all, not even sending a ripple through the mana construct continuing to move towards me, like an unstoppable force. Heh, a giggle slips from my lips. Myrra shouts something, and I nod, without listening, and she and her enforcers all disappear to attack the First One. I feel a smile crawl onto my lips as the giant thing continues moving towards me, and even launches dozens of projectiles. The projectiles javelins made of blue manacrash against the building I''m standing on, even though they are unable to damage the gray stone. I disrupt the javelins that hit my body and continue to watch. Heat starts collecting at the center of the giant mana ant, and from the mouth of the First One, a golden flame roars at me, a flame as thick as my arm with the appearance of a laser. The flame splits apart as it reaches me as I just manipulate the heat that reaches me and redirect it instead of wasting mana to control it. Then the First One tries to compress mana like I do with my [Focus]. A ball of mana floats in front of the ant, an orb as tall as me, immediately compressing and turning blue, purple, and light blue. The First One tries to compress it even more, he tries to focus it into a smaller point. And he fails. Unable to replicate what I do he gives up and instead of the orb turning black, it starts glowing white, preparing to explode. The enforcers and Myrra start attacking the giant figure and tear the attack apart, causing it to explode and finally deal some damage to the ant. And the entire time, I just watch. With a big smile on my lips. You little shit, I say out loud. I raise the javelin in my hand high into the air, blade pointing towards the sky. Over the tip of the blade, a small orb of mana materializes, barely the size of a golf ball. Mana flows from me into that ball, filling it, turning it blue with streaks of purple and light blue until the orb starts shining white and is about to explode. Then, I push further and use my [Focus]. I do something the monster in front of me wasn''t capable of doing. Warm healing mana flows from the crown on my head into me, supporting me and fighting against the strain as I compress all that mana. The orb turns pitch black with tiny dots shining inside of it like stars in the sky. Then, I poke the orb with the tip of my javelin, and it starts absorbing the black mana. The blade of the Ethercrystal Shortsword starts cracking. Even the upper epic weapon is unable to handle it. I fight against the pull on my mana, and my heart beats three times, powered by the entirety of my mana, generating a huge amount of kinetic energy. I change the setting and use all of my mana to strengthen my body, grab the javelin, and my right leg slides backward as I get into the stance. While my muscles scream, I throw the javelin and the moment it leaves my hand, I boost it with the kinetic energy I collected and leave an anchor on the handle. Before I can even blink, the javelin reaches the ant and stabs the huge mana construct. The massive amount of mana surrounding the ant, a result of thousands of colony members powering it, vanishes in an instant the moment the black blade of the javelin touches it. The blade of the javelin cracking even further. I activate the anchor and reappear next to the javelin, which I grab and float in the air, facing the matte black ant in front of me. Chapter 255: One less Chapter 255: One less Myrra and the enforcers surround the First One the moment the mana disappears. Dozens of attacks crash against the carapace, damaging it, destroying limbs, and wounding the ant, as it constantly regenerates.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only (Attacking!) Sophie sends, and I can feel her skills and the web she was preparing reaching towards the ant. The moment she does so, I realize that this is what the First One was waiting for. He doesn''t even turn his body or anything, but I know he immediately detects where Sophie and the others are. A shockwave explodes near him, pushing himself toward where the others are and avoiding the attacks I throw at him. (He is after you!) I quickly send. I use the anchor I left near them to teleport, but my skill is interrupted by a strong pulse of mana from the First One. Fuck. I boost my body, rushing after him, the javelin in my hand constantly fights against me, as the black mana inside the blade threatens to break loose. When I reach them, they already stand against the ant, thin threads of gray mana flickering around them, Maya, Hadwin, and Biscuit in front facing him. Min-Jae is shooting huge chunks of buildings at the ant, his new eye glowing, but he seems to be unable to use his new attack against the ant. Tess is constantly moving her javelin to attack and defend. I dash from behind the First One, armor surrounding my body and [Redistribution] activating and trying to slow him. However, the skill slips off of the ant, unable to grasp him at all. [Resonance] doesn''t damage him, and the massive amount of mana he is drawing is impossible to disrupt. Taking a risk, I activate my trait for the first time, an intense pain immediately engulfing my head and eyes, and the overload of information threatening my sanity. An amount of information that seems to be impossible for a human to accept. A beautiful and impossible number of waves constantly floating around and permeating everything. Small particles fill the atmosphere and every living being. Hearts pumping the mana that flows through our bodies. Connections based on mana. And something more. I watch as the mana around the First One moves in sharp patterns while the ant seems like a giant bonfire and everyone else is barely a spark. Sensing it, he turns to me, and that mana coils like a snake and surges against me. Groaning in pain, I deactivate my trait, unable to handle it any longer. I hold the javelin in front of me. The weapon absorbs mana for a moment, until the blade cracks. Suddenly, the mana explodes into the surroundings, just for an instant. Then, it converges into a single spot, forming a floating pitch-black orb that begins to absorb all the mana close to it. This forces me to push my body upwards and fly over it to rejoin the fight. Meanwhile, The First One dashes against the group. He endures a gray arrow several times stronger than the one that hit the Reanimated trees barrier. Dashing through it, he redirects small bits of it, forming mana projectiles that take the attacks in his stead. Meanwhile, he regenerates his body as it takes damage. A shockwave destroys Min-Jae''s projectiles and multiple buildings as well. Maya gets thrown away, her body broken and mangled. Tess''s Primordial lightning pierces his body, but the ant regenerates. Tess uses an abyssal anchor which only pulls him for a moment before the ant destroys the epic item with a snap of his mandibles. A blast of kinetic energy depletes all the energy I was storing and erupts, destroying a few buildings and throwing him to the side. His armor absorbs most of it, and the destroyed parts regenerate. He rushes again, right towards Sophie, who has her hands on the shoulders of the twins. For a moment, the First One, and all the ants in the city with him stop. Some of them even start attacking each other, and Sophie starts tearing the threads that connect the First One to the rest of the Colony, taking over the network he created. Another gray arrow splashes against the black ant, and he regenerates, slower this time, still using mana to absorb most of the attack. Myrra and the lynthari arrive as well, surrounding him with a constant barrage that crashes against his durable body. A strong gravity field pins him to the ground, while flames burn him and ice surrounds his carapace. Myrra launches an attack using projectiles made of a multicolored, glass-like material. Meanwhile, the enforcers begin creating a barrier around the ant, covered in inscriptions, all twelve of them working in unison. Even through all this, the First One starts moving again, slow step after step on constantly regenerated legs. His mana gradually increases and he pushes against Sophie''s [Manipulation]. Watching all of it with my new eyes, I cut his skill apart. I disrupt his attempt at teleportation, I destroy the buildup for his shockwave, and a single barrier I create blocks his snapping attack, cracking afterward. [Redistribution] powered by black mana activates, and the First One freezes on the spot. I reach out to him and lay my hand on his body. I begin to absorb the entirety of the heat hes generated while my kinetic energy crashes against him, attempting to tear his body apart. Focusing solely on defense, he continues absorbing vitality from the Colony, and even my attacks are unable to damage him. Feeling the pain scorch my body, I reach out and cut off all of the connections, leaving him isolated. For the first time in his entire life, the ant loses the connection he bears to the other ants, yet he still faces me proudly, his eyes staring into mine while his body freezes all over and pieces of him explode. Then I stagger, my trait deactivates, and all the information disappears. The black mana inside of my body immediately threatening to kill me. Quickly I force it into a black orb outside of my body, ready to use it on the ant. The First One starts thawing, and the connections quickly reappear, like a phoenix rising. The ant is restoring all his wounds, and all that strength starts running through his body again. Then, he attempts to flee, dragging his damaged body away from the black orb. My eyes activate again for a split second, and turning the orb into a dagger, I stab the black mana into the First One, targeting the place he was protecting the most during the fight. With a [Tether], I connect the black dagger to his body, and when the First One disappears, it teleports with him. Strength leaves my body, and my eyes deactivate again. For the first time since the start of the floor, there isnt even a drop of mana left in my body, nor in the reservoir. The strengthening is gone, making my body extremely weak in comparison to everyone around me, yet I still push myself back on my legs and walk towards the others. Sophie has an unbelieving look in her eyes as she holds Izzy against her chest and stares down at what remains of Hadwin. Tess is trying to pull away Lily, who constantly keeps trying to reconnect the pieces. Min-Jae starts crying while standing near the twins, who are both unconscious. Looking to the side, I see a wounded Biscuit coming closer. There are multiple big wounds on his body, and one of his legs seems to be broken, yet he still is pulling Maya behind him as gently as he can. The woman seems to be on the brink of death, her chest caved in, bloody foam around her mouth. Lily, I say, almost scared of my own voice. It''s calm, and quiet, yet audible, even through all of the fire and screams around us. Lily looks up at me from the ground, her eyes full of tears and blood on her. Pieces of her missing, used for [Sacrifice]. Heal Maya, I tell her. For the first time, I can see anger in her eyes directed towards me. How can you she shouts, close to screaming. Maya will die, I interrupt her and return her gaze. The words stick in her mouth, and her eyes shake while she looks at Maya. Tess whispers something in her ear and hugs her. Sobbing Lily finally moves and starts healing Maya. She closes Mayas wounds, causing her breathing to return to normal and even Mayas face starts looking better. Only then does Lily stand up, moving towards me, putting her hand on my shoulder. How can you be like this! she sounds at me. Hadwin Hadwin is! My shoulder breaks and my body is easily moved by her. There is barely any mana in me and everything I have immediately gets turned into thermal energy to support my healing. Lily notices and immediately lets go of me, her face scared, and her expression changes as she looks at me. She touches me again, this time extremely carefully, and sends her mana through my body, examining it. Her expression grows terrified, and I return her gaze as she starts healing me. No one else says anything and the only sound to be heard is little Isabella sobbing, surrounded by all the destruction. Checking the Community the number of people in Hell difficulty is one less. Chapter 256: No goodbyes? Chapter 256: No goodbyes? I leave the people from group four to deal with the aftermath and head to the area under Storm Brigade''s tower. My body hurts terribly, but after getting healed, I feel better, and my mana keeps regenerating as I feed my passive with thermal energy. Even that little bit is helping and slowly the rest will heal. Until then I better not sleep and keep my body strengthened and infused with mana. It is worse for my head and especially my eyes. Despite all the healing I received, my vision is still blurry. My new trait seems to be even more demanding than I thought. Just the sheer amount of information I received caused me to end up like this. But just for those few short moments, I saw an entirely new world open up to me, and I wonder. Is that how Lissandra saw things? Is this a step towards where she stood? Well, I will get there, and for that, I need to become stronger, much stronger as today''s fight showed. Much, much stronger. I climb into the fallen tower, the strengthened walls still supporting its shape, and I find my room that is now on its side in the severed top of the tower. The bed is broken, the furniture has been thrown around, and broken pieces of the wall have destroyed a lot of things, but I find some clothes, a few bags that I fill with some water, food, dozens of higher-grade mana stones, my experiments, the weird bracelet I won from the auction, and some other stuff.New novel chapters are published on I look around one more time and, without knowing why, pass through a hole in the wall into Hadwin''s room. The room is simple, and there are barely any decorations as the older man wasn''t one to collect such things. On the ground, I notice several pieces of clothing, some gels he used for his beard and hair, and some snacks that Hadwin had liked and left here to eat later. There lies a box made of delicately decorated wood and on top of it, sets a paper with a few words in English: Happy birthday, Lily! She said she would be 18 soon, didn''t she? I clean the debris from the table and then I set the box on top, so I can fix it up a bit. After that, I flip the bed onto its feet, make up the covers, and move the broken furniture into the corner. Slowly I pick up Hadwin''s things and put them on the nearby table and the bed. The oil he used to care for his sword and armor, notes for swordsmanship, and handwritten theories on his skills. As I move the notes, a small piece of paper falls from them, and when I pick it up, I freeze. After months in the tutorial, I see a glimpse of our world. A photograph of Hadwin, a woman hugging him, and a young man bearing a resemblance to the man. The photo is in a terrible state, going through four floors after all these months. Yet it''s still there, in a state that allows me to see its content, clearly showing how much it meant to him. That''s his wife Olivia and his son Jonathan, both of them died just a few weeks before he got into the tutorial, Tess enters the room, her steps slow and careful as she ducks to step though the hole in the wall. They were both murdered by a young man. Hadwin said that for the first few floors, you felt like that man to him, and that''s why he. I see, I take a few steps towards her and put the photo into her hands. I will put it next to his body when we bury him. He would like that, she whispers. Before I leave the room, her words catch me, Will you stay for his burial, Nat? There is no need to. I see, I will see you later then. Take care. Yes. I intentionally use Mana Cycling to the highest effect to keep my mana from leaking and people from detecting me and cutting off the twins'' [Connection]. There is no need to stay for the burial, he is dead, and he won''t even know. It won''t help him, it won''t help me. As I walk through the streets, it''s as I thought, all the ants are gone. They ran away with their leader who should be terribly hurt and having to deal with the black mana that I tethered to him. I continue to send my mana to the tether I left on him to keep it from disappearing and to keep the black dagger connected to him. As before [Tether] is reacting weirdly to black mana and can partially ignore it. The streets are broken, buildings have fallen, and corpses are everywhere. Some other streets are nearly fine, a weird contrast to the destroyed ones. Civilian casualties seem to be low as most of the dead ones have some weapons or armor on them, and in the end, it''s 20-30% of Virelia that got so damaged, with the rest being nearly fine. I also notice humans giving ugly looks to lynthari, a rumor about the lynthari invasion most likely spreading, but that''s not something I care about. Unlike those of us from group 4, these people will be gone when the floor ends. Knowing Tess, they will train for a while and then go to hunt the Fallen Hero, I shrug my shoulders, Tess is smart, so she surely realized how lacking they were. No goodbyes? No goodbyes. Coward. A bit, I agree. All this talking makes me feel a bit better, and telling this to Myrra, who will be gone with the 4th floor, is somewhat easy. Are you sad, Myrra? I ask her. She laughs, Such a question, feral one. I have watched my friends I knew for tens, and hundreds of years die. A woman I looked up to my entire life ever since I was a child got her head bitten off, and I saw her mangled corpse, she continues to smile. We exit the forest and continue to climb into the mountain. This is the first time in my life I saw so many lynthari die. For the first time, I fought with my life on the line like this. I was terrified. Step after step, I force my body to walk until I can''t anymore and sit down. Even this bit of walking makes my breathing rough, and sweat runs down my body. I feel like throwing up, and my hands shake until I close them into fists. Myrra joins me, and we look towards Virelia, still some smoke above the city. Even from this distance, we can see the remains of the Living Tree and broken towers and the trees in the city. Myrra, how do you become a Champion candidate? I ask. Not turning to me, she answers, The title was given to me by the matriarch, as she was the only one from the lynthari that ever saw Champions and could tell if someone was capable of reaching that. But it''s unofficial. To become a true Champion candidate, you need a Champion to acknowledge you and for the system to accept it. She turns to me, You could call me a fake Champion candidate, feral one, and you wouldn''t be lying. "I see," I nod and get to my feet, stumbling after I take the first step. I force some strength into my legs, and Myrra follows me. We continue to walk slowly, having conversations, and in that short time, I learn more about her than Ive been able to in the past few months. Her fears, her hopes. A lot about lynthari and fake Champion candidate Myrra. I also share a lot. Talking feels good right now, especially knowing she won''t tell anyone, and slowly I realize that, as she says, Myrra knows me really well. Shes continued to observe me ever since we met for the first time, my manners, my movements. She can tell my feelings even through my flat face and can read my mood. Like a cat, she observed me from a distance, nearly unnoticed, and, according to her, fascinated by the things I have done. We reach the side of a certain mountain after a long walk, and now even my reservoir is slowly replenishing as we delve into the tunnels after touching the walls and activating inscriptions in them, making them light the tunnels. Our steps sound especially loud down there, and soon we reach the door that I open and then another and enter a big room with an array in the middle. For the next day, we relax, we heal, and we prepare. Here, down in the dark tunnels without anyone around, Myrra cries for the first time. She cries for all the lynthari and humans that die. Finally out of sight of everyone, breaking her majestic facade and cracking the mask. It takes only a few minutes, and after that, we don''t talk about it and I do not mention it. When we are ready, I pull out a few mana stones, put them into the array, and let Myrra activate it. The one-directional array right into the heart of the Colony. Before stepping into it, I create an orb from tricolored mana and push it to the point it starts glowing bright white and leave it on the ground near the array. I guess with this the array will be gone as well as our way out, Myrra says while looking at the orb. Did you change your mind? I ask. Such a dumb question, she says, and activates the array, transporting us to the heart of the Colony. Chapter 257: Just two losers Chapter 257: Just two losers POV Tess Hansen A day has passed since the attack of the Colony and the city is still a mess. Lynthari are left without their new matriarch, Myrra. The humans are looking for someone to blame, and rumors about lynthari being invaders are spreading. Lorven being a traitor, Isola is terribly hurt, and Obelia is reorganizing her guild and moving it to a different building. Hundreds of dead fill the streets, many of which are destroyed, and a lot of houses are unusable. It''s not a nice look. But it''s hard to care for all of that while looking at the situation in our group. Hadwin is dead, Nathaniel is gone, Lily is moving like a soulless husk while mumbling that even Nathaniel left her. The twins are blaming Sophie for not doing well enough even after they let her use their skill, and Kim is awkwardly trying to get everyone to get along. And I as well, am feeling my uselessness during all of that. I know that the enemy we faced wasn''t weak, yet I still feel that I could and should have done more. I sigh and look at Maya sitting next to me, in the garden of one of the smaller houses that Obelia got for us. You are sighing way too much, Tess, she smiles, but that smile doesn''t reach her eyes. Not everyone can use their skill to block their emotions, I shoot back at her. Maya just nods, So, what are we going to do? Become stronger, obviously. You are not worried about the Colony? I am, the First One was terrifying. But Nat hurt him badly and knowing him, he is after the ant to finish what he started. Especially after what that ant did to Hadwin. But that isn''t the only reason he left, she says, and I nod. I continue, I think it''s better this way, Maya, I really do. We started relying on him way too much, and the fight against the First One was a wake-up call. Yes, the situation was terrible, but in the future, it will probably become way worse. Lily got too attached, Kim followed him like a puppy, and I kept asking him for advice, Maya counts down, I mean, these arent bad things, there are bigger groups in Hell difficulty than ours doing team play, but I do agree with you that we might have become too comfortable. Yes, that''s why we will be on our own for a while, Maya. We will level up, we will help Lily with Beyond, and we will go and take down the Fallen Hero on our own. And if someone else dies, Tess? I won''t allow it. And if anyone doesnt want to go, they can stay here for the rest of the tutorial, I won''t blame them. Sounds like a plan, Maya pokes my shoulder and stands up, I will speak to Kim and the twins and try to help them a bit. Will you deal with Sophie and Lily? They seem down too. Look at you, giving me orders, I stand up, with a tired smile on my face. Maya''s expression is gentle, I dont think theyre the only ones that need some help and time to process it all, Tess, so think of yourself too, and if you need help, come to me. You can think of me as a knock-off version of that weirdo. I''m the one who wanted this group to happen, and I''m the one who kept urging Nat to join us. Ive been trying to make us all friends, so Id better not let it fall apart so easily.Updated from Having Maya worry about me feels weird, but in a nice way, as she said, with her [Focus], she can be like Nat at times. She can be calm and reliable when she needs to be, and shes smarter than she usually lets on. And now that Hadwin is I shake my head and push the thought out. There will be time for me to grieve later. Yes, let''s prove that there was a reason for us to end up in Hell difficulty. The room we were transported to before has been destroyed, walls crumbling, crystal pillars missing. As far as I can see, the tunnels are scorched, and burned, with some lingering smoke hanging around, and ant corpses lie scattered across the floor. Myrra and I start walking, our skills lighting the pitch-black darkness, and our senses constantly scan the area, on the lookout for collapsing tunnels and enemies. So I add a bit more, Or maybe you were scared of responsibilities? You didnt want to end up like your matriarch, tied to her title, and wanted to keep your mostly careless life? Mana starts leaking from her and she opens her mouth, You think it might be your fault that that man died. She takes another step closer. But you dont feel much sadness so that worries you so you decided to run. Hoping theyd either become strong enough to survive so that you could befriend them, or that they would die now before you get too attached. Myrra lowers herself, her eyes in line with mine, Come on, Feral One, deactivate that fucking skill and try to say those words to me again. I feel my heart beating wildly just at the thought of turning off [Focus]. She squints her eyes, her mouth turning into a smile, You wont do it? So why dont you attack me instead? Fuck off, I say instead. Myrra starts laughing, Such words lack an impact, hearing them from someone hiding behind skills. Said the pampered lynthari who kept bothering people because they were too fucking bored. Hiding under their matriarch''s skirt, instead of dealing with the Calamities. Maybe if you guys didn''t fuck around all the time and actually did something, she would still be alive. I say and watch as her face changes. I continue, Did it hit too close? Go on, why dont you attack me? I mock her. Myrra does just that. She swings her fist at me and I duck under it, immediately following it with a kick that Myrra dodges with a speed that I barely track. As on cue, we both use our mana at the same time to strengthen our bodies. Neither of us uses any skills as we decided beforehand and we just attack each other, using our bodies. Her fist hits my face and rocks my head back as another punch hits my chest, throwing me against the wall. She is faster than me, even as I use the entirety of my mana to strengthen myself. Myrra seems to specialize in dexterity while Im mostly split between constitution and strength. A few more blows to my chest and one more to my face, the last one drawing blood. They all hurt, but I hold on and when she attacks again, I let her connect and grab her arm. Our eyes meet for a second and I bury my knee into her belly, lifting my knee to compensate for her height. Myrra gasps for air and my fist hits the bottom of her chin. This time it''s her head swinging back, only to rebound as she smashes her forehead into my face, breaking my nose and causing me to stagger backward, dripping blood. Still I hold on and kick, aiming for her crotch this time and managing to connect. Myrra groans in pain, shock on her face. You little bitch, she gasps and punches me two more times before I manage to avoid the third, throwing a punch to her side, and finally letting go. More mana roars through her body and she leaps into action. For several long minutes, we continue, exchanging blows. Its not pretty and we barely bother avoiding each others attacks, as if the pain makes us forget. Blood is drawn, bones are cracked, and we throw each other against the walls as we fight in the long pitch-black tunnel lit by my thermal orbs floating nearby. Two beings over level 200 fist-fighting like drunkards. And as the fight progresses, my hold over [Focus] becomes weaker and my attacks reflect that and Myrra grows more aggressive as well. We kick, we scratch, and we bite. Myrra spits blood into my eyes in an attempt to gain an advantage, so I punch her in the neck. She chokes me and I break her finger. In the end, I throw one last punch at her chin and she staggers and then falls, face against the ground. With a sigh, I lean against the wall of the tunnel and slide to the ground. My entire body hurts, my bones are cracked, I have wounds all over, and yet I do not use my passive, and breathe heavily. Myrra lifts her bruised face From the ground and our eyes meet. Both of us have the same expression. Just two losers. Unable to stand as she looks into my eyes, she starts using her arms to pull herself closer, crawling towards me. She reaches me and then lays her head on my thigh, turning away from me, and curling up, as her body starts to shake. Slowly I reach out with my bruised and bloodied hand and gently caress her hair without saying a word. Chapter 258: Ancient array Chapter 258: Ancient array We rest for a while, and the power of our stats heals our bodies. In my case, it''s mostly my passive skill doing the work, but it''s good enough. When we finally continue through the tunnels, I feel a bit different. Weirdly, I feel better, as some of the tension leaves my body, and it seems the same goes for Myrra. Fuck, feral one, I didnt expect you to kick me in the crotch, twice. Do you have no manners? Even her tone is a bit different now. Says the person who spat blood in my face, I reply. Feral One, I bet you there are humans willing to pay me for the experience, she says. I stagger in surprise, and she notices, which makes her smile even more. I mean, she is not wrong, but damn. Thankfully another group of snapjaw ants appears, and I avoid reacting any further. Already used to fighting them, we move quickly, keeping mobile and slowing them with Myrras ice and my [Redistribution]. Even with multiple Gravity ants and a Sentinel ant supporting them, we deal with them fairly quickly, and yet another group tries to slow us down. As always, I can feel my [Tether] far in front of us, meaning the black mana orb is most likely still hampering the leader of the Colony and severely damaging him or messing with his mana control. Hopefully, it won''t kill him in the end. I have a lot to pay back. I dont care that I mostly got my ass kicked last time. This time I wont rely on others. I wont rely on Lilys healing or Sophie to slow him down, I will fuck him up on my own. Sure, Myrra will probably want to get in a few hits, but I can live with that. I have been too reliant on others for too long, and its stunted my growth. Instead of trusting in myself, I relied on external help. I will be careful not to do so from now on. He is moving again, I tell Myrra. We speed up, breaking into a sprint, killing any ants in the way as quickly as possible and, reducing the distance in the process. It takes another few hours for us to even get close, and thats when the first large group attacks us, hundreds of ants fill the tunnel, and its impossible to see through the sheer number of bodies. They block my yellow flames, and a constant barrage of ranged attacks forces us to create barriers to block it. Any attempt to create an anchor in the middle of them and drop a bomb is quickly disrupted. I quickly create two javelins. I infuse one with disruptive mana and the other with thermal energy. Both of them shoot off quickly one after the other, the former disrupts their barriers and the latter explodes in the middle of their group. [You have defeated Warrior ant - lvl 168] [You have defeated Disruptor ant - lvl 159] [You have defeated Gravity ant - lvl 165] [You have defeated Spellslinger ant - lvl 195] [Lvl 205 > Lvl 206] More attacks follow, and Myrras flames envelop the tunnel, maintaining constant pressure. There aren''t many Flame Legion ants, so I also add my flames to the mix, and we slowly burn through them all. A burst of kinetic energy pushes their smoking bodies aside, and we continue our run and finally reach a room bigger than any weve seen in a long time. The room is cylindrical in shape, and the ceiling seems to stretch on forever. I can''t even see where it ends, and it''s wider than two football fields, its impossible to imagine normal humans doing something like this. But I dont stare at it in awe, nor do I waste time checking the details. My eyes settle on the ant. The one with the matte black carapace floats near the middle of the room, surrounded by thousands of ants, with even more on the walls. The sheer amount of ants is hard to even count, yet I do not feel worried. Their leader, the First One, just stands there; he does not attack, and he does not use the mana of the Colony. No, there is a black mana dagger impaling his body, it seems to have reacted with [Tether] and made it impossible to remove from its body. The black dagger constantly pulls on the skills mana and, in a twisted way, keeps [Tether] running. We fight for what feels like hours, and I slip into a rhythm as if hypnotized and keep taking mana from my reservoir. It doesn''t feel dangerous, and the weakened Colony without their leader or heavy hitters is somewhat more of a chore to deal with. Yet, I feel no pity and no hesitation. I kill every single ant I can see or sense. Each one of them could have been one of the ones sending mana to the First One during that day, indirectly helping him to A combined attack from dozens of ants crashes against my chest armor and sends me flying through the room, crashing against the wall. Right after, more attacks bombard me as I lay there. They keep crashing against the [Regalia] infused with [Resonance], barely doing any damage other than wasting my mana. I push my thoughts to the back of my mind, and putting my hands on my knees, I push myself back to my feet, using [Infusion] to send thermal energy through my armor, making it seem like embers are glowing under the surface. More attacks hit me, and I boost my body right into them, burning them alive. When every single ant is dead, we move towards the middle of the room, pushing all mangled, burned, frozen, cut bodies of ants to the side to see the floor. Surrounded by all those corpses, plenty of them as big as a bus, we stare at the damaged array. "You can fix it, right?" Myrra asks me. "Yes, but it will take a moment; there are traps left behind, and some parts are really damaged." Afterward, I immediately get to work, "Can you bring my bags from the tunnels? I have some stuff I might need in them." Myrra nods, "Can do." As I get to it, I notice that the array is more damaged than the one in the old mines, and I even have to redirect some of the inscriptions, like using plaster to fix them instead of replacing them. Once in a while, I activate Mana Wavelength Iris to work on them, and even though its extremely taxing, it helps a lot to speed up the process. "Did you know that when you use that skill, a golden ring appears around your pupil? It''s not too thick, and I can still see the color of your eyes, but around the black of your pupil, that golden circle appears," Myrra says out of nowhere. I pause for a moment, "I see," I nod and continue. I hadn''t realized until now. Ive met multiple people with similar effects all of whom have mana circuits in their eyes. Ruby and Obelia, for example, and even Min-Jae''s new eye had some under the surface. As I work, my mana continues to replenish over the hours I spend on the array, and I still have some left in my reservoir. When I''m done, we sit there for a bit. Myrra takes out some food and water, and in the same fashion weve grown so accustomed to over the past few days, we share food while exchanging a few words. We do not talk much, trying to keep our minds sharp for what is to come. When we finally feel ready, I activate the array, and Myrra steps in, both of us pulled along and transported. Appearing on the other side a strong wind hits us, strong enough to push even our strengthened bodies, and I absorb some force from it with [Redistribution]. A chilling cold immediately penetrates my body, but Myrra starts releasing heat around us, and I absorb more wind until we create a warm, quiet bubble around us. Looking around, I realize that we are on top of an extremely tall mountain battered by blizzards. The falling snow barely allows us any degree of sight, and after probing the area with my senses, I detect only more mountains and another array. Gesturing to Myrra, I start walking, releasing a bit of absorbed kinetic energy to blow off the snow until we reach a cave, which we enter. Unlike the surrounding area, there is no snow in the cave, and lights glow on the wall, likely the work of the First One as he passed by to activate another array, keeping the last bits of mana he received as he left. This array is a bit different and seems to be much older than the ones I''ve seen before. The design is more robust and less efficient as if it was made by someone who didn''t care how much mana it would take to activate. Someone with a high enough mana pool to ignore that. The array is not damaged at all, the First One was probably incapable of doing so. As I send my senses to it, I start examining it and where it leads with the help of my new trait. I follow the trail of mana, and when I see where it points and get an estimate of the distance it transports over, I almost feel like laughing. The one-directional array in front of me leads to a place somewhere high above us. To a place in the orbit of the planet. Chapter 259: What will you do now? Chapter 259: What will you do now? One of the reasons the First One teleported so far is to put distance between me and the anchor I left on him. Probably in hopes of cutting off my connection and getting rid of the black mana dagger. Or the reason could be completely different. Staying over the ancient array, I hear a soft ding of the notification and open the system. Going through the options, I notice that a side quest was added. Side quest: Save Virelia from annihilation Reward: 1000 shards I turn to Myrra, "What is up there? Did the matriarch leave any info on it?" Debris, or something, we were curious about it, and tried to dig up information on it, yet we couldnt find anything concrete. Just a bunch of disjointed rumors. The tall, white-haired lynthari releases more heat, pushing against the chilly air up here on this impossibly high mountain. I notice that the longer we are here, the worse the cold gets. Still, this place is strangely beautiful. Devoid of life, leaving us with the clear white snow, and the sound of roaring wind, with snowflakes darting wildly around. The only sign of life is the partially charged array the First One left behind, and its slowly losing the mana that charged it. "Remains of the war between lynthari and humans. The lynthari Absolutes base was there before getting destroyed, orbiting around the planet, allowing him to move anywhere he wanted. But Feral one, even the matriarch, didnt think there was any way left to get there. This," she points at the array, "shouldn''t exist anymore." I probe the array with my senses and examine it more closely. The side quest and its timing most likely mean that the First One is trying to destroy Virelia. Either because of his programming or he just wants to finish what he started and hurt Myrra and me for hunting him down. Myrra says something behind me, but I filter it out and examine my body. My mana has rebounded for the most part, I even have some in reserve, and I have over three thousand shards in case I need something. The floor quest isn''t finished, so that means the First One is still alive, meaning he survived the transport and wherever he is, it is livable or he wouldn''t survive in his weakened state. I step into the array and look at Myrra. She laughs shortly and without hesitation steps into the circle as well. There is no more need for words, and she only smiles, her posture confident. An armor made of aurora glass forms around her epic armor. Its beautiful, almost like a work of art with thousands of multi-colored surfaces slightly reflecting the light. I activate [Regalia] as well, blue armor surrounding my body including my head, the helmet doesnt have a visor. I make it as airtight as I can. I strengthen my armor as I prepare [Infusion]. Then, I fill the array with my mana, immediately appreciating the different circuits expertly inscribed into the circle. They are simple and elegant, not very efficient, but they are easy to work with. I reactivate what mana remains from the previous charge and add more of mine, much more, feeling a massive drain. One after another, parts of the array light up, as my mana flows through them, reactivating it. Lost in my work, I want to use more mana, but then I realize that weve already arrived. The transportation was extremely smooth and I barely noticed it. A quiet hum welcomes me and a myriad of inscriptions surround us. Most of them have been deactivated for hundreds of years and some of them were reactivated mere hours ago. The room is relatively small and circular. There are no windows, just walls made out of the gray stone that Ive seen so often lately. The same indestructible stone that made up some of the tunnels we passed through and a few of the buildings in Virelia. I observe Myrra''s movements as she gestures to me to wait and her helmet disappears. With fascination, I watch as she inhales a few times and flicks her tongue, tasting the air for a moment. It seems fine, she says. My helmet disappears, but I keep armor around my body, just in case. The air Im breathing feels weird, somewhat chemical or artificial. Fake, maybe? As if its been through dozens of filters or left to stagnate in a poorly ventilated room. This way, I tell her and start walking towards my anchor. The First One is not far. There the First One waits. A black carapace that seems to absorb light itself and a dagger impaling him through the back close to his head, constantly absorbing the majority of his mana. The ant steps away from the pillar, barely any mana is left inside his body and he is forced to rely on the strength of his physical stats. He takes a few more steps, moving even further back, and just stands there, our figures reflecting hundreds of times in his compound black eyes. Myrra hisses, about to charge him, but I put my hand on her, Check the pillar first. She tries to get away from me, but I strengthen my body and pull her back, He did something. Check. The. Pillar. First. There arent any traps and I probably wont be able to activate it as it''s only meant for lynthari, I repeat. Myrra curses but does so as I take a few steps, keeping myself between the black ant and the white-haired lynthari. Just looking at the creature makes my blood boil, but I push all those thoughts to the back of my mind, though some of them surface, even through [Focus]. As if in answer the First One clacks his mandibles a few times, a soft snapping sound echoing through the room. We are falling, Myrra says. Can you tell where? I ask. After a minute Myrra confirms what I was thinking, The trajectory has already been calculated its going to strike Virelia her voice breaks in the end. Mana radiates from her but she quickly takes it under control and channels it into the pillar, the vibrations weakening and through kinetic energy, I feel our movement slowing. Myrra is using her mana to power the base and keep us in orbit. The First One clacks his mandibles. Not enough, I dont have enough mana! she pushes more and more of it, weakening herself near our enemy. Hoping to redirect the base. The feeling of the ant looking right into my eyes flows through me and there is even a question I can read or feel from him. What will you do now? The ant brought us here in hopes of cutting the connection to the tether. When it didn''t work, he launched the base at Virelia, and now here he is, waiting for us to waste mana stopping the base, to weaken ourselves. To stay trapped here with him. He wants us to waste mana, not even for a moment giving up on his attempts to kill us. And seeing the way he looks at us, we will need to use most of our mana to stop the base from falling on Virela, Im sure he calculated that. Using some of it to fight him would make stoping the base impossible. "Cheeky little fucker, aren''t you?" Not taking my eyes off him, I take a few steps back and put my hand on the pillar. Without any hesitation, I release my mana and push it inside. I start infusing all of it, the mana from my body and reservoir as well. Myrra, I bet this base has some kind of radar, so find the place with the largest number of ants. This ant is smart. I do not believe weve gotten all of the Colony. No, he most likely saved some and hid them to rebuild the Colony after killing us. I continue, And then when you find a place with enough ants, crash us into it. The First One freezes, his mandibles stop moving, a sheer surprise to be felt even from his monstrous body. I place an anchor near the pillar and start sending my mana to it, and even with my gradually decreasing reserves, I step into his way. What will you do now? The ant''s body moves, and he rushes to stop us. Chapter 260: The last of the Colony Chapter 260: The last of the Colony There isnt any mana radiating from the First One, all of it has been sucked up by the black dagger tethered to his body. He is just using the sheer strength of his stats. Using my mana as effectively as I can, I block his body, and the armor surrounding my body disappears, reforming only at the point of impact with the black ant. I channel mana towards the pillar where Myrra, trusting in me to protect her, continues to steer the orbital base and looking for signs of ants to target. Seeing how desperately The First One attacks me, my assumptions are probably right, there is indeed a smaller Colony he plans to return to and rebuild after dealing with us. The leader of the Calamity never gave up in the first place. His attacks are quick and hard-hitting, but they are far from what they were when he attacked Virelia, and neither are mine. Both of us are tired, our reserves low, reducing us to a lowly brawl with weak bursts of our skills. He tries to get to the pillar and cracks his mandibles together in an attempt to cut it apart with his ranged attack, but I stick my hand in the way and cover it with dense armor, blocking it and getting a cut on my arm. Then my fist moves, a thin spike forming around it, and I stab it deep into his body. When I try to enlarge it, the mana gets pulled in by the black dagger, and even the armor around my arm flickers. All this time I feel the First One''s attempts to cancel out the anchor binding the dagger to him, and as before, I continue to channel my mana into it to keep it from being destroyed by him or the black dagger. An attack throws my body to the side, and I sacrifice a bit of my mana to shoot a projectile boosted by kinetic energy at his head, which he dodges, and I''m back to attacking him before he can charge Myrra. I need more mana! the lynthari shouts. As requested, I channel more of my mana into the anchor near the pillar. I do not hesitate to weaken myself, and instead of using it against the ant, I send it to the base. The First One''s panicked attempts to stop it warm my heart. His demeanor cracks. His movements are quick and desperate, and his attempts to cancel my anchor or control the black dagger reach a peak. And I''m here. I block his way. I take on his attacks. I sacrifice my mana to destroy his plans even in exchange for more wounds on my body. At some point, a laugh comes out of my mouth, as I break one of his legs and kick him away from the pillar. Then even more of my mana flows out of me, and the base shakes even more, a sure sign of Myrra''s work. The First one attempts some sort of mental attack against me, but I shrug it off with my Mantle and use some mana to stop it from reaching Myrra. Unlike before, I feel happiness as I deplete my mana. Every drop I send to the pillar means more pain caused to the black ant. In the end, he stops moving and just stands there, staring at me. Nearly all of my mana is gone, and Myrra finally changes the trajectory, spending most of her mana as well. Ten minutes until impact. He won''t be able to change the trajectory anymore, I locked it, Myrra says. Instead of answering her, I continue to smile and talk to the First One, I know what your plan is. You will wait for us to get close to the point of impact and connect to the Colony to get their strength and maybe use it to stop the crash. My mana is slowly regenerating, all in preparation for the final clash. I don''t want to fight now, no, I want the First One to watch his plans get demolished, his Colony to get destroyed. And only then will I finish him, letting him know his place. Or you might be trying to get rid of the dagger again. Maybe you want to kill Myrra and me once you get some power from the remaining ants. I take a step closer. But you will fail. Oh, is that why some assholes like to monologue so much? I know that I hated Elydor and Emeric when I heard their cocky monologues. Back then I was curious why they acted like that, why they talked that way. Yet, now I''m doing the same. It''s so silly it makes me giggle once more, all my hate brought to the surface just by looking at the enemy in front of me. Minutes pass and the base takes on more turbulence. through the window, I can see the planet growing closer, the clouds closing in, and the fire caused by friction. I form a small orb next to me and place an anchor on it. Myrra prepares her attacks. Then the First One receives the first wave of mana and strength from the Colony, a few seconds before crashing. A majestic power surrounds his pitch-black body and the glow in his eyes changes. The black dagger dissolves, as the leader of the Colony finally manages to dispel it. He immediately removes the anchor I left on him. He snaps his mandibles and I pull Myrra down, avoiding the slash that cuts through the air where we stood. I feel Myrra''s mana move, but I don''t stop her, and a barrage of Aurora glass hits the ant from the side, cutting him in half, the back half remaining behind in the sand. Yet the ant doesn''t stop. He falls to the ground and starts using his remaining functional leg to pull himself closer to me. Slowly, second after second, he moves closer. Sticking a leg in front, burrowing it into the sand, and pulling, half of his body sliding on the ground. The entire time I feel his attempts to connect to my mind. It''s not an attack, only an attempt at communication. Either hateful words, maybe begging, maybe something entirely else. And I wont let it connect, not even to give one last word to the leader of the Calamity. He finally reaches me, and his cracked mandibles snap around my shin, trying to cut it. The First One bites over and over again, his weak attack dealing no damage at all, not even piercing my skin. Feelings roar inside me for a moment and then there is a strange calm. I stare at this being, strong enough to be considered capable of reaching the rank of Champion and kinetic energy flows through my right leg. Then I stomp on his head. [You have defeated Hive Confluence Sentinel - lvl 264] [Lvl 211 > Lvl 212] [Lvl 212 > Lvl 213] [Lvl 213 > Lvl 214] Congratulations! You''ve successfully completed the 4th floor''s main quest in the fifth round of the tutorial for Hell difficulty. An entrance to the 5th floor has been created. Next to me, the portal to the 5th floor opens. I stomp again, the sand exploding under my feet and turning what remains of the First One into mush. And again, sending more kinetic energy through my leg, I stomp as hard as I can. Again and again, until my leg hurts and even what energy I have been able to recover is gone. I receive 1,000 shards and a skill upgrade token from completing side quests, and then another side quest appears. Side quest: Kill the Calamity Reward: 4000 shards Attention, a milestone reached. Entry into Irreversible Narrative Progression has been detected for group 4. In accordance, the Community Interface with other groups will now be deactivated. I open Beyond Community. Sset - Weve also completed our quest and the entrances have appeared, but we will be staying. Noname -Take care. Sset -Yes. After that, I close the Community. Myrra slides into the crater, moving slowly, tired and devoid of mana. Even then, she looks at the remains of the black ant and burns them to ash. You keep looking there, she turns towards the entrance to the 5th floor, Judging from how you move your eyes, it''s about my height and a few times wider. But I cant see or sense anything. None of us wants to talk about what just happened, so we shift the conversation to something else. I will try to explain it later, I say, and Myrra nods. How about we rest for a while and examine what remains of the base? Myrra follows my gaze, curiosity also showing on her tired face. Let''s do that. Chapter 261: Neither wrong nor right Chapter 261: Neither wrong nor right In the end, we rested for over two days, one of us sleeping while the other took watch. After those two days, I feel much better. I even sacrifice some shards to buy food and water, which I share with Myrra. When she starts asking too many questions about where it comes from, the system interferes, and from then on, she acts like it''s normal. Such a display of control by the system over natives is disturbing, but knowing there''s nothing I can do, I try to ignore it. I look towards the small crater where the First One died. I don''t know what I expected, but I feel empty. New novel chapters are published on It''s not like I can say revenge isn''t worth it. Not at all. That bitch had to go down. It''s just that the joy I felt for killing him is slowly diminishing, and I know in a few days he will become just a memory. An enemy dealt with, a step on my way towards wherever this all leads me. Just a fake, the only proof of his existence, the empty hole left by Hadwin. While Myrra sleeps, I sell the skill upgrade token after examining all the options for upgrading my skills. I make sure to remember the most useful ones as it helps me understand my skills and what should be possible. Even then, I follow the plan I made long ago and decide not to upgrade any of my skills. Do you really want to sell the following item for 5000 shards? Skill upgrade token Yes/No I confirm, and my shards increase. Thinking back on the skill upgrade token I sold last time, I only got 2500 shards, and this time I received 5000, meaning there is most likely a rarity to skill upgrade tokens as well. After trying for a while, I confirm that I can''t claim my rewards for clearing this Floor''s main quest, I will likely need to enter the 5th floor to receive them. Floor quest: Destroy one of the 4 Calamities Rewards: Epic Passive skill Skill upgrade token 2000 Shards 60 stat points Access to other Communities More shards, access to other communities, and mainly an epic passive skill. Then theres the matter of the 9000 shards I already have. I could buy another passive if I wanted to, or I could wait for the 5th floor or maybe wait for the rest of group 4 to deal with another Calamity. They received a confirmation for clearing this quest even though they weren''t here, likely indicating that floor rewards will be received by the whole party even if only a single member clears the quest. And knowing the system, all such rewards will only be distributed once we reach the next floor. So yeah, let''s wait and buy ourselves a juicy epic passive. Thinking about it, I may receive 2 epic passives on the 5th floor, so that''s really something. My increased level is now over 200, a new trait, my plans for improving the kinetic mana heart, another round of active tempering, and enchanting experiments with black mana. There is so much to do as always, but I like it. Things like this are good at taking my mind off useless stuff. Thinking again? Myrra stretches, her tail twitching as she does so. We are currently, in the massive crater the crash made, weve set up a tarp over the area, creating a nice shady patch in the middle of this desert. I already ditched my warmer clothes for a more comfortable set and at times I even absorb heat from my skin and release it to cool off. At some point, I even split my mind with [Focus] using a portion to keep it running constantly. There are no enemies, no monsters, nothing, so I can handle the mana expenditure quite easily. Weve found ourselves at the edge of the desert where the fallen hero wanders, from what Myrra has told me. You are doing it again, the tall lynthari complains. And what will you do about it? I shoot back. Gareth -I''m sorry to hear that, Sset! I hope it will get better for you guys. As for your question, Maximilian and Jakub can still access the Hell community, as well as other groups, so it''s most likely only you. Savant -You guys probably killed the Calamity, right? That''s why your Community got blocked. And us being able to talk means that you decided to stay and havent entered the 5th floor yet. Gareth -Oh, you are smart as always, Savant! Sset -Yes, we did. I see no reason to keep it a secret. Gareth -Our group hasn''t even started yet! We are still in Virelia, and everyone seems to be having fun with the guild and enjoying some rest. Meanwhile, weve done some information gathering and been trying to get to know some of the lynthari and guild masters. Sset - Gareth, do more of you plan to enter Beyond? Gareth - A few wanted to, but I convinced them to change their mind. Most of us have already used upgrade tokens too. Savant - So nice of you. It''s easier to control your group if you are the strongest, right? Gareth - Yes. Savant - How unexpected of you to admit it so easily. Gareth - I''m their leader, so it''s my responsibility to choose the way. Risking their life in Beyond is not something they need to do. Just me going through it is fine, my friend. Sset - What if they want to? Gareth - If they decide to do so, I will help and will work hard to prepare them. That much is expected of me, of course. But they trust my decision. Savant - Disgusting. Sset - They might end up being too reliant on you. Gareth - Sset, from the way you talk I can tell that you are still very young, so allow me to explain. It''s not bad that they rely on me, it''s not wrong to look for someone to lean on in these situations. It''s even to be expected. With interest, I watch the conversation, forgetting about my mana flowing through the array. Gareth - I have decided to take on this responsibility and be that person for them. I will protect them as much as I can, and we will cooperate so all of us can improve, together. So that we not only survive but get through this with people we can rely on. Noname - What if they die? What will you do then? Gareth - First, I''m sorry for your loss, Noname, I heard a lot of good things about Hadwin from Jakub. I''m sure he will be missed by a lot of people. And to answer your question, we would grieve and prevent it from happening again. Death is something to be expected under these conditions, but not something we take lightly. Noname - What if you die? Gareth - I am really strong. I won''t die, and will do my best to not let any of them die under my watch, and I will make sure they are prepared for the case I''m not around. Noname - You are wrong. Gareth - I''m neither wrong nor right, my friend. The same goes for you. I look away from the window, thinking about what Gareth said. There are some things I like about it and some I really don''t. But in the end, he still feels suspect to me, and I''m more inclined to Savant''s opinion that Gareth just wants to be strong enough to control his group, and this is just a mask. As I''m about to close the window I notice one more message. Sset -Grumpy entered Beyond''s first trial. Chapter 262: Revisiting Chapter 262: Revisiting I will need a bit more time for this, I tell Myrra. Sure, I will keep watch, she answers and continues to sunbathe without any shame. Immediately, I open the Community again and wait. During the time I spent helping her before the fight against the Calamity, Lily improved a lot and I dont believe she entered Beyond unprepared. The problem is that the trials are customized to the person taking them, testing their weaknesses and forcing them to improve their skills, so there is a limit to how much you can prepare. I examine my feelings; there is a hint of worry and satisfaction. Lily could have entered Beyond anytime after I left, and her doing it now means that it wasnt an emotionally motivated decision. She probably thought about it on her own and decided that she was ready, without so much as letting Tess know. I know how Tess would react. Its what I wanted, and thats where Gareth and I disagree. Savant and I seem to think alike, and Gareth is nearly the opposite of our opinion, while Tess is somewhere in the middle. Noname -How has she been the past few days? Sset -Mostly fine. After Hadwin died, she threw the bow away and decided to fight close range. Oh, I think I can see why she made that decision. Lately, shes played the role of a ranged combatant/healer. Seeing others get hurt probably forced her hand, and so shes decided to fight on the frontlines using [Disintegration] atclose range and relying on [Reconstruction] to keep her alive. I can understand that, considering what happened last time. Sset - She should be fine.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only And so, we wait, constantly checking the timer, counting down the hour, and keeping an eye on the number of people in Hell difficulty. Easy difficulty 1340/2000 Normal difficulty870/1000 Hard difficulty 259/500 Hell difficulty 44/250 Beyond5/10 I find it hard to focus on anything else, so instead of working on the array, I just toggle in between the timer and member count. Its silly, honestly, as if it would even help. As the time grows closer, my eyes stay glued to the counter. 10 seconds 5 seconds 1 second Beyond 5/10 > Beyond 6/10 Gareth - Group 4 is a bit crazy if I have to say so myself. Grumpy -Hello. Gareth -Welcome, Grumpy! Good job! Sset -Im glad youre ok. Where are you at the moment? Grumpy - Nearby, I will come to you. Is he here? Noname - Hey, good job with the first trial. Grumpy - Grumpy - When are you coming back? Noname -When you guys deal with the Calamity. Sset can tell you more. Grumpy - You promised youd owe me after we saved Soph and the twins. So you better keep your word. Noname -Yes. After that, we exchange a few more words, and reaching the time limit the Community turns off. Lily seems to be anxious and unhappy, but it''s not an easy thing to solve. Shes just that kind of person and she is the only one that can deal with it. I, on the other hand, have decided to be selfish and stop worrying so much about others. Yes, I have decided to stay with the group after the start of the 4th floor, but not to this point. I''m not like Gareth and never will be. As we leave the camp to approach the next one, I sense a pulse of mana shoot over me towards the camp Im heading to and stop. The pulse was clearly sent through an item, most likely as a warning. A javelin forms over me, and I place an anchor on it before boosting it towards the camp where I was heading. Then I turn around and return to the camp we already looted. W-what? We already gave you everything you wanted! their leader shouts. Did you send a signal to the other camp? I ask bluntly. What? We didnt do Before he finishes, a blast of kinetic energy sends him rolling through the camp, crashing against everything in his way. I reduced the power by a lot, but even this was enough. After taking a few steps, I stop in front of another guy. Did you send the signal? Immediately, he nods, none of them even attempting to fight. See, that wasnt so difficult, I say to calm him down, but it seems to make him shake even more. Pushing him to the side, I reach the tent where they keep most of the items, and a small orb forms in my palm, compressing and quickly turning golden, releasing immense heat even in this state. I would run away, I warn them and throw the orb in between the items. Myrra reaches out to me, and I touch her, both of us disappearing and appearing near the javelin I tied an anchor to. A few seconds later, the camp we just left explodes into golden flames that devour everything in their path with a roar. Quite ruthless, Myrra says while looking at the humans that surround us. Im not in a very good mood, I answer her, and more of my mana radiates from my body, pressuring the men and women standing against us. They shout warnings among themselves, preparing for a fight, but I do not stop there. Like a tsunami, waves of mana radiate from me in the center, putting pressure on them, showing them my level. The amount of mana hints at a much higher level than I currently possess, people are rarely dumb enough to invest in the mana stat so heavily. The expressions on the faces around me change. From determination and anger to shock and fear. They drop their weapons, deactivate their skills, and step back, sweat on their brows, hands shaking. They are the kind of people who recognize strength and know what to do in such cases. Members of guilds that do not hesitate to kill people to gain an advantage. So, I do not stop there and reach into my reservoir, more mana radiating from me, making my presence felt for miles away. Slowly, one after another, they drop to their knees, unable to even look into my eyes. Only then do I stop, and my mana disappears in a moment, pulling the aura I radiated back into my body. Bring me everything you got from the Old Capital, I demand. After looting a few more camps, my bags start getting full, so I get a few guys to carry them for me. So far, there are some metals they got from smithies, upper rare items with interesting effects, and plenty of mana stones, some of which have inscriptions I haven''t seen so far. There are also pieces of wood that are extremely durable, and look new even after hundreds of years. Some mana batteries too. I pick only the best things and ignore the rest, most of the guys we visit dont even try to fight with us and just immediately surrender their stuff. Myrra, bored, talks to them a bit and learns that there are in fact two lynthari in the city that she seems to know. Mohg and Gawyn, a duo that she says is well known for their damage output. Apparently, they are lynthari troublemakers and some of the young lynthari who like to play around the most. It seems that without the influence of the matriarch, theyve become even worse. Mohg and Gawyn organized a group of humans from a few of the midsized guilds with plans to find interesting items in the city. What pisses Myrra off the most is that they came here even before the fight against the Colony started, leaving the other lynthari to deal with it. In the end, she just sighs and says cryptically that it doesnt matter. We leave all of our things near one of the arrays, and I position a few mana orbs nearby, some of them should last a day at least. There is no anchor on them or any effect, and I dont even explain it to the men carrying the stuff we looted. Their imagination will surely come up with more terrifying ideas than any lie I could come up with. We leave them without saying a word, seemingly without a care for our things, and that seems to scare them, so they quickly leave. So after raiding all the camps, we head into the city, where the largest group should be, over a week into the search. And here, we find the corpses of two dozen humans, thrown around the streets, smashed against the floor, bloody splats on the ground. Men with holes in their chests, a woman''s body without a head. Blood is everywhere, a massacre committed with the pure power of physical stats as confirmed by checking the remains with my eyes, there is no mana around. Looks like your lynthari duo did have some fun, I say to Myrra. She doesnt answer, and with a frown on her face, we follow the trail of blood and massacre, finding a dozen more corpses. severed limbs are everywhere and organs are splattered on the walls. We reach one of the towers near the center of the city and find two more corpses. Lynthari with their chests caved in, one of them has had their head pulled off and the other is missing an arm. Both of the lynthari are very dead. Chapter 263: Child of this planet Chapter 263: Child of this planet The area where the fight happened is destroyed, the walls have been crushed and the road is full of deep craters from the duos attacks. For the first time, I detect the attackers mana in the air. And I recognize the signature almost immediately. Oh my, isn''t this interesting? After looking over the corpses of these lynthari shes probably known for over a hundred years, Myrra follows me, and both of us enter the tower. This is the biggest tower I''ve entered so far, and yet it stood in the shadow of the Living Tree, dwarfed by it. But on its own, this building is impressive, and the fact that it still looks so good after so much time tells a lot about the way it was built. The hallway is massive as well, with polished stone floors, covered in a light coat of debris, dust, and fresh blood, accompanied by a few more corpses. Under my feet, broken glass and the remains of old furniture crunch and clatter echoing across the room, but I don''t mind it that much, and Myrra seems to agree. Currently, the lyntharis face bears a strange expression, somewhere between anger, sadness, and something I cant identify. At the end of the trail, we find Isola sitting on the last remaining piece of furniture. The pale, black-haired guild master of Obsidian Circle greets us with a smile, waving at us with a hand covered in blood. "Feral angry kitten and invader Myrra, it''s nice to see you!" She greets us. "Who is here with you?" I ask curiously instead of returning her greeting. The other person I sense in the tower is somewhere far above us and using something that makes it difficult to identify their signature, no matter how hard I try. "It''s probably a secret, but who cares," Isola jumps to her feet, the old armchair behind her cracking. "It''s Thalen," she says. Isola sends a pulse of mana shoots toward the signature Ive carefully detected. Most likely a warning or a call for help. Without much trouble, I reach out and disrupt it before it even reaches the ceiling. "That''s rude, Nathaniel," I note that she calls me by name. "You know I won''t have a chance against you and Miss Invader without Thalens help." "Isn''t that your problem?" I reply. "I guess," Isola shakes her head, and after looking at Myrra, she looks back at me. "Are you with the invaders now?" "I''m on my own side. What you and the lynthari do is not my problem." The pale woman laughs. "You talk as if youre not even one of us." As she speaks, the tattoos on her forearms increase in size spreading all over her body, changing their shape and effects adapting to her fighting style. And I let her, carefully observing what she does. "But you always did that, didn''t you?" Isola stretches her body lazily. Muscles under her skin move, showing the strength of her body. [Stoneheart - lvl 228] "What are you and Thalen doing here?" Myrra asks for the first time. Isola answers without hesitation, "Thalen had a spy among the scavengers that went to the Old Capital, and they located a few really interesting items, so we came to get them. You know, mostly the kind of thing that only works against lynthari. Poison against you guys, paralyzing enchantments. Stuff our ancestors were using during the war." "So it''s gotten that far?" Myrra asks in a somber tone. "Yes, the Colonys attack didn''t help, and between you and the Matriarch being gone, things went to... well, to shit. You will have to tell me why you decided not to come back, Miss Invader Myrra. Still, I don''t think you being there would change things much." A presence Ive felt moving closer the entire time stops hiding its signature, and the older red-haired man reveals himself. Thalen, guild master of Luminous Order, the only human healer in Virelia. [Pulsebinder - lvl 234] The warm mana that I know so well radiates from him, and the small tattoo on Isolas neck glows brighter. A mark left by the healer that works not unlike the Crown of Lily that I used. Isola immediately heals, at a speed much faster than Lily can pull off. I dont think there is a reason for us to fight, the man says. His voice is calm and confident, and I notice him holding an orb that he seems to be operating with his mana. Little Thalen, who do you even think you are? Ive known you ever since you were a brat, barely reaching my waist, and now you take such a tone with me? Myrra''s canines show and her cat-like ears stand up, her swinging tail showing her annoyance. Miss Myrra, I have nothing but respect for you and do not wish for us to fight. Interesting to hear from the one who went looking for weapons to use against lynthari, Myrra''s canines extend even more. Thalen looks at Isola, who just smiles playfully, and then he sighs, turning his attention to Myrra again, Its not something I want to use. The weapon will only be there to make sure the lynthari are willing to have a conversation with us. I promise not to use it as long as you dont threaten us. Sounds quite reasonable, doesnt it? Curious, I observe the white-haired lynthari. Thalen, dear little Thalen, I always hated you for spewing such bullshit with a straight face, taking a step towards Isola, Myrra continues to stare at the red-haired man. Its all for us humans, Miss Myrra. I think it''s reasonable to strive to be free of you, especially after we found out that our world was invaded by you. A circle of mana appears behind him, its diameter half the length of his body. That circle starts glowing, and Thalen floats over the railing and into the air over Myrra. Mana radiates from the man, his pure white clothes contrasting with his stark red hair. He spreads his arms, You dont even seem to be interested in the title of lynthari matriarch, so I ask you, no, I beg you, allow us humans to decide on our own. Allow us to decide whether we can live with lynthari or if we just cant bear it anymore. His face takes on a sad expression. Thalen then turns to me, And for you, guild master of Angry Kittens, Nathaniel Gwyn, I ask you to stand on the side of your race, as you are also a child of this planet. Even though he tries so hard, I notice his tone change slightly. Almost imperceptibly as he says the name of our guild. A hint of contempt, as if even saying such words out loud is beneath him. Yeah, no, I respond. May I ask you why? I dont like the name of your guild. What is it even, Luminous Disorder? Its Luminous Order, Guildmaster Gwyn. Looming Disorder? Luminous Order. Oh, Ruminous Border. ...Guildmaster Gwyn, did I get on your bad side somehow? Chapter 264: I won’t do it again Chapter 264: I wont do it again A bit. Sending Obelia after one of my guild members is a bit rude, dont you agree? I ask the man. Still floating there with the golden circle behind him, Thalen looks down at Isola, shakes his head, and turns back to me. There was a misunderstanding. Sure. My intention he starts, but I interrupt him. Im not interested in talking with a fake, the moment I say that, his expression changes. A look of sheer surprise overtakes his face, much to my amusement. How funny. Did he really think no one would notice? Youre just trying to spew more bullshit. Isola pretends to be dumb while spewing out your secrets, maybe in hopes we will kill you, I say, and they exchange glances, and Isola just smiles, mostly confirming what I said. Feral angry kitten, we did have some fun together, right? We trained a lot, and I dont think were so different, so what do you say? Won''t you join me? Isola asks me. Sorry, I don''t trust you and I think Myrra wants to kill you, after answering, I turn to Myrra, who seems to be as amused as she is angry, her feelings betrayed by her tail. Is that so? Isola sighs, I guess my only option is to fight alongside Thalen. What do you say, old man? Without me, you wont be able to get the items out of here. We can talk things out a bit later. More mana radiates from the red-haired man, and he nods, You can go all out. I will take care of the aftermath. We will He doesnt even finish his sentence when the anchor Ive been stealthily setting up next to him explodes, finally allowing him to sense its placement, too late for him to cancel it out. I didnt try to set it closer because he would surely have felt it, but in exchange, I send much more energy through it. The explosion throws him against the wall, the left side of his body is missing and bleeding. At the same time, Myrra attacks Isola again, aurora glass surrounding her and creating a dome around both of the women. Before I can reach Thalen, he is already fully healed, and the golden circle behind him reactivates, spinning wildly. Armor forms around my body and covers it fully, and I face down an attack that reminds me of [Oscillation], Generated from the golden circle behind the man. Thalen disrupts even the small anchors I place near him, not falling for the same trick twice, not realizing that Ive made them easily noticeable. He then lets my flames hit him. Yellow flames turn golden, burning and charring his extremely durable body, which even then regenerates at an immense speed. Ive been doing that for a while, by the time I notice the effect of the flames weakening. No, its not like they are getting weaker, its more like he is getting more resistant to them. Some sort of adaptive resistance? Probably a trait or passive. I cut off the flames, and my javelins pierce his body through and through, but before I can expand them and tear him apart, he uses his [Oscillation]-like skill to destroy them. So interesting. We continue launching attacks against each other, and I keep testing him, limiting my output slightly to see more of his skills, while using [Perception] at the same time to observe the fight between Myrra and Isola. You are really strong, one of the strongest humans I ever fought against, Thalen says after I throw a small tricolored orb against him. With his tough body, he takes some of the damage and avoids the rest while healing his wounds. He''s doing it the entire time, getting hit by my skills partially to gain resistance against them while waiting. Hes not attacking much, most likely the type that builds up resistance, prepares a plan, and then ends the fight in one fell swoop. I, on the other hand, ignore his words and continue to limit my output. Still, Im getting a bit annoyed by the way he talks, so I reach out to him with my domain, and I use [Resonance] to disrupt his skills in the middle of him restoring the leg I cut off. While he quickly focuses on regaining control over his skills, I place an anchor that he is too late to disrupt and teleport next to him. The feeling of my fist hitting his face is satisfying, and he crashes against the wall, then falters in the air before he starts floating again. His broken neck returns to its original position and the wounds on his face heal to a perfect state. He does that while he keeps healing Isola through their bond and through the tattoo on Isolas neck, so she can stand against Myrra. I hear cracking, and through [Perception], I observe as Myrra is sent flying and crashes against multiple walls, breaking through each of them. She pushes against the floor and avoids another attack from Myrra. She then charges to my side. I track her movement, and doing so, our eyes meet. In the end, she notices and strengthens the barrier in front of her, creating multiple layers. The anchor I placed there explodes, sending her crashing against a nearby wall, destroying it and sending dust and debris into the air. [Tether - lvl 27 > Tether - lvl 28] I deactivate my trait, and this time my head hurts a lot and my sight blurs. I send thermal energy through my body, activating my passive in an attempt to alleviate some of the aftereffects. Fuck, Isola groans from the ground. She doesn''t move and just lays there, most of her tattoos losing their glow and her barriers weaker than before. She is faking, I tell Myrra. Feral one, who do you think I am? Isola, still lying on the ground, giggles and tilts her head, looking at me. I always hated you, creepy-eyed fuck. Mana explodes from her body, barriers absorbed into her skin, and for a short moment, she moves like the wind. Chaotic and hard to grasp. She dodges Myrras attacks and tries to flee once more, only to be blocked by Aurora glass. Then she moves even faster. Her tendons and muscles tearing from the strain, each of her attacks sends Myrra backward and damages even the epic armor the lynthari is wearing. In the last attempt, she lets Myrra stab her with a weapon made of Aurora glass that passes through Isolas chest entirely. In exchange, Isola bites down into the lyntharis neck and giggles like a demon. She tries to bite again after tearing a chunk of flesh from it. But she doesnt have the opportunity and freezes in the middle of the attack, as the bottom half of her body separates. However, she still tries to attack, to scratch, to grasp, her weak attempts blocked by Myrra. Gradually she slows down, and the light starts disappearing from her eyes. [You have defeated Stoneheart - lvl 228] Myrra lets go of her body, and it falls to the ground, the head of the dead woman bouncing off the floor. The emotions on Myrras face are hard to read, but I ignore it and come closer, searching through the pockets of Isolas clothes. Maybe she had a nice item or two. While doing so, I also examine the tattoos on her skin, making sure I remember them all. I spend a minute on it, but I dont find anything; the only things I can consider an item are her intricate tattoos. Isola always liked to rely on her body alone. Feral one I hear from over me and look up at Myrra, who continues, Do you really feel nothing? You knew her, you two did spar a lot, and yet here you are, searching through her pockets, while her bodys still warm. I stand up and dust my clothes a bit. I look over Myrra, who still holds a hand on her bleeding neck. The wound nearly healed already, either thanks to a skill or some items or maybe a hidden tattoo she possesses. After thinking it over, I answer Myrra, She tried to kill me, didnt she? She also allied herself with someone who attacked my group, I answer. I mean, she wasnt that bad, and we did have some nice duels, but Im not strong enough to just let her live without worrying about it biting me or others in the back. So, you would leave her alive if you were much stronger? Probably? I mean, if she didnt threaten my group and had only attacked me I probably would. If I was much stronger, it would consider it cute rather than threatening. Myrra opens her mouth to ask something else, but I interrupt her, You keep telling me that you know me so well, so why dont you answer your own questions? We start walking towards where the corpse of Thalen is. You only care about your guild, and you wouldn''t hesitate if you had to kill anyone here. You might be sad afterwards, but you would do it, Myrra says carefully back in the hallway of the tower. To answer her question, I hand her the orb, the weapon against lynthari that Thalen held. You are mostly right, but I think I would hesitate to kill you as well. As for Isola, I never trusted her. After saying that, I search Thalens body and dont find anything interesting. I notice that Myrra wears a strange expression, and her tail is swaying weirdly, but I decide to ignore it. Honestly? Myrra is often annoying, and we fought multiple times, but most of the time she is honest and not the type to stab people in the back or treat them cruelly without a reason, and thats what I like about her. Yes, its true what she said, and I only care about Group 4 out of everyone on this floor, because everyone else here is fake and will disappear. Yes, I did treat some lynthari and humans well, like Cael, Obelia, Eris, Myrra, and even Isola at times. There is no reason for me to be cruel, to murder people for pleasure, or to kill others for their goods. Thats a path I dont want to walk. Sure, if it comes to it, I wont hesitate because there is a difference between being cruel and being stupid, and actively hurting myself. But I won''t do it if there isn''t a reason to. Thats what Ive decided for now, and I will continue to do so, changing my ways only if I have no other option. Chapter 265: Wrath Chapter 265: Wrath The combination of Mana Wavelength Iris and [Tether] is really strong, but its taxing, and I can barely activate my new trait for a second or two. Placing anchors that are harder to detect is nice, but I''m not sure if they are well hidden or if Thalen was just the unobservant type. Or maybe he didnt care because it wasn''t his real body. I will need more testing, and yes, there will be people quick enough to run away the moment I send something through the anchor, or people capable of disrupting or using them against me. But I will deal with that in the future. So far, I''m really happy with my new trait and will be sure to supplement my build with two nice epic passives after I enter the 5th floor. [Perception] encompasses the room I''m in. The range of the skill is smaller on purpose as I''m trying to fine-tune it and maybe find some hidden stuff. Myrra and I split up, both of us going through the tower and searching for any interesting items, so far it looks like Thalen already found the best one and thats in Myrras hands now. The tower bears signs of times passage that are mostly cosmetic. Dust, faded colors, worn-out carpets, furniture crumbling to dust, that kind of thing. Otherwise, the building is still holding strong, and even though its empty, I can still sense the circuits running through the walls. After checking the last room I was interested in, I channel my mana through the wall and observe where it leads, and then walk in the opposite direction. I will try to find the source, the place where mana enters the wall. As Im tracking it, I meet Myrra in the hallway. Two more anti-lynthari stones, three rare items, some mana stones, and conductive metals, she holds a bag in front of her, her search has clearly been much more worthwhile. I''m trying to find the source of the mana filling the walls and powering the enchantments, I explain. Oh, you mean the core. Do you know anything about it? I ask. A bit, its not the kind of thing I''m interested in. From what I know, most important buildings and the homes of powerful or skilled people have it. It can be as simple as a high-quality mana stone that the owner keeps and replenishes with mana daily, and to power enchantments, she smoothly jumps over a piece of broken furniture blocking one of the doors. She puts a finger to her lips and after a moment of thinking, she continues, Some have mana stones so big that its impossible for one person to fill, so multiple people do it. Then there''s also the option of creating an array of mana batteries capable of keeping enchantments running at full power for weeks, or in restricted mode for months or years, maybe even longer. It''s the kind of stuff I never caught an interest in. I consider observing humans and lynthari to be more fascinating, she smiles shamelessly. These mana stones you speak of, are they as big as the ones we use as currency? I ask to confirm. Sometimes. Often they are raw mana crystals too low quality to be used like proper mana stones, or in cases where you don''t care about size and just want them to hold as much mana as possible. But in the end, it still comes down to the skill of the enchanter. A good one can create a blueprint, weave a web of enchantments, and inscribe them in a way that will increase efficiency by tens of percent in comparison to someone less skilled. Now that I think about it, I have a few mana stones with that kind of information. Nothing too good, just the kind of stuff they would teach at schools. Damn, from what I know, some of the inscriptions could be trademarked here, and I wouldnt be surprised. I think I will ask Tess to get some and leave them somewhere I can retrieve them. After channeling my mana through the wall, I notice that Ive been following fake circuits all this time. Actually, there are so many of them that I didn''t notice until now. Thinking about it, it makes sense. These fake circuits were probably designed to prevent this kind of tracking, and there were probably more anti-tracking inscriptions that are currently inactive due to the lack of mana. The way Myrra is smiling at me tells me that she knew and enjoyed watching me walk into a dead end. As if nothing happened, I send my mana through the walls again and use my eyes for a split second before continuing. Is this your trait, feral one? You didnt answer me before, but when you are using it, a golden ring appears around your iris. Its pretty. I nod and change the subject, You said the core is powering enchantments. What are the most popular ones? I know there are some to fight against detection skills, some are strengthening the building, others for isolation, or maybe even heating. One of the first are anti-detection, anti-teleportation, reactive barriers, and insulation. There are a lot of them. For heating, to repel insects, to absorb the shock of earthquakes. I even heard stories about enchantments capable of making entire manors fly, enchantments that absorbed mana from attacks to strengthen their barriers, enchantments that killed you if you used specific skills or said specific words. I quite like what Im hearing; it all sounds really versatile and like something I will totally try to learn how to do. I also push my plan to steal secrets on the matter higher on my priority list. For example, I can already imagine building a manor for Biscuit and creating an enchantment that would feed him deer jerky at pre-scheduled times. Or an enchantment that would activate and attack anyone who uses an invisibility skill. Thats nice indeed. I dont rush my search for the core, and we examine a few more rooms in the process. Some of them are more interesting than others, but all of them feel empty and lifeless without mana or people flowing through. The silence is nearly eerie, made even worse when we pass by windows and see the entire city like this; there is no movement, and it looks drained of colors. Even the wind seems to avoid it and doesnt pass through the streets. Breaking through a few walls, we finally reach the core, a pillar as tall as me, made of a light purple mana crystal. It stands proudly in a simple room, and the set of inscriptions around it is extremely delicate. After examining it for a while, I channel my mana into it, but even that little trickle seems to cause problems, the pillar has likely been programmed to only accept mana from certain people to avoid manipulation. All the possibilities fascinate me endlessly. [Resonance] activates, and I start changing the frequencies of my mana, while [Mana Manipulation], [Infusion], [Mana Domain], and [Perception] continue to run in the background to ease things along. All these skills work together under the watch of my split [Focus]. Its something Ive just started learning to do, and the advantages are just as obvious, as the disadvantages presented by my lack of proficiency and the weakened effect of the skill. Before I get fully into it, I send a message in the Community. Noname -Sset, is everything ok with your master? It takes a few minutes for Tess to answer; like me, she checks the Community often, just for a second or two to see messages, in consideration of the 15-minute limit we have. Sset -She will be dealt with. I see, she must be angry too, after learning that Obelia worked with Thalen to kidnap or kill Lily. Tess isnt one to hesitate in such a situation. POV Storm Brigade Out of nowhere, a flash of light passes through the air, ignoring our defenses, and I watch as my partner for this watch gets thrown against the wall. The alarm rings in my head, and the core sends more mana into the barrier, but the flashes continue. By the third one, I finally realize what it is. "It''s the third disciple, Tess!" I shout while activating an item that ensures the message is heard by everyone else on duty tonight. Do not touch me, the young servant says with an expression that terrifies me. Someone screams, and then I see nothing. POV Jenna The 1st disciple died, the second one as well, but finally, I reach the top of the tower where the attacks came from with three of our elites. As expected, Tess stands there. Tall, beautiful, and lit by the moonlight. Even on this night, her golden hair seems to shine, and the crown of lightning over her head makes her seem more regal than anyone I have seen in my life. Jenna, she greets me shortly. Behind her back, a dozen javelins float. One epic and the remainder are upper rare grade, but the most dangerous thing is the lightning flickering all around and the sheer amount stored in the crown. Tess, I greet her back and absorb all the mana my batteries hold, a storm cloud forming over our heads as our elites surround her. Tess looks up, observing the cloud and the lightning that flickers within. My lightning. The one Ive worked twenty years to master. Then her crown enlarges and radiates more mana. The stormcloud I created darkens and expands even more. And I lose control over my lightning. She takes it from me and replaces it with something of hers, something much stronger. Something Primordial. And she does it with such ease as if my years of work are worth nothing. For the first time, the hate I always felt towards her is replaced by fear. Fighting for control over the storm cloud I created, we attack. I watch as Tess reaches her hand up and swings it downwards, drawing a pillar of red and white light from the stormcloud over our heads. The air itself shakes, and then I die. POV Obelia Jenth The wall around my doors disintegrates, destroying all the inscriptions and expensive materials, and they come crashing down, revealing a petite black-haired girl with a bag in her hands. There is no sign of the guards in the hallway, and even now I can feel and hear a constant barrage of attacks outside. Your door needs some work, even the ones to the room he enchanted were stronger than this, Lily says and enters my office. She does so without any worry, even though she must be feeling all the protections I have. I push against the table and stand, stepping on my prosthetic leg, and follow her eyes to look at my arm, which is also a prosthetic. Yes, even Thalen was unable to restore it. It was the first time I saw him so terrified, I say in response to her unspoken question. When she doesn''t react I offer her, How about we make a deal? In exchange for my life, I will do anything you want of me. My eyes meet those of hers, and I can see no mercy in them, no hesitation. They feel like she is looking at a bug. Nathaniel would accept, I try again. A look of surprise appears on her face, and she starts laughing. It''s a laugh that I would consider cute, and that makes her look even more innocent. You dont know him at all, she says, still laughing and smiling at me. You stepped over the line. Lily takes a step towards me, ignoring the fact that the closer she gets, the more enchantments light up and the more mana radiates into the air. Her voice is smooth, but dark, We are his, I AM his. She throws her bag on the ground, and from it, something rolls out. With fascination, I stare at her lips as she proclaims, He is probably the most rational out of all of us, but Obelia, you dont have any worth anymore. You and your guild have betrayed him. Only now do I recognize that the things that fell from the ground are limbs. Small hands, like those of the girl in front of me. There are a dozen of them. I activate all the enchantments, and my mana moves as well, sparking the lightning, which feels somehow hesitant as if traumatized from my clash against the young healer before. My red lightning clashes against wisps of gray smoke that surround her, and the hands on the ground vanish, and the pressure I feel from her strengthens overwhelmingly while her hair becomes shorter, and one of her hands disappears. The wounds that she receives from the defenses of my office get healed immediately or blocked by that terrifying skill of hers. The entirety of my mana flows from me, fighting against her, enchantments, items, and even epic items. All of it is useless, and her entire arm disappears, strengthening her once more when I''m already out of mana. You are weaker than I thought. I think Tess is already stronger than you. Her words sting, no, they hurt a lot, and the feeling of pride and hate I hold towards my third disciple surfaces. But I push it away, there is no sense in comparing myself to a genius like her. I can''t even run because then I would fall under attack from Tess, so the only thing that remains is to fight against the girl in front of me, till the end. She stands there, petite, innocent face, her arm missing and in simple clothes. Wisps of gray smoke destroy everything they touch. It doesnt matter if it''s mana, my body, or items. All of it is equal under the force of her skill. I would recognize your sub-class anywhere, it''s Wrath, isnt it? I stagger back, with a deep gash in my chest as the life leaves my body. I feel so cold. "You do not need to know," she says and the last thing I see is her face. Chapter 266: In the desert Chapter 266: In the desert Close to two weeks have passed, and I''m ready to leave the old capital. I believe I gained a lot from this place, and I think I could discover more. Maybe find some secrets I missed, hidden items, and more about this floor. However, when I weigh it against what I could gain from the next floor, it pales in comparison. Status. Name: Nathaniel Gwyn Difficulty: Hell Floor: 4 - Waning Realm Time left until forced return: 4y 51d 14h 1m 57s Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit, Mana Wavelength Iris Lvl 214 Strength: 103 Dexterity: 101 Constitution: 246 Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 782 + 782 Primary Class: Focused Channeler (epic) Sub-class: [Initiate of Pride] Active skills: Focus (Dual Focus Consolidation) - Lvl 42 Mana Manipulation (Advanced Mana Manipulation) - Lvl 43 Perception - Lvl 40 Redistribution (Symbiotic Transference) - Lvl 40 Resonance - Lvl 40 Mana Domain - Lvl 28 Tether - Lvl 28 Regalia - Lvl 17 Infusion - Lvl 20 Constructs: Reinforcement (Construct) Kinetic Mana Heart (Construct) Mana Regulator (Construct) Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct) Passive skills: Cerebral Harmony (rare) Mana-Fortified Resilience (rare) Pyrokinetic Resurgence (rare) Mana Reservoir (epic) Arcane Resilience (epic) Tokens: Beyond Difficulty entrance token Shards: 9462 Noname - I forgot about Hadwin, and we didn''t buy anything for him. Back then it was okay; we just gave him mana stones, and he picked something on his own. But since he died, I can''t stop thinking about it. I want to write another message, but Savant interrupts me. Savant - That''s enough for the answer. After that, I close the Community and gesture to Myrra as we head towards the crash site of the orbital base. The ever-present dunes and scorching sun get old rather quickly, but I start to enjoy the warmth on my skin after a few weeks in the cold and cloudy old capital. Right now, even though the only thing to see are the dunes all around us, the sunshine makes things look more lively. Soon, we reach one of Tess''s markers, a small stone holding some of her mana though its already been buried under a dune by the wind that shapes this desert. But because I know what to look for, I''m still able to locate it and continue to follow the trail. As she has many times before, Myrra follows me, and there is a hint of distant sadness to her. It''s hard to describe, but it''s the expression of someone waiting to hear the bad news. Myrra is smart, and like me, she likes to observe others, so she must have noticed something. The question is how much the system has allowed her to notice. I decide to push it away, as something for future Nathaniel to deal with before entering the 5th floor. So, for now, we silently push through the dunes while I pull the iron sled of items behind me. Minutes pass. Then hours, and a day, as we track the marks Tess left until we reach one of the biggest dunes and climb on top of it. They are in front of us, Myrra says quietly and points somewhere in the distance. I''m unable to see anything unlike her, so she forms her aurora glass into a big plate in front of us. The glass shifts and changes multiple times until it seems to work like a telescope, and through it, I finally see Group 4, all of them walking in line, moving multiple sleds similar to mine. Out of nowhere, Tess stops and turns around, staring right at us. Lily steps up next to her and looks in our direction as well, but unlike the blonde she can''t see that far. Tess only shakes her head, and the smile that flashes across her face seems to be meant for me and not for Lily. Your group can be scary at times, Feral One, but are you sure you don''t want to help them? The Fallen Hero is a terrifying enemy. I watch as Biscuit wobbles through the sand, his short legs often sinking and slowing him down, and yet he is too proud to ask for help and continues to follow the group. The snake around Isabellas arm is much bigger now, and out of everyone in the group, Isabella seems to enjoy the desert the most, even keeping two fire orbs floating nearby. I can''t sense it from here, but I think she might be using the sun and hot air here to strengthen them. Then there is a group of three boys walking closely behind Maya, all pulling sleds while Sophie walks in the back, surely casting her web all around. They are the same, yet different, and a wistful feeling overtakes me. How silly it is, how unaccustomed I am to this kind of feeling. When I turn to Myrra, she gazes at me sadly, For a moment, you were smiling, Feral One. A real, warm smile. It disappeared as quickly as it came, but you were. She reaches out and brushes a lock of hair from my face, her touch gentle as if she is handling something delicate. I watch her for a moment, curious about what she will do next, but she stops and pulls her hand away. Tutorial, I say. She tilts her head and opens her mouth as if she wants to ask something, but then her face changes, a blank expression appears on it, and then it reverts to the state it was before I said that word. Fourth floor, Waning Realm, Floor quest, I say quietly. After each word, her expression changes to blank and then reverts. So, I just stay quiet, and she smiles at me apologetically, Sorry for touching you, Feral One. It''s fine, I tell her. It takes a day longer than we expected to spot the Fallen Hero. Even from as far away as I am, I can sense the sheer amount of power the armor possesses, and when Myrra uses her Aurora glass, we can see it as well. As the rumors said, it''s most likely an upper epic suit of armor that, while the Champion was alive, most likely served to transfer some of his owners mana into sheer physical strength. Now, with the Champion dead, the armor uses his still-beating mana heart to power itself and move around, searching for enemies. Either some changes were made to the armor when its wearer died, or the Champion programmed it to do that before he died. To help humans fight against the enemy. The gray and red armor itself is scratched all over; in places, it looks like it has started to rust, and there are even holes in places, the biggest one on the back of the helmet, is most likely the one that killed its owner. The movement is unnerving, clearly not human. Each step is somehow awkward and hesitant, yet full of strength. Tess and the others notice it as well and from really far away, she starts to observe it, moving the group so they can avoid it while she collects enough information. I spend that day examining mana stones as I pull the sled behind me and speak with Myrra, trying to tease her, or practicing my skills. Yet none of these actions help me to get my mind off what is about to come. Straight and clear, I''m worried. Pathetic, am I not? After all the things I said. All my resolve that they should get stronger or die now before we become closer. Gareths words come to my mind more and more often as time passes, and I find myself thinking maybe he was right. When the time finally comes, I''m ready to dash in there and help, but only until Tess''s face appears in full view on the piece of aurora glass allowing us to see far into the distance. Tess smiles brilliantly, and her gray eyes have an unnatural shine to them from the desert sun. As it has these past few days, her [Stormcrown] remains suspended over her head. It will be fine, I read her lips. Don''t go around planting death flags, you stupid blonde, I mumble under my breath and then sit back down. Fine, I will trust you. It''s hard for me to do so, but I will believe in you guys. Show me what Group 4 is capable of. Chapter 267: The Fallen Hero Chapter 267: The Fallen Hero The group takes a formation unlike any they''ve used before. For the first time, Tess hangs back, opposite her normal position, on the frontlines. She is so far behind that it would be hard for her to move close to help. It surprises me, but I soon realize why shes done so. Tess will be focusing on dealing as much damage as possible without being distracted by her opponents'' attacks. From such a distance, she will be able to make each of her attacks as strong as possible. Obviously, that also means she will be putting a lot of trust in the rest of the groups ability to stay alive. For someone wanting to protect her friends so much, it''s an unexpected decision. On the other side, Lily is back on the frontline, next to Maya, who has the epic crown on her head, and plenty of mana batteries in contraptions layered over her body. The petite healer seems to be determined, and I instantly realize that her position on the front line was her choice. Dennis and Aaron are both on the sides and slightly behind Lily and Maya. Seeing as no one is talking, they must be using [Connection] to communicate. A bit further back are Isabella and Sophie, the sisters close to each other, Noodle coiled around Isabellas arm as she holds the epic bow Lily used to wield. The last member of the group, Min-Jae, is off to the side of the sisters. He has switched to smaller projectiles for this fight, and he spins them around his body, something he started copying when he saw me doing it. The projectiles in question look a lot like golf balls, but I know they are extremely heavy because of his gravity skill. One of his eyes is brown, and the left one is yellow, and it''s already glowing and I''m sure hes improved his control of it. Ive thought about it before, but I think his eyes are similar to my own, the only difference is that I have two eyes that allow me to see waves of mana. While his eye seems to allow him to see waves of gravity. Biscuit is also there. He stands on the dune, a gentle wind blowing against his fur, and the corgi seems to be enjoying it while he breathes quickly. His tongue is sticking out as if he is trying to cool off. So far, he is not using any skills, but he is ready. The fight starts suddenly. Initiated by Kim shooting one of his small metal orbs at the Fallen Hero. I watch through Myrras Aurora glass as the armor stops moving and turns around. The corpse of the Champion clad in Valorplate. Even damaged, the red and gray armor is beautiful. And most of all, it''s dangerous, confirmed by the First Ones fear of it. When the armor starts moving towards the group, I understand it. Nothing changes after it notices the group. There is no mana emanating from it, and no skills activate. No, the entirety of that immense mana is turned into sheer strength. The armor takes a step, and the entire dune under it explodes, and with one leap, it flies through the air right toward the group. The silence is broken by the crackling of lightning and a terrifying noise that pierces the air as a gray spear crashes against the armor. The lightning spreads, covering the armor. The sheer strength of the impact pushes the armor away, and both burrow deep into a dune, sending an explosion of sand into the air. Lightning flashes again, and the spear gets pulled back. Isabella attacks next. One of the fire orbs floating over her shoulder elongates and turns into a flaming arrow which she nocks to her bow. Even though the bow is nearly as tall as her, she manages to draw the string of mana that appears and fires the arrow. As it leaves the string it grows even brighter and more compressed, a brilliant arrow made of blue fire that Isabella subtly manipulates to compensate for her lack of skill. The blue arrow leaves a wake of shimmering hot air, and when it passes over the sand, it melts. The longer it flies, the more it speeds up, and by the time it reaches the crater left by the armor, I can barely track it with my eyes. The explosion that ensues sends flames high into the air, some as tall as a building. The impact sprays molten sand into the area, and as it falls, it shines brightly like drops of hot glass. Even before the fires disappear, the armor climbs out of the sand, slightly charred but unharmed. At that point, its movements change. It''s not so inhuman this time, no, it''s slow and elegant. The Fallen Hero stomps on the ground, and the sand explodes high into the air like a series of geysers as the shockwave blows away the flames. It''s not using skills at all; it''s just sheer physical stats, Myrra whispers, her eyes glued to the piece of glass. The armor moves again and disappears from sight, another shockwave erupting in its wake. It takes another leap, much lower and faster this time. Just before the armor reaches Maya and Lily, I notice Kim moving his arm, and the armor stops mid-air and crashes back to the ground, pulled by the immense force of gravity. Mana radiates from Maya, and her mana armor envelops her, denser than anything shes ever shown me before. She uses [Boost], moving past Lily, and as the armor stands up, her ax crashes into it, sending it staggering backward. Before she can attack again, the Fallen Hero swings its arm, and she is sent flying, as the front of her armor cracks. The armor takes a step to follow her, but Lily appears in front of it, and the armor changes its mind and punches her. The punch is smooth and elegant, looking like the result of thousands of repetitions. Its hand passes through Lilys chest, but then the twin''s illusion disappears, and Lily hits it with her fist instead and sends a blast of gray mana through the punch. Biscuit tilts his head, a focused expression overtaking his face, and instead of purple tentacles, an orb of purple mana materializes in front of the corgi. The orb starts off as big as a basketball but shrinks to the size of a golf ball, its purple color darkening with streaks of different colors flowing through. Don''t tell me. The orb starts glowing bright white, and Biscuit shoots it at the Fallen Hero who tries to run away but is once again stopped by Sophie. Aaron appears next to Biscuit and grabs him from the ground. He activates [Haste] and runs at a speed that is almost as quick as the armor. Then the Fallen Hero changes again. The first time it happened, its awkward movements became smoother and elegant, yet this time theyve become confident and domineering. Even though Sophie holds the armor, it straightens up and slashes its hand towards the orb flying at it. The orb disappears as if it never existed, and an immense force slashes against the ground, creating a deep and long crack in the sand. Another slash with its hand destroys Biscuit''s mana arms as they reach toward it, and the stomp creates a shockwave that forms another crater around the armor. Biscuit growls and javelins made of purple mana form by his sides as he is being carried by Aaron. The mana projectiles shoot towards the armor, which blocks each of them easily. Meanwhile, Tess and Min-Jae finish their preparation, and from high in the air, something starts falling. It''s the chest made of unknown material that once contained the eye Min-Jae now sports. The indestructible chest is falling much quicker than it should be, and I''m sure it''s much heavier as well, the force behind it immense. Dozens of purple tentacles explode from the ground and surround the armor. Sophie activates her skill, and even the twins seem to use their [Connection] in a weird way. With a shockwave, the chest smashes against the armor, crumpling and bending it and forcing it to its knees. The sheer weight and inertia dealing immense damage. But slowly, the Fallen Hero still stands up. Its stance changes once more, and it disappears from the spot, reappearing in front of Min-Jae and Maya. The young boy doesn''t even have time to react, but Maya does. Her [Boost] gives her enough speed to face the armor for a few seconds even though she is bleeding and tearing her body as she moves, the crown on her head keeping her alive. A dozen attacks are exchanged in a second, both of them changing positions to try to gain an advantage over each other while Lily moves nearby. Even though the armor has only one arm, it dominates Maya, and the moment her skill deactivates, a hand swings to her face. Messages are exchanged between the group and Lily grabs the armor by the hand, her body strengthened by [Sacrifice], now capable of following the armor. Quickly pulling its arm away, the armor dashes and disappears, attacking Isabella. Lily disappears simultaneously and steps into its path, the two of them exchanging blows. Giving up on her ranged advantage, Tess lands nearby, a crown over her head and lightning crackling and trailing her body. Her face appears on the piece of aurora glass, and she declares something, the armor freezing in mid-movement and turning to her. Tess''s crown disappears, the lightning that formed it flowing down her body and into her hand where it reforms into the shape of a spear. The blonde faces it and attacks the armor as it changes its stance again, to the form with elegant movements. Lily, with her presence masked by the twin''s skill, jumps on the armor''s back. Her gray mana turns into a dagger which she repeatedly stabs into the armor''s helmet, causing it to stagger a bit. More messages are exchanged between the members and skills activate, forcing the armor to stop its movements. Then Tess takes a step forward and a spear of lightning pierces right through the place where the heart is supposed to be. In the following silence, nothing moves for a while, and the wind continues to move sand over the dunes until it stops as well. Finally, the Fallen Hero staggers and falls to its knees. Congratulations! Your group has completed your Floor quest and defeated the second Calamity. You have received 4000 shards. Relieved, everyone from Group 4 groups up, smiles on their faces as they check on each other and seem to read notifications as well. The boys, still weak and wounded, start checking the armor lying on the ground, and I notice they are talking quickly. In the end, they did it; on their own, they defeated the Calamity, and I see that every single one of them has become stronger. Some of them by a lot, and some didnt have the chance to show it fully because of the opponent they were facing. Another soft ding sounds, and curious I check the new Floor quest that has appeared. Floor quest: Kill Lynthari Matriarch Myrra Reward: 6000 shards Chaper 268 - End of the world Chaper 268 - End of the world Ive decide to ignore the side quest for now and look at the entrance to the 5th floor thats appeared next to me. Through the portal, I see a grassy hill and a few trees to the side, not unlike the forest on the first floor. Feral One, Myrra calls to me, Who are you and the people in your group? I can''t tell you. The movement of her tail continues, but as of late, it''s somewhat lifeless. I observe her. Myrra is taller than me by two heads, she has white hair and golden cat-like eyes. A deep scar runs horizontally across her face, and two cat-like ears perch on top of her head. She is slim but has the musculature of an athlete, and her tail is long and slightly fluffy. That''s Myrra, the fake Champion candidate as she called herself. According to Eris, she is capable of reaching the rank of Champion and is currently worth 6000 shards dead.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only She will likely disappear after we step through the portal, so should I That''s fine then, if you don''t want to tell me, you don''t have to, she says simply, and the piece of Aurora glass we used to observe the fight disappears. The lynthari then turns around and slides down the dune to where we left our things. Meanwhile, I open the Beyond Community. Sset - We did it. No one is seriously hurt, but we will rest for a while and then split the things before we enter the portal, just in case we get split again. Noname - Good job. Grumpy - You should have seen it! It was super scary, but everyone did so well! Lily joins the conversation as well. A few weeks have already passed, so I guess she has dealt with her grief, along with the others. I pause for a moment and think about it. How sad it is that people can adapt so quickly to someone dying, no matter how much they held them dear. Just some time, and the memory will weaken, along with the pain. But maybe it''s better that way, a life where you grieve for years would be terrible, so having someone be a nice memory might be better in the end. It also makes me wonder how people would react if I died. Would they be sad? If so, for how long? A day or two? A few weeks? Would I be forgotten after a few weeks with barely anyone to remember that I existed? Well, Id rather not get there. Noname - I watched the fight, and you all did great. I have a few things that you guys could improve on and I will share them with you later so you can compare, but for now, good job. Grumpy - You are nearby! Why don''t you join us? I hesitate, my eyes on the screen, but Tess joins in. Sset - We talked about it. He will join us on the next floor. She probably also says something to Lily out of the chat, but I can''t be sure. Grumpy - Don''t forget, you still owe me! I will tell others what you said and see you on the next floor! Lily then says something extremely scary. Something about taking the remains of the Champions heart and examining it and maybe using it as inspiration to reconstruct hers. She also says that the boys are already fighting over the pieces of Valorplate. After that, Gareth joins as well and speaks with Tess for a bit, some congratulations and his constant behavior as a paragon of all good and just. There''s no way that guy isn''t evil, I''m sure of it. I finally close the Community and lay down on the dune, the warm sand feels nice under my back, even as it''s getting into my clothes, and the suns rays on my skin improve my mood. Ive been putting off rejoining Group 4, maybe sometime during the 5th floor. Yes, there is a risk of us getting split again, so maybe it would be nice to greet them here on the 4th, but I just don''t feel like it. I really dont. While resting a terrifying monster reaches towards my mind, and I let the communication occur. (Food?) sounds in my head. (Yes, you did a good job.) (Food!) (Yes, both of us have to become stronger.) (Food Food?) (I need some time. To think.) (Friend.) (Thank you.) (Friend!) (Friend, yes.) (Friend friend!) (Yes, you are my friend. Talk to Tess, I gave her a few pieces of Archdeer jerky before I left.) (FRIEND!) Even though I told him about the amazing treat near him, Biscuit doesn''t cut the connection and continues speaking with me. I feel myself calm down and a weird sense of relief when I talk with him. I think Isabella said it once; it''s as if there is no evil in Biscuit. I can let my defenses down. After a bit more time, it''s me who cuts off the connection so he can go and get the treats he deserves, and I slide down the dune towards Myrra. Farewell, Myrra, the expression he makes is also a new one to me. How do I look in his eyes right now, I wonder. A small step in his grand adventure or someone he remembers once in a while? Will he think of me fondly, or will I forever be a silly lynthari he met by coincidence? I watch as he takes his bags, and then, after giving me one last look, he takes a few steps and then he is gone. The moment he disappears, everything freezes. The sand stops moving, the wind stops blowing, and the air itself feels as if stuck in time. The world has ended. A day passes. I lay in the sand, and eat the food he got from somewhere. I think, meditate, and practice. I''m not used to being alone. A week has passed, and far in the distance, I notice dark clouds coming from all sides and heading towards me. Extreme earthquakes hit the desert once in a while. There is still no wind, and not a single grain of sand has moved. I''m still staying at the same place, and I don''t know why. Two weeks have passed, and during one of my meditations, I detect something. When I burrow my hands into the sand, it''s the highest-grade mana stone I ever saw, with an extremely delicate set of inscriptions. There is an immense amount of his mana left in the stone. The cloudy wall from all sides comes closer. Three weeks have passed. The sun doesn''t feel warm anymore, and the cloud wall is nearby. The earthquakes come more often, and only a little bit of his mana remains in the mana stone Im holding. Four weeks have passed. In the air, at exactly the same place where he disappeared, a tear appears. It''s jagged and uneven, and through it, a black dagger pokes, making it bigger. Then through the hole, a beautiful woman steps out. She has silver hair and is wearing a comfortable set of clothes you could wear out on the town or into a fight. The woman is young, but the moment our eyes meet, I shudder. I feel no mana from her, no sign of skills, nor is there any information in her stance. But her eyes betray it all; they scare me like nothing ever before in my life. She then throws the black dagger into the ground and talks towards it, You''ve had enough, stop fighting back. My world changes again. The cloud wall that was so close disappears, and the sun feels warmer. The wind starts blowing again, and grains of sand move once more. It''s as if the woman in front of me brought life back to the world. She sees that I''m staring at the dagger and turns to me, It''s a bit annoying, just like its creator, an almost imperceptible smile is on her lips. The silver-haired woman examines me for a bit longer and then nods, Little kitten, you are fake as well, aren''t you? I don''t understand her words fully, but hearing her call me ''little kitten'' angers me. They are words no one would dare to say to a lynthari, but I do not dare to correct her. Yes, I think, I reply. She stops in front of me, even shorter than Nathaniel, yet she doesn''t seem to be impressed by me at all and walks around, poking me at places, Lynthari, aren''t you? I met some of your race. Your Champions were always cheeky, cute things. What is happening? What does all of this mean? I try to ask in hopes she will be able to answer. You will forget it anyway, so there is no need to tell you, but I need someone to test a few things on, and you will do. As for a bit of explanation, she takes the mana stone from my hands. You can thank this thing for being alive. Without it The rest of the words she says disappear in the wind. I look at the stone, What is it? The woman observes the stone for a bit longer and then crushes it in her hand. Hes improved a bit, she mutters quietly and then looks up at me. It''s a terribly inadequate attempt at a personality imprint. Pieces of the broken mana stone fall from her hand down on the sand. To explain simply, he tried to make this stone feel like him, to trick the another word I can''t hear, into thinking he is still on the and another. Her hand moves to her lips, and she blows off the rest of the stone. Without it, this again, the words I can''t hear, would end, and you would be long dead. Why would he do that? How would that thing help me? That''s something you should ask yourself, little kitten. Was it a desperate attempt, akin to throwing a letter in a bottle into the sea? Maybe he wanted to prolong your life? Maybe he knew I would be coming and hoped for us to meet? Who knows. She starts looking around looking extremely relaxed. The confidence that radiates from her is unlike anything I have seen in my life. It''s to the point where even I feel she is capable of doing whatever she wishes to. Will you allow me to join you? I can even become your disciple. Unable to endure it all, I push against her, even if there is the option of her retaliating. Instead, she stares at me, You remind me of someone. She then puts down a bag, and from it, an arm pokes out. The arm of a woman, pale and smooth with elegant fingers. The woman sees where I''m looking, An arm of someone bearing the same title I did. It will be useful, she says simply. Then she turns to me, My name is Lissandra, the first and last Absolute of Eladore, the planet that went through more Pairings than I bother counting. The weight of my title is not something I take lightly, and neither do I take having a disciple. In my long life, I have had only two. A young woman sent to spy on me, whom I considered talented enough to declare an Absolute candidate, a greedy little thing. The second one, for but a short time, was a young man, too prideful to accept his limits and not realizing that the rank of Champion is as far as he can go. Each of her words sounds like a declaration that has entire worlds as its witness. You, meanwhile, are a fake, the same as me, even though she says that it doesn''t seem to bother her, But who said a fake can''t beat the original? The smile that spreads across her face is scary. What she shows Is a type of confidence that would make a weaker person kneel and worship her. We have a lot to do, little kitten, she says. I''m not unreasonable. If you listen to me, I can promise you one thing, as she talks, I watch her, hanging onto her words. Nothing else in the world matters other than the words she is about to say. You will find out the truth about this all. About the little pup, about the words you can''t hear, about your world and this place. That much should be enough, right? I can only nod. "Good, now, do you know about any healers? Even a bad one will do, I just need them to have a healing skill." My tail moves on its own, "I know about one that is hiding." Chapter 269: 5th Floor Chapter 269: 5th Floor Congratulations! You have cleared the 4th floor of the Hell difficulty tutorial. Welcome to the 5th floor: Mentorship You have acquired: Unique Passive skill Skill upgrade token 2000 Shards 60 stat points Access to other Communities Well, there goes my 6 thousand shards for killing Myrra. Do I regret it? Not even a bit, nope, not even slightly. The system can go and delete its System32 folder, or step on a Lego, or something. I confirm my decision by flipping the bird at the screen in front of me and laying down on the grass. The sky above me is beautiful and as far as I can sense there are no humans or monsters around. The 5th floor seems peaceful so far. My thoughts keep going back to the 4th floor and the mana stone I left behind. I wonder, will it help? Will the system ignore it and delete the floor instantly? Will the stone trick it, even a little? Have things changed because of Lissandra? The stone might only prolong Myrra''s suffering, yet I still find myself hoping. Lying there I open the community. Noname (Hell, group 4) - so how is it? Grumpy (Hell, group 4) -Nat! I''m happy that you are safe! Noname (Hell, group 4) - Who is Nat? Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - oh, sorry! But don''t worry, there is no one else, just our group Noname (Hell, group 4) -how can you know that? Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - no one else has talked so far! Oh boy, maybe all the hits she took on the left some damage she couldn''t heal. Izzy (Hell, group 4) -hello, Noname! what a terrible name! TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) -long time no see Sset (Hell, group 4) - welcome to the 5th floor I talk for a while, and greet group 4 members. After not talking to them for a few weeks it feels weirdly nice and I feel myself pushing my feelings about what happened with Myrra and the end of the floor to the back of my mind. For now, I will hope. I will allow myself to expect the best. I will trust that Cockroachsandra is as scary as she likes to think she is. Noname (Hell, group 4) -so has everyone been split up? Sset (Hell, group 4) - yes, from what we found so far everyone is in their own instance of the 5th floor. They seem to be identical to each other, but it looks like we won''t be able to meet each other. TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) -I have to go, my disciple is getting impatient! Huh, disciple? Sset (Hell, group 4) - I will be going as well. Don''t forget to check the Community every hour, stay safe everyone FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -Food! We exchange a few more words and I close the Community. Well, it looks like I will be on my own for a while. Min-Jae said he had a disciple, so what is this floor about? Floor quest: Raise and protect your disciple Rewards: ??? Skill upgrade token 5000 Shards 100 stat points Trait strengthening tokenThis chapter is updated by e to the 5th floor! Your disciple will be summoned in 24 hours. The disciple will be chosen from the tutorial database, specially for you. If your disciple dies on the 5th floor you will be severely punished. If your disciple dies outside of the 5th floor you will lose a certain amount of shards. Time until the appearance of the disciple: 23h 51min 10s That''s a lot to unpack. The user''s thoughts are incredibly complex and protected, rendering them near immune to mind-reading, scrying, and mental intrusion. This skill also confuses anyone attempting to manipulate their thoughts or memories. So, let''s go through them one after one. I probably got Basilisk Gaze because I like to use my mana for intimidation lately. I don''t like it much because it is passive and walking around with a field like that sounds annoying. But now that I think about it, I''m capable of turning off my passive skills so it should be fine, turning this passive into a semi-active skill. The effect is most likely really strong because it''s a passive skill, but I would rather deal more damage and kill my enemies quickly rather than scare them and kill them slowly. So this ones a pass for now. Mana Overload Absorption is similar to a skill I was offered a while ago, the old one was only of rare grade. I like this one a lot, a lot a lot. If I don''t change my mind Ill pick this one. Mana Forge is also interesting and would strengthen my [Regalia] a lot and would probably make it easier to create the mana mecha armor I already used a few times. Yet I hesitate, as it''s something I will slowly get to on my own and I don''t need [Regalia] to become much stronger, it''s really strong already and I''m even using [Infusion] to give it an even bigger boost. This one is also a skip for now. Energy Conversion sounds interesting. Does it mean the passive is capable of turning heat into strength and stamina? Maybe even cold? Would a higher rarity skill be capable of turning sunrays into more power? That does sound incredible. A being with such a passive? Turning sunrays, cold air, hot air, strong wind, gravitational force, and other energies into physical stats? The effect likely won''t be that strong otherwise the skill would be straight-up broken and this asshole system wouldn''t allow that, but I should keep it in mind. Labyrinth Mind is probably something similar to my Mantle and Reinforcement constructs. I also like it a lot, but with my immense mana, I should be able to protect my mind on my own, which was confirmed when Sophie wasn''t capable of Manipulating the First One while he was releasing a lot of mana. Well, Mana Overload Absorption it is, the question is what skill should I replace? Thinking for a while I sell Cerebral Harmony for 200 shards and replace it with the newest one. I think the boost Cerebral Harmony gives to my mind and mana connection is too weak at this point to even notice so it should be fine. As expected the pain is terrible and it feels like my mana channels are burning, a feeling almost as bad as when I got my first trait. The worst part of it is how long it takes. Minutes of burning pain that is made worse by the feeling of it coming from inside my body. Using [Focus], I try to filter it out and examine the changes being to my body. As many times before I can''t even feel the source of the changes or what is guiding them. I''m also incapable of feeling mana or anything else applying the changes. It''s just happening. The system is truly as scary as it is assholish. Epic passives being dealt with, there is one thing I want to check before testing them. Something I was really, really curious about ever since the start of the floor. I open the community, click on Easy Difficulty, and type my message. Noname (Hell, group 4) -hey, what was your floor quest for the 4th floor? Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) -oh, another one from group 4! Welcome! Sami (Easy, AFK) - lol, another loser from Hell. Only on the 5th floor, lol. Maria (Easy, AFK) -Ignore Sami, he likes to think he is funny. Potato (Easy, Royals) - Noname, did you meet Ligma on the 4th floor? Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) - our floor quest was to kill some abomination ant. I couldn''t even see his level, but he had two question marks. One group killed him a few months ago; we went to the 5th floor. Sami (Easy, AFK) -we even have people who went to the 6th floor two months ago, lol. Potato (Easy, Royals) - did you learn about Updog? Sami (Easy, AFK) -they might be on the 7th or 8th floor already. I bet they could take you on. I don''t trust that Sset guy at all. There is no way there are three question mark monsters. Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) -what''s your level, Noname? Noname (Hell, group 4) -Sami, I will see you during the tournament. Thanks for the answer, Channeler. Is Mana the best stat? I will keep my level to myself. Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) -oooo, I like you! Mana rules! Are you also a mana build? I''m 2 parts mana and one part constitution, and people call me crazy, heh. What are you? 3 mana 1 con? Or maybe even 4 mana 1 con? I check my stats. Constitution: 246 Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 782 + 782 Noname (Hell, group 4) - something like that. Can I ask you a few questions? Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) - sure, but you will have to answer some of mine - well, the ones you can. Im really starting to like the guy. Noname (Hell, group 4) -will do. I ignore other messages as there are at this point a dozen people chatting, and I don''t have that much time with my limit for community and need to save some for later. Noname (Hell, group 4) -how many groups are there in Easy difficulty and how many people started in each? Can you tell me your floor quests and your average levels? Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) -heh, Sset asked the same questions. 10 groups in total, each group with 200 people, but plenty of them moved to normal difficulty. One group nearly all died and only 1 person survived out of all 200. We think he killed everyone else though. First floor - survive for 30 days in the forest, there were goblins and some wolves, all low level. The second floor was to stop a powerful mage mass murderer, the third floor was some post-apocalyptic city with zombies, and we had to reach the Saint and help to fight it, the fourth floor was to kill the abomination ant, two question mark monster. Nice answer, short and to the point. Noname (Hell, group 4) -thanks, what would you like to know? Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) -did you really have to fight 5 calamities one of which was a giant ant with wings that was over level 250 and led tens of thousands of ants? Noname (Hell, group 4) -only 4 Calamities and the ant didn''t have wings, he made them with mana. And yes, he was around that level. Channeler (Easy, Steakhouse) - heh, I was testing you. I wanted to compare your answer to Sset''s. Thanks. My limit is gone so see you later! After Channeler leaves, I skim through a few messages and turn off the community. Tomorrow I will check the normal one. Chapter 270: One second Chapter 270: One second Flashbacks - Earth, 1 week before Nathaniel got into the tutorial "Yes, as I said. Some of the lower security prisoners have disappeared, around 15 women and a similar number of men. Along with the guards, a doctor, and some of the visitors. An entire block of the building is gone." "Explosion?" "If it was an explosion, it''s the weirdest I''ve ever heard of. We already had someone here, asking no, ordering us to blame it on a gas leak and declare them dead." "FBI?" "Most likely, the director told us to follow orders and not ask questions." "I''m not getting paid enough to stick my nose into this so let''s do that. Did you start contacting the next of kin of the people who disappeared?" "Yes, we did, we contacted some of them, but there were a few that we couldn''t find any contacts for." "Keep trying." "We lost one of our Typhoon class submarines, sir." "Come again." "I don''t know how to say it otherwise, sir, we lost contact, sir." "Did ASW not find anything? Is there any chance that it could be a secret mission from the higher-ups?" "That''s unlikely, they were supposed to return to restock and change crew." "Their equipment?" "Intercontinental ballistic missiles, each armed with multiple nuclear warheads. They had a hundred of them." "How sure are we of their disappearance?" "They were on the surface having a direct line to one of our warships and got cut off in the middle. We already sent a few ships to their last location." "Let me know as soon as you get more information. Anything." "Yes, sir." "Did you hear? The train Matus was on crashed just this morning!" "What the hell, really? How is he? Is he ok?" "We don''t know," a boy takes a few steps and opens the door for a group of his friends. They enter the shop and quickly start picking out snacks before they go to school. "I heard the train disappeared." one of the friends says. "Bullshit, how can a train disappear?" another of the boys waves his hand. "I tried to call Matus multiple times but he is not answering, I hope hes ok." Two men stand and stare at a car. Well, what''s left of a car. The entire front end of the red pickup has been torn off, and the engine has been destroyed, and smashed. "Did someone crash it and run away?" "Yes, most likely in a tank while hiding the tread tracks." "Then how the fuck do you explain this?" one of the men screams, this car was brand new, barely used. The other man points at the tracks in the mud. "There is no way it was a bear!" His fellow grabs the screaming man and leads him to the side of the car where deep gouges have been left in the door, "Can you still say it wasn''t a bear?" "This has to be a prank!" the man screams again and they start arguing again. Two boys sit high in a shaking tree, phones in their hands, both of them calling anyone they can. Parents, police, firefighters. The tree they are sitting in is massive, yet it trembles constantly. Howl. The cause is the wolf below them. The wolf is bigger than it should have any right to be. Its skin is brown and its eyes emit a demonic glow in the dimming light. Once again the tree shakes and the wolf howls while the boys scream. Flashback - ???, 1 week before Nathaniel entered the tutorial "My lord, we got a message from the Palace. It''s about the planet weve been Paired with." "That''s an unexpectedly quick reaction." "Yes, my lord, they wanted me to point out that that planet has Beyond explorers. We don''t know the exact number yet, but its likely between ten and thirty." Feeling I''m getting close to my limits, I cut off the connection to my mana and, unable to cancel it, I throw it nearby where it floats in the air, gently sucking and absorbing any mana that reaches it. For the next hour, I continue to observe it, and at some point, I create a barrier around it, similar to the one the ants did before to store my black mana orbs. Then for the next few hours, I observe as the orb gradually crumbles. There wasnt much mana left for it to sustain itself, and I never intended there to be. Overall, I''m really happy with the result. Sure, the black mana thing is best used defensively at the moment, with its capacity for absorbing huge amounts of mana and stopping attacks that are way over my head. So that''s what I will do for now, learn to use it for defense. The second step is to inscribe my arm again and use the orb to absorb mana and make it mine in a carefully controlled manner. The third step is to slowly get it to flow through my body while maintaining the active state of my healing passive. The last step is what I''m the most excited about. The black mana feels like mana+, or mana ultra, or maybe mana pro. The sheer quality of it is something else, and if I use it to power my skills, it will give me a huge boost. So of course I intend to use it. Parially it reminds me of [Mana Surge] skill I used to have, just more versatile and much stronger. I''m about to turn around and go work on my construct, but then I hesitate in mid-step. This doesn''t feel right. Since when am I so careful? Didn''t I already decide to make myself as strong as possible? So what''s with this tiptoeing, all the preparations, and careful testing? My heart starts generating a huge amount of kinetic energy which I immediately transfer into thermal and compress it even further, golden flames blazing on my skin. Then my eyes activate once more, a beautiful hidden world opening to me, and in that world, I create another black mana orb. I reach out, grab this orb, and squeeze it. The black mana fights against me, tries to suck on my mana, to dominate it all. And I fight against it. My skills surround it, my mana surrounds it, and I force it into my body where it starts flowing through my circuits, the pain increasing, feeling as if burning iron is pulled through my muscles. But I push that to the back of my mind and let myself absorb the entire orb, constantly fighting the mana in my own body. I don''t let it. This thing is made of my mana; there is no way I will let it fight against me. [Mana Domain - lvl 28 > Mana Domain - lvl 29] [Mana Domain - lvl 29 > Mana Domain - lvl 30] My domain activates, this time within my body, strengthening my control over it and all of my mana. [Mana Manipulation - lvl 44 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 45] [Resonance - lvl 40 > Resonance - lvl 41] [Redistribution - lvl 40 > Redistribution - lvl 41] [Resonance] activates, constantly shifting the frequency of the two types of mana, matching them more closely, and [Redistribution] helps too. I ignore the pain and the pressure and just send a bit more heat through my body, any wounds that appear immediately heal under the influence of my golden flames. Then, finally, the black mana gives up and I seize control of it. I move it and I use it for a skill. I pick the one I rely on over and over again. [Focus], powered by black mana, activates and all the healing that was being sent through my body rushes to my head, my muscles immediately twitching, bones cracking. Yet even then, the passive skill only focuses on my head, trying to keep me alive and my brain from literally melting under the pressure. For one second [Focus] activates. Just for one, one terribly short second that almost kills me. And in that short moment, I watch as the world around me slows down to a crawl and my mind feels as clear as never before. My thoughts rush through with a speed that feels inhuman and it terrifies me. The moment a feeling of fear intrudes, my mind examines it, reads it, and I feel a short burst of amusement before it''s pushed to the back, immediately turning to my situation and examining the effect of black mana on [Focus]. The wind blows nearby and in slow motion, the branch of the tree next to me moves. Surprisingly, my body is capable of moving and even though the world feels slowed down, I move normally and touch the branch. Then I watch as my muscles and tendons on my arm tear, bones crack, poking through the skin, and I pull my hand back, only for it to break even further. Only then do I realize what''s happening, all still within that short second. The world did not slow down; just my [Focus] allowed me to take in all this information and process them at a speed that feels so inhuman. Then my dumb ass tried to move my body and without realizing that moving it at the current normal speed, I would need to move it dozens of times faster than what I usually do and what my low constitution is capable of handling. Before the effect wears off, I realize how dangerous it is and move black mana inside my body, pushing it out and shooting it far away from me, tearing a few holes in my skin, and overloading my circuits. Then the sounds come back to me and hit me like a tsunami. Someone groans in pain and only later do I realize it''s me. I fall to the ground, head thrashing, arm broken to pieces, eyes hurting as if someone stabbed them, circuits overloaded even with my new passive. Focusing all my attention on keeping thermal energy flowing through my body and on breathing, I lay there down in the grass near the lake. For the following hours, I only examine my area and keep up healing that is mostly focused on my head and brain. After that, I heal my body and examine my passive. Then when it''s all done, I lay there and try to take it all in. I spend hours and hours going over that single second when I felt so so I don''t know how to name it. I just know I do not regret a thing. Only when I hear rustling and feel a presence behind the trees do I realize that the 24 hours passed and my Floor Quest has fully started now. I look up and there, poking from behind the tree, a small girl hides. She is around 6 years old. She has light brown hair that is messy and seems to have been cut with a knife, and she is wearing clothes that are more rags than clothing. But the most striking thing about her is her eyes, red like rubies, and the two small pointy horns poking out from under her hair near her forehead. And over her head, hangs a single word. [Disciple] Chapter 271: Disciple Chapter 271: Disciple When our eyes meet, my disciple immediately hides behind the tree, and I feel her mana reaching towards me, examining me. She does it carefully, extremely so. I think, out of all of the people Ive met up until now, she has the most covert method of sensing another persons mana. Her probing is almost unnoticeable, just a whisper in a hurricane. I try to replicate it and examine her as well, but I can tell she has defenses in place, guarding against her own techniques, so I ease off. Sure, I could still do it, but there is no need to freak her out. Instead, I continue to recline on the grass, enjoying the warm rays of sunlight on my skin and the slight breeze; the weather is really nice. Her probing stops, and she continues to observe from her hiding place, so I open my system messages. Train and protect your disciple. A disciple was chosen from the tutorial database, this disciple was chosen for their similarities to you. There is much to be gained. Tread carefully! Killing your disciple is not allowed and will be punished severely. The longer your disciple stays alive, the bigger your rewards for this Floor quest will be. There is nothing on my disciple; there are no stats, no information about her. Maybe its on purpose? The words over her head say "disciple" and nothing of her level or class. Is this meant to encourage me to bond with my disciple, in good faith or poor, and learn these things from her? The system puts a lot of emphasis on the word "disciple," so it''s probably some sort of preparation for the future, as I predicted. The system also said that my disciple was summoned from a database. So that probably means this Floor was created as a playground for her and I. I look towards the tree again, and my silly disciple is still hiding. I''m extremely curious, and I want to inquire about her race, traits, skills, and level, all that good stuff. But I know if I do so right away, I will just scare her even more. So, I just close my eyes and wait. It takes almost thirty minutes before I hear soft steps and the sound of water; it sounds as if someone is drinking straight from the lake.This chapter is updated by Then there is another period of silence and a few more steps, heading my way; they are extremely careful and soft. The girl stands over me now, and through sheer force of will, I do not open my eyes. Damn, I hope she hasnt pulled out a dagger to finish me off. Theres still blood on my clothes from my wounds, so maybe she will because of fear. Actually, wouldn''t that be a funny way for me to go? Okay, okay, let''s calm down. I''m in too good a mood from my successful rounds of testing. Then I almost start when I feel a wet touch on my forehead, but I still hold myself back. The little girl with her tiny horns and blood red eyes continues her task. Gradually, as I realize what that is. She is using a piece of cloth shes dipped in water to wipe the blood from my face. Unable to resist any longer, I slowly open my eyes without looking at her; instead, I stare at the sky. She hesitates, before continuing, Does it hurt? she whispers in a soft voice. Her face stays close to emotionless the entire time as I watch her with my peripheral vision. She is careful to control her expression, very much so. And its an act. Shes not doing this now because shes worried about me. No, she is doing this to look innocent in my eyes, to get on my good side, and to gain favors. It''s a simple, calculated move. The actions of one whos been hurt over and over again and cant trust people, so she pretends. To survive and to not get hurt. I dont find it repulsing; no, not at all. I find it endearing. I turn my head, and my eyes meet hers. Just for a short moment, we look into each other''s eyes before she turns her gaze away. Please, dont hurt me, she whispers. Even these words are calculated, to maximize pity. Yet they are real all the same, the bruises on her body are proof of that. Her arms are pale and thin, her clothes are made of extremely cheap material, and she has no shoes. I don''t answer. Even if I tell her I wont, she will only pretend to trust me and expect it all the same. Things like this are best proven with action, not words. Carefully, to not scare her, I sit up and face her, taking the opportunity to examine her a bit more. Her horns are smaller than my pinkie; her eyes are deep red. When light shines on them, they become even more vibrant. They are pretty and contrast beautifully with her brown hair. They are yours, according to our deal. Please wash first, I grab one of the towels I bought with me, I will go scan the area so you will have some privacy. Before she can react, I use kinetic energy to push myself into the air, higher and higher. High up, I take a deep breath while keeping myself afloat at the spot. Noname (Hell, group 4) -This floor quest sucks, I dont know how to deal with kids. Izzy (Hell, group 4) -My disciple is almost as old as me! Oh boy, I did not think of that at all. Noname (Hell, group 4) -Are you ok? Izzy (Hell, group 4) - Yes! It''s fun! My disciple is really cute, and her hair is blue and keeps floating around like fire. I want that too! Noname (Hell, group 4) - How did Soph handle you getting separated? Izzy (Hell, group 4) - I think she almost cried, hehe, but Soph is dumb sometimes! I can keep myself safe, and I have Noodle with me, he will protect me too! Noname (Hell, group 4) -Still, dont do anything stupid. Izzy (Hell, group 4) - Ive already heard it from everyone else Well, it looks like Lily is teaching Izzy how to use emoticons nice. Noname (Hell, group 4) - Archdeer meat. I say the password in the message. FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -Asshole! Noname (Hell, group 4) -Please dont tell me you also have a disciple. FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - Food! What the hell. At this point, I''m not even surprised, instead, I''m extremely curious. Unfortunately, I don''t think I will be able to get an answer. Seeing that no one else seems to be joining, I exchange a few more messages with the two youngest members of group 4 and turn off the Community. Still floating high in the air, I reposition myself to lie on my back. The air here is colder, and the wind is stronger, but the view is amazing, and I really enjoy the feeling of it. Things like this keep reminding me how much everything has changed over the past year, and I love it. All these powers and options that have opened to me and expectations of more in the future. Lulled by the wind, I spend a few more minutes like this before deciding to land back on the ground. The little red-eyed girl is already sitting there in her new clothes, clean, but still bruised. The towel is carefully hung on the branch nearby, and I notice that she even cleaned the branch a bit to not dirty the towel. All the food I left for her to eat is still there, untouched. My disciple just sits there in front of the food, stomach growling, eyes flicking at it, not daring to touch it without my express permission. Starting now, you can take any food I have or water and eat it anytime you want, without asking me, I say. Her pupils expand, yet she still doesn''t take it; instead, she looks at me, surprise apparent on her face. She is still suspicious, I see. With a sigh, I make my voice a bit haughty, It would be annoying to have you constantly asking for food, I say, knowing this is reasoning she would accept more. This time it seems to work, and she nods, immediately grabbing a few pieces of fruit and slowly nibbling on them. For a short moment, a happy smile crosses her face as she tastes the sweet fruit, and she grabs another piece. Chapter 272: Bribes Chapter 272: Bribes I came up with the best way to ask questions of my untrusting disciple. The answer is simple. It''s money and items. Yup. It''s totally not suspicious, like some random adult offering candy to a little kid. Not at all. I''m too curious to spend weeks gaining her trust, so I have decided to use some things I bought from the 4th floor. I try with rare items, mana stones, more food, and the little girl loves it, even though she tries to hide it. After hours of observing her, Ive come to notice the imperfections in her facade. It''s easier than usual, probably because it feels like talking to myself. What is your race? I ask her after sliding a rare amulet to her. The item is capable of creating a barrier to shield against mana-based attacks. Its useless to me, but her hands nearly shake as she takes it. While she quickly hides it under her new clothes, I notice a subtle and mischievous smirk on her face. As if she thinks she is scamming me. I will need more to answer that, she says, already becoming braver in my presence. She seems to think I''m someone rich and powerful, who has no idea how much these items are worth, so shes decided to scam me for more. How cute. Sure, I say and put a few lower-grade mana stones and a small bag in front of her. After grabbing it all, she puts her newly gained things inside. I''m half-demon, half-human, her voice quietly sounds, and she examines me carefully, I dont know who my parents are or which one of them was a demon. Are demons feared where you come from? People don''t like them very much she doesnt say more. The half-demon girl becomes more rigid, and it''s easy to see how they treat her wherever she is from. A young kid without any parents or family, from a race that is feared and hated. They probably treat her extremely poorly, all while thinking they did her a favor just by letting her live. I don''t like that very much. It''s only been a few hours, but she is my disciple, and my disciple being treated like this shows disrespect for me as her master. Okay, it''s decided, before she returns back, I will teach her some nice explosive skills and where to kick to make it hurt as much as possible. The little half-demon has a lot of self-control, but she is timid and weak, and thats something I can help with. I take more food and throw in some sweets and set it in front of her. As if trained, she waits for my question. Tell me your level, your skills, your class, and your passives. When she hesitates, I add a bit more to the pile. Level 6, skills are [Concentration] and [Mana Manipulation], I have no class and one passive, it''s common Mana Channeling. I nod, and she quickly takes all the food, keeping some on hand to slowly nom on. It looks like the system didn''t lie and even our skills are similar. So, what is the exact purpose of this Floor? To train someone like me to become as strong as possible and then get as high a reward as possible? Whatever, I will find out sooner or later.This chapter is updated by Okay, my silly disciple, I say, changing my bearing, much to her surprise. I quite like her personality and the skills she has. She also feels like an underdog to me. Bullied, at the bottom of the ladder, and who doesnt want the underdog to win? Especially when this one is my disciple. Oh no, we cant have that. I will turn this half-demon into a terrifying being. My name is Nathaniel; use it if you want or do not; it''s up to you. You can call me master or hey you; I dont mind. I will train you and I will protect you while you are here. I will ensure that you do not go hungry and that you have nice clothes. Her expression isn''t exactly trusting, but thats fine. I will say what I want to say and prove the rest with action. In exchange, I will need information regarding your skills, your classes, and your growth so we can make you as strong as possible. I might also ask a few things about the place you came from. As always, you can decide not to answer any questions you are uncomfortable answering. Is everything understandable so far? Noname (Hell, group 4) -I dont know about the snake, but the corgi would surely take on some people from Hard difficulty. One (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) -heh, they are all the same. Two (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) - I told you, all people from Hell difficulty have a screw loose Eve (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) - please, Noname, dont add fuel to the fire. These two are annoying enough as it is. One (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) - thats not what you said on our date. Eve (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) - screw off, you made me pay even for you! One (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) - equality. Eve (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) -how is that equality!? Patriot (Normal, OnlyDads) - what level are you, Noname? Noname (Hell, group 4) -I would rather keep it to myself. How come you guys didnt join our Community? Patriot (Normal, OnlyDads) -heh, thats fine. You dont have to tell. Two (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) -you cant join a Community that is in a higher difficulty than yours. This means Hell can join every Community while Hard can join every other than Hell etc. Oh? Thats interesting and it explains why these people havent been in our Community. Noname (Hell, group 4) -On the first floor, we had to survive for 30 days in a forest full of monsters that became harder over time. Cinderbear, battle trolls, phantom goblins. The second was to watch the end of the world caused by a skill powered by an unknown rarity sword, the third was to kill the body of a dead Saint Absolute that caused the end of the world, the 4th was to kill one of 4 calamities, each of them over level 250. What were your quests? Two (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) -holy fuck, is he lying? Eve (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) - I think that girl said something similar. Two (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) -they could be both lying. Eve (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) -there is no real reason to. Eve (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) -Our first floor was similar but the monsters were probably weaker. The second floor was to survive a war between two small nations. The third we had to find the cause of the Decay. The fourth one did have this race of cat girls! They were so tall and cute, I wish I could take a picture! There we had to help free an old capital from the Living Tree. Two (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) -I want my lynthari mommy back What the fuck? Eve (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) -creep. Two (Normal, Ominous Latin Name) -I saw you trying to pull their tails! I leave the Community before they continue. It''s interesting to see the differences between each Community and seeing Easy and Normal it looks like a lot of them take it much easier than any of us here in Hell. The proof will come when we finally meet face to face and I''m already curious about their level of skill. A bit over a month remains until the tournament and more questions come. What will happen to the floor and floor quest during the tournament? Will they pause? I float a bit lower to get a better view of the half-demon below me. The entire time I''m up here, she keeps working on the mana stone. Her brow is furrowed, and as she does so, she even ignores the items she''s been holding so covetously ever since I gave them to her. She doesn''t nibble on the food; the bag is forgotten on the side, and she only has eyes for the mana stone. Her mask cracks even more, and the corner of her lips lifts up in a smile as she manipulates her mana and works on the task I gave her. What she is showing me right now is something I know very well, and the moment I see her like that, I know I won''t be able to treat her harshly or keep my distance. No, she and I both share the same love for this thing called mana. And just like that, it''s decided. System, you bastard, the end of this floor is going to hurt, isn''t it? Chapter 273: Train and protect Chapter 273: Train and protect My disciple is a weird little creature. The young half-demon doesn''t notice when I return, and I can see her shaking slightly, sweat on her brow. However, she still finishes the task I gave her, and when I move closer, she hands me a mana stone that contains a tiny bit of her mana. The amount is so small that it barely penetrates the surface. Taking no note of that, she wipes sweat from her forehead, and I could swear for a moment a smug smile flashes on her face.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only Wow, just wow. In the end, her mood changes gradually, as if she comes back to the real world outside the fascinating qualities of mana, one that contains people as well. Her defenses shoot up, and her expression firms, an apparent attempt at hiding her feelings. It''s not good to let a person you dont trust know that you like something. It can be used against you. As I examine the stone, she patiently waits, and I notice that she is still shaking. Was it too much for her? It could be that; I have no experience helping someone as young as her train. Good job, I say simply, to her surprise. The little half-demon doesn''t seem to be used to compliments, and after a bit of hesitation, she nods, Thanks, master, she says carefully. I hand the stone back to her, You can keep it and train when you feel like it. The mana stone contains something like an extremely simple labyrinth. If she sends her mana through the right circuit and it reaches the end of the labyrinth, I will know. I intend to improve her [Mana Manipulation] and to see if her [Concentration] will help her with it. Of course, it could all be useless, as my only experience with learning is from being self-taught, and after becoming Lissandra''s disciple for a short while, she just threw me down in the tunnels full of giant serpents and imps. Good old times. Damn, now I really want to return to those tunnels and beat up every single monster that''s left. Master? a soft voice sounds, and I return back to reality. Two deep red eyes carefully observe me when I ask, Yes? Are you strong? her question is timid somewhat but calculated. I guess she already judged Im not someone who would react by asking How dare you ask me such a question. Still, I give it a bit of thought. Am I strong? Probably? Out of people from group 4, Im currently the strongest of course, only after our future corgi Archmage. And perhaps Noodle. He is still small and weak, but our future animal overlords cant be underestimated. I did watch other members fighting and spent some time comparing myself to them, and even then, I can with confidence say that I would be capable of fighting and winning against any of them. A fight 1v1 against the Fallen Hero might be possible as well, but it wouldn''t be as nice as what they did, and I would need to put my life on the line. Im also stronger than Myrra, who bears the title of fake Champion candidate. My level is 214, but Im most likely closer to someone at 240-250. Am I as strong as a Champion disciple? Probably if I fought against a weaker one, but so far, it looks like anyone whos earned that title is extremely talented. As for the Champion, nope, there is no way. From what I know, the Champion is someone over three question marks, so most likely over level 450, more likely even higher. Then there are titles such as Absolute and the title of Ruler - the being from the Beyond trial mentioned it. Ruler. I dont know, but it sounds like a title given to someone even stronger than Absolute. The main hint is that the Ruler of Greed is someone who has something to do with the tutorial that was even capable of replicating Absolutes. There is also the possibility that the Absolutes are weakened in the tutorial in comparison to their real strength, but it''s hard to confirm it with the information I have. Instead of answering, I ask the question, Who is the strongest being you know in the world? She answers without any hesitation, The Hornless Demon for sure She then hesitates, The Undying Dragon is strong too, and the humans have the Bloody Hero. I can''t be sure, sorry. That''s fine, do you know their levels or titles? Champion? Absolute? She wipes sweat from her forehead again, and I notice that she is still shaking. Did she really overextend herself so much? I dont know, she shakes her head. I see, to answer your question, Im strong and will become much stronger, thats something Im sure of and have pride in. She gulps and then asks, Can I go and take a sip? My throat hurts a bit. Go ahead, I answer, and when she starts heading to the lake, I stop her, Where are you going? I can drink from the lake; masters water is precious She stops when I lift my hand. Side quest:Find out what happened to this world. Reward:5000 shards. Side quest:Locate the Mirror. Reward:??? Side quest:Locate the survivors. Reward: Food and water supplies. Side quest: Avoid the sleeping Calamity. Reward: Survival. That''s unusual; the system doesnt give this many side quests that often. What interests me the most are the rewards for the mirror quest and the last one about Calamity. I wonder, what are the rewards if I kill it? And more importantly, should I even try? The system rarely gives these warnings, and the entire quest seems like a joke. After checking the quests, I spend my time working solely on the preparations for upgrading my kinetic mana heart. Checking on my disciple a few dozen times, I can tell that she is slowly getting better. She is still shaking, and her small body seems even more petite, but she is at least sleeping. She instinctively moved closer to me, In her sleep, as if she was seeking protection. Poor little thing. Remembering how careful she was, it''s not something she would usually do, and that shows how big a toll it has taken on her. As always, the cheeky system needs to throw some bullshit into the mix to make the floor more difficult. Just in case, I activate my domain and place traps all around us. Thin threads of mana that will cut anything that runs into them, thinner threads that will warn me when they break, and dozens of mana orbs frozen nearby that I can instantly seize control of for attack and defense. I even set some triggers that would make another set of mana projectiles shoot towards any trigger that happens to be activated, this one inspired by an assassin from the second floor. Obviously, all made by me, in an extremely janky way. The assassin would be proud. Then I also tie anchors to a few projectiles that I shoot as far as I can. In the worst case, I will grab my silly disciple and just teleport us away. It feels like an overreaction, but it doesn''t cost me much, so it is fine. After that, I take a few deep breaths until my heartbeat slows down, and [Focus] filters out useless emotions as I delve into the upgrade of my mana heart. Domain encompasses me, [Mana Manipulation] grabs control of my mana which I channel throughout my body, etching and improving on the pathways I made before, and scratching out the less efficient ones in exchange for plenty of pain. But that much is fine. [Infusion] activates as well, working along with [Resonance] to allow me to change my body. [Infusion - lvl 20 > Infusion - lvl 21] The process is much smoother than it was on the second floor, and I connect the new pathways to my Mana Regulator right away, improving on that as well. As Ive done many times before, I delve deep into my mind and body and the outside factors lose their meaning and become even more distant. And here I am. Tinkering and changing things that will make me stronger. Working with my own power to make it happen. A feeling of satisfaction permeates me. I try hard, I get rewarded. Unlike the real world where you can try extremely hard, do everything right, and still get screwed over, the world of the system feels fairer. Yes, even here there is a difference between talents; otherwise, there wouldn''t be 5 difficulties, but a lot of it comes from how much you are willing to put in. How much are you willing to bleed and hurt just to make things happen? I know that I''m not the most talented person ever. My talent lies with mana, but it''s far from the kind of thing to be seen once in a millennium. Even Lissandra confirmed it, and she reached a place near the top. But who cares? Who are they and the system to tell me how far I will go? No, I will try hard as I always did, and climb higher than anyone else, and then it will be me looking down at all these so-called geniuses. It becomes easier and slowly I sense that I''m coming to the end. Everything falls into place, and the last checks confirm that my creation is as good as I can currently make it. I send mana through the improved web of pathways Ive tied around my heart and a new notification sounds. Congratulations, you have upgraded your second Construct. The name will be changed, and the construct will be shown in the status under active skills and over passive skills. Well done! Thermokinetic Mana Heart: Alongside its ability to compress mana, the heart works as medium for converting the rhythmic motions of the heart and mana into two Primordial energies, Kinetic and Thermal. The Thermokinetic Mana Heart is a harmonious blend of these forces, offering a reliable and steady source of power. Chapter 274: We are leaving Chapter 274: We are leaving I diligently observe my body and my upgraded construct while I slowly let more mana trickle into the pathways I created or upgraded. The heart that gigachad Nathaniel from the third floor created in his moment of genius, or stupidity, slowly activates. The name is simple: Thermokinetic Mana Heart, so I hope when I upgrade it for the next time, it will be a bit cooler. Not like it would change anything, but it would surely be nice. Thankfully, the heart can do everything I wanted it to do. It can compress mana, which should make my skills stronger, as well as my kinetic and thermal energy. There is no way it will be up to the task of creating black mana, but even that is enough as it will allow me to practice and prepare for the future. Checking on my sleeping disciple and observing the quiet forest around us, I make the decision to test my upgrades. I change the setting on my Mana Regulator and allow my heart to start compressing the mana it generates. As expected, the generation of mana slows down, but the mana it creates feels different. It''s a slightly darker shade of blue, though its still transparent, and when I use it to power my skills, I do notice a small difference. I decide to change the setting again and it starts compressing it even more, as the shade of my mana grows darker. The current compression seems to be fifty percent of what the heart is capable of, so I hold there for a while. Right away, I can tell that I wont get anywhere close to creating black mana, but this also feels somewhat reasonable. If it was easy to imitate that, everyone would be doing it. My ability to create black mana feels a bit like cheating, and I''m only capable of it because of [Focus]. Once again I find myself thinking that it could be a much stronger skill than I originally thought. As expected from my most treasured skill. Hopefully, it will grow until I can start making fun of Lily''s [Disintegration]; that would be nice. Next, I test my thermal energy generation. Up until now, I had to transfer kinetic energy into thermal, so it was kind of annoying. Getting it directly should reduce waste and improve the speed at which I can create it. When thermal energy flows through my body, I immediately notice the difference in its quality. The last remaining wounds from upgrading the construct disappear nearly immediately, and when I force thermal energy out of my body, it seems to be a deeper shade of gold than usual. I watch as the flame flickers over the palm of my hand and control it carefully. It wouldn''t be good if the heat it released killed my disciple. I never got used to fully controlling my powers as people around me grew with me. The little bit of heat I release might be no problem to someone from group 4, but would probably burn any human from Earth alive. Even the pressure of my fully released mana could be capable of that. It''s a interesting thought. My body itself is turning into a weapon, and if I dont control it, even walking around without controlling my mana or constructs could kill people with lower levels. Or it could kill this disciple of mine. I wonder if thats part of the lesson of this floor, to learn to control my powers around much weaker beings. After putting out the flames, I generate kinetic energy, and it fills quicker than before, and even its quality seems higher, the same as thermal. It''s already decided that I will delve more into my Primordial energies on this floor. I know I''m terribly lacking, and I use them in the simplest way, and I''m sure there is more to them. There is just so little time and so many things I want to work on. Master? the little half-demon says in a weak voice. Our eyes meet, and once again, I admire her red eyes. It might be childish of me, but I think theyre cool and, the way they contrast with her brown hair, makes them look even more striking. Disciple, why don''t you use ''nya'' after every sentence? I heard about an ancient half-demon that did so, amazing their foes and companions, and gaining the respect of their peers, I answer instead. My good mood leaks through, as it always does after a successful round of self improvement. The upgraded construct is a huge success. Is the master making fun of me? she asks carefully. That simple sentence tells me her level of intelligence is higher than that of an entire race of cat people. Half-demons 1, Lynthari 0. Only a little bit, is there anything you want? Can I eat some of the food you gave me as an answer to your question?Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only I gradually boost my speed more and more, as I observe her condition, my heart overflowing with kinetic energy. I also start radiating a tiny bit of thermal to keep her warm. Even while flying away, I can hear a deep growl behind me and do not stop for an hour until we are far away. Only then do I slow down and gently land back on the ground. Immediately, the little half-demon falls to the ground, her small hands grabbing the grass, and she shakes a bit, about to cry. But she then forces herself to stop and with clenched fists, she stands up. Taking a few deep breaths, she takes a moment and when she turns to me, her face is once again calm. Not knowing what to say, I just nod and start examining our new location. Trees much taller than normal surround us, some of them have fallen to the ground and been covered in moss. The area is colorful, full of verdant grass, vibrant leaves, and colorful flowers. This place is strangely calming, and I gesture to her, as we walk under one of the great fallen trees to get some shade. It''s illogical as something like that will offer barely any defense, but some primitive part of my mind tries to convince me that we are safe. Yet another piece of my mind that I silence with [Focus] keeps telling me to get angry and to go and mess up whatever that thing was. I know I might be a bit too careful at times, but there is a difference between being too careful and minimally suicidal. Even during that short connection, I felt the danger. If that thing is not a three-question mark, it''s goddamn close to one and without the proper preparations, while trying to protect my disciple, it could end badly. I could even end up killing her myself by releasing too much mana. So, I push these feelings away. For now. Master? Hm? What? It hurts. As she says that, the red-eyed girl falters, and I grab her before she falls, Im sorry, but it hurts. Tears appear in her eyes. Is she trying to gain my sympathy, is this some sort of a trick? But no matter how much I look, it doesnt seem like an act. Her mask cracks and tears fall down her cheeks. Im sorry, I will endure, I promise, please dont throw me away, she continues to mumble. Not knowing what to do, I just grab and awkwardly hug her. At first, she freezes, surprised by the hug, her body stiff and her heart beating like that of a scared little bird. I will be ok, I promise, she says again, just a few hours. I hug her a bit tighter and examine her body. She is thin, beaten before she ever came to this floor. Then she got poisoned, and hurt by my teleportation, and then she had to fly at high speed for a long time. She is so low-level too. It''s my fault, isnt it? I dont have a healing skill I could use for others, and trying to use my passive could end terribly, I could burn her alive. So instead, I do something like what Sophie did to me back on the third floor after I almost died at the hands of the mage hunters that had followed me. I infuse the tiniest bit of my mana into my disciple and move it, trying to strengthen her body and alleviate some pressure and pain. It''s difficult, very much so. Most of my skills are meant to be used for me and only me. But I keep trying even as I lift off to fly once more. The barrier surrounds us, and I release a bit more thermal energy, and then, slowly, I fly toward the ruins of a city I see far in the distance. There are tall, skyscraper-like buildings covered in vines, and greenery, most of them are cracked, and many have collapsed. The city''s architecture is unlike any Ive ever seen, and even I can see that it''s been lifeless for decades at least. The system said there were survivors, so I will find them, and they had better be able to help. Chapter 275: First contact Chapter 275: First contact As Ive been strengthening her body, Ive come to realize that I''m not very good at it. It seems I lack the ability to help others effectively. My body? No problem, I can move my mana however I want, I can even change my heart and slowly turn myself into a construct or whatever the end is. To help someone else, I would need much more time to examine them. Unlike Lily or Sophie, I don''t have that instinctual sense and innate ability. Another thing to work on, I hate feeling weak. Sure, personal power is the most important, but situations like this shouldn''t happen to me. The little body in my arms is still shaking, and I can feel her getting warmer and shaking more. How weak she is, how delicate her body is. Was I like that when I entered the 1st floor at level 0? Once again, I search through the system shop, but there isn''t anything to help me. Another thing I could do is to sell my last remaining rare passive and buy a weaker passive that would allow me to heal others, but I do not find anything like that. I barely got any offers to keep myself healed, so I guess it makes some kind of sense. I pick up speed and I cut my arm to examine the healing process behind my passive skill. Then I stop the passive and try to emulate those movements with my thermal energy in an attempt to actively heal myself. In the middle of my third attempt, I reach the city and land on top of one of the buildings. There are old, broken, cracked, or straight-up destroyed buildings covered in greenery as far as I can see. Nature has taken its hold over the area now that there are no humans to prevent it. The city is big enough to house a few million people, yet it is empty. There are trees growing from the roads, shattered windows peering out from waterlogged buildings, and car-like machines rusting away everywhere I look. It all reminds me of Earth, yet it is so different at the same time. Nearly every building and every road has some sort of circuits running through them that were once powered by mana and seemed to have been designed to interact with it. [Perception] reaches as far as I can, and sensing movement, I move to observe only to find a few monsters. Sensing my presence, they rush out of one of the buildings, emitting a loud screeching noise. They have the appearance of humanoids, with gray skin, red eyes, and tattered clothes covering their forms. Blue veins run through their skin, originating from their hearts. [Veilshrieker - lvl 123] [Veilshrieker - lvl 98] [Veilshrieker - lvl 113] I watch as they screech, summoning more from the surrounding buildings. Turning their red glowing eyes on me, they start running and burrowing their limbs into the walls of the building just to get to me. They move aggressively, pushing each other away in a show of rage and bloodlust. They wound each other, they drool, they hurt themselves, and strain their bodies just to reach me faster. There is no hesitation in them, and their eyes are filled with a single emotion. Pure hate. I create a field around the little half-demon in my arms so she wont hear the screeching and wait. Two dozen Veilshriekers reach me, and the moment they step into my domain, I activate [Redistribution], immediately halting them, and they freeze in the middle of their approach. I feel them pushing against me, hurting their bodies to do so, and the blue veins over their bodies become darker, eyes letting out a deeper glow. But they can''t move at all. So, with my disciple in my arms, I step within arms reach of the closest one and examine it. The monster reminds me of a human, and when I cut its chest open, its heart looks like mine. Its heart has been converted into a mana heart under the influence of the system, and is now being used to power this being. My own heart beats, and I move the kinetic energy I collect, and a blast of it explodes through the monster''s head, throwing all the blood and chunks outward with the pressure. [You have defeated Veilshrieker - lvl 123] The moment the monster dies, I notice its heart moving weirdly, and it attempts to send out a signal. In a different situation, I would let it happen just to see what it is, but right now, I''m not in the position to do so. So I disrupt the signal, and when I kill the remaining monsters, I disrupt their signals as well. A warning maybe, or a signal to summon more monsters towards their killer. The little half-demon mumbles something in her fervent sleep, and I hold her tighter before stepping over the edge of the building and falling to the street where I absorb the inertia of my fall, cushioning my landing. The absorbed kinetic energy I release in a circle around me. I give it one hour, and even during that time, my disciple doesn''t wake up. No, she seems to be getting worse. She is shaking more, and her body is hot to the touch. Well, good job, I guess. I really suck at this, don''t I? Using the least possible amount of mana to perceive the area around me and to absorb my kinetic energy as I jump from the building, I walk towards the three men''s corpses. The blood is already dry, and their bodies are cold. Trying not to look at their faces, I examine their bodies and try to search for anything useful. I find a small bottle of water, a tiny pack with some dense food, and some items, most of them broken, but I take them anyway, just in case. Quickly, I leave again, reaching the rooftops and continuing from there as the sun starts setting down slowly. I think it''s called the golden hour, isn''t it? When the suns rays glow with that golden color at the end of the day they make any view beautiful. Even this dead city is no different. As far as I can see, there is building after building covered in green vines, some of them even have trees growing from their top. Buildings cracked and fallen, streets unusable and overtaken by nature. Yet in some strange, sad way, it''s a beautiful view. (Attempts number two, Owen, can you answer?) sounds in my head. One of the items In my possession tries to connect to my mind in a way that indicates an attempt at communication, and I allow it to do so. Looking through the items Ive looted, I take out an ovular piece of metal with two mana stones inside of it and a set of inscriptions I hadnt understood until now. (Owen, please, can you hear me?) I examine the item and easily find an inscription that acts like a switch. (Hello, I''m Nathaniel.) A moment of hesitation before another message reaches me. (Hello Nathaniel, I''m Darren, can I ask you why you have Owens Transmitter?) The tone of his voice is not nice at all, but there is no wonder. (I saw a Veil Guardian eating three people, and after it left, I searched their bodies,) The silence is longer this time. I dont think he trusts me. (Darren, I wont dance around it. I have a level 6 child with me, and she needs medical attention, a healer, or an item. She drank and bathed in the water of the lake just away from the city.) (What group do you belong to? No, you cant belong to any, you wouldnt be asking us for help. Are you a wanderer? Merchant? Courier?) (I cant tell you.) (You just told me three of my friends are dead, and Im still not sure that you didnt kill them. Then you immediately ask me for favors?) Well, when he puts it like that, its obvious it would sound bad. (I will pay you back. Im somewhat strong, so Im sure there are things I can do for you. We dont have to meet eye to eye if you dont want to. Just leave some medicine somewhere and tell me where it is.) The start of this floor is far from optimal and has, thus far, proved to be annoying. Out of nowhere, I start missing the silly doggo. Being able to pet him or boop his snout would at least allow me to alleviate some of my stress. Still, I continue, (There were some things I found on their bodies. A few mana stones with encrypted information, a weird-looking bracelet, and a small sealed wooden box.) Seeing how dangerous it is outside and their low levels, I think most of the survivors are of similar strength, and for them to go out, they must have some important mission. Maybe one of the three items. Darren takes a bit longer to answer, but that confirms it. One of the items I have is important to him. (Give us the location where Owen and others got attacked. When we confirm your story, we will leave medicine in some buildings, and you will leave the items there. No need for contact at all.) (Okay.) After that, I describe my location as best as I can, and the transmitter turns off. Chapter 276: Vitalist Chapter 276: Vitalist Around half a day passes. During that time, I keep infusing my mana into my disciple. She is still sick and woke up only once, briefly enough for me to let her drink some water. When the transmitter in my hands finally attempts to connect me, I accept it quickly. (Darren here. We have confirmed your story, Nathaniel. To be honest, I didn''t expect you to leave the items there as well.) (It''s a risk from my side, you could take them and disappear, but take it as a show of my goodwill and the trust Ive put in you.) (I see.) As I wait for the answer, I decide not to tell him about the tiny anchor I left on one of the items. The anchor I created using my [Tether] will be used to teleport to their location the moment he refuses me. If he does so, I will just force them to heal this little half-demon who has so far only given me trouble. Darren continues, (You will find what you are looking for in one hour at this location.) He then carefully describes the area and how to get there. He also warns me not to attract the attention of any veilshriekers, just in case. When our connection ends, I put the transmitter away and look at the girl under the blanket, with a few thermal orbs near her. Both of us are surrounded by a barrier that disrupts the mana we are letting out, making us much harder to detect. The room we are in is dark, mold growing in the corners, but it''s deep within one of the skyscraper-like buildings. The interior is simple; the furniture has been broken or eaten away by the passage of time.New novel chapters are published on You are causing me so much trouble, I sigh and poke the cheek of the sick girl. Then I pull on one of her tiny horns. Well, it''s probably my fault too, but let''s not mention it. This should help toughen her up. Back in my day, I went through much worse. I open the community and this time click on Hard difficulty. Noname (Hell, group 4) -hello FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -food! Damn it, Biscuit, what are you doing here? Noname (Hell, group 4) - food food. FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - food food! Samuel (Hard, Legion) - Hello, Noname. Emma (Hard, Legion) - Another person from Hell difficulty, hello Noname, I hope you are doing well! Fox (Hard, Hoarders) - Noname, run or these military psychos will get their hands on you, lol. Eagle (Hard, Hoarders) - run run run run run. Samuel (Hard, Legion) - Fox, once again, we are part of the US military, we are not military psychos as you like to call us. Fox (Hard, Hoarders) - the world is going to shit and youre still playing at soldiers, how can you expect anyone to take you seriously? Emma (Hard, Legion) - You can ignore them Noname, group Hoarders is a bit more open-spirited than they should be. Samuel (Hard, Legion) - As Emma said, Noname, just ignore them. I hope we can talk during the tournament. I will be honest with you. We don''t know how many people got into the tutorial or how many rounds there are. Nor do we know what''s happening to Earth so I hope you will see some reason and the need for some rules for the people that make it out of the tutorial. Noname (Hell, group 4) - We can talk, but I don''t promise anything. The woman notices and asks, What would you do if I hurt her? I will kill you before you can, I say simply to clear things out. I saw Lily healing a lot of times and even felt it on my skin. I will be capable of sensing if she tries anything else. As if expecting that, she laughs again, Darren warned me about you. Things like: ''He saw the Veil Guardian and survived, you have to be extremely careful!'' or ''You dumb old woman! Do you have any idea how many people rely on you? What if he kills you?'' Her hands carefully touch the little girl and even after seeing little horns under her hair, she doesn''t say a word. I, on the other hand, intensify my observation and collect some thermal and kinetic energy inside of my body. Without saying more, she just heals her. The mana shes using isn''t exactly the same as Lily''s. The old woman''s mana feels rougher and weaker, but at this point, I''m not all that surprised. Ive long since gotten used to the fact that we people from Hell difficulty often have superior skills and abilities. "Poor little girl. Pummeled, internal wounds, poisoned, tears in her tissues, high internal temperature, shock, small concussion," she names each wound in succession. When she looks at me, "I can heal her, but what will you give me in exchange, young man?" This granny is totally shameless. "Ask Darren," I tell her. "Fuck Darren," she answers simply. She is quite feisty, isn''t she? She continues, "You can still have Darren owe you, but I will want something as well. The little girl would have died without my help." "You would heal her even without me giving you anything in exchange," I say. Her eyebrows move up, and a light flickers behind her eyes. What now, granny? Did you think I wouldn''t notice how worried you became? How quickly you started healing and your sighs of relief as the girl got better? Even though she is acting cheeky, the granny seems to be kindhearted, well, at least to kids. "Maybe, but I think I will still get something out of you. Some small service or help. Nothing too difficult because that would annoy you and you would just refuse. But if I ask for something small, you will help." Is there something wrong with my face? Is the system giving people the ability to read me like a book? Or is it the power of the true extrovert Ive heard about so often? The power of someone feeding on the energy of introverts to survive and learn to read people not with talent but through sheer quantity of interactions. "I''m right, I think, hehe, I might ask you later! For now, it''s fine, the little girl is already healed and will wake up soon." Acknowledging that with a simple nod, I pass by her and grab my disciple, then turn around to leave only to be met by the old woman blocking my way. "Leaving already?" she asks. "Yes, this place is making me sleepy," I take another step. Her smile only deepens, seemingly not bothered that I identified the effects of the field thats been set up around this rooftop. I also identify its source, some small item inside a compartment inside one of the walls. She finally lets me pass, "I think you should talk with Darren. He could find a use for someone like you, and I believe it would be worth it for you as well." "Yes, yes," I put on my shoes and then turn to face her. For a moment, I consider releasing some of my mana and startling her for such a cheap trick with the field that was supposed to make me fall asleep, but in the end, I decide against it. It seems like I will be dealing with these people for a while. This kind of "Locating survivors" didn''t seem to count as finishing the side quest. In the end, I just step outside and knock over a few of her flower pots while the old granny screams something at me. I knock down the last one, jump onto the roof, and head back deeper into the ruined city. Chapter 277: Leveling up Chapter 277: Leveling up The field around her rooftop cabin probably wouldnt put me to sleep, but if I were weaker, it could be a problem. The natives of the tutorial are dangerous, and my experiences since starting the second floor have only confirmed this. Even Thalen, Isola, and Obelia showed their true colors in the end. Well, maybe thats too harsh. It''s clear that they had their own interests in mind and prioritized them over a random group theyd only known a few weeks. I wonder if it''s something that becomes more apparent the longer you live. Obelia and Isola were probably over 50 years old, probably closer to 100, by comparison, their experience with us was much less than that. So it''s not much of a wonder, in the end, that Obelia attempted to kidnap Lily, while Isola was willing to kill me without hesitation. I do not hate them for that, but at the same time, I have my own priorities and I won''t hesitate when it comes down to it. That''s the kind of world the tutorial has thrown us into. My weak disciple begins to stir, and slowly she opens her red eyes. They are clearer than before, showing no trace of hidden pain. At first she seems dazzled by the thermal orbs floating in the air, then her gaze falls on me, before finally settling on the room itself. Her little body stiffens, ready to jump up and fight, but she meets my eyes again, as I return her gaze. I don''t say anything, but she calms down. You can eat and drink if you want, I gesture at the supplies next to her, Or you can sleep if you prefer, but we need to move tomorrow. There are also a few mana stones you can practice with if you feel up to it. I leave her to her decision as I sort through the items I looted from the old capital. As Im going through them, I hear movement, as she carefully takes long, slow sips of water; followed by the sound of chewing. I, meanwhile, separate the contents of my bags into two piles. I left some of them at the lake, but none of them are very valuable. Different varieties of hardwood, iron, old weapons, and armor. Things I wanted to examine if I got really bored, nothing important. Still, Ill go back later, if only to sell them if I cant use them for anything else. I found a lot of items during my looting of the capital, but most of them were in such a terrible state that the system only offered a single shard for them. Just like that, my plans for the city were ruined. After that, I chose to focus on quality over quantity, the piles in front of me now are the items that made the cut. The first pile contains items I''m currently thinking of selling. Some rings, mana stones, a bracelet, a small shield, another amulet, and some chainmail. Each one in the upper tier of rare grade at most. Then there is the second pile, I intend to keep these. Mana conductive paint, pieces of arcanadium, endurium, shards of ethercrystal. The bracelet from the auction that had a strange reaction to my Primordial Energies, high-grade mana stones, some decent mana batteries, an interesting upper rare dagger, The epic aqua arcana vial, some more metal, crystals, and mana stones containing inscribed information. There is also all the food I have and bottles of water, as well as some gold and jewelry, in case of need. Checking the pile, I estimate that the food should be enough to comfortably last us a few weeks, maybe even months. Most of what I''ve brought is very calorie-dense. Plus, I don''t need to eat that much anymore after my body upgrade. Were a bit lower on water, but we should have enough for at least two weeks. I also have an epic vial that I can use to store water. There is currently a lot of water from the lake, but thats poisonous, seeing what it did to my disciple. Master? a soft voice sounds from behind me. Hm? I just ask without turning. Wont you eat with me? Theres a strange quality to her voice. It''s hard to describe. When I turn to her, she is sitting there, small, thin, her red eyes seeming to glow even in a room filled with shadows, and small horns poking through her hair. It almost seems like she sees some importance in eating together. Is it some kind of custom? Sure, I say, turning away from the pile, and sitting on the floor across from her. She smiles, but it seems strained. She is deciding what to think of me, as I am her. I''m supposed to be her master, teach her, and protect her. I gave her food and clothes and started teaching her, yet she got poisoned because of my inexperience and hurt while we were teleporting. Yet, she can''t just run away from me or hate me for that, without me she would die, and quickly at that. I cant change the facts, whether I like them or not, I can only strive to work on the things I can. Is this a custom where you''re from? I ask as she carefully splits the food between us, using clean pieces of cloth to set out the food and water. She does so awkwardly as if she is not used to it, but there is some joy in her movements. The kind of joy a person experiences by doing something they always wanted to try. Well, it looks like it could be easy to finish at least one of the side quests, even though this one only offers some food and water as a reward. (Maybe later, I will contact you.) Not giving him a chance to answer, I turn off the communication. "Come here," I instruct my disciple. She lifts her eyes and obediently pushes herself back to her feet, even though she just started resting after finishing the monster. "Stab me," I tell her. Her expression changes as she activates her [Concentration]. She thinks just for a few seconds and then she nods. Mana flows through her body and her red eyes seem to shine as she shifts on her feet, twists her body, and stabs me with her dagger. Her height leads her to target my belly with the thrust, and I take a small step backward, causing her to lose her balance as her strike misses. Quickly reclaiming it, my disciple moves again, taking two short steps towards me, and lunges again, this time aiming at my leg. Once again, I take a small step to the side and she loses her balance. The third time, she aims at the leg again, but when I change my position again, she doesn''t lose her balance. Her footwork is slightly different as she adapts her movements. "Good, now continue," I release one more monster from my hold and it starts screeching, pure hate in its eyes. "Yes, master," my disciple nods and faces it. As before, I''m surprised by her cold behavior, but I guess that''s her skill, even though it''s surprising to see it in someone so young. It reminds me a bit of Isabella when she was still under Sophie''s [Geas]. A few more hours pass, and with pauses in between, she finally kills one of the last monsters. "Level 10!" a happy smile flashes across her face and she rushes towards me. For a moment, it looks like she wants to hug me, but she stops and her expression changes to nearly scared as she realizes what she was about to do. "Traits?" I ask, breaking the silence that ensues. "I got offered five of them, theres Mana Circuit, which youve mentioned, and then there are Elemental Resonance, Sensory Expansion, Arcane Intuition, and Natural Resilience. But master, it''s weird. I thought you were unable to pick your train and only awaken it." Then she gives me the descriptions. All of them sound useful. Elemental Resonance to attune her to elements, Sensory Expansion to strengthen her six senses, Arcane Intuition to move her mana more reflexively, and Natural Resilience to strengthen her body and make it more resilient or something. All of them pale in comparison to the first one. But her note about awakening traits instead of picking them is interesting. Are only people who go through the tutorial capable of picking their traits? Is my disciple fake or real? And is it possible that people outside of the tutorial only awaken traits at certain levels? "Pick Mana Circuit," I tell her in the end. To my surprise, she doesn''t even ask why and just picks it, and that leaves me at a loss for words. The little girl just looks up to me. Big red eyes, small horns near her hair, and an expression of trust. The little half-demon tilts her head, "Master? Is everything ok?" she asks innocently. I have noticed that she started showing me more trust after I "saved" her and after I fed her a few times, but this this feels heavy. "It''s fine, how many traits can your race have?" I ask, just in case. Humans can have only 3, so I''m curious about others. "Only four," the little half-demon says. "Only four?" I ask. She nods, "I heard some powerful demons can have five." I dont think I would like full demons. Chapter 278: Rules Chapter 278: Rules "Master! Look, look!" a silly half-demon with four undeserved trait slots rushes towards me, her red eyes mirroring her smile. She holds up a rare dagger, coated in a nearly invisible layer of pale blue mana. It flickers and would likely disappear if it struck anything stronger than air. Yet, she is still smiling happily. "My [Mana Manipulation] leveled up too!" she adds. I pull my attention away from examining the effects of compressed mana on my skills, and turn to her, "Are you sure you didn''t cheat?" I ask. That scares her for a moment, but as she looks at me, she quickly regains her smug expression. "Is Master trying to tease me?" "Maybe," I reach out and pull on one of her horns, shaking her head as I do. Her small hands try to push me away, but even though my body is probably the weakest out of group 4, I wont lose against a level 13. In the past few days, she has become so comfortable around me that its scary, and she constantly fights for my attention, always rushing to me whenever she has a breakthrough in her training. At first, I thought she was just being naive and even teased her about it. Only to be looked down on by a 6-year-old girl. I swear she looked down at me like I was stupid! I mean, what the heck! She responded, telling me: It''s fine because I''m her master. The only way to get confirmation, Is to have her interact with more people, so I will use Darren and visit their camp. I can''t let her be too naive and trusting. I would also like her to acquire her primary class before the end of our three weeks together. I got mine after we entered the second floor and back then I was a bit over level 20, and I hope it will be the same for her. "What are you working on, master?" the girl asks, as she plops down next to me. "I''m testing how much I can compress my mana and how much this compressed mana changes my skills when I use it to power them." She nods, totally not understanding, yet looking up at me and listening. "At first, I thought I would be able to compress my mana more, but at the moment it seems to be around 20% at most, and thats using the full power of my improved heart." "I see!" she nods.New novel chapters are published on She is totally lost. "Some of my skills react to compressed mana better, and others dont react much at all. My theory is that higher-tiered skills don''t benefit all that much from a 20% rate of compression. But it could have more to do with the type of skill. For example, concentration-type skills like your [Concentration] and my [Focus] might not get that much of a boost. Maybe theres still some threshold that I need to cross before I can make it work. Maybe 20% just isnt enough. If so, how much is my black mana compressed? Is it equal to the 1st stage of Potency? Second stage? Or am I totally wrong? Is there something else in play? Is [Focus] just compression, or is it doing something else as well? The last king recognized the black mana, so what was that? Did he misunderstand, is black mana really all that unusual? Do you get black mana when you reach a certain level? Are there other ways to create it? Is "Master?" She asks interrupting my train of thought. "Yes?" "Are you bullying me because half-demons can have 4 traits while humans only get 3?" The mana stone I was holding falls from my hand. The little half-demon is not smiling, her face is mostly blank, but something in the way her eyebrow moves and her eyes have narrowed tells me she is having a lot of fun. Cheeky little thing, when did you get SO comfortable? I lean closer and look deep into her eyes, but even that doesn''t seem to scare her. So, I just sigh and lay on the grass, looking towards the sky. I have been defeated. We are currently on a rooftop that has been overgrown with grass, flowers, and even a few small trees, the cracked material of the building peeking out from gaps in the greenery. My minion, why do you trust me so much? Answer honestly. It''s disciple, master. Not minion, she complains. Sure, minion. The monster keeps sniffing and looking around, and when its head starts slowly turning towards our building, I use [Tether] and activate one of the anchors I left in the buildings around us. At the other end, a mana orb bursts open, releasing mana and feeding the inscriptions Ive painted on the floor in mana-conductive paint. The inscriptions imitate a barrier-type skill to confuse the monster and to not be a simple pulse of mana. Down on the street, the Veil Guardian screeches and rushes towards the burst orb. Every single step it takes cracks the road, and its movement is fluid and quick, the blades shining in the morning light. We are leaving, I tell my disciple. As we planned and practiced before, she quickly rushes to grab her things, and I do the same. Within a few seconds, we are packed, and I awkwardly lift her up into my arms; it''s a bit more weird now that she is awake. I leave a tiny black mana orb where I stand and start jumping from rooftop to rooftop to put distance in between us and the monster. After landing, I create a projectile that I tie an anchor to and shoot really far away. I fire off another behind that to make the possible tracking much more difficult or straight-up impossible and jump again. Then we move down the street, and I continue running for another thirty minutes while reducing our mana footprint as much as possible. What is your level? I ask. From my side, she lifts her head, her red eyes meeting mine, Fourteen. Master, are you not scared of that monster? Not really, I grab her for a moment and jump over a crater in the street caused by an explosion long ago. As I put her back on the ground, she asks again, Why didn''t you kill it? You would probably die if we fought. Also, I dont think I can kill it at the moment. Is that monster stronger than you master? Probably. And you arent scared? she continues to ask. So, I pause and lower my head to her level, Silly disciple, listen carefully, I pull her horn to make sure she gives me full attention, and when I let go, she covers it with her hands to defend it. After finding the right words, I continue, There will always be someone stronger than you. Someone more talented. Someone with a higher level. But, minion, there is no need to be bothered by that. Disciple, not minion, a quiet voice sounds. If you meet such a person, use whatever you can. Befriend them, act submissive, or use tricks. Spit, bite, kick at the crotch. Prepare to hunt them, cheat. In the end, it doesnt matter how strong they are, the winner is the one that is alive in the end. But isnt that dirty? Disciple, are you the strongest person on your planet? N-no? So why do you care? Powerful people can be honorable, and its better when they are, theyre easier to trick or deal with. Remember, you can only act honorably if you have the strength to back it up. Instead of answering, she just nods. Disciple, if you die, you wont be able to see all that is there to see. If you die, you wont be able to learn what youre capable of, and you wont eat more sweet fruit, I poke her nose. Her red eyes are attentive, and in the morning dawn, their color is beautifully vibrant. You can worry about that stuff when youre much stronger. You can find friends you can trust. You can fall in love. You can be honorable if thats something you want. But to get there, you need to use everything you have to stay alive." I scan the area around us and when it feels safe I continue, "But there are some rules to follow so you dont become a savage. If someone shows you pure and unconditional kindness, try to not betray it, even if it means you get hurt. Dont be cruel without reason and always set your priorities. And never hurt kids." I let the silence linger, "Of course, it''s your life, so live it the way you want." Before she answers I stand up, "Let''s continue." After a few steps, my silly disciple rushes to join me as we continue down the street. Chapter 279: Three Options Chapter 279: Three Options [You have defeated Veilshrieker - lvl 131] [You have defeated Veilshrieker - lvl 143] [You have defeated Veilshrieker - lvl 163] [You have defeated Veilshrieker - lvl 138] [You have defeated Veilshrieker - lvl 169] [You have defeated Veilshrieker - lvl 171] I watch as each monster dies one after the other, their hearts pierced by a small orb of mana thats been boosted with kinetic energy. [You have defeated Veilshrieker - lvl 159] [Lvl 215 > Lvl 216]Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only My leveling is getting slower, and these monsters arent cutting it. Should I go and try to hunt the Veil Guardian? The asshole is probably close to 300, but with some planning and a few well-placed traps, I should be able to kill him. There is only one problem with that. My disciple walks into the room from behind me, and with her tiny feet, she kicks one of the corpses. She looks up at me, I want to be strong enough to do that too. As I said, there is one word the ancient half-demon used to say after every sentence, earning the respect of I''m not going to say that word! Tsk, my opinion on lynthari is going down and down. Taking a more serious stance, I return her gaze, and even though she is trying to act like shes mad, I can see that shes taken a liking to our banter. Damn you, system, just how bad did she have it before to enjoy this. Minion, it''s time to decide. I''m not a minion, I''m a disciple. I continue, This is up to you, and I want you to consider it very carefully, so listen closely. I take a seat on the ground and gesture for her to do the same, she takes a moment to dust off a section of the floor before plopping down across from me. She takes great care not to dirty her new clothes. Surrounded by corpses, in a basement deep under one of the skyscrapers, I finally bring myself to ask a question Ive been putting off for a while. I have had this silly disciple for 5 days, and just over two weeks remain, so it''s time I asked it. There are multiple ways we can go about your training, I lift one of my fingers, First, we can continue what we are doing now. Some leveling, some hunting, and when the time is ready, you will return to your world much stronger than when you came, with some nice memories. She pulls her light brown hair out of her face, and her deep red eyes are glued to me. Second, we take a more aggressive approach. You will sleep a bit less, we will hunt more, I will force you to train more and expect more of you. You will be tired, and you will get hurt. The mood turns more serious. Third and last, I will put you in danger, and at times you will risk your life. It will hurt, you will sleep less, and I will take a much harsher approach. With this option, you will leave this place the strongest, but the memories you take back with you will with a lot of pain, and blood, and there is a chance that you will hate me in the end. Gradually, I let my words die away, and the silence ensues, interrupted only by the eerie sounds of a quiet room. The little half-demon opens her mouth to say something, but I jump into her words, Think carefully because when you pick one of the options, I won''t change my mind later. That rage is not directed at the monster only, no, it''s directed at me as well. Before the monster can launch its offensive, she attacks. What''s wrong with you! The granny screams and rushes to take my disciple from my arms and starts healing her immediately. The moment she does so, the little half-demon''s face grows less pale, and her breathing calms down. She lost so much blood and she barely has any mana inside her body. Why is she so battered! The granny complains. A little bit of training, I say. Training? TRAINING!? Are you insane? she screams. I didn''t expect such a show of emotion. I guess she must have a weakness for hurt kids, perhaps that''s why she helped before. Well, I''m sure my disciple would be fine even without healing; the problem is that it would take too long for her to get back into form. If I use the granny, I can have her train more. To cut off the stream of curses directed at me, I take out one of my bags and put it on the table, For your current and future healing of my disciple, I say simply. What a goddamn asshole you are, do you think Even though she is saying that she opens the bag and peeks inside, and that makes her words stop as if cut off. She looks between me and the bag and then starts pulling out its contents. Multiple bottles of water, plenty of food, a small bar of chocolate, a few of my smaller mana stones, and lastly an upper rare item - a cape that allows the creation of a realistic, but illusory image of its wearer with a duration determined by the amount of mana used. The illusion even duplicates ones mana signature, heat, and smell. Out of the rare upper items, it''s one of the better ones, even though situational. Do we have a deal? We have a deal, she says, still annoyed. We leave the cottage on the rooftop an hour later, and my disciple is following me on her own two feet. Her last fight gained her a level and even more levels in her skills. After a few hours, we find ourselves in a secluded place inside one of the fallen skyscrapers, and I set traps around our perimeter and some anchors in the event of an emergency. Surrounded by a few thermal orbs, I sit down to eat. Unlike before, my disciple doesn''t move to me, putting pieces of cloth in front of us. No, for the first time after a few days, she doesn''t ask me to eat with her and does everything she can to avoid my eyes. After dinner, I put a tiny mana stone in front of her with a new set of inscriptions. This one is meant to replicate [Oscillation], and even without being asked, she immediately grabs it and starts her attempts. A minute later, her posture becomes less awkward as she forgets about me and she focuses her attention on the puzzle in front of her. Hearing the sound of rain, I leave an anchor near her, and with constant monitoring, I leave the room, heading towards a room with a view of the outside. As I enter, the sound intensifies, the sound of rain constantly drumming on the stone and the road below. The rain is beautiful, and droplets filled with light blue mana shine under a sky full of dark clouds. The myriad shining blue droplets light up the dark day. Reminding me of the mana rain on the first floor. Yet this one doesn''t seem to be quite as deadly given that it doesn''t damage the building or the vegetation outside. Curious, I put my hand outside, and immediately a dozen or so raindrops pierce right through, and fall to the ground, which they do not damage at all. I pull my hand back, and for a moment I observe it while the blood flows through it, my hand pierced with a dozen holes that go through the entire arm Well, it was silly to expect the tutorial to have normal rain. I generate some thermal energy and send it through my body, healing my hand nearly immediately. Then I pull the transmitter from my pocket, (Darren, so where did you say you are?) It takes only a few seconds to get an answer. (Oh, the guy with Owen''s transmitter. Darren is sleeping. I''m Nina.) (Hello Nina, does the offer still stand?) (Sure, here is the location. We can specify the exact time of the meeting later. See you soon.) Nina must be less talkative than Darren, given that the connection cuts off after she describes the location. Well, it''s time to start working on side quests and find out what this floor is about. Chapter 280: A terrible name Chapter 280: A terrible name As we walk through the streets, I continue to observe the small girl by my side. She still refuses to look at me, and when our eyes meet, even for a second, I can see the anger behind them. Surprisingly, that anger doesn''t seem to be directed at me, and that leaves me confused. Does she not hate me? I mean, I wouldn''t blame her for it. After the first fight, I forced her into a few more like it, and this time we didn''t even go to the healer. Even now, she is bruised, her clothes bloodied and torn. Yet, I ask her before every fight: First, second, or third option? And as she did the first time, she answers simply: Third. There is no hesitation in her answer, no hate towards me. Still, she doesn''t invite me to have food with her, she talks less, and she delves into training, usually not responding to my taunts. Well, it''s fine even if she hates me. I just need to make her as strong as possible. Because of her wish, because of the floor quest, because of the fact she is currently my disciple, and my Pride won''t allow her to be weak. Ive noticed that you havent been very aware of your surroundings lately, I tell her. Immediately after, a dozen or so veilshriekers pour from the fallen building around us and charge. [Redistribution] encompasses them all, and I stop all of them other than level twenty-one. That veilshrieker reaches my disciple and crashes against her before she has a chance to react. A pained scream escapes her mouth, and I force myself to stop myself from helping. I watch as she pulls out the dagger, but the monster hits her hand, sending the dagger away. For a short moment, a look of panic appears in her eyes, and she looks toward me as if asking for help. I just return her gaze. Her expression changes, the panic disappearing from it, replaced by a blank expression. She twists her head, avoiding another punch, and then she bites into the monster''s hand, drawing blood. A weak, smokey mana emerges from her hand, slowly taking the shape of a dagger, and she stabs it into the monster''s neck. The dagger dissipates, not even piercing the skin, and the monster throws my disciple aside, and she rolls on the ground until she hits the side of the building. The bloodthirsty monster screeches and rushes her again. Meanwhile, my disciple pushes herself back to her feet, grabbing a piece of wood from the ground. She quickly coats the stick in her pale blue mana, bringing it to a point. Her red eyes are calm, yet full of emotion held back by her will, and she charges the monster as well. She dodges the swing and stabs deep into the monster''s thigh, and the monster screeches in pain, scrambling to pull it out. My disciple, not wasting a moment, jumps on the monster and stabs her fingers into the monster''s neck, coating them in her mana. Again and again, she repeats the movement, even as the monster falls to the ground and weakly swings its arms at her. She ignores the feeble blows and doesnt stop until her control wavers and her fingers slide off the monster''s skin, without piercing it. Her chest moving heavily, she stands up and looks towards me. I weaken my Mantle and then slowly move my mana so she can observe the process. A dagger made out of mana forms in my hand and then dissipates. When I do it for a second time, I feel her senses touching me and observing the process. Her senses should be heightened after a life or death situation, so I create another mana dagger. And I do so slowly, even if it is extremely wasteful and inefficient. It should be easier to observe this way, and she can take care of the rest later. First, she needs to learn how to do it. When I feel like she has had enough, I let her go so that she can explore the rest on her own. I turn to the remaining veilshriekers, still held in place by my skill, and with a high pitched shriek, a concentrated blast of kinetic energy tears through them. Each one dies as Half of their body explodes into a vapor of blood, bones, and flesh without damaging the surroundings. [You have defeated Veilshrieker - lvl 16] [You have defeated Veilshrieker - lvl 38] [You have defeated Veilshrieker - lvl 19] [You have defeated Veilshrieker - lvl 27] Again, side by side, we start walking through the street. It only takes a few minutes before a weak voice next to me says, I''m sorry that Im weak, master. Its the first time in days that shes talked to me, I think about it a bit more. In the end, I ask, Weak? Yes her head is down, yet I can feel her using her mana to scan the area around us, she hasnt done this since Ive been taking care of it. I stay quiet, and after a moment of silence, she continues, You want to help, you let me decide for myself, yet I still I was looking for help from you. I got scared, I got angry at you when you didn''t help. Angry at you even when you were so nice to me. What life did she even have to consider what I''m doing nice? Minion, that''s your problem, I say, and she looks up at me. She takes the dagger from me thankfully and starts to examine it. The dagger is dark blue with streaks of light blue mana. I used quite a bit of it, so I''m sure the dagger won''t dissipate anytime soon. A week or even more should be fine. I havent given it any enhancements. No, the dagger is mostly normal, the only exceptional thing about it is the mana circuits I left inside. Pathways she can use to train and as inspiration for her weapon. The circuits are the only part I''m somewhat worried about, so I will make sure to check them every time. Next, your detection is lacking. Starting now, you will maintain it constantly and you will focus on making it as efficient as possible. It doesnt matter if we are speaking, training, or fighting. Constantly. Understood? Yes! Good. I like how you fight, so for now there is no need to change that much. Some might tell you that you should focus more on defense, but they are wrong. You can defend as much as you want, but if you don''t have enough power to kill someone, it''s a waste of time. No, you are lucky to have me as your master. I will teach you some powerful attacks, and I will help you avoid some of the small mistakes I made. The way she listens and nods at my every word feels heavy. No matter how she behaves or what she went through, she is still very young and naive. But no worries, I''m here! We will make you into the most powerful half-demon ever. I find it strangely fun. Is this why people like pet simulators so much? The level of trust shes giving me feels undeserved, but I will make sure she won''t regret it. It will be hard, it will be difficult, and I''m sure there will be times when she will want to cry, but in the end, I''m sure she won''t regret it. Because if you are powerful enough, you can do whatever you want and not be swayed by anything. Then I will teach you where to kick to make it hurt and what to be aware of. She looks like she will become pretty when she grows up, so I will teach her where to kick a man, or woman who becomes too touchy. A few broken arms and well-aimed kicks should show them the limits. There is a bit over two weeks left, but there is so much I can teach her. Master? I cut off that line of thought and look at her, Yes? I lied to you, she starts, and this time her voice sounds weak, but she is not using her skill to escape the emotions, I don''t have a name, they always called me things. The most common was No need to say more. I interrupt. It''s clear that it''s not something nice. I''m sorry for lying that it is forbidden. I don''t know breaking our deal like that right away. Is that how you treat your master? I''m sorry, her voice becomes even weaker. So to punish you, I guess I will have to do something. Maybe I can give you a terrible name, right? She looks up, her eyes big and shaking. Maybe Pipsqueak? Or how about Minion? Nathaniela also doesn''t sound bad, I wonder. Master? We already have Biscuit and Noodle, so how about Mochi or Omelette? I Not letting her speak, I continue, Vega... I will call you Vega. It''s decided and there is no room for argument." For a short moment her eyes water and cloud over, but she quickly blinks a few times and wipes them on her sleeve. Poking her cheek I continue, It has a little bit of meaning behind it, but for now you will have to suffer without knowing. Maybe I will tell you one day. The smile on her face is as big as Ive ever seen. Gone are the calculating expressions and plays on my sympathy. The little half-demon just seems to be happy. I''m Vega? she asks. "Yes, because I said so. You can complain when youre stronger." She wipes her eyes with her sleeve again, "Master is an asshole." "Yup." Chapter 281: That would suck Chapter 281: That would suck I wonder how much my subclass affects my control over my mana, and even over my black mana. Sure, it''s obvious that it helps, but my inability to measure it properly frustrates me. Is the effect stronger the more prideful I am? Is acting cocky boosting my control? As always, the system likes to hide such information, and having had the subclass for months already, I find it hard to compare it to my prior efforts. The only obvious effect it has is on my mana constructs. My armor looks nice; the weapons seem well made too. Great. I look down at my arm as I finish drawing a set of temporary inscriptions made with mana conductive paint and etching them into my skin. It''s sort of a single-use temporary construct. Sort of. If I''m doing it properly, it should help me with the black mana. I''ve been working on examining the black mana and trying to come up with a way to reduce the strain it puts on my body the moment I try to use it. I have multiple ideas, and one of them is changing the frequency of black mana to match mine. The problem here is that it changes constantly; that''s why Ive created these inscriptions. The inscriptions should help me with that, automating the process so I can focus on the rest. I already tried it a few times with tiny bits of black mana and so far it''s good, but I will know more after I scale things up. Ive more or less optimized them to fortify my body with black mana. Logically, strengthening my body with black mana and then using more for something else should work, but I''m sure the strengthening itself will strain my body. Even though it won''t affect me immediately, I''m sure it will be immense. That''s why Ill offset it with my healing passive. Ive already cut off my pinkie, and it grew back after a few hours of generating thermal energy and sending it to the stump. It''s not as good as Lily''s healing, but I can''t be picky, and Im happy to even get that much, given how often I tend to lose my limbs. Master, I''m done, Vega breathes heavily, and I remove the strain Ive put on her with [Redistribution]. I''m making it harder for her to move just as Min-Jae did for me in an effort to strengthen her body. We also spend some of this time practicing some of the moves I learned back on Earth. Having been released, she plops down next to me and examines the inscriptions covering my arms. I feel her senses examining it and allow her to do so. When will we reach the place you mentioned? she asks. Sometime tomorrow. There is no need to hurry. Vega nods, I already learned the crotch kick, master showed me. The one against people that touch me without my consent! she chirps innocently. Good job, how about a mana orb? Just really small ones, but I''m putting a lot of my stats into mana as master told me! Good, it''s all coming together! The goal is simple: to make her build similar to mine. Just the fact I have reached Beyond with it shows how versatile it is, and most of the monsters, other than end bosses, dont really cause me any problems. I also want to let master know something about my trait, she starts carefully, I wanted to keep it to myself, just in case, and master never asked so I didnt lie. When I gesture at her to continue, she breathes out in relief, A lot of demons and some half-demons are born with one trait. I heard there are some humans too, but I dont know why. Huh, even humans? Werent they limited to three traits? Are humans on her planet different, is there something else? Are they born with traits they cant pick themselves? I think most of the demons start with their demon heart, she says, I have one too. Everyone has a different one. What is a demon heart? The system calls mine a kinetic demon heart. It''s weak and I was never really able to use it. Okay, is the system playing favorites here? First, humans start with 3 traits only, then there are some demons with 4 and some more ancient bloodlines with 5? And how is she even alive with a kinetic heart? Minion, how are you not dead? My name is Vega, master, she says proudly, Im too weak to use it, and I think it''s one of the weaker hearts. TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - yes! Mine has nearly the same skills as mine. The way he uses them is strange, so there is a lot for him to learn. Izzy (Hell, group 4) - mine said she likes my flames. She also tried to eat them. Soph (Hell, group 4) - Izzy, just stay somewhere safe and train with her. Do not risk anything, okay? Izzy (Hell, group 4) - yah, yah (>_<> TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - how is yours, Noname? Noname (Hell, group 4) - She has similar skills and fights like me. Same as yours, there is a lot for her to learn, but the most important part is that she actually wants to and has a lot of enthusiasm. TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - not gonna lie, she sounds scary. NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - I bet in a few weeks she could beat your ass, TheStrongestOne. NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - Yeah, if she is even a bit like Noname, lol. Noname (Hell, group 4) - Did you find out what happened to your disciples before they got summoned? Sset (Hell, group 4) - Hello, Noname and everyone else. It''s nice to see that you are here at the scheduled time. As for you, Noname, so far we''ve come to think that the disciples were close to death before they got summoned. NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - Mine was about to be eaten by some monster. Izzy (Hell, group 4) - Mine too! She said some group attacked her village. Knight (Hell, group 4) - Sorry for being late! Mine almost died as well; he got attacked and beaten by some noble asshole. Maya finally joins as well. Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - I had to heal mine; he was close to bleeding out. Looking at what they are saying, I think I will have to ask my disciple as well. Noname (Hell, group 4) - Do you think they are real? The system said they were taken from a database. Sset (Hell, group 4) - I wouldn''t be surprised if the system constantly updates that database, so they could easily be real. But that''s something we can''t say for sure for now. Izzy (Hell, group 4) - I don''t want mine to be fake. NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - That would suck Noname (Hell, group 4) - Got to go, later. I use an anchor to reappear next to Vega, just in time to grab her and stop her from hitting her head against the floor as she passes out. She is unconscious and breathing heavily. There is barely any mana left in her body, and she has a few wounds under her skin. Her heart is beating differently now, like that of a small bird. Piercing through her natural barrier, I reach towards it and absorb some of its energy, carefully slowing the pace down to a normal level. For a few minutes, I help it beat until It feels right and release my hold. The young half-demon in my arms calms down as well, and the pained expression gradually disappears from her face. Reflexively, she moves in her sleep and her small hands grab the hem of my clothes, pulling herself closer to me like a small animal looking for safety and warmth. This time, I agree with Aaron. It would really suck if the disciples were fake. Chapter 282: Darren and Nina Chapter 282: Darren and Nina Master? Yes, minion? Do we really have to meet these people? Were ok by ourselves. Can you be proud of someone just for trying to be antisocial? Because damn, I am. I''m already mentally preparing for having to deal with people. This time I''m severely weakened. There aren''t any extroverted members of Group 4 here to absorb most of the damage or who have a good match-up against extroverts. Nope, this time it''s just me and my disciple who seem to have the same problem. All of this is compounded by the fact that weve already spent over a week by ourselves, and neither of us speaks very much. That leaves 2 weeks left with my silly disciple and to maybe finish the side quests. Locating the natives or survivors, as the system calls them in the side quests, should be the easiest one and maybe they can help me locate the Mirror. The reward for that one is listed as a series of question marks, and that interests me greatly. Together we reach the part of the city where Darren told us to meet him, so I sit on a chunk of debris and, after observing me for a moment, my disciple does the same. She even mimics my expression and then we wait. Straight away, I notice a dozen or so people surrounding us. None of them feels close to 200 and they dont think Ive noticed them yet. They proceed to carefully examine me. Not exactly me, they seem to be trying to sense how much mana I''m passively radiating and try to estimate my strength that way. As always, I keep Mana Cycling running. Ever since Lissandra taught me, Ive kept it up almost constantly. In combination with my Mantle, it almost fully stops the leak of my mana and it also constantly improves my control, even as my reserves grow. In an attempt to avoid spooking them too much, Ive been letting a bit of mana leak. Too little could seem as suspicious as leaking too much. I''m smart, am I not? Even my disciple hasnt noticed anything as shes been scanning the area with her delicate senses, but that''s fine, we can work on that. The strongest member of their group uses some weird skill and his voice speaks in my ear even though he hasnt changed position. Are you the one Darren spoke with? he asks. I respond, with the password he gave me, Zero, one, three, four. Only then does he use a skill to step out of the shadow, keeping his distance from me. He speaks normally this time voice, You are ten minutes late. [Shadow Whisperer - lvl 167] We did meet a few veilshriekers on the way here, I answer as I observe him. The man observes me as well and then nods. My name is Kaiden, please follow me. This time he whispers again using the weird projection skill and a few more of his group members appear. My disciple seems to be surprised and might even be thinking about how cool they are, but I have trouble taking them too seriously. Am I the asshole here? I mean, they probably need to be skilled to survive here, scavenging for food and water while fighting monsters and avoiding the stronger ones like Veil Guardian. The moment they move, I follow them and when they speed up, I grab Vega and run with her in my arms. She seems to dislike it, but I also notice that cheeky disciple of mine comfortably resting her head against my chest where my heart is. Any problem with my heart? I ask. The group speeds up even more and I use some of my mana to strengthen my body and slow down a bit so I dont pass them. We run through the streets and occasionally hide in a building while we wait for a group of veilshriekers to pass. Masters heart is strong, Vega says to me. Is that a good thing? Yes! Demon Hearts are important to demons and I heard the Hornless Demon has the strongest ever! Oh really? What does it do? Her eyes shine at the prospect of telling me about her hero, His heartbeat can be heard throughout the entire world when he gets angry, and only the human''s Bloody Hero has ever survived a fight with him! Oh, that sounds cool. Yes! she nods and once again listens to my heart, But I think master also has a strong heart, almost like a demon. Well, let''s not tell her that it''s only a cheap knock-off version of a trait, that it''s terribly inefficient in comparison to traits. And unlike traits, it can kill me much easier. He puts down a bag that contains enough dried meat to last an adult man for a few weeks, and there are even some bottles of water. Next to it, he puts down a rare cape that seems to have some kind of camouflage effect. The way they present them seems to mark them as extremely valuable items, probably a show of goodwill and an attempt at building a relationship. I would rather ask for information instead if thats okay with you. If you dont want to answer, I can take the items. If they refuse to answer, I will force them to do so. I wont kill anyone or damage their home; theres no need for that. Just a show of power seems to be enough. To my fascination, Darren seems to read my intention, and even though he tries to hide it, his hand starts shaking again. How amusing. Now I really want to mess with them. Should I release my mana a bit? Before I do anything, Darren hurriedly speaks, Yes, we can do that as well, he forces himself to answer calmly. Nina seems to notice that, and her eyes examine me again. I see her hand sliding closer to her swords. Do you know anything about the Mirror? I ask. Darren puts his hand on Nina and stops her from drawing her sword. After another signal, everyone else around does the same. A long sigh escapes his mouth, The Mirror is a relic of the past and weve been trying to locate it for a long time. The encrypted mana stone you helped us to retrieve did contain information on it, as well as its location. Oh, lucky me. So, where is the problem? I ask. The Mirror is to the north, in the Valley overseen by the Bastion. The way he says it sounds like that should explain everything. Darren, tell me like I''m five and know nothing about this place. What the hell is the Mirror, what is the Bastion, and what''s with the Valley? Keep it simple, okay? A few of them dont seem to like the way I talk to them, but its not like Im rude. Just in case, I check my disciple, and she looks at me like I''m some sort of hero. I also notice the way she mirrors my expression, and stance, and even looks around similarly. Damn it, is this Min-Jae syndrome? Why do these weirdos keep doing this? Put simply? The Mirror is, as I said, a relic of the past. An item spoken of legends, yet we are unsure of what it does, but it''s likely to be an extremely powerful artifact. The Bastion is the most secure place we have knowledge of, the remains of the past with working defensive mechanisms and other things left behind by our ancestors. The Valley is, well, the Valley; it''s a place with extremely dense mana radiation. People die just from coming too close to it. No one from us knows more. Well, thats simple enough. Okay, we can stay in touch. I just need a map or something to lead me to the Bastion and the Valley. Darren nods and I feel my mood improving. Damn, I''m getting better and better at dealing with people. POV Nina The young man continues speaking with my father, and I do not take my eyes off him, not even for a second. For now, I decide to trust my father and not send the signal to attack. The man called Nathaniel seems to notice, and when I meet his two differently colored eyes, I feel my body shudder. His stance remains extremely relaxed the entire time. I keep looking for a hint of a battle stance or defensive one, but I see no such thing. Surrounded by all of us, he doesn''t even seem to mind. But the most scary thing is the way he radiates his mana. I would be less scared if he was radiating it in waves strong enough to drown me, or if I couldn''t sense it at all. No, what hes doing is much more terrifying. The mana leaks from his body in perfect dispersion. The exact same amount of mana radiates from his arm as from his leg, chest, or head. I can''t even fathom the amount of control that requires or the reason he has for doing such a thing. The little girl by his side seems to be one of the unlucky human mutants, seeing her red eyes and horns, meanwhile her expression matches that of the young man. When he finally leaves, I feel my body and mind relax and immediately order a few men to make sure he left and left nothing behind. What happened? I ask my father. We were lucky, very lucky. Nina, if you ever deal with him in the future, be respectful, be direct, and never attack him first. Father, explain properly. I used my [Intuition] a few times, Nina. That person did think about fighting us multiple times and even getting into the Sanctuary. He even noticed my skill and kept thinking about forcing his way into the Sanctuary just for the sake of it. Always a half-step away from actually doing it. "Do you think he is someone from before the war?" "I think so. He is strong enough to be of that generation." Chapter 283: My disciple is the coolest Chapter 283: My disciple is the coolest A few new side quests popped up: Side quest: Find out what''s happening in the Sanctuary Reward: 1000 shards Side quest: Help survivors Reward: 1000 shards Side quest: Find out the cause of high mana levels in the Valley Reward: Mid-epic piece of equipment Side quest: Reach the Bastion Reward: Food and water supplies Side quest: Reach level 250 Reward: Body strengthening Congratulations, you have located the survivors! The moment you confirm, you will receive your rewards - food and water supplies. Godamnit, the amount of side quests I''m getting is quite something. The rewards also seem unusually nice. The best one obviously is the body strengthening for reaching level 250. Gimme, right now. Looking at my level, which is currently 217, and with a disciple to take care of, I would be surprised if I was able to reach it during this floor, especially since the leveling speed slowed down. But hey, it''s nice to have something to work toward too. So, the question now is, will I head towards the Valley and Bastion, or stay here and finish some side quests in the area while leveling my disciple and helping survivors? I mean, the time seems to be limited, with only 2 weeks remaining. Suspiciously limited, so I wonder if there are really only 2 weeks left. I cant really confirm or deny my doubts, I can only wait and see. Another problem is that in games, you often can leave the quest for later and return to do it after killing the last boss. But this isn''t a game. What if I go to the Valley and Bastion and the survivors and Sanctuary get destroyed in the meantime? The quests clearly say to find out what''s happening there, and I don''t think the objective would be to locate where all the cute little kittens are coming from or who is stealing all the socks. Minion, I''m annoyed, I complain.This chapter is updated by Are we going back to kill them then? What!? No! I''m sorry master, I thought these people annoyed you as well. Do you want to beat them up and leave them alive? Isn''t this little half-demon a bit scary? I mean, she is cute, so I can forgive her for saying that, but she doesnt seem to be joking. Disciple, I start seriously, you can''t kill people for being annoying. Even if you could, there wouldnt be anyone left. As I share my wisdom, she looks at me, eyes wide open, and listens to my words like they''re gospel. Even if theyre rude? Don''t all strong people kill because of that? I hesitate for a moment, and she seems to notice that, but I quickly answer before she says something silly, On a scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being super rude, they were only around a 2. Really? Yes, didnt you think they were cute when they got scared or seemed like they wanted to fight? I really mean it. I sensed no real threat from them, and they meant us no harm. They just wanted to protect themselves and their friends. All as I hid my full power with my skillful application of mana. Damn, Im still proud of that. I dont know Vega says carefully. Its fine to not know, you will learn. In the end, their primary objective wasnt to hurt us or trick us; they just wanted to protect themselves. You shouldnt trust them, but you can''t really fault anyone for that as long as they don''t hurt you or your friends. I think I understand now, master! Good! As expected of my minion! Im Vega, not minion. Listen here, you little jerk. Aren''t you getting too cheeky lately? I do it only because master prefers for me to be honest, she says shamelessly. For a moment, I could swear I saw a smug smile cross her face. She is not wrong, but why am I getting bullied here? I activate [Redistribution] and grab hold of her, not allowing her to move. You seem to have healed a bit, so strengthen your body and escape my hold, or try to fight against it. I don''t use much mana in an effort to make it remotely possible for her, You can apologize for calling me dumb, and I will let you go, you dumbass minion. She tries to say something, but she cant because my skill wont allow her to do so. Oh sorry, I didnt realize that, I tease her, Just blink three times quickly in a row, and I will let you go. Then I continue healing my arm while examining the thermal energy doing so. Vega doesnt blink three times in a row, and by the time morning comes, she strengthens her body enough to escape my skill. Due to the pressure I''m putting on her, she cracks a few bones and bruises her body, but even that doesn''t stop her. Noname (Hell, group 4) - My disciple is the coolest. Izzy (Hell, group 4) - No! Seneca is the coolest! Noname (Hell, group 4) - Nah, Vega would wipe the floor with your Seneca. She is cool as heck. Knight (Hell, group 4) - My disciple is really good too! Hes from a royal family or something, so I have him teaching me some of the basic swordsmanship they drilled into him. TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - Noname, only one month left until the tournament! Are you excited too? NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - Isnt that a dumb question? Im sure hes already prepared to mess up Savant. TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - Oh, that''s true. Savant and that other guy, Gareth, are probably super strong. But other than them, I will make sure to beat everyone! Well maybe not Sset and Grumpy Knight (Hell, group 4) - That''s cheeky of you, boy. Are you sure you could even beat me? I got quite a bit stronger. Maya starts teasing Min-Jae, and I already know it won''t end well for the boy. TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - Ha! You have no chance! I can control my eye much better. I''m sorry, but you are going down. NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - Damn, Knight, are you going to let him talk to you like that? NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - Maybe shes scared of him. Both of the twins try to add fuel to the fire. Knight (Hell, group 4) - And how would you defeat me, oh, TheStrongestOne? By staring at my cleavage when you think I''m not looking? Min-Jae immediately stops responding. Nice attack, Maya, calculating and knowing where it will hurt the shy boy the most. Knight (Hell, group 4) - Next you will say something about community limit and leave. TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - I have to go, community limit! The messages appear a split second apart. Damn, that''s brutal, I almost feel sorry for the boy. NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - Brutal. NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - Knight, please stop, he is already dead. After that, no messages come from the young boy. I turn off the Community and look at the massive pile of food and big leather bags filled with water. There is enough food and water to last a group of 10 people for months. Its my reward for locating survivors. With a sigh, I activate the transmitter, (Darren? Let''s meet again, I have some stuff for you.) It looks like I need to find out what''s happening with the Sanctuary first. Chapter 284: The Sanctuary Chapter 284: The Sanctuary Once again, we stand in front of the massive iron door leading to what I can only guess is a bunker, also known as the Sanctuary. Darren keeps looking between me and the pile of food and water on the ground. The entire time, I keep [Redistribution] on Vega so she can try to fight against it, as I disrupt her mana to up the difficulty for her. Even though we are not leveling right now, she is raising the levels of her skills, and my intention is to help her learn how to recreate the effect of my Mantle. Making sure she can maintain control of her mana is a higher priority than raising her level. Vega is getting hurt, and blood leaks from tears in her skin, as more blood flows from her nose, earning me a few weird looks. Its not poisoned or anything, I tell Darren when he stays too silent. I know that it most likely isnt, and we can check for and remove the poison if needed. I just cant understand where you got it from, and Im sure you wont tell me even if I ask. He looks towards me and I nod, confirming his suspicion, then I increase the pressure on Vega as she starts to get the hang of fighting my skills. Did she level up her skills? I like to be honest, Darren, and I dont like it when things become tedious or take too long. I know you likely have some trouble within the Sanctuary, and I want you to let me in. You realize what you are asking for, right? There are a lot of weaker people we are protecting, our families, and our kids. We dont even know you. And you realize that in the worst case, I can get inside on my own. Usually, I wouldnt mind taking some time to prove myself, but I dont have the luxury. Nina, who once again stands by Darrens side, touches her sword, and our eyes meet. Dont, Darren warns her and turns back to me. For a second, he glances at my disciple next to me and then back, Do I have your word, Nathaniel? Kind of? If you guys attack me or my disciple, I will fight back. That much is reasonable. Father Nina leans closer and whispers something into Darrens ear, but he shakes his head. He reaches into one of his pockets and pulls out a mana stone. He activates it, and sends a signal somewhere behind the giant circular iron door. The massive door emits a few cracking noises before opening in a slow, smooth motion. There doesnt seem to be any mana involved at all, its motion powered by the combined strength of multiple men and women pushing it from inside. They only open the door part way, and when Darren gestures to me, I release some of the pressure Im putting on Vega and continue to disrupt her mana. We follow behind him, along with a dozen guards and Nina, some of them taking a moment to grab the supplies I left outside. Welcome to the Sanctuary. We enter into a rough circular tunnel filled with buildings made out of wood, mostly, which mostly seem to act as a space for the guards to rest. We get a few surprised looks as we pass by them, and the men on duty pull a series of ropes to close the door behind us. The inside of the tunnel is made out of stone with gray veins of iron running through it. It reminds me of the gray stone from the 4th floor, the one used for the tunnels and orbital base. Its not like the material is the same, but the iron veins seem to be strengthening it, and when I send mana toward it, I sense channels gouged through that are empty and void of mana. The iron itself seems to serve as durable and mana-resistant shielding. We delve deeper into the long, straight tunnel, taking us deeper underground. Some channels seem to have been cut into the stone to help with flooding. I reach out and touch the walls, they are rougher than the floor, almost as if they were carved out in a hurry. Did your group build the Sanctuary? I ask. Darren shakes his head, The Sanctuary is older than anyone alive. From what we know, it was a bunker built long before the war, left abandoned and unused. Our ancestors came up with better types of bunkers, and the Sanctuary was considered to be obsolete. Some of the survivors found it after the war. I listen carefully to what he says, and I cant help but feel a tingle of curiosity and excitement. I cant explain it properly, but this feels like fun. Even back on Earth, I liked the videos of people delving into old buildings and exploring them, or visiting bunkers from the World War era. There is something creepy, and exceedingly fascinating about them. How old is the bunker, and when did the war start and end? Also, who fought in that war? And dont ask me why Im asking. Darren closes his mouth in the middle of the question. Nina answers instead, We estimate its around 120 years old. The war against the Veil started around 100 years ago and mostly ended around 99 years ago. For the rest of the 99 years, the Veil has been trying to wipe out what remains while fighting the monsters. My silly disciple once again stops focusing, and to punish her, I send a bit more mana towards her. Like a slap on the wrist. You should have done that outside then, I respond. Yes, maybe I should have, she doesnt seem to be overly antagonistic, just the hotheaded type that doesnt like to hold in their feelings. A common variation of the extrovert class. I would like to see your filtration systems. I have some water with me and would like to see how it works, to prove it, I pull out my epic Aqua Arcanum Vial. So you also have a water storage item, Nina looks at it and then back to me. We can do that. I follow behind her, and the guards follow us as well. How much water can it store? Looking at its shape, its at least upper uncommon or maybe low rare? Ours are usually bigger, and the compression isnt that good, but since we can''t fix damaged ones, we keep using them. I avoid answering her question, You also said you were able to activate only some of the facilities? Yes, there are many more, but oftentimes we dont even know what they were used for. We dont have enough mana to start some or enough skill to fix the others. And yes, before you ask, I can show you some. They dont work anyways, so its fine. We pass through the streets of the city, and I start noticing that most people tend to wear homemade clothes, similar colors, and styles. They are fairly thin, but not overly so, and seem to be at least somewhat taken care of. They greet Nina and her guards with a smile, and my guides return them. For a moment, their faces become less tense. I glance back at Vega and notice that she is looking around with a suspicious expression. Her body is tense, and her mana is radiating, ready to fight. She twitches every time someone makes an unexpected movement and keeps searching for escape routes. Her expression is colder than it was when we were on our own. She still tries to put on the mask to look innocent and defenseless, but it feels fake. A big difference from the relaxed behavior she exhibits around me. I also notice that people don''t seem to care about her red eyes or horns. Either her appearance is somewhat normal or its the work of the system. Pushing through the streets, Nina leads me towards the edge of the cave where we enter another tunnel, though its much smaller this time. It''s still wide enough for multiple people to walk side by side and better lit. Passing by a few men and women who seem to be working, we reach another cave, smaller than the main cavern, but still sizable, with the same domed construction. This is one of our unused filtration plants. You just need to pour the water you have into the tank, close it, and then send your mana through the control device. As if challenging me, she continues, Do you think you can do that? The smile that flashes across her face tells me that it''s a bit harder than she lets on. Perhaps she expects me to falter once or twice, or perhaps she is trying to use reverse psychology on me. The filtration tank is under the floor. It seems to be really long and narrow. Like a wide tube. At the bottom, I can sense some inscriptions and other things that seem to help with the filtration. Out of that tube comes another that leads into the transparent tank in the wall that seems to store filtered water. This one is much bigger and empty. Next to that, is the control panel Nina pointed out. little more than a piece of iron with some inscriptions and a few mana stones, all connected to the tank under the ground. I take out the vial and, while looking at Nina, start pouring the water inside. At first, she is smiling as she watches the water trickle down. Then I control the item and increase the pressure, causing much more water to flow through. Her expression turns to confusion, and when I continue for a minute, it turns to shock. When I finally stop, the tank, which is probably big enough to fill a swimming pool, is full. The remaining water in my vial is multiple times that. Nina becomes even quieter when I put my hand on the control panel and activate it, avoiding any broken inscriptions. A soft hum fills the room, and the water under the floor starts going through the filtration system, fed by my mana. That water moves through the tubes and flows into the giant glass tank that encompasses the entire wall and goes deep into the stone. I make a few changes to the way I use my mana and find a few slightly hidden mechanisms in the control panel, turning off a few invisible switches. The drain on my mana dramatically increases, but the water starts filling the tank much faster. It pours from the tubes and inside of the tank like a series of waterfalls, quickly filling it within a few minutes. Vega, noticing how much I''m enjoying this, pulls on my clothes, Asshole, she whispers so only I can hear. What are you, Biscuits disciple? Chapter 285: Old Facility Chapter 285: Old Facility We havent been using the tank you filled because it''s too big and requires too much mana to operate. It''s one of the older ones too, so its not very efficient. I listen to Darren and then answer, Yeah, I noticed. The inscriptions were quite bad. He keeps staring at me. What? Its getting creepy. Should I tell him Im not into men or something? Does he want money from me? Nathaniel Yes, that''s my name. The tank you filled should be able to supply us with water for half a year, and if we use it for showers, watering plants, and other stuff, it will still last for months. Do you even realize how much help youve been? If you have a few more tanks like that, I can fill them too. Maybe four or five? As I say that, Darren just opens and closes his mouth like a goldfish. Yet out of all the people surrounding me, he seems to be the least surprised. The annoying part is that this kind of help still hasnt completed the quest, but I guess that much is to be expected. The reward is 1,000 shards, filling one tank with water wont be enough. I will fill five more and then I will take all filtered from the last one for myself, I offer. That amount of water should be able to last quite some time. Something tells me that using an epic item as a glorified water flask would make some people beyond shocked. I take the opportunity to ask for more, I also want to see the other facilities, the ones you guys were unable to activate. W-why would you help us so much? Darrens voice sounds moved, and I notice that some other people are close to crying. Huh? I feel bad for being so suspicious of you. I apologize What? Why is he talking like that and why are they looking at me? Its creeping me out. I just want to finish the quest and check out some cool facilities. Such a good man. So people like that still exist, someone else whispers. I can''t understand. It''s just a bit of water. Well, whatever.Updated from After filling the five more big tanks and taking one for myself, I''m being led through the city by Nina once again. A few people already seem to know what''s happening, so a crowd has gathered, cheering and trying to swarm me. Vega doesnt seem to like it either and moves closer to me, her body twitching at every loud noise and sudden movement. Nina seems to notice and guides us down roads with fewer people, and she even sends some orders into the transmitter. After she puts the transmitter away, she looks at me, You probably still don''t realize how much this means to us. There are days when we barely drink water because groups sent to collect it had to avoid the monsters. There is also constant worry that some of the water collectors will die, and they do sometimes. I dont think theres a single family that doesn''t know a water collector who died or isn''t worried about someone they know. When she says it like that, it really gives me a new perspective. Eventually, we come to a door embedded in the wall of the main cave. There are already a few men removing some sort of barricade. Seeing what I''m looking at, Nina explains, This door leads to one of the older parts of the Sanctuary, and we have long since blocked them. Once every few years we go in there to see if theres anything we can do. Damn, is she some sort of hype woman? Its looking more and more interesting by the second, and Im starting to forget where we are. Master a small voice whispers next to me. Oh. I come back to myself and start disrupting my disciple''s mana again. Vega fights against it and, even though I''m limiting my output, she gets slightly hurt every time she tries to manipulate her mana too wildly. There are already dozens of small wounds all over her body, but she doesn''t seem to mind at all. Every time she gets hurt, she only tries harder and rarely repeats the same mistake twice. I thought she would hate me or treat me differently, I''m hurting her, am I not? I was prepared for that and even expected it. Part of me even wanted it to be that way, it would have made the end of the floor easier. Yet, the little half-demon weirdo doesn''t seem to hold it against me, she even seems thankful. Nina had long since noticed our activities, but this time she turns to me, Isn''t that sort of training cruel? "Minion." "I''m Vega." "How is your progress?" "There is a part that is really difficult, the one with a twist at the end." Oh, I remember that one, "What''s the problem with it?" "It''s hard to... twist mana that way? It''s always slipping by." That''s weird, minion, that twist is similar to the pathway you are using to strengthen your feet. What? Vega looks up at me, her red eyes full of surprise. The stone I gave you should help to improve the strengthening of your body through the Mana Circuit trait you got. Especially the legs and feet. I also noticed that you stopped sensing your surroundings when you got the stone. I You? It''s my fault. I check the amount of mana I hold now and it seems to be enough, but before using it I turn to Vega, It''s fine if you are curious, but even though this feels safe, don''t forget where we are. We dont know these people and no matter how nice they are right now, they may turn against us. We are just strangers theyve known for a few days. This place feels safe but this world is dangerous and can change anytime. I myself keep sending my senses as far as I can, no matter what I do and how much I concentrate on other tasks. This is Hell difficulty and even though there are times when it is safe, danger always lurks around the corner. You tend to rely on me at times and that''s okay in moderation. But disciple, I won''t be here all the time. Always expect the worst and danger right behind the corner. Try to be somewhat polite even to people weaker than you, but always expect them to stab you in the back. But master, isn''t it hard? Being nice to people? Of course it is hard. It is very hard, but what isnt? Not that long ago I was a lot meaner and cruel and it was easy, but at the same time, it felt off. I try to be different now, not because Im being forced to or because of the way I was raised. I do it because I want to. I grab her tiny horn and use it to shake her head gently, I might regret this decision later, I might even change my mind. But if I do regret it, I will be the only person to blame, because it was my decision. Oh, and there is also an exception to acting nice. If someone betrays you or hurts you or people you care about, show no mercy. Fuck them up and stomp what remains into the ground. Master is amazing. Vega doesnt even try to make me let go of her horn and her eyes are full of admiration. Such a weird half-demon. I am, am I not? So, my first disciple Vega, do you want to make your master look bad? No! She shakes her head and kicks my shin. She strengthens her body to do so, yet there is still barely any damage. When I let go of her she returns her focus to the stone as she keeps watch over the area and the stone. The strain on her is obvious and I know the pain she is feeling right now. Ready, I turn my attention and channel my mana through the mana stone and into the circuits that feed it, and from there to one of the mana crystals. I release some of my hold on my mana and it rushes out like a raging river, but only where I want it to. None of that mana touches my disciple, none reaches beyond this room. All of it powers the facility. The light on the ceiling blinks on, along with several mounted on the walls of the room. A hint of a change occurs as the vents activate and start to filter the air. Gradually even the circuits on the floor start glowing faintly and start releasing a bit of heat, most of it seems to come from the hole in one of the other parts of the facility. In the end, even the tables, covered by an old drop cloth, light up. Ninas expression is fun to look at. I want to talk with Darren, I have an offer for him. This place is a mix of a forge and an enchanting workshop, I would like to play with it. I will try crafting some items and examine the other facilities. Three days. That''s how long I will be staying here. It''s as much time as Im willing to sacrifice. After that, I will take my disciple and head to Bastion and the Valley, and on our way there I will level her up. But for now, let''s try having some fun and creating items. I have some materials from the 4th floor. Chapter 286: Crafting Chapter 286: Crafting "Ignore everything and observe my mana. Don''t try to understand it fully. Pick one thread and watch it. Maybe this one," I point it out to my disciple, and she nods, her light brown hair flailing. There is an uncommon dagger lying on one of the enchanting tables as I work on it. My disciple is sitting on the table too because she is too short to watch comfortably from the ground. As for the table, well, it''s a table made of stone with iron veins in the shape of circuits going through. Most of those circuits can be fed and activated to cause some effect. For example, there is a set of circuits in the table meant to heat and melt things. I can channel lots of mana through them and melt the blade of the dagger or I can use less and melt smaller quantities of metal. Another inscription allows me to decrease the temperature of an item sitting on the table, one seems to act like a magnet, and yet another seems to redirect mana, probably a handicap for people with less control. I mean, it''s not terrible, but it''s mostly useless to me. I can imagine it being much more useful to someone at a lower level or with less control. Another problem is that I don''t know any theory and don''t care about it. It''s the same as when we went to the 2nd floor and saw all that mana used in breathtaking ways. The natives there were like people sending humans to Mars, while our group was like Neanderthals using sticks and stones. And to be honest, it didn''t change that much. Sure, I collected some information, but Ive avoided any proper study of it, and thats on purpose. I find it more rewarding and interesting to learn through trial and error. Banging stones against each other to cause a spark rather than using a lighter. It feels more pure, more right. Yes, it makes some things much more difficult, but I improve the most through struggle. So, I ignore the tables circuits and use a bit of thermal energy to melt a small portion of the blade. I move and concentrate it into a thin thread that melts the bits I want with extreme accuracy. Then I take a mana stone and hold it against the dagger, melting the iron around it to hold everything in place. Before it cools off, I add a piece of arcanadium, the conductive metal I looted from the 4th floor. Not knowing what else to do, I use my fingers to mold the heated metal, as I improve the shape. A skin-tight barrier of mana protects my hand from any damage. I could absorb the heat, but that would be counterproductive. When it seems okayish, I absorb the heat from the blade and the metal immediately stiffens; only then do I start the inscription. Vega observes me as I told her, and I could swear she is not even blinking. "Can you see mana with your eyes?" I ask her. Interrupted, she blinks and looks at me, "No." "Then close your eyes and use your other senses." She opens her mouth to say something but closes it immediately. After nodding once, she closes her eyes, and I continue. The inscriptions I''m making are extremely simple. A few simpler ones inside the uncommon mana stone to direct the mana being channeled through it. And a few more for the blade itself. I melt parts of the blade adding tiny bits of arcanadium. This time I even create tiny toothpick-like things with [Regalia] to move the molten metal. The twins would be proud; they always had fun when I was doing things in an extremely janky way. I don''t measure the time, but I''m sure at least a few hours have passed like that. But in the end, it''s done, and the ugliest dagger ever made sits in front of me. As the last step, I permanently etch the inscriptions inside of the stone and the blade with the use of [Resonance] and [Infusion]. Huhu, let''s see my masterpiece. Ember Edge Dagger (uncommon) -This dagger has a mana stone embedded in the blade, which absorbs mana to gently warm the metal. The heat is mild, ideal for causing discomfort rather than serious burns, making it a subtle, yet effective tool. Is the system dissing me? This description sounds weirdly insulting. "Do you want it?" I ask Vega, and she quickly nods and takes the dagger I offer her. She seems weirdly enthusiastic about it, but I let it pass. Well, I guess that''s the difference between working alone and having the help of an entire craft guild with hundreds of years'' worth of knowledge. Inscriptions aren''t a problem, and I know I can make much stronger ones, and this was just my first attempt. Smelting and this kind of stuff will be annoying. There is also the option of using mana-conductive metal for the entire dagger and avoiding using mana stones at all. In that case, I wouldn''t have to work on connecting it to the blade. Of course, it would also increase the cost of the materials. I watch as Vega happily accepts the dagger, puts it back into its original sheath, and carefully clips it into her belt. The dagger made of my mana that I keep restoring is still there too and is much better than the one I just gave her. Yet, she is happy. Silly girl. "Well, it doesn''t matter anyway," I gesture for her to turn around, and she does it quickly, as multiple times before. She doesn''t even shudder when I put my palm on her back, a place near where her heart is. "This time, concentrate more on feeling the rhythm of your heart. Do not think of it as a source. The heart is meant to transform your mana into kinetic energy. It''s not creating it; it''s just a tool, think of it as one." "Yes, master." After delivering me a few ingots of metal they found in the bunker as they moved in, Nina leaves. These ingots were probably made a few hundred years ago and left to be forgotten. Of course, their quality isn''t anything great, and their conductivity is terrible, but they will be good enough to practice some smelting. I already went through some information stored on one of the mana stones I got from the craft guild for some basic information. We will see how helpful they are. "Master?" "Yes, disciple?" For the first time, I avoid calling her ''minion''. Lately, shes stopped reacting to it, and it''s not as much Wait, what''s that? Did a smug, winning smile flash across her face? Why would she have such an expression? The only thing that changed is that I didn''t call her ''minion''. As if to mask something, she starts rapidly blabbering about her practice, but I''m staring at her, and the gears in my head are spinning. She always complained about being called ''minion'', but then one day she stopped. Instead, her red eyes kept observing me, like a cat toying with a mouse. Oh, I get it. I understand now. This cheeky little thing. "Good job, minion, you may continue practicing like that," I say, and I pay her my full attention. Once again, she doesn''t complain, but for a moment, her brow furrows, confirming my thoughts. This little cheeky minion read me. She acted as if she wasn''t bothered. She expected me to get bored with her lack of reaction, drop that and maybe find something else. Even now, she is sticking to the plan. "Minion, and don''t forget to train with the mana dagger I made for you, minion." "Yes, master." "Oh, and minion, I saw you talking with Nina a bit. It''s okay, but don''t get too attached." Every time I call her ''minion'', there is just a tiny hint of a reaction, and that makes me happy, but I wont let it show. "Master, you don''t trust these people?" "Not much. I will ask you something. How many people do you think they have here?" "I do not know." "You dont, but I do. They have over 3,140 people. It''s hard to say accurately because people come and go, but that is the lowest estimate." Vega''s expression becomes even more confused, so I continue, "Try to guess how many people go in and out with food?" "A lot? There are a lot of people to feed." "You would think so, right? Well, my dear minion. They have only a few tens of people going out and bringing back food. There are more of them pretending to, and it''s not just for my benefit. Most of the people here believe they are bringing food." "I don''t understand, master." "It''s simple. Most of the food they eat comes from a hidden tunnel inside one of the houses that Darren, Nina, and a few others are staying in." Confused Vega also looks cute, so I grab her horn, shake her head, and let her think for herself. For now, let''s not eat the food they offer us, and when I''m done with practicing, I will have to check the tunnels Darren is hiding. Not a Chapter: Announcement (1st April) Not a Chapter: Announcement (1st April) So guys, once again I''m dissatisfied with the name of the story. Many of you know that some time ago, it used to be "Weapons of Mass Destruction," but I changed it later to "Hell Difficulty Tutorial." Yet, I still think it''s missing something, so I have decided to change it. I''m happy to announce a new name for my story: "Is It Wrong to Try to Survive in a Hell-Difficulty Tutorial When You''re Just a Guy with Excessive Mana and a Corgi?" The synopsis has also changed a bit:Updated from I Accidentally Became the Most Powerful Mage in a Hell-Difficulty Tutorial Because I Didn''t Know Where to Stop Adding Mana. I hope you guys will see why I made the decision and like the new name and synopsis as much as I do. Lastly, to reflect who the true MC of the story is, I have decided to change the cover. Once again. Some of you might recognize the cover from before. Unfortunately, the story will continue to be told from the perspective of the secondary main character, Nathaniel Gwyn. However, in our hearts, everyone knows who the true MC of "Is It Wrong to Try to Survive in a Hell-Difficulty Tutorial When You''re Just a Guy with Excessive Mana and a Corgi?" really is. I hope you guys will continue to enjoy the story for a long time to come. Chapter 287: I speak on behalf of my master Chapter 287: I speak on behalf of my master POV - Water Collector Oren - a different instance of the 5th floor "Did you check your gloves, newbie?" "For fuck''s sake, Oren, of course I did. You''ve told me only fifty times in the past few days." I ignore the harsh words from the young man and watch as he dips his gloved hands into the lake, its poisoned as are most of the water sources, and the elbow length gloves are meant to help with that. "Do you have enough mana to fill the entire vial?" "Just so-so," he answers, and I nod. I quickly check the transmitter, but it''s quiet. Our scouts would warn us if any dangerous animals or monsters were heading our way. As always, I can''t help but feel afraid when Im outside the Sanctuary. But there is no helping it, we need the water, what I''m doing is extremely important and (Human, can you hear me?) speaks a soft voice inside my head. I quickly send a warning to the scouts with our transmitter. "We have company," I shout to Sevil, and he quickly jumps to his feet. The voice speaks again, (I mean you no harm.) That voice is soft, not threatening, and it sounds young. Like a young boy around ten years of age. With a spear in my hand, I start backing away from the lake and the forest, and Sevil moves behind my back. "Show yourself!" I shout and squeeze my weapon. (As you wish,) the young voice replies, and the trees in the forest start moving. I freeze on the spot, unable to move, and watch as a massive black body pushes the branches and smaller trees apart as it enters the clearing. It is a wolf. A wolf twice my height. His fur is pitch black without any hint of color in it. It has a beautiful shine to it. Each of the wolfs steps is elegant and every movement it makes sends an impulse through my body telling me to run. The monster itself is trying to not look threatening as it stops nearby, and his calm golden eyes stare at me without moving closer.Updated from (Do not be afraid, human,) once again, the young voice in my head implores. Only then do I realize that it really is the wolf talking. A wolf with such a young voice. Could it still be a pup? There is no way; he is already so big! "W-what do you want?" I manage to choke out. (I speak on behalf of my master.) "Master?!" A creature like that has a master? How terrifying a being would it have to be!? Slowly, the black wolf lowers its head, and only then do I notice another animal sitting between its ears. That animal is much smaller, barely reaching my knees. It''s sandy yellow with white markings. It has four short legs. Its tail is almost nonexistent. But even to me, the creature looks cute. The terrifying wolf''s master just blinks a few times, its face almost looking as if smiling. The golden eyes of the wolf move upwards, and it seems like it''s communicating with its master. (Human, my master requires food.) "D-do you want to eat us?" I gulp. I know it''s useless, but I still try to bluff with the weapon in my hand. In the worst case, I will buy some time for Sevil to run away. (Master doesn''t eat humans, human,) once again, the youthful voice of the black wolf speaks. It takes a step closer and lowers its head a bit more, (Of course, in exchange for your food, the master is willing to pay. I hope you realize how graceful the master is!) As he finishes, the small creature with short legs starts floating in the air and heading towards us. Its tongue is sticking out slightly, and it moves extremely slowly, yet the black wolf looks at his master with eyes full of admiration. Only now do I realize that its master is wearing some clothes with plenty of small pockets. The quality of the cloth seems to be better than anything Ive ever seen in my life. And from the black wolf, a few full bags are hanging. The master stops just a short distance away from us, and then purple mana radiates from its back, taking on a different shape. That tendril of purple mana reaches into the pockets, and the creature puts things on the ground in front of us. There are pieces of glass, pretty river stones, and some crystals without any worth. "Do you want that?" "S-should I not?" "I mean, it''s up to you, but let me tell you a few things. Being rich might be fun, but I think you would find it just as boring as I do. Yes, pretty clothes and a house with a nice view are good to have, but in the end, they are just things." I push us higher and slow to a walk across the top of one of the skyscrapers. Over the horizon, the sun is already setting, the last light disappearing and the city turning dark. Clouds form in the sky and it''s about time for mana rain. "As for being respected. I dont think it matters. What matters is how you see yourself, disciple. That opinion is the most important. I know you are still young, but you will learn with time, even though you might not believe me right now." "Then what does master want?" "It''s simple, power." It starts raining, but my barrier protects us. In the dark city around us, only the tiny blue lights of the raindrops shine, and when they crash against the barrier, there is a small explosion of color. It''s pretty. "I want power, personal power. The one I can consider mine that no one can take away from me. A power above everyone else." My eyes meet those deep red eyes, and she asks, "Why?" "Because if you are powerful, you can do whatever you want. You can travel and explore places like the bunker we are currently staying in. You can go where you wouldn''t be able to otherwise. You can protect yourself and the people you care for." "So I need to become powerful?" "Minion, I told you shouldn''t care what others think, not even me. Find what you want to do and what makes you happy, and then put your entire being into reaching that goal. Bleed, hurt, sweat, push until you feel like breaking apart if needed. Because only then will you be content, even if you fail." "Is that what master is doing?" "Why are you asking?" "I know nothing about the master." "I told you before, most of the things I''m teaching you are my own theories" She interrupts me, "I didn''t mean that. What is the master''s favorite color? What food do you like the most? What is your favorite skill, things like that." That''s so silly I can''t help but be amused. Ever since the start of the tutorial, things like that havent mattered at all. Well, other than my favorite skill. We exit the city, and while heading towards the Sanctuary, I answer, "My favorite color I would say gray or black, but I''m not too picky. As for food maybe pizza? My skill" Vega interrupts me again, "What is pizza?" I look down at her, and with her ear pressed against my chest listening to my heart, she looks up, Her red eyes curious. "It''s like bread, in the shape of a flat disc. You bake it in an oven, and you put different toppings on it. Cheese, salami, meats, you add tomato sauce, that kind of thing. Minion, would you believe that there are maniacs who like them with sweet fruits on top? If you ever meet such a person, avoid them." Even without fully understanding, Vega giggles, "I would like to try pizza sometime." "That would be nice. And what''s your favorite food?" "Mine?" she pauses as if surprised by the question and then thinks for a bit. A small smug smile takes over her face, "When I was younger, a few kids from the street called me to join them. They wanted to steal some things from a merchant. I knew they wanted to steal and run leaving me behind to take the blame, but I still joined them." I use [Redistribution] to absorb kinetic energy from the rain in a massive area around us. That makes Vega pause, and with big eyes, she observes as the falling rain slows down to a crawl. A weird silence filling the area around us, "Pretty," she whispers and continues, "I still joined them because I was hungry, but I tricked them. When they started stealing, I stayed behind and let them distract people. One of the merchants nearby went to see what was happening. He left just for a second, but I stole a small sack with some sweet candy." She stops, eyes bright and remembering the moment. She pushes against my chest, and I can feel the warmth of her small body. Vega smiles at me, "I ran and ran like never before. I ran until I couldn''t breathe, and even then I was smiling. Then, in one of my hiding places, I ate all the candies. All of them, alone!" Even while entering the Sanctuary, I ignore the guards and listen to my silly disciple. Chapter 288: Preparations and secrets Chapter 288: Preparations and secrets "I can come back later," Nina says somewhat awkwardly. "It''s okay," I answer and shift a bit. Currently, I''m sitting on the floor, and two women are drawing on my skin. My upper body is bare and my pants are pulled up high, revealing my thighs. The women hold brushes in their hands, using some of the mana-conductive paint I have left. On the ground in front of them is a design of my creation, and they are transferring it to my skin. It''s the middle of day two of my planned 3-day stay in the Sanctuary, and with Darren''s help, I went looking for someone to draw circuits of my design. Suspiciously, he picked two pretty young women. Even more suspiciously, theyve been a bit too friendly as well. I guess that''s probably Darren''s attempt at tying me to the Sanctuary? Well, it doesn''t matter. At least they can draw well; otherwise, I would have sent them away. Nina nods and after glancing at me for a moment, she says, "We started unblocking one of the older facilities. It''s a secondary control room, but weve never had any use for it, and it''s damaged. In an hour or two, it should be ready as you asked." "That sounds nice," I mean, the current enchanting and smelting facility is nice, and I tested plenty of things, but who wouldn''t want to see more? "Also, your disciple tried to stab and bite one of our men when they tried to help her carry her bag," Nina adds. I turn to the side where Vega is practicing. The little half-demon doesn''t even pretend to not hear and returns my gaze. "Good job, but next time try the kick first. Stabbing is for when someone means you harm," I tell her. To that, Vega quickly nods and returns to her training. Nina watches our exchange with a mildly shocked expression, but then quickly shakes her head. She takes a step closer, "And if you have time tomorrow, my father wants to talk with you about something serious." "We will see tomorrow." I lift one of my arms so the woman can paint it.Updated from Not having a reason to stay, Nina leaves, and I observe the circuits theyve drawn on me. It''s annoying that I couldn''t do it myself, but it''s hard to draw on my back or chest while keeping the lines straight. Sure, the occasional mistake isnt a problem, and the first attempts I made on my arm weren''t that bad. But I want to find out how much things change with well-drawn circuits. Is there a difference between a wobbly line and one thats well drawn? Does making an oval instead of a circle affect it at all? How much deviation do I need to worry about? That''s the question Im asking. The women Darren recommended are doing a good job. Their hands are steady, and they are not wasting any paint. They even stopped ogling to focus on their work. I mean, I don''t blame them, hehe. As my mom said around twelve years, three months, and around five days ago, I''m a handsome young man. "Minion, I''m handsome, right?" "It''s Vega, master, I''m your disciple, not a minion." Shes clearly given up on her attempts at reverse psychology. "Sure." "Master''s eyes are pretty." "Only my eyes?" "Heart too!" Well, even that much is fine, "I also like your eyes and heart, minion," even though it is an undeserved 4th trait spot the demons must have cheated to get. Thankfully, at least Vega seems to agree with me, judging by the look she gives Nina. Ive already been collecting my mana for a while, and I put my hand on the control panel to send a bit through. I quickly identify where the inscriptions are messed up and search for the secondary pathways, and surprisingly, they are damaged as well. In the end, I decided to ignore the messed-up parts. Fixing them would take too long and I would have to replace the entire segment. Instead, I just put an anchor on the mana crystal and send my mana directly to it. There will be leaks, but I decide I will overcome them with the sheer amount of mana I will be pushing through. I step away and continue to send my mana through [Tether], and gradually the room lights up. There is no crystal in the ceiling, instead, beautiful ornaments light up all around the room, and even the mana crystal starts letting out some light. Taking a few steps, I reach another control panel, the one meant to manage this facility. The mana stone that is the center of it seems okay, and I put my hand on it and send a bit of mana through. Inside the stone, there are multiple sets of inscriptions, each connecting to a different part of the Sanctuary. Some seem to be devoted to protecting the bunker. Others are for heating, water, and air filtration, and thats just the start. Several don''t seem to be working, not because of any issue with the mana stone, its likely because those parts of the bunker are ruined. Looking though, I still cant find anything in the hidden tunnels where Darren and others were getting the meat. Interesting, maybe theyve blocked it on the other side? Otherwise, there isn''t much interesting to do. Sure, it''s all fun and cool. I could turn on the heating, send more mana through, and open the door or lock all of them. I could even use water from the tanks to fight against a possible fire. It''s something I would otherwise like to play with, but not with the short amount of time Ive got on this floor. "Nothing interesting, most of the things are impossible to control from here, and there is plenty of damage in the connections," I tell Nina and stop feeding my mana to the mana crystal. It gradually dims out, and we leave with her. The door stays open so I can return later. "So, do you understand what to do?" I ask Vega. "Yes! I will sit here inside of the barrier, and if something happens, I will send a signal through your anchor, and you will return." "Good. See you later then, okay?" "I will continue to train." I give Vega one more look. She is currently inside my room. It''s a nice room in one of the original towers in the middle of the main cave. The room is nicely decorated, and most of the furniture is made of stone with some soft cushions to cover it. There is a barrier made with [Regalia] surrounding Vega. It''s powered by one of the higher-grade mana stones I left with her. Ive used enough power to last for hours without using mana from the stone. Then it can defend against multiple attacks on its own, and if that''s not enough, it will use mana from the mana stone. I don''t think there is anyone in the city capable of breaking it quickly, yet I still leave an anchor nearby so I can return quickly. The door into the room is also blocked by my mana, along with the other entrances. Giving a last look to the room and my disciple, I use [Tether] and teleport to the anchor I left by the hidden tunnels. Then I start hiding my mana and use [Perception] to avoid people. [Mana Domain] expands, and I create a few more anchors, teleporting multiple times to avoid people. There are a few guards inside of the house over the secret tunnels, but they don''t feel me placing anchors or teleporting. Appearing behind the door theyre guarding, I start walking. The tunnel is dark, and the air here feels different. There also aren''t many inscriptions or veins of metal like in the other ones. This tunnel feels much newer. Did they construct it after moving here? That could explain why they weren''t on the maps inside the mana crystal. I feel another presence heading towards me, and I reach past them and place the anchor. Only when I''m about to be spotted, do I teleport past. As with before, the guard doesn''t feel my domain, nor do they notice when I place anchors or teleport. I send more of my mana ahead and find a small room at the end of the tunnel. That room currently has a single person inside of it. The air takes on a smell like rust. It smells like blood, lots of blood. I detect the guard leaving and continue to walk towards that room. The closer I get, the more I smell it, and the heavier the air feels. Theres even dried blood on the floor and the walls. Gradually the light permeates the dark tunnels, and I enter the room. The room has been painted bright white, yet that only serves to emphasize the blood covering everything, the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling, all thrown into stark relief by the bright lights. There are a few boxes stuffed in the corner of the room, each of them filled to the brim with severed legs and arms. In another corner, a man sits on a bed. His legs up, knees in front of his chest. He has long hair covering his face and is wearing bloodied clothes with short sleeves. His eyes are cold and he watches me calmly. I notice a silver metal collar around his neck and a chain of similar metal tying him to one of the walls. [Lifebloom Weaver - lvl 206] Chapter 289: Against the Veil Guardian Chapter 289: Against the Veil Guardian For a moment, we look at each other. Two men in a small white room covered in blood, with boxes full of bloody limbs in the corner. Keeping an eye on him, I find a relatively clean spot and sit on the floor, resting my back against the wall. And then I just sit there. The man''s eyes are calm, and yet they have a weird shine to them. They are not the eyes of an animal backed into a corner, tired and threatening. They are more like the eyes of someone whos given up. You are not one of them, his voice is quiet and rough as if he is not used to talking. Im just passing by, I reply. Just passing by, he repeats. Yes. By the way, do you know anything about the Veil, the Mirror, the Valley, Pairing, war, monsters, or Veil Guardian? He seems to be taken aback and chuckles. Even that chuckle sounds weak and forced. It sounds like hes laughing at himself. You are not going to ask about... he gestures at the room. Is there any need to? Locals seem to have an interesting diet. That''s it. They likely forced you into this. At least I don''t think anyone would go along with this willingly, and the collar around your neck confirms it. Another chuckle, Youre wrong. Am I?Updated from He brushes the hair from his face, his deep eyes staring into mine, Fuck knows how long ago I agreed to this, the man says to my surprise. In the beginning, it was simple, really. They needed food and I wanted to help. Probably out of regret or maybe I felt like I owed these people something. You seem to have changed your mind halfway through, I gesture at his neck where the collar is. His smile shows his teeth, it feels almost threatening, Do you know how it feels to have your legs and arms sawn off day after day for decades? To know what they are doing with them? It doesn''t matter how much you want to help, after enough time you cant take anymore. So get off your fucking high horse, you brat. I ignore the last sentence, So, you want to get out? For the first time, he hesitates, almost like pure panic appearing on his face, A lot of them would die without the man still says, his eyes changing, a hint of craziness surfacing. He pulls his knees higher and hides his face, Kids, men, and women. Innocent people, my skill isn''t good enough at regenerating others to do it with someone else or an animal, he wobbles from side to side, his voice even weaker than before. I give him time and gradually he calms down enough to look at me, changing the subject, The Veil was our biggest hope, even I contributed, everyone did. But none of us knew much. The Enchanter Guild were the main organizers and they were very secretive about their greatest creation. The most brilliant minds on our planet. People treated them like gods. Some sanity returns to his eyes, Oh, how beautiful their promises were. Every single city, protected by a Veil encompassing the entire planet. A construct so perfect it would run on its own following a set of rules overseen by a coalition of all the worlds kingdoms. Out of nowhere, he starts laughing, Pairing, weve experienced it twice now. Either we were unlucky or we did something wrong. Who the fuck would know for sure, what with the system being so cryptic all the time. Once again, he laughs like he just told a great joke. His eyes meet mine again, and this time they are calm, sane, and clear. Now fuck off. I''m tired of your face. Leave me alone. You can take some and snack on it later, he points at the box full of limbs, a cruel expression on his face. I give him one more look, then activate one of my anchors and reappear inside the city, on top of one of the skyscrapers. To be sure, I check the anchor I left near Vega and send my senses through. I get a little bit of feedback, but everything seems fine. Three orbs form next to me, and I start feeding them: one with kinetic energy, another with thermal, and the last one with mana. Dark blue, golden, and pale blue to the point of transparency, the orbs follow me as I jump off the building and boost myself towards the granny. For a short moment, I enjoy the feeling of wind on my face as I''m flying through the air until I reach the cottage at the top of the skyscraper. I pass through the field which sends her a signal before entering the house. What, did you come to break more of my pots you brat? Don''t tell me the kid that was following you died. Where is she? The Vitalist inquires. She is fine. Safe and currently training. I have a question for you if you don''t mind. No gifts, you still owe me, and you come here asking for more. So typical of the current generation, she grumbles, but I notice a hint of curiosity in her eyes. I think she must be bored, being here alone most of the time. How old are you? I ask. That makes her cackle, and she doesn''t answer. Taking a bag off my back, I take out a brush and a container with mana conductive paint. I start drawing inscriptions on the roof after clearing it. While doing so, I check the inscriptions painted on my body and there seems to be no change from before. Once again, I check the anchor near my disciple, and, making sure everything ok, I start using more of my mana to feed the orbs. My heart beats, and working as a medium, it turns mana into the two Primordial energies I possess. I let two hours pass like that and then I stop feeding the orb. Instead, I create a javelin over my shoulder. Having created it with [Regalia] its already tougher than it used to be, but I cant stop there. I make it denser, which increases its weight, either because of the skill or the properties of mana changing. I dont use [Infusion] to keep feeding the javelin with my energies or skills. No, I just make it as dense, heavy, and tough as possible. Focusing on doing that, I''m able to stop it from exploding. Thanks to my improved mastery and skill. Feeling ready, I breathe in and out. [Focus] The world loses some of its color and the skill filters out some of the noises. In addition to the three orbs floating beside me, another takes form. This one is smaller and quickly fed by my focused mana as it turns black, while I keep it under control with [Mana Domain], [Mana Manipulation], and [Resonance]. Then I activate my trait, a golden circle appearing around my pupils, while I channel mana into the inscriptions Ive painted on the ground and get ready. Moving the javelin a bit further away, I look at the sky and [Focus]. Knowing better what to look for, I identify the lines I noticed the first time. The lines of mana that likely encompass the entire planet. The Veil. I touch them, I examine them, trying to collect as much information as possible, already feeling the strain my trait is putting on my body. And as expected, the monster appears. [Veil Guardian - lvl ??] It stands on the rooftop of the building opposite mine. Its red eyes glow with hate, and a deep growl reverberates through the air, breaking the remains of glass in the windows. The blades it has in place of its arms have a blue shine to them, and I feel its senses touch me. Not giving it a chance, I nearly deplete the kinetic energy from the orb I created, and the javelin shoots at the guardian, boosted by all that force. A sonic boom threatens to deafen me as the javelin breaks the sound barrier and disappears from its place beside me. It pierces through the monster''s chest, barely missing the heart, and continues to fly much further, piercing through everything in its way. The javelin doesn''t slow at all, the sheer density, weight, and amount of kinetic energy I used turning it into a terrifying weapon. The Veil Guardian wobbles on its legs, and red blood seeps onto its gray skin. It roars, and the blue veins on its body expand. A gravity field encompasses me and immediately starts pushing me down to my knees with a force that tears at my body. I fail to disrupt the effect even with my eyes activated, Ive expected this ever since I first saw the monster use the skill. Not hesitating and according to my plan, I let the black mana seep into my body, the inscriptions covering me activate and help alleviate some of the pressure. The effect of the monster''s skill gets overpowered by the sheer power of black mana strengthening my body, and I watch the monster jump from the roof, heading towards me. I send mana mixed with kinetic energy into the inscriptions on the floor, and they resonate, shooting all that energy through the skyscraper I''m standing on. The building starts crumbling when the energy pierces through it in its entirety. One of the tallest buildings in the city starts falling to the side. At the same time, the Veil Guardian avoids golden flames infused with disrupting mana, and it disrupts the anchors I placed all around the place. It crashes against my barrier and breaks it, welcomed by another one which also breaks. I set barrier after barrier, slowing the monster down. Then my mana flows and surges from my body. [Redistribution] activates, and I absorb all the kinetic energy from the falling building. Gradually, the broken skyscraper slows its fall, and things become eerily quiet as the pieces of the building slowly continue to fall. [Redistribution - lvl 41 > Redistribution - lvl 42] I compress thermal energy inside of the orb even more, and a stream of thermal energy shoots off like a laser. The guardian avoids it, but it cuts another skyscraper in half, which also slows as it falls. [Redistribution - lvl 42 > Redistribution - lvl 43] This time I dash at the monster, using bits of that energy to strengthen my body in the way symbiotic transference used to do. The air itself around the monster reverberates with high-pitched sounds. Wound after wound appears on the monster''s skin, the kinetic energy threatening to tear apart the extremely durable monster. The sound rises pitch and volume, as its wounds deepen, and the guardian uses its arms to cover its chest and head. Finally, the attack pierces its guard, and the right arm of the monster explodes at the shoulder, falling to the ground. Chapter 290: Resilience Beyond Pain Chapter 290: Resilience Beyond Pain Another blast of kinetic energy sends the monster crashing through multiple buildings. But it seems that I was unable to kill it, even with the sheer amount of kinetic energy I collected, it not being concentrated enough because the sheer amount is hard to control. I grab the severed limb as it falls, and when the guardian rushes at me again, flames burst forth from me, dispersing on its skin. The guardian disrupts my anchors, and my kinetic energy seems to be having less of an effect, the monster changing its barrier to counter it. My control falters, and the falling buildings move again, falling at normal speed, the deafening sound of crashing debris filling the area. I avoid the growling Veil Guardian and use [Regalia] to envelope my body in a suit of armor and absorb another blow. Mana flows through me, and I use the kinetic energy Ive gathered to strengthen my body even more. I create a sword out of mana, imbuing it with [Resonance], as it collides with the guardian''s remaining sword arm. Its blade cuts through my weapon easily as if it wasnt even there, and slices into my shoulder before I can blast it away with the remaining kinetic energy from the orb. I absorb some thermal energy from the other orb, and the wound starts healing. Not giving me more time, the monster reaches me, slashing at me again, and I dodge to the side, as a slash removes a chunk of the falling building were standing on. I attack it with its own arm, and the monster dodges, a deep groan I can feel in my chest reverberating through the air. It screeches and follows me as I jump from building to building, its attacks causing huge amounts of damage to each. It continues to disrupt my anchors, and even my [Mana Domain] is restricted. Its gravity skill also continues to put pressure on me, and I feel black mana inside of my body depleting and inscriptions on my skin disappearing. The entire time, part of my mind, with the help of my eyes'' trait, continues to examine the monster, its mana, and the way it tracks me and disrupts my external skills. When the monster tackles me, I let it happen and use [Infusion] to infuse the armor around my body with thermal energy. Golden flames fill the armor, turning me into a burning figure, and the Veil Guardian screeches, as its skin burns and one of its eyes is damaged. Using the opportunity, I once again slash with its severed arm, and the monster dodges once more. In exchange, its blade pierces through my leg, and the only thing that saves it is the black mana boosting my movements. I avoid another stab and try to keep it from tackling me. Flames compress and blaze ahead like a laser, burning a hole into its eye. The attack blinds the damaged eye but still doesn''t pierce deep enough to kill it. For a short moment, gravity affecting me increases, and immobilizes me, even with my strengthened body, and the monster reaches me, burrowing its teeth into my leg. I push it away, and another laser-like attack of golden flames burns its chest close to its heart as the monster shifts its body. The Veil Guardian takes a moment to chew on the chunk of flesh it tore out of my leg, all the while looking at me with its single eye. A memory of a group of three people being eaten alive flashes through my head. Landing on the road, I roll away, but once again, the monster holds my body with extreme gravity and reaches me in a split second. Ignoring my armor, it burrows its teeth into the same leg it bit before, and then, while I''m unable to move, starts gnawing at it. The gravity disappears, but the monster holds me, its teeth lodged in the bone of my shin. It starts eating me alive, a hateful expression in its eyes. [Redistribution] activates, and I transfer all the thermal energy I have into kinetic and bolster it with some of my mana. My thermokinetic heart beats, compressing it all. Looking at the monster, I send all that kinetic energy into my leg, and as the monster gnaws at it, I make it explode inside its mouth. The Veil Guardian gets thrown away, a geyser of blood exploding into the air. From the sky, the monster falls, a crater created by the force of the impact. The silence is deafening as the Veil Guardian reaches the place where I appeared after the teleport. Its red eye looks around, full of calm hate and searching. There are only two anchors left. One near my disciple and the other one near the old healer on the rooftop with the Vitalist. The monster takes a few slow steps, searching, and looking. Its movements are just as sharp as before, even with the wounds Ive inflicted. A minute passes. Two minutes pass. The Guardian passes by the building I''m hiding in. Three minutes. It returns again, circles, and searches closer to the area where I am. The remaining arm twitches towards the ruins of the buildings where it all started, some of my mana still lingering in the air. After being hit by the attack, the cleanly slashed stone falls, adding to the pile of rubble. Then the Veil Guardian changes its strategy. The monster stops where it stands, and mana explodes from it, encompassing a huge area. Some sort of domain similar to my [Mana Domain]. Within that sizable area, the gravity increases. And then again. The gravity keeps slowly increasing every few seconds. It causes more rubble to fall, and some weaker buildings tilt and crack. The smaller pieces of the skyscrapers fall from all this height. And the entire time, the monster waits. For a hint of mana. For a scream of pain. The gravity increases even more, and another skyscraper nearby tilts, standing only on one leg, I crumple onto the ground under that force. I do not fight against it; I do not use mana other than to keep myself covered. [Focus - lvl 44 > Focus - lvl 45] The effect of the field isn''t as strong as before because of the area it covers, yet it still weighs me down. It becomes harder to breathe, and I feel dizzy. The blood in my veins moves slower. The field strengthens, and with it, my dizziness strengthens too. I can feel my heart palpitate. The guardian radiates more mana, and each breath takes extreme effort. Yet, I still do not use my mana to strengthen my body. I keep it all under control, not leaking it at all, not even a bit. [Mana Manipulation - lvl 45 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 46] My vision blurs and my body starts to tear. The intense gravity attempting to pull the flesh off my bones. Bones all over my body crack and break. Dozens of them as my body gets pressed against the ground. The pain pierces through my body and reaches my mind. There is nothing else, just a feeling of my body getting taken apart, the pain, and me controlling my mana. It feels like forever, and I barely even feel a few pieces of ceiling fall on my body, even though they mangle my muscles and break even more bones. Out of nowhere, the pressure disappears, replaced by a deep groan, and then there is silence. The gravity is back to normal, and gradually even the sound of falling buildings disappears. Even then, I lay there for hours. I do not heal my body, nor do I stop keeping my mana hidden. I just lay there, inside the half-broken building, somewhere under the rubble. Only when I hear the rain falling outside do I allow my heart to generate thermal energy and let it activate the passive that heals my body. Chapter 291: In really bad mood Chapter 291: In really bad mood A day passes, and I remove the rubble from my body, which is now in a better state. However, it still bears plenty of wounds: cracked bones, not fully healed muscles, and a significant chunk of my leg is still missing. It''s raining once again, and I exit the building, letting the deadly rain fall on my skin, disrupting it with my mana. [Perception] looks around, and I start walking. I do not use anchors, worried they might be tracked, and I use only a little mana, not knowing where the monster is. Just a bit to keep my body strengthened, allowing me to move faster and cross the rooftops. It takes a bit longer, but I reach the old grannys place. At first, I pass by it a few times. As wrecked as my body is, I cant locate the place with the field that surrounds it. It''s either that or the granny changed the field a little. When I finally locate it, I enter the rooftop and, triggering a signal, the old woman comes out of the house. Walking between the flower pots, I stop in front of her, standing on one leg and my mana prosthetic. She opens her mouth to say something, but that''s when my skill activates. [Redistribution] absorbs her kinetic energy and stops her mouth from moving. "I will be brief," I tell her. "On another day, I wouldn''t mind a bit of bickering, but right now, I am in a really bad mood. So now, I will let you go, and you will tell me what you want from me in exchange for healing, or tell me to fuck off." I let go of her, and she staggers backward. Her expression turning serious, "I will heal you. We can talk about what you did later. If I ask for something annoying, you can refuse." After that, she heads inside the house, and I follow her. She sends out a pulse of mana, which deactivates the item radiating the tranquilizing field. I sit on the chair as she gestures to me. Her hands touch my shoulder, and warm mana flows into my body, healing me for the first time. "What the fuck," she gasps, and I sense her skill observing my body. She checks the wounds, feels the imbalance between my attributes, and peripherally senses my constant control over my mana. "WHAT THE FUCK," she repeats, getting a better image of my body before she starts healing me. I feel my body sway and my mind spin, but I force myself to stay awake and carefully observe the entire process. Ready to react if she tries anything suspicious, I observe the way she moves her mana. Maybe I could learn a thing or two from her; that''s what I hope for. But in the end, her healing is similar to Lily''s. Yes, weaker and clumsier, but its the same at its core. As shes healing me, she uses nearly all of her mana. Her healing doesn''t restore my leg. Not because she is incapable, but because she heals the other wounds first. My Phoenix Embrace has healed a lot and given enough time, it would heal the rest. But there are advantages to having an active healing skill, even though she is much lower level than I am. When she is done, she moves back and sits on the couch in the corner, catching her breath. Meanwhile, I start generating thermal energy with my Thermokinetic Mana Heart and sending it to the places where I''m still hurt and towards my leg. It slowly continues to grow with the help of the passive. The old woman doesn''t ask anything or bicker with me. When I look at her, she simply says, "I will ask later." With a nod, I push myself back onto my feet and turn to leave. Outside of the house, I take a deep breath and jump over the edge of the roof, landing on the road. I absorb the energy of my fall and start running, transferring some of that energy into strengthening. I head towards the Sanctuary and am close to exiting the city when I feel a signal from Vega. It''s a signal I told her to send only if she needed help. Disregarding the chance that the guardian will track and follow me, I use [Tether] and teleport to the anchor. Reappearing in our room, I find Vega in the barrier I made for her. She is fine and holding a knife in her hand, the one I created with [Regalia]. Her heart beats, generating kinetic energy that flows through her body.Updated from Slowly, I turn towards the intruders in the room. We were worried! We kept calling for you, Darren says. You didn''t answer for close to two days, and when we tried to open the door, they were blocked, so we got inside. The She is good at reading peoples moods. She had to learn to avoid catching beatings. She also knows that I, like her, prefer when people act honestly rather than pretending. Her eyes examine my missing leg, Does it hurt? Not really. Will master have to live without a leg now? It will regrow. Is master a gray lizard? The last time I checked in the mirror, I was not a gray lizard, minion. What even is that? Her fingers poke a skin that has grown over the wound. She looks at me, It''s a monster that lives in the forest near my village. They are said to be really tasty, but theyre fast. They can regrow their legs if they lose them. Do you have healers? There are people with skills that can regrow limbs as well. Vega nods, I only heard from songs. They don''t come to the places where people like me live. Of course, they don''t. Something tells me that there will be much more trouble for Lily. Minion, if you find a healer by chance, try to keep them for yourself as much as you can. Learning some healing skills would be good if you get the chance. I''m Vega, but I will master! Good, something tells me you will need a lot of healing, the same as me. My minion gives me a confused look but then glances at my leg and probably remembers the wounds she got while training. Understanding flashes across her face and then determination follows, Will do! she repeats but this time more firmly. Smart girl. Did you get beaten up, master? her question hits me where it hurts, but she asks so innocently that I don''t even get too annoyed. A bit, I admit. She turns around and rushes to her bag, taking out some food and pieces of cloth, That''s okay! Master will surely win the next time. As master said, it''s fine to lose, the winner is whoever is alive in the end! I have no answer for that and she smiles at me. After putting two pieces of the cloth on the ground, she turns to me, Will master eat with me? Gladly. Chapter 292: Entirely honest Chapter 292: Entirely honest Flameheart Medallion (rare) - This copper medallion can unleash a torrent of heat when fueled with mana. Capable of projecting flames, it serves as both an offensive tool to scorch enemies and a defensive mechanism to create barriers of heat that deter attackers. Edgekeeper Blade (rare) -Cycling mana through this blade dramatically enhances its sharpness, allowing it to cleave through enemy armor and flesh. Guardian''s Wristband (rare) -By channeling mana, this steel wristband generates an energy field that can forcefully repel enemies and their attacks. The wristband''s protective energy not only guards the wearer but can also be used to push opponents back during close combat. Beacon Pendant (rare) -When activated by mana, this brass pendant emits a blinding light. This intense illumination can be used to momentarily blind attackers, providing a tactical advantage by disorienting them and making it easier to land attacks. Not bad at all if I do say so myself. I''m especially surprised by the last one. I mostly just copied the inscriptions and the effect of an item I found on the 4th floor. Still, it did work, even though the item I made is much uglier and probably doesnt even break mid-rare. Minion, here, play, I give the medallion, blade, and wristband to my disciple. Then I sell the pendant. Vega quickly and possessively grabs the items and rushes back into her corner of the facility where she continues to train her kinetic demon heart while examining the items. Just a few hours and my limit of three days will pass, and we will leave the Sanctuary. The plan is to head to the Bastion and maybe explore the Valley while leveling Vega until she gets her Primary class. Of course, the plan has changed a bit given that I spent nearly two days out dealing with that monster, that I will totally repay for everything it put me through. The asshole was probably as strong as the Fallen Hero or stronger. It''s hard to measure it properly without fighting both. Its also a hunter type enemy that can track, and disrupt mana, with a tough body to boot. Well, at least I took its arm and got myself a nice blade made of Voidsteel or whatever. Voidsteel Slicer (Epic):The Voidsteel used in this blade is renowned for its vibration-absorbing qualities, allowing the wielder to cut with unmatched precision and sharpness. The Voidsteel ensures the Slicer is nearly indestructible, effortlessly cutting through almost any material. The blade is extremely durable and sharp. I also tested it, and it works well with my [Resonance]. Surely it qualifies as at least a mid epic weapon. The only disadvantage is that it doesn''t have a handle just a weird metal stump that was connected to the monsters bones, but I will deal with that later. I probably could melt some metal and mold it around the stump to make a handle, but it wouldn''t be as durable as the blade. It wouldn''t be as conductive either, and it might crack during a fight. So for now, I will keep it as it is. I can just form some armor around my body and hold it in a gauntlet. Simple as that. Master, they are ugly, Vega says as she approaches me holding the items I gave her. Even as she cradles them with care. Forgive me, Your Highness, next time I will remember to add some golden filigree to fit your delicate tastes, I reply. She stares blankly at first, though she smiles after a second. "Okay!" She says before returning to her corner to continue her studies. I''m indeed not appreciated here. I return to the mana crystal in front of me and continue to examine it, making sure to remember the inscriptions. I plan to use them as inspiration in the future when I make my own evil lair. I already have a few places in mind when I return to Earth. One of them is the Moon. Yup, a Moon Base is on the menu! I have to think big, don''t I? Another idea is a floating city. If I improve my kinetic energy just a little bit, I should be able to make a small island float, right? Or maybe I can create my evil lair somewhere in the middle of an ocean. On top of a mountain maybe? I could just decide to be a bit of an asshole and take over a mountain range in Switzerland. Or perhaps some nice valley in Colorado. My options are endless. Finally, the man''s mask cracks a bit, showing his frustration, "I know how shitty all of this is. I know!" he nearly shouts. "I just don''t know what else to do. I really don''t" A shitty situation indeed. "I will be leaving in a few hours," I tell him. The facility becomes eerily quiet, even Vage listening to our conversation. With a sigh, Darren nods, "I will leave you to your things then, Nathaniel. Thanks for everything." After he leaves, I move back to the facility where Vega is waiting for me. "It''s rude to eavesdrop on other people''s conversations," I tell her. "But master does it all the time!" She looks at me, slightly confused. "Masters can do whatever they want." I pinch her cheek a bit. "How is your mana orb coming?" "It''s still very small and pale blue, but I can hold it a bit longer now," she forms one over her hand, showing off the results of her hard work. At the same time, she keeps sending her mana senses into the area, constantly wary of danger. Partially, she also does something to her Kinetic Demon Heart. Unlike my [Focus] which I tend to concentrate on a single thing, she uses her [Concentration] a bit differently. Like me, she can concentrate on a single task, and I can split my [Focus] into multiple threads. But Vega seems to have a better talent for using [Concentration] on multiple things at once. Of course, each instance isn''t as powerful as focusing on a single thing, but even then it has its advantages. Ive already decided not to stop her from doing so. It will be more helpful if she does something she has talent for rather than blindly following my advice. "Good job," I hand her a small mana stone, "You can train with this too. It should help you a bit." "Thanks!" She immediately takes the stone and rushes to the spot where she keeps all her things. All carefully guarded like the hoard of an old dragon. I turn to return to examining the mana crystal for the last time when the transmitter in my pocket activates. This time it feels weird, a bit different from before when Darren used it. (I hope I got your frequency correct, so answer if you hear me, Mr. Fucked Attribute Balance.) (That''s a rude thing to say to a cute young man, granny,) I send back. (My old ass is cuter than you.) Okay, now I really feel insulted. But she continues before I can answer, (I don''t like to waste my words, so I will be brief. You owe me, right? Do you intend to pay me back, or should I forget about it because it means nothing to you?) (If you ask for too much, I will refuse, but yes, I owe you something.) (Good. Do you remember the man they keep in the tunnel and use as cattle? My father?) (It''s hard to forget.) (Good. In exchange for all the help I gave you, I want you to kill him.) The already shitty situation became even shittier. Chapter 293: To pay you back Chapter 293: To pay you back Taking a few steps, I reach the open circular iron door that leads to the facility, and from where I stand, I look towards the city that is in a half-spherical cave. As I noticed before, there are plenty of buildings that seem much older than the others. They are likely the original buildings of the cave. Yet even they show the passage of time. There are scratches, and there is rust on the surface. There are even a few cracks on some taller ones. The newer buildings are mostly made of wood, with some clay-like material for daubing. The city isn''t perfectly clean, no matter how people try, there just isn''t enough water. People are even wearing clothes that are made from old cloth or leather. Plenty of them are thin and scarred. Everyone seems to have something to do, trying to be useful to keep the Sanctuary going. And plenty of them are cannibals without ever knowing, eating meat they think comes from the animals hunted outside. (Why such a change of heart?) I finally ask the granny, (You seemed of a different opinion before.) I''m honestly curious. (Will you do it?) she asks me instead.Updated from I then think about it for a bit longer and answer, (I will free him and give him the chance to kill himself. The decision will be on him.) (Ha! Even if it means he might kill himself and most of the people will die of hunger sooner or later?) (Weird thing to say after what you asked of me. So, is that sufficient to pay you back?) (I guess I will have to live with that much. Yes, consider your debt repaid.) After that, the connection turns off, and I break the transmitter in my hand and watch as pieces of it fall to the ground. I send my mana ahead, and a thermal orb forms in front of me, which I start to fill with golden thermal energy. Ive officially completed the quest to find out what''s happening in the Sanctuary, and Ive already gotten a thousand shards. I also filled more tanks with water and filtered it, but that hasnt completed the other one asking me to help the survivors. I plan to try one more thing, but with 10 days left until the end of my 3 weeks with my disciple, it''s time to head north. "Minion, stay here for a bit, okay?" She doesn''t react, even as I say this, totally focused on her training to the point where she isn''t even checking her surroundings. I would be a bit more annoyed if it wasn''t something I do myself. Instead of trying to talk to her again, I just create a barrier in front of the door to the facility and then use the anchor I left on the surface. With a push of kinetic energy, I send myself high into the air and then deeper into the forest. [Perception] fires off as I start looking for animals. Even they are quite abnormal. In a place where veil shriekers roam freely, only the stronger ones have survived. Well, them and the ones that have learned to avoid them. With the speed I''m flying at, it doesn''t take that long, and I locate the first one. [Berserk boar - lvl 190] The boar detects me while Im hovering in the air. Its eyes turn blood red. There is no mana, and I detect it as an animal with a full physical build. I create an anchor near its eye and send a sharp explosion of kinetic energy through, obliterating half of its face. The monster sways, and for a moment, it looks like it will fall, but then the wound starts healing, fully restoring itself. I send three more piercing attacks through the monster, each burrowing deeper into its head. There it reaches the skull which disperses and reflects the attack. As its healing, its head little more than a bloody skull, the boar jumps into the air, using its sheer strength to reach me. A single red eye glowing maniacally. I avoid it with ease, and when the boar falls back to the ground, I quickly create and compress a mana arrow. I boost it with kinetic energy, and it pierces through the animal''s skull. I tried to avoid damaging the body too much at first; there is no way I won''t show the beauty of a full mana build to someone focused on physical stats. Each of the mana javelins pierces through the head of one of the monsters. [You have defeated Lightning Bison - lvl 122] [You have defeated Lightning Bison - lvl 165] [You have defeated Lightning Bison - lvl 180] Half of them die immediately and only the stronger ones survive the wound. They roar and start collecting mana, lightning flickering around their bodies. I use the anchor I left near them and teleport, [Regalia] forming armor around myself while I take out the Voidsteel slicer. [Resonance] flows through the blade, synchronizing with it and making it even sharper and infusing it with mana disrupting properties. Before they even react, I remove one of their heads. [You have defeated Lightning Bison - lvl 201] Lightning tries to jump from its body to the blade and me, but its disrupted the moment it touches the metal. The remaining two move at surprising speed, their horns elongating and the front of their heads emitting a shield-like barrier full of lightning. I boost my body, dodging the attack and matching the speed of the monsters. The blade slashes again, removing another head. [You have defeated Lightning Bison - lvl 198] A lightning attack from the remaining bison disperses on my armor and I let its charge hit me. As the attack lands, I absorb the kinetic energy of the charge and my body doesn''t even move from the spot. More lightning explodes all around us, tearing the ground apart and exploding the trees, giving me goosebumps as I feel the hair on my scalp rise. I transfer absorbed kinetic energy into strengthening my body and move to the side and slash again. The Bison tries to block the attack, but the blade ignores all the defenses. [You have defeated Lightning Bison - lvl 200] I calm down my mana and continue to search for any danger while I step closer to the monster. For a while, I examine its body. The skin isn''t as tough as I thought it was and the only part that interests me is the horns. So I take some time to remove all the horns before using [Tether] to send them to the Sanctuary. This time a big chunk of my mana disappears. The expenditure isn''t as big as if the Bisons were alive or if I had to deal with a natural barrier. Ive tried it before but using an anchor on someone who isn''t much weaker than me is extremely difficult. Well, it''s not like I don''t have enough mana anyway. When they are gone, I check the side quest again. And nothing. With a sigh, I lift off and head towards another group of animals. After sending through a few dozen more animals, the quest has finally been completed and I receive 1000 shards. The entire time, I made sure I was hunting them far enough at places where the survivors would never go. I did it to avoid scaring off the animals they usually hunt. When I use the anchor to reappear in front of the Sanctuary, the giant doors are wide open, and it looks like the entire city is there, skinning or moving the animals inside. They are carefully taking the skins, bones, organs, everything. Nothing seems to go to waste. Hundreds of people jostling about, children laughing, adults smiling. Every one of the unknowing cannibals seems to be happy. Some of them start to notice me and rush me with big smiles on their faces. I quickly use another anchor and reappear near Vega. When she doesn''t react to my presence, too focused on her training, I grab one of her small horns and shake her head. She doesn''t even try to push my hand away, resigned to her fate, knowing that her best option is to hope I get bored. That amuses me even more, and I continue to wobble and gently shake her head for an entire minute. The way she tries to hide her annoyance makes it even more fun. To frustrate her even more, I stop when she is reaching out to push my hand away. Minion, your awareness sucks, I tell her, Anyway, get ready and pack your things, were about to leave. I will be back soon after dealing with one more thing. My senses flow into the Sanctuary and I quickly find Darren and Nina. Teleporting outside of the facility where Vega is packing our stuff, I move towards them. Chapter 294: Heading North Chapter 294: Heading North A group of ten or so people, including Darren and Nina, waits for me near the facility that Vega and I were using. Even though most of them seem happy, there is an awkwardness to their smiles. It deepens even more when I reach them. Before Darren says anything, I interrupt him with a listening finger, "You can use that annoying skill of yours. It will make things a bit easier." He closes his mouth, and his forehead furrows. A hint of worry on his face. "I want to thank you for what you did. The amount of food you gave us should be able to last for years," he says carefully. That''s true. Most of the animals I brought were higher level, and just a little bit of their meat is enough to feed a low level human. And that is what most of the survivors here are. "Good, I want you to tell everyone what they were eating all these years." The smile disappears from everyones faces. I dont fail to notice Nina watching me with newfound interest. Shes the only one from the group that seems intrigued. "I understand where you are coming from, but we just can''t. Even though the food we have will last for years, the time will come when we will need..." His words die off in the tunnel as he uses his skill. His face gradually pales. He shifts uncomfortably and tries to say something, but no words come out of his mouth. I speak in his place, "Darren, I''m this close," I gesture with my hand, "to killing everyone standing here. This fucking close to dyeing the walls of this shitty bunker with your flesh and blood." His face pales further even though I''m not even releasing any mana or threatening him otherwise. I take a step towards him, "I will go to check on the man down in the tunnels. I will free him and give him the opportunity to kill himself if he wishes to do so. Or he can leave and fight you guys. If he really wants to, he can stay down there. It''s up to him." Darren''s mouth opens and closes. He probably wants to say something about children or women. People dying without food. The same old bullshit. But I dont care. They should know. Then they can kill Darren for doing this to them if they wish to. Or they can embrace what they were doing and continue doing so, becoming savages. What''s important is the choice Darren never gave them. "Sounds good, right, Darren? So meanwhile, while I''m down there with your surprise meat supplier, you will go and talk to everyone in the Sanctuary." The only one from the group with a different expression from the others is Nina. She looks relieved. Is this something shes always wanted to do without ever finding the courage? Looking at them one last time, I place an anchor as far as I can and repeat it a few times until I teleport down to the tunnels. Irvin sits there on the bed as before, surrounded by blood and pieces of his limbs in the corner. One grumpy granny sends her greetings, a Vitalist. Now that I think about it, I never asked for her name. I tell him while taking a few steps towards him. He doesn''t react at all for a while, so I start examining the silver collar on his neck. The collar looks extremely delicate yet it''s surprisingly tough and covered in a web of inscriptions. There is no mana stone or anything else. It''s just mana-conductive metal that takes mana from its wearer and uses it to produce some sort of disrupting effect. As I examine the collar, the man speaks to my surprise, Her name is Valery, she is my daughter. Huh, really? She looks much older than you. His eyes cloud, and he smiles as if remembering something funny, She never cared about her appearance nor has she ever tried to use her skills in that way. Always thought of others first. He then looks at me, There is no use. Darren destroyed the key long ago and without it, you won''t be able to Done! I say and the collar opens with a soft click. Shortly, I check the item. And it''s as expected. The most terrifying enemy. The animals with the worst curse. Bambis curse. A group of 10 deers rests on the small clearing while two more keep watch. The guards are sending their mana senses into the forest surrounding them while their antlers shine with a pale blue color. They are called Windrider Deer and all of them are around level twenty. That surprises me a bit, to see how low-level they are. So I fly around a bit and only then do I notice that the entire forest where they are is encompassed in inscriptions that work like the grannys setup. These inscriptions don''t seem to be directed at humans so much as they are monsters and other animals. Oh my, did we cross into someones farm? Minion, what do you think about stealing? She blinks a few times and then says carefully while gauging my reaction, If master is fine with Yup, totally fine. I don''t mind it at all! She then looks around, What are we going to steal? We have a few monsters for you to play with. There is something called Bambi''s curse and it''s likely to be passed from master to disciple knowing the system. So it''s good for you to get experience facing this sort of monster. C-curse? I keep us afloat maintaining our view of the herd of deer and make my voice deeper, It all started with a single fucking deer that a girl called Tess killed. Disciple, let me tell you, even though I had no prior experience skinning an animal I believe I did very well. Yet ever since that day, this curse has been something Ive had to live with The last deer falls dead and along with him, Vega slides against a tree. Wounds cover her body, her heart is beating wildly and there is barely any mana left inside of her. I can choose Primary class now, master. I did it she gets out in between gasps for air. Even though she is so wounded she is happy. You stopped checking your surroundings, I remind her again. I can see how difficult it is for her right now, but a trickle of mana extends from her as she starts examining her surroundings again. Her smile starts to disappear from her face when I add, Otherwise very good job. Thank you! The smile brightens her face again immediately. "I especially liked how you dealt with the 5th one. Cutting off a piece of its antler and gouging out its eye with it was a nice move." "The antler was very conductive, master! I was able to extend my mana inside of its head!" "Yes, I noticed that. It also scared the 6th deer, so that''s a bonus." "It did?" "Yes, when you did that, the deer stopped attacking you and went on the defensive, and that was a mistake." "Oh, I see now!" "Anyway, for now, go through your Primary classes, and when you are done, you will tell me what you think is the best option. We will then go over the options, and you will try to defend your choice." "Yes!" "Meanwhile, I will do a bit of skinning and try to smoke some meat." "Please be careful not to strengthen the curse, master!" Vega warns me before going through the options. Chapter 295: The Bastion Chapter 295: The Bastion We unlocked our primary classes after entering the second floor. For me, it was around level 24, if I remember correctly. Vega got offered hers at level 20. I like Kinetic Channeler and Ether Warrior the most! my disciple says in the end. She gets to choose between 5 classes, unlike the 10 I was offered, and that makes me wonder. Do those choices reflect things shes done? Or is there a difference between going through the tutorial and leveling with the normal system? You like Kinetic Channeler the most because it''s connected to your demon heart? I ask her. Yes! she says without hesitation. Damn weirdo demons, half-demons, and their obsession with hearts. Vega continues, I like what master told me before! I want to learn how to make an antomic bomb. Mana Channeler sounds nice too, but I like using my body more. Do you like Kinetic Channeler because you hope it will help you learn how to fly quicker? I ask again. Yes! Once again, she answers without hesitation. I can only sigh at that. In the end, she wants to master kinetic energy. During the fight with the deer, she used it for a split second to try to push one of the deer away. She failed, but ever since shes been practicing and trying to replicate it. It''s not a bad choice, either. The class will probably synergize well with her heart. She could use kinetic energy for attacks like me and maybe even learn to absorb kinetic energy without needing to use [Redistribution]. Vega also has enough talent to do multiple things at once, so she could find a way to synchronize it with her skills. As for [Mana Manipulation], well, she has [Concentration] too. So just these two skills could be enough to allow her to create mana bombs or try to learn a skill similar to [Armament]. Okay, pick Kinetic Channeler. With a big smile, she does just that and continues to read the notifications and her status. I got a rare passive called Kinetic Storage, master! Rare! She tries to move and jump to her feet, but her wounds stop her, and she squeaks in pain. Yet, she is still smiling, My active skill is Kinetic Barrier and I even got 5 points to mana and two to every other stat! That sounds like a defensive skill, surprisingly, but damn, Kinetic Storage sure sounds good. I should look for a similar epic passive later. Even though I got Mana Reservoir so long ago I still consider it the strongest epic passive I have. If the passives have low, mid, and upper grading like items, then Mana Reservoir is for sure upper. We will test them later; for now, rest.Read latest chapters at novelhall.com Only Then, even though I told her to get some rest, I watch as she starts testing her skills. I''m not even surprised. She uses her Kinetic Barrier, and this creates a thin, skin-tight layer over her skin. Vega takes out a knife and prods at the barrier with the handle. I watch as the barrier gives a bit, and when I activate my Mana Wavelength Irises, I can see how the attack disperses. Some of the attacks energy even seems to be absorbed by what I think is her passive. At the moment, I think the passive works like my Mana Reservoir and will allow her to store and use stored kinetic energy for attacks. In the future, she could use it to strengthen her body or maybe do something with her heart. So far, so good. What she lacks is a ranged attack, but we will try to do something about that. I leave her to her training and open the community. Savant (Hell, Alone) -no, I won''t tell you how I cleared the 4th floor. NotAaron (Hell, group 4) -oh, come on! Knight (Hell, group 4) -as if you didn''t expect that answer. NotDennis (Hell, group 4) -we just need Noname to beat up Savant during the tournament. I bet that will make Savant a bit less cocky. As quickly as I can, I reduce my output and check on Vega. Thankfully, she seems fine. I got hurt even with my passives and control because of the amount of mana I''m using, so I''d rather be careful. I start again, more carefully this time. Both of us spend a few hours training like that until I collect some of the food and pack it. Vega lifts her arms in the air, and I grab her under the armpits and lift her onto my chest where she nestles her head against my chest. Once in a while, her tiny horn pokes my chin or neck, but I decide to let it go. Examining the map etched onto the small mana stone, I fly towards the Bastion. I avoid the places marked as dangerous zones the domains of strong monsters, ruins of old cities with active weapons, or places where the Veil is particularly active. Some of the places I''m avoiding are as big as small countries, zones where Champion-level opponents clashed, the only things left behind, mana radiation, and remnants of skills. I mean, damn, even after a hundred years or something like that, these places are dangerous enough to kill people. They probably aren''t dangerous to more powerful individuals, but it''s still telling. If given the opportunity, I should check on them without Vega present. Our flight continues like that until we reach the mountain behind which the Bastion lies. I notice Vega starting to get cold, so I generate and release a small amount of thermal energy, and that makes her cling to me even more. When I meet her eyes, she averts her gaze. I''m sorry, master. She weakens her hold a bit. I don''t mind, I tell her. Her ruby colored eyes shine for a moment, and she holds me tighter again. She is just like a little animal. A baby koala clinging to her mother. I''m not too dumb to understand that. Vega has grown up on the streets alone. She is half-demon, and most of the humans in her village hated her for it. She doesn''t have anyone to rely on. And shes what? 6 years old? Shes just a little kid. It makes sense that shes starved for warmth. She reminds me a little of Lily, who has similar tendencies, and that makes me wonder if Lily doesnt have a similar past. At this point, I wouldn''t even be surprised if all of the group 4 were a bit twisted like that. Everyone other than me, of course. I''m the most normal person here. It''s the rest of group 4 that just can''t stop being scary. As Im thinking about these things, I pass over one of the larger rocks and finally catch sight of the Bastion. Just as Nina described it in our conversations. The Bastion is what used to be called a Skyhold Bastion, a floating island if you will. An island big enough to house around fifty thousand people. Skyhold Bastions were mostly used for war before the collapse or as guild halls for powerful guilds. Some even served as houses for the rich. Very few pieces of information were left behind, and theres barely anyone left from before the war. And all of it was caused by the Veil. So there it is, the Bastion. It has fallen to the ground, nestled in between two mountains, one of which has partially collapsed into the city. The stones have buried around 20% of the Bastion. The base of this floating island is a perfect half-sphere with giant circuits on the bottom and countless smaller ones. Even from afar, I can see that the circuits are made from a different, crystalline material while the rest of the base is made of white stone. There are even a few of the original buildings left standing in the Bastion. A tower in the middle and a few more all over the fallen island. There are a lot of structures built by the people who currently live there, and most of them have been made of wood or stone. The entire Bastion is slightly tilted to the left, and even from our distance, its presence feels overwhelming. Yes, there are stats and people dozens or hundreds of times stronger. People with skills, items, and other stuff. So building something like this probably isn''t as impossible a task as it would be on Earth. But still, it''s hard to take it all in. The Bastions diameter is probably on par with the length of Central Park or the Golden Gate Bridge? It''s hard to say. I glance at Vega who cant stop staring at it, her mouth drops open and her eyes spread wide. It''s a funny sight, so I etch it into my memory. When I look around, there doesnt seem to be anything too interesting. Ahead sits a few more mountains and a grassy plain with a few trees leading up to the Bastion. To the right, stand still more mountains, and behind them, I can sense immense mana. Yup, even as far away as I am, I can feel the mana from the Valley. When I activate my eyes I can see it, a dark cloud or thick mist that hangs inertly over the Valley, which is multiple times the size of the Bastion. And the sheer density of that mana is something else. I poke Vega, Keep checking your surroundings, minion. And you forgot to control your heart. Try to not get hurt. Maybe I got Bambi''s curse, just like master! the little half-demon says smugly. I notice that she starts doing what I told her and scanning our surroundings. As a reward, I poke her squishy cheek, It doesn''t work like that. Anyways, let''s check the Bastion. Yes! Chapter 296: Rebellious phase Chapter 296: Rebellious phase Darren warned me before to be careful approaching the Bastion. Apparently, some of its old defenses still work and are powerful enough to kill higher-leveled monsters and humans. There is even a rumor that it once defended against a Veil Guardian. Yup, there are multiple Veil Guardians, and the one that kicked my ass is just one of many. Well, before this floor ends, I will pay him a visit, so it''s fine. I''m totally not pissed off, nope. I''m totally not bottling it under my [Focus]. I''m totally fine. Anyway, [Focus] is totally the best skill. I place another mana projectile and, with Vega in hand, I jump to the side. A barrier I create deflects the attack, and I disrupt another one. I sense another presence under my feet, as it gets closer, I stomp, releasing a burst of kinetic energy from my feet. [You have defeated Corpseeater - lvl 99] [You have defeated Corpseeater - lvl 89] I manipulate my mana slowly so Vega can watch, and surround us in it. It radiates gently around us, as I make sure to keep it from hurting my disciple. I form the mana Ive released into a set of armor twice my height, lifting us into the air, and suspending us in the chest of the armor. I haven''t had an opportunity to show off my mana mech until now. I encompass it in my [Mana Domain] and control it with [Mana Manipulation]. I don''t even use [Infusion], even at this level it should be enough. I move us, using an arm to grab the monster, which spews an acid-like substance at it, slightly corroding the mana. Then I send a signal to the hand, and it closes, crushing the monster. [You have defeated Poisoneater - lvl 123] Another poisonous attack lands on the chest of the armor but doesn''t manage to reach Vega or me. I take a few steps, moving to intercept a monster that reminds me of a horribly mutated frog with six thin limbs. The brave monster doesn''t run. Either too proud or dumb to bother, it keeps spewing its acid onto my armor, corroding some of the mana and creating some sort of vapor. It continues to do so even as I lift a leg, and its final attack collides with the sole of my oversized boot. Then I stomp on the monster, its blood splattering the surroundings. [You have defeated Poisoneater - lvl 113] "Minion, if you ever do what this monster just did, I will be extremely disappointed." "I''m not that dumb!" she states indignantly, as I dissolve the armor surrounding us after dispersing the poisonous vapor with kinetic energy. "So, what would you do?" "I would run away! And then track you to your camp, and wait for you to sleep." Nice! Killing a powerful opponent in their sleep. A classic. Vega continues, "If I were that monster I would use that poison to poison master''s food!" Huh? That''s a bit... "Or I would poison master while he bathed or examined a new item." "Okay, okay, let''s stop here." "Sure!" The scary half-demon turns her attention back to her heart and the mana stone in her hands. I place another mana projectile nearby, bringing the total to a hundred. Once again, another annoying monster appears nearby, and once again, my curiosity compels me to meet it. The monster in question is as tall as me, with long limbs, and a thin scaled body. Yet its the monsters head that stands out most, gazing at me with five eyes and saliva dripping from the rows of pointed teeth filling its oversized mouth. [Skillreaver - lvl 152] The creepy monster continues to observe, each of its eyes trained on me, big and red with snake-like pupils at their centers. I feel its mana reach toward me, trying to get through my mantle and reaching for my disciple. I disrupt both attempts with ease, but then, curiosity overwhelms me, and I weaken my mantle. Slowly, something touches me, and I observe as it searches for something. Clearly, it''s the monster''s skill. Then the touch disappears, and the monster starts radiating mana, blue armor surrounding it. Something akin to [Armament] I used to have before [Regalia]. Wordlessly, the monster charges at me, and before it takes two steps, I create a mana orb and launch it at the monster. The orb pierces through the armor and the monster''s head, exiting on the other side. [You have defeated Skillreaver - lvl 152] Nice, another douche of a monster copying skills. Taking a few steps, I stop in front of the body and examine the monster a moment before leaving it and heading towards the Bastion. I try to stay covert, reducing my mana signature as much as I can while covering for my silly disciple as well. I even try to stay out of sight as much as possible, using the patch of forest to get closer. Even though I knew the Bastion was massive, it feels even up close. I can already see the small figures of humans, mostly on the walls surrounding the fallen Skyward Bastion. Getting ready, I send a signal to one of the mana projectiles I left behind, and it shoots toward the city. It doesn''t contain any energy; and neither do the others, it''s just slightly compressed mana. 5000 Shards 100 stat points Trait strengthening token And plenty of side quests: Side quest: Find out what happened to this world Reward:5000 shards Side quest: Locate the mirror Reward:??? Side quest: Avoid the sleeping Calamity Reward:Survival Side quest: Find out whats causing the high mana levels in the Valley Reward: Mid-epic piece of equipment Side quest: Reach the Bastion Reward: Food and water supplies Side quest:Reach level 250 Reward:Body upgrade Maybe I can find more information about what exactly happened. I have some ideas and I got plenty of hints in the Sanctuary, but thats not enough for the system, so thats going to take a bit longer. The mirror is in the Valley, I can deal with it after going there. I will also try to avoid the sleeping Calamity. The first on the list is Veil Guardian. Some suspicious sleeping Calamity can wait. Mid-epic equipment will be nice too. They cost around 5 thousand shards or more, so that''s telling of how dangerous the Valley is. Maybe the sleeping Calamity is there? As for the Bastion, looking at it from up close, I really want to examine it. Like the bunker that made up the Sanctuary, it is a remnant of the past. If less obsolete than an abandoned bunker. The circuits made of crystal covering the entire bottom of the fallen flying island interest me. Oh, and how many facilities might there be? Maybe theyll be even better for crafting and enchanting than the Sanctuarys. My hopes of sneaking in have failed. I wanted to use the items that allow the residents to pass through the detection field without triggering an attack, but they don''t leave. Sneaking inside on my own could be somewhat possible with my eyes and [Resonance], but after examining it for a while, I''m sure I would trigger a trap or two. I don''t think I would be able to sneak Vega in either. Even shooting a mana orb with an anchor placed on it won''t work. The Skyhold Bastion seems really advanced with plenty of surprises. Built by the Enchanter Guild that created the Veil long ago. Should we wait and hope they forget about the attack and then try to gain entry in the usual, if annoying fashion even though dealing with so many people would piss me off? Did I screw up just because I didn''t want to deal with people? Nah, it''s the extroverts who are wrong. Asshole''s disciple, we will try to get inside in the usual way. I''m not a minio she looks up at me, what did you call me? For every day you dont lose concentration and keep watch over your surroundings, I will call you Vega for a day, I tell her instead of answering. Her big red eyes expand even more, and she gulps. In exchange, if you fail, I will call you minion, and you can''t complain or call me an asshole, I expand on it, I mean, you can refuse if you dont think you can. I will understand if you are scared and don''t believe in your I will do it! Ha, so easy to deal with! You are still way too young to compare to Nathaniel Gwyn! But if I catch master losing his concentration because of some inscription or item, you have to call me Vega and I can ask you for something! Huh? I glance towards the Bastion which is most likely full of wonder and remember the times I lost track of my surroundings. This could be a bit dangerous. A smug smile appears on my minions face, I understand if my master is scared. Chapter 297: Sneaky mode Chapter 297: Sneaky mode Is Vega taking too many cues from me? Sure, Ive noticed her copying a bit of my behavior, but this is too much. Maybe it''s her demon part? Demons seem to be obsessed with strong hearts and beings. Maybe she sees these things in me and instinctively tries to emulate me. No matter what she went through or how she behaves at times, she is still just a kid, so it makes sense. Well, whatever, another thing for future Nathaniel to deal with. Hes done nothing so far, well he couldn''t really, so he can deal with this at least. Screw you, future Nathaniel, I bet you will be an even bigger weirdo. With Vega in my arms and mana flowing under my skin, I head towards the Bastion. Sneaky Mode is on once again, the same one I used against Nina and Darren. Yup, I''m once again just another normal guy with a totally normal mana. POV Vega As always, the master''s heart beats strong and calmly. He is not scared at all, not even when so many humans look at him and scream at us to stop. His heart doesn''t even react. It''s just one calm, confident beat after another. I look up to him and, as always, he wears the expression he puts on when were with others. It''s colder, and his eyes look different. It''s hard to notice, but Ive learned how! While he talks with some weak human, I continue to send my senses into our surroundings. I can''t sense it, but I''m sure the master is trying to catch me hesitating. I''m sure of it! I will do the same. My master can get distracted when he finds an interesting item or gets an idea to improve his skills. It''s fun, and I''m thankful to the master. Ive never gotten to play like this before. Even if I fail, it won''t get hurt, and I won''t go hungry. The master is just that kind. One of the humans asks, Someone attacked the Bastion just a few hours ago, do you know anything? Even though this human is so weak, he looks down on my master. I think the only reason hes so brave is because he has so many people backing him up, but I want master to show him his place. Attack? We just got here. A few hours ago, we were still scouting to avoid all the monsters. Maybe one of them attacked? he replies. His pretty eyes show not an ounce of hesitation. Sure you did, the man snorts, where are you from? I came from the Sanctuary. Do you know Darren or Nina? They were both here in the Bastion, ten years ago. I have a few items to trade and I left some food back in camp for trading. Their names sound familiar, but I can''t remember everyone. Okay, you said your name is Nathaniel, right? Well send you to customs, you will pay for your stay in the Bastion and you will get a three-day pass. After that, you will either leave or go through customs again. According to your behavior or usefulness, we will decide what to do with you. Thanks, sir, that sounds very reasonable. I think so too, the man answers and turns to one of his men. When I look at my master, hes still releasing mana in that weird way. It''s hard for me to describe, but it feels very scary. It shows how amazingly good at controlling mana the master is. He did it before too, while talking with the human flesh-eaters, Nina and Darren, and now the master is doing it again. I''m not sure why the master calls it Sneaky Mode when I can see how much it scares some of the humans, but there must be a deep meaning behind it. Master is smart and powerful and I want to be like him. I''m already trying to learn Sneaky Mode but it''s so difficult. "Sneaky Mode successful," Master whispers as we pass through the gate, and I nod and smile. It''s so much fun being around master. Well, that was easier than expected. Some of the guards with better mana senses seemed a bit scared, so maybe the attack from before made them a bit nervous. Not my problem anyway; their commander can deal with it. As for entering the Bastion, I expected them to be more careful given that they don''t know me at all. But maybe they have some other defenses for dealing with stronger people if they should try to start a fight. Maybe the defenses did drive off one of the Veil Guardians years ago. Better be careful while I''m here with Vega. I also force myself not to examine the barrier. If it works even a bit like the Veil, it could detect my touch and cause me trouble. But at least I completed the quest and can now get some food and water. Not like I need them, but I could sell them. "Touch this stone; it will measure your physical stats and mana," the man accompanying me through the gate points at the stone. He says somewhat respectfully. There are a few more men around us, and all of them are ready. The stone they are pointing at is embedded in the wall and perfectly flush. It looks like it''s made from transparent white glass. Let''s be careful. I need to control my mana a bit. Okay, maybe a lot, not just a bit. It seems like people over level 200 are usually the ones who survived the war, and survivors rarely reach that level because of the Veil so I can try to act like someone born after the war. When my hand touches the stone, I quickly grab a hold of my mana and cycle it, letting as little as possible pass into the stone. "Strength is at around 100," one of the men says after checking some item in his hands. "That''s low for a traveler," another one answers. "Dexterity is at a similar level," the first man reads again. "Good." Im already drained by all the people walking through the streets, so I ask an older woman for a place to find lodging. Then I spend five minutes answering her questions. Stuff like, "We didn''t get a mana courier or traveling merchants, is the wilderness getting dangerous? Oh, The Sanctuary, how is it nowadays? Who is this cute little girl? Are you married, young man, I have a daughter" Things like that. In the end, she shows me a kind of symbol that people draw on their houses when they want to offer a room for the night, and so we walk through the streets, searching for one. I pass by a few because I don''t like the location, but deeper in the city, I find a nice one. In one of the original towers. The moment we enter it, I know it will probably be expensive, but I don''t mind that much. The inside is big without being empty and it feels nice and cozy. There are mana stones all around for heating, inactive, and ready to be used when needed. People here are generally better clothed than those outside, and even average levels are slightly higher. Most of them seem like they know how to fight. We reach the bar where a woman glances at me, "Token," she says simply. I take our entrance tokens and put them on the table. She examines them, "Entrance token, three days. So you two are new to the Bastion. Are the roads as bad as they say?" Huh? Not really. Just a few level-two-hundred monsters and mostly lower-level ones. But such an answer would probably get an annoying level of attention. "Even worse than what you heard. Monsters are everywhere," I complain. "We barely made it here." The woman nods solemnly, "Damned monsters. It''s been years since the courier guild was able to get any rare spices to the Bastion, and people keep asking for them," she sighs. "Single room, two beds?" "Yes, with a nice view if you have any." "What can you pay?" "Plenty, what do you prefer? It''s my first time in the Bastion." "Oh really, welcome. If anyone talks shit, forgive them; we are not too used to travelers. As for the payment, an uncommon item, a higher end mana stone, a piece of conductive crystal or rare metal ore, even some rare monster parts." "Would this be ok?" I place one of the worst mana stones that I have in front of her, which Ive inscribed to radiate heat. "Oh, a heating stone, and its really well made. Probably from before the war, people nowadays are rarely capable of this," she glances at me. "This single stone is too much, but I can give you one of the rooms on the highest floor and add dinners and breakfast, and a few baths. Sounds good?" "Sure," something tells me that she might be scamming me a little, but not like I mind. It also seems to tell her something about me, being willing to part with such a valuable item, and her behavior seems a bit more respectful. "Fabian, get your ass over here and take this good sir to room four, and make sure they get some food delivered to them." Led by a young boy, we walk upstairs and receive a mana stone to unlock the door, and we enter the room. There is a rug on the floor and two beds, a big one and a smaller one in the corner. The furniture is nice, if simple, and the room is a little worn but its well-kept and clean. I let Vega examine a mirror on the wall and open the balcony. There is a flower pot with a smaller tree and two chairs next to a small table. The view doesnt face the middle of the city, where the higher towers and buildings are. Rather it faces the outside. It overlooks the smaller buildings and all the people below. I can see the small wall surrounding the city and the nature outside of it. When I look to the left, I can see most of one of the mountains that surround the city. At least I''m lucky enough to find places with a nice view. After returning to the room, I jump into the bed. "Minio Vega, tell me why being around so many people drains me." "Maybe it is Bambi''s curse, master!" "Maybe. But I don''t want much. A place to become stronger, and level up my skills and stats. Some interesting items to play with and places to explore. Most of the time people are an inconvenience, especially when they decide to bother me." "Even me?" She asks as she climbs onto the bed and lays next to me. "Nah, youre fine." "I see!" she smiles happily. "But I couldn''t notice it at all. Master is really good at talking with people." "Silly disciple, there are two kinds of people. The ones that become stronger the more time they spend with other people. Then those that grow weaker when they have to socialize and then need to recharge their energy. I''m the latter." "Maybe there are passive skills or traits for that." I just poke my cheeky disciple and when she jumps from the bed to examine the room I go through the system shop. Just in case. Chapter 298: What is Pairing Chapter 298: What is Pairing Were training as night falls when a knock at the door breaks my focus. As I come to a stopping point, I poke Vega and head towards the door. I open it to find a man standing there, neatly dressed and presenting us with two sets of clothes on hangers. Your clothes, Mister Gwyn, Miss Vega, he hands them to me as if there were no chance of refusal, I shall wait outside and escort you to your appointment with Sir Butler and Lady Housekeeper. After that, he closes the door and waits outside. Me and Vega look at each other. Our clothes are more or less clean, and we even took baths, so that shouldnt be a problem. Im about to toss them aside and head out as I am when I notice Vegas bright eyed gaze, directed at the pretty yellow dress meant for her. Even at a glance, I can tell that it will fit her well. With a sigh, I hand her the clothes. Just for tonight, I will humor my silly disciple. She is constantly training, beyond even my expectations. So yup, it''s a reward for that, nothing else. Do you know how to put them on? She looks confused, so I take a moment to explain and then send her to the other room so she can put them on. Meanwhile, I examine mine. Its basically a simplified version of the elegant suit I wore to the auction on the fourth floor. The clothes are woven from a thin cloth with a slight amount of give, making for an extremely comfortable fit. They are light gray with a black vest underneath and a touch of golden embroidery. Even the shoes are black and trimmed in gold. Well, Ill just wear them tonight and sell them afterward.The source of this content no/v(el)bi((n)) After getting ready, I wait for Vega, and she exits the room a moment later, her movements awkward and shy. She wears a pretty yellow dress with a hint of white trim. Its a simple style made from quality materials. The outfit complements her light brown hair and makes her red eyes even more striking while complimenting her tiny black horns. She is also wearing a new pair of shoes. They look sleek and comfortable while perfectly matching the dress. I mean, Biscuit is clearly the cutest being that ever entered the tutorial, but Vega is cute in her own way. Come here, I tap on one of the stools, and the little half-demon climbs onto it. I take a few steps, grab a brush from the dresser, and start brushing her hair. At the first touch, Vega freezes, and I sense her kinetic demon heart starts beating wildly, but after a moment, she realizes what''s happening. Still tense, she allows me to continue. I used to brush my sisters hair. She always acted like she didnt need it, but she liked it anyway, I tell Vega. One time I annoyed her, and she forced me to learn all kinds of ways to tie her hair and style it. I set the brush aside and grab another, taking care not to pull her hair. What kind of person is masters sister? Is she like you? Like me? I take a moment to think about it, I think so? But she is a few years older than me and more decisive and stubborn. She sounds like a strong person. Yes, she is. Is master scared of her? That almost makes me laugh. Vic would sooner set the world ablaze than hurt those she cares about. Without responding, I use my hands to style Vegas hair. It doesnt even reach her shoulders, so there is not much I can do. We are done. Time to head out. As I said before, always stay near me, you can stop scanning the area and probing people. It might be considered rude. Do not touch anything or anyone, and do not attack anyone. You are Vega, I''m Nathaniel. We are travelers, and we stopped by the Sanctuary, were headed north. According to the map, there should be a few more bunkers and survivors. We did not attack the Bastion, we are not heading towards the Valley. We never saw a group of deer and did not kill them. Yes! Good, let''s go then, I open the door, and the man leads us outside. I wonder that too, I say. "I see. Well, to change the subject, I have noticed a blade The Housekeeper finally joins the conversation, Damn it, Butler, your eloquent behavior sometimes makes me want to punch you in the face, she sighs and turns from the man to me, I''m a warrior, and unlike my colleague here, I''m not patient enough for these conversations, and its only taken me a second to guess you arent either. I lift my glass towards the woman and take a sip. That makes her smile. She is still sitting there elegantly. Her shoulders peeking from her pale blue dress, displaying her body as the deadly weapon it is, yet she throws a part of that mask away. That Voidsteel blade you have can be only from one being, so I wonder. Did you acquire it by chance or did you earn it? Nothing has changed, but something tells me the way I answer the question is extremely important. Well, I don''t think they will answer all of my questions, so let''s make an offer to ensure at least a few of them get answered. You can ask three questions, and I will ask three. You can decide not to answer, and I may as well, but we will try to answer three questions for everyone. Does that sound reasonable? I offer. This time it''s the Butler who answers, That much would be appreciated. And please forgive my colleague; she is perfectly capable of behaving herself but tends to slip up. A holdover from a time when she was but a simple brute. Come on, Butler, our guest doesn''t care, even the kid is getting bored. Plus, he isn''t from here; there is no need for decorum. I understand, Housekeeper, I will keep decorum, but you shall behave a bit less proper to please our guest. As for our first question, Mister Gwyn, I repeat, where did you get that Voidsteel blade? If you give us a longer answer instead of a simple one, we will be more considerate in answering your questions. I fought the Veil Guardian in the city near the Sanctuary. I was able to sever the guardian''s arm and take the blade. The monster is still alive, but I will change that in the future. Ha! I told you, Butler! You didn''t trust me, but I know men like him. Just looking at him, I can tell that he didn''t just steal it or find it! The Butler looks at the Housekeeper for a moment, almost disappointed by her inelegant behavior before turning to me. As he speaks, I watch his mustache move. It''s like a living being, The Veil Guardians are powerful opponents, so allow me to congratulate you on your skill or luck, Mister Gwyn. I believe it was a tough fight. [Focus - lvl 45 > Focus - lvl 46] A little bit, I nod. It''s my turn, so I want to ask. What happened to lead to all of this? I may as well try to get those 5 thousand shards. The two of them exchange glances but do not ask anything; instead, it''s the Housekeeper who answers, The Gardener could know more, but there is a bit I can answer. The simple version is that 120 years ago, we got Paired with another planet, and through that connection of planets Wait a moment, can you explain what Pairing is? Would you like to ask that as your first question instead? Yes. She nods and looks at the Butler, who adjusts his clothes and straightens up, The Pairing is an event brought about by the system. Were not sure how it happens, it could be random, maybe theres an entity overseeing it all, or perhaps it''s some kind of natural process. During the Pairing, two planets are connected, and once the Pairing starts, it takes years for them to fully Pair. Sometimes it is just a few years; in other cases, it''s decades or centuries. The speed of the Pairing is influenced by the natives of each planet. He moves a plate away from him and wipes away an invisible speck of dust before fixing his sleeve. Usually, each of the planets has a being called Absolute, and the Pairing speeds up when one of the Absolutes dies. There might be unlucky planets that get paired without an Absolute, but that''s rare. So once theres only one Absolute remaining, there are usually no enemy forces capable of killing the other, and the planet that still has one tends to win if you want to call it that. The winning planet then grows stronger and bigger after absorbing the other planet. I have dozens of questions, but he stops there, his expression knowing what is going through my head, This one is a free answer to show our goodwill, Mister Gwyn. You might lack information about our planet, but it went through a Pairing long ago; that''s why we have information about it, and currently, the second Pairing is still in progress. Chapter 299: Entering the Valley Chapter 299: Entering the Valley I will ask the second question, the Housekeeper puts her elbows on the table and uses her hands to support her chin, You are powerful, but you don''t seem to be from the generation from before the war. So, what are you, or where are you from? I can''t answer that question, I say simply. Thanks for being honest, then another one. What are you doing in the Bastion? Honestly, nothing too interesting. I intend to learn a bit more about what happened before the war and what led to all of this. I want to explore the Bastion, mostly out of curiosity. I currently have no intention of causing trouble or starting any fights here. She gestures, and I ask, What happened to the world, other than pairing, with the Veil. The Butler answers, The Gardener knows more, but from what little we know, the Enchanters Guild created the Veil to give us an advantage during the Pairing. Something got screwed up, and the Veil turned against us and the monsters.Folloow current novE?ls on nov/3lb((in).(co/m) His answer is simple, mirroring my own. I would like to ask them how old they are if they come from before the war. Why are they so sure that strong people must have lived through the war? More about the guild. Who is the Gardener? There are so many questions I want to ask, but theres a reason I only offered 3 questions, I am almost certain they wouldn''t answer more so at least I got a three. Unfortunately, even these answers are not enough to finish the side quest. I have only one question left. I can try to ask about the sleeping Calamity and the Valley; those interest me the most. In the end, I ask, What do you know about the Valley? The woman glances at the mustache man, and he answers once again, The Valley is the Valley, as the name says. It''s a location shrouded in mist constantly, and the immense mana radiation prevents examination from afar. Weve sent multiple expeditions, but they rarely return, and when they do, it''s at a high price and the reports always mention a powerful monster that resides there. It could have been a clash between two Champions or perhaps the monster caused it when it took over. That or its one of the bunkers they used to work on the Veil. Well, I should have expected that answer. Everyone here seems to be satisfied with hiding in the city, they certainly dont seem too curious about their world. The last question is, how old are you? the Housekeeper asks. She is smiling and examining me carefully. Just like with the previous questions, she gauges my reactions and seems capable of catching me in a lie, that I''m sure of. Its a smart question and tricky besides, it will give her plenty of information about me. Twenty-one, I answer, no, scratch that. Twenty-two, I correct myself. I entered the tutorial nearly a year ago, so I did celebrate my twenty-second birthday without even realizing it. The silence that fills the room quickly becomes uncomfortable, and her eyes seem to be trying to drill holes in me. Twenty-two, she whispers. He is not lying, the Housekeeper says, looking over at the Butler. Both of them look at me. As they do, I notice Vega stealing snacks, thinking we are distracted. They see it too but pretend not to, and the Housekeeper even smiles gently at my silly disciple. The questions are done, and the food is eaten, and the mood changes. It comes slowly, almost unnoticeably, but tension sneaks into the room, gradually building up until even Vega notices it. She doesn''t even know why, but she moves closer to me, fear slipping into her gaze even as she tries to maintain a neutral expression. So, what is the result of our conversation? Are we going to fight, or will you leave me to do my business? The Butler doesn''t react, but the Housekeeper smiles, sweeping a lock of her wavy black hair away from her face, her violet eyes giving me her full attention. I see her glance at the Voidsteel cutter at my waist. The woman either wants the weapon or wants to fight me. What if we decided that you put the Bastion and its people at risk and that we should mitigate that risk? Weve had some terrible experiences with travelers like you, The Housekeeper smiles at Vega. The mana that has lazily swirled around her body until now is being pulled towards her until I can''t sense even a speck of mana radiating from her. Being used to power her body as she prepares to charge. Even the Butler places a few anchor-like things all over the room and even far outside, most likely for his rift. Well, if you decide to be hostile, I will fight back, obviously, I answer them. My trait activates, a golden circle surrounding my pupils, and the energies Ive been generating with the Thermokinetic heart swirl inside me. They threaten to escape, to explode and obliterate everyone and anything in their way. The Butler says calmly, Housekeeper, calm down, please. But she ignores him, her eyes wide open, muscles moving under her skin, So what if we use that little girl to pressure you? You seem to care She cuts off and lifts her arm to her face. That forearm blocks the kinetic energy from the anchor I placed near her head. Instead of her head exploding, the forearm takes the attack, purple mana shining at the place of impact. Heh, I guess my joke was too Her body is thrown to the side by an explosion emanating from another anchor Ive placed nearby. Purple mana shines around her body, and shes taken no damage at all. Okay, okay, I get it another explosion, this time much stronger, throws her even further away, messing her clothes. Yet she doesn''t fall and lands elegantly on her feet and stands up swiftly, Message received. You kind of deserved that, the Butler sighs and then turns to me, She likes awkward jokes like that, so please forgive her, Mister Gwyn. We obviously will not harm your disciple without reason. Come on, Butler, even given a reason, I wouldn''t hurt such a cutie. Just look at her! The Housekeeper sits in her chair as if nothing happened and points at Vega, who keeps glancing between me and the woman. Time left until forced return: 4y 27d 16h 2m 6s Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 1/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3 I check the timer, and I have a week left with Vega and 27 days until the tournament. That''s it if there isn''t something else. The time limit feels way too short for anyone who cant fly or who isnt as strong as me. Perhaps the floor will continue even after the disciple returns to their word. It''s hard to describe, but even though Ive decided to put more emphasis on my growth, I enjoy the time Ive spent with my disciple. I keep putting off the test to see if she is just a fake or from the real world. I will do it just before the end of the quest. But now, let''s check the Valley. Vega, come here, I gesture, and she quickly comes rushing after killing the monster. I pull one of the most valuable mana stones I have out of my pocket and hand it to her, This is a failsafe and will protect you in the event we get separated. Her eyes expand, and she takes it and quickly starts examining it. Like me, indeed. The mana stone I gave her contains one of the most complex inscriptions Ive made so far. Unlike my botched attempts at whatever I was doing in the Sanctuary, Ive improved my inscriptions quite a bit. The stone is upper rare and just a tiny step away from an epic item. Its function is simple. It will protect her against high levels of ambient mana so it doesn''t fry her brain. Of course, I will keep her near me and constantly protect her myself, but this is just in case. I have spent plenty of time working on it and learned a lot. It works by attracting mana to it like a vortex and then pushing it away - like when the black mana dominates the surrounding mana. After a few tests, I can consider it a success, and the quality of the stone helps a lot. Thank you, master, I will make sure to protect it! Sure, sure, I tell her, as she lifts her arms, and as many times before, I lift her to my chest. I shift the bags on my back and create a barrier around us that is ready to activate at full power anytime. Part of my mana goes into [Resonance], and I start heading towards the Valley. Moving through the air, we quickly close the distance, and with every mile, the mana filling the air grows heavier. Up in the air, I can see the entire Valley stretched out before me, covered in mist and mana so dense that one could almost see it with normal eyes. Surrounded by tall mountains and hills, it almost looks like they were placed to block anything there from getting out. I notice that Vega has trouble breathing and compress my mana a bit more and radiate more of it to power my skills. Her breathing turns to normal, and I fly closer. The Valley, even as far as it is, is eerily quiet, nestled down there. Flying becomes more difficult, as the surrounding mana disrupts my concentration. Logically it shouldn''t affect me or my kinetic energy at all, yet it does, and I''m forced to land. I almost make a mistake and activate my trait, and only stop myself at the last second, realizing how big a mistake it could be. The trait allows me to see mana waves and collect more information on anything mana-based. Just the sheer amount of mana and information here would likely tear my brain apart. Instead, I strengthen the barrier around us. Each step is harder than the one before, and it takes a while for us to reach the entrance to the valley. The wall of mist seems to separate everything inside from the outer world. That''s what it is, it looks like a literal smooth wall. Just a few steps and we will be inside. I check the amount of kinetic and thermal energy Ive collected. I examine my full Mana Reservoir. I test my skills, and all of them are working. The voidsteel slicer is still at my waist. Even the mana stones Ive inscribed and prepared for just in case are in my pockets, ready to be used. There are circuits drawn with mana conductive paint on my arms and legs and even some lower quality lines on my chest. As ready as I can be, I take a step with Vega in my arms. The moment we pass through the wall of mist, the view ahead clears. The Valley is much bigger than it seemed from outside, though its still surrounded by mist and mountains that seem to scrape the sky. In front of us is, as far as I can see, a forest, some hills, and a few lakes, and there, far in the distance, a being sleeps. A being much bigger than anything Ive seen up till now. It has a snake-like body, long and slim, covered in beautiful light green scales. The monster has six legs too, each of them slim and nimble-looking. The head lays on the ground, eyes closed, and each breath shakes the trees below. Were it to rear up, the monster would be as tall as a skyscraper. [Gaiathra - lvl ???] I guess I don''t have to look for the sleeping Calamity anymore. Chapter 300: I like it here Chapter 300: I like it here Even though the monsters sleeping so far away, I cover Vega''s mouth with my hand. It''s irrational and straight-up silly. There is no way the monster could be woken up so easily. It''s just that there is still that little what if? This six-legged serpentine napping noodle has three question marks. That means that it''s probably over level 300, and I''m pretty sure it''s closer to 400 just based on its appearance. So, the warning from the system makes much more sense now. I ignore Vega''s shock and carry her into the forest. The napping noodle is what? Two or three dozen miles away? The space within the Valley is bigger than it appears from the outside, so exploring it will probably be fine. According to the information Nina gave me, there should be a Mirror and a few bunkers that would have been used by people in high positions. So its my goal to find information about the Veil and finish the quest. And then, I want to find the Mirror, its supposed to be some kind of powerful artifact. I hope it''s a higher rarity than epic. Someone from easy difficulty would probably want to choke me to death if they heard me say it. Those poor guys are extremely happy when they see low rare items. Master, maybe I interrupt my silly disciple, It''s fine. It''s taking a nap. N-nap Vega gulps. The pressure within the Valley is even stronger than outside, and I finally identify the source of that mana. It''s Gaiathra sleeping over there and something else near the monster. The monster isnt using any kind of skill, no barrier, nothing of the sort. It''s just the sleeping monsters mana seeping out of its body. I won''t even try to lie, I''m jealous. Just how many thousands or tens of thousands of points in mana is that? Gradually, I also realize something. My goal is to become stronger than that monster, and with the way I go about it when I get to its level, I will have much more mana. Damn, can I even pack so much of it inside of my tiny body? And damn, how cool it would be to stand against such a giant and be able to release multiple times more mana while facing it. I push us higher into the air and land on one of the thicker branches with a view of the sleeping Gaiathra. Is it at the rank of Champion? My theory always was that a Champion is either at three question marks, or greater, probably. For example, Tristan and Keiron, the Champions from the second floor, were capable of destroying multiple continents and killing millions, tens of millions of people in a matter of hours. The monster in front of us feels strong, terrifyingly strong, yet I hesitate to think of it as a Champion. Maybe I have to change my thinking a bit; maybe Champions are all over level 450. That also creates a question. Just how fucking strong was Lissandra? I mean, sure, she devoured the mana of an entire planet and destroyed it all with a single skill. It''s just that I keep forgetting that. Then there was the Saint Absolute from the third floor, and she must have been at a similar level. Master, you were dozing off for a second, Vega pulls on my clothes. Did I? But Im still watching our surroundings, so don''t worry. Me too! Were you thinking about something interesting? Yes. I like to sort things in my mind once in a while. But anyway, are you having any trouble with the pressure? She shakes her head, Master''s barrier blocks it all. I just have to stay close and continue training [Mana Manipulation], [Concentration], and try to learn Mana Cycling! I wonder if the others have such hard-working disciples. Sensing an attack, I take a step and drop from the tree which crumbles in its entirety and gets pushed to the ground as if stepped on by an invisible giant. Another similar attack begins to form over me, but I move quickly. Hold on, there are more of them, I tell Vega. I continue to run between the trees as they explode behind us, each attack leaving deep craters in the ground. Even after dodging a dozen of them I still cant reach the attacker, the air in front of me shivers. A big maw full of teeth appears from thin air to snap at Vega. Before it can reach her, I shoot a cone of kinetic energy at it, and the monster goes flying through the forest, breaking through trees. Then I send a dozen mana projectiles I create shoot towards where it flew, piercing trees and sending chunks of earth flying as they strike. Yet no notification comes. A barrier forms behind my back and deflects a rain of stones flying towards us, some of them are bigger than my body. They explode and grind against the barrier which ripples in response, sending dust and rubble into the air. I create a javelin, quickly making it denser, before boosting it with kinetic energy and launching it in the direction of the stone volley. [You have defeated Terraclaw - lvl 191] I avoid another attack just before it crushes the place where I stood with invisible force and finally manage to reach the monster thats been spamming them. [Giant Troll - lvl 199] The monster is easily five times my height. An old friend from the 1st floor. [You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 148] [You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 171] [You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 139] [Lvl 219 > Lvl 220] I notice Vega shooting a tiny mana orb boosted by her kinetic energy. Seeing the chaos going there, it''s almost cute observing her attack. Then the implosion of my attack resolves. Air rushing back to the center of the javelins explosion, pulling the monsters, debris, and water toward it, and compressing it all into a tight sphere. Bones break, monsters scream, notifications sound. Using the opportunity, the croc gets out of the water, a big muscular body covered in scales, mana covering its skin in a barrier as it starts fighting against the head Bison. They seem to be just fine after my attack and are clearly more physically oriented. Well, another attack it is. Five javelins form above my head, and I push more mana into them. Compressing it, squeezing it to make them as deadly as possible. Even while dealing with extreme mana density here and defending me and Vega, I can do it. My reservoir is still untouched, and even though I''m taking a big chunk of my mana, I know it will regenerate quickly. When the javelins start turning bright white, both of the monsters down there stop fighting, and turn to me. The Bison seems especially hateful for some unknown reason. The croc, surprisingly quick on the uptake, starts heading back towards the lake, and the Bison charges at me. But I boost all of the javelins with kinetic energy, and they disappear, hitting the monsters and the ground around them. Strengthening our barrier, Even I opt to fly in the opposite direction, and even then, I get caught in the shockwave and heatwave, parts of the forest catch flame and trees get pulled from their roots. [You have defeated Two-Headed Snake - lvl 150] [You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 171] [You have defeated Phantom Lindworm - lvl 191] [You have defeated Phantom Lindworm - lvl 161] ... Plenty of other monsters die in the aftereffect, but there are two notifications I''m waiting for. [You have defeated Guardian Bison - lvl 235] [You have defeated Goliath Crocodile - lvl 229] There are no level-ups, but thats fine. I feel as if the stress thats been collecting inside me for quite some time has started to dissipate. I feel as if it''s easier to breathe now. It''s not perfect, I still have Vega to protect so I can''t let go and lower my [Focus], but even this is an improvement. Just a nice step towards a happier Nat. It''s not like I don''t like training or playing with inscriptions and items, but it''s been too long since I got to enjoy such a nice hunting ground, and I plan to use it as much as possible with the time remaining before Vega gets sent back. What? I ask Vega, who is looking at me with her big red eyes. I also want to learn how to do that. Oh? Does she like my tricolored bombs? She is still far from ready, and I think a more reasonable person wouldn''t even consider teaching such a young kid something like that. But I''m not reasonable, and neither is my disciple. Don''t worry, I have a few ideas about how you might be able to do something similar with the help of your heart, I''ve been thinking about it for a while. Her eyes become even bigger, and I can hear her heart beat faster. She is MY disciple, isn''t she? Nathaniel Gwyn''s first disciple, the half-demon Vega. Before this ends, we will come up with a few rather destructive uses for mana and kinetic energy. Chapter 301: Bullying Ashenwolf Chapter 301: Bullying Ashenwolf A day has passed. Vega is progressing well with her skills, and we even found some low-level monsters for her to fight. Most of them are younglings being protected by their herds. So Ive been taking care of the more troublesome members of the group and letting my pocket half-demon deal with the rest. The fights are dangerous of course, even young monsters can be surprisingly strong in this environment. Maybe the weaker ones just tend to die quickly. As for me, I''m loving it. I would like this place even more if I didn''t have to take care of Vega and could lurk about on my own. It kind of reminds me of the 1st floor, where death could be waiting behind any of the trees, a forest full of deadly monsters. Yes, the 1st floor was the first place I really felt alive, being forced to fight for my life or die. Now that I think about it, maybe I''m not all that normal either, maybe it''s not just the rest of group 4. But then I remember Lily''s happy smile as I suggested that she cut off her limbs and store them for sacrifice, and I quickly dismiss the thought. I am the normal one here. I notice a presence sneaking closer and activate one of my anchors, sending a thermal burst through. A small part of the forest explodes in sky-high flames, and even here I feel a bit of heat. [You have defeated Battle Kobold - lvl 201] [Lvl 221 > Lvl 222] I turn my attention back to Vega, who is fighting a level thirty-one Kobold. The monster is multiple times taller than her, it looks like a bipedal lizard with dark brown scales. The fight has been dragging on for a while already, and I think she could have ended it some time ago, but my disciple keeps trying to use kinetic energy during the fight. Her heart keeps beating, her [Kinetic Barrier] helping to absorb the recoil. As I keep my [Mana Domain] around her and am extremely careful to do so. Unlike the monsters native to these parts, Vega isn''t used to these high mana levels. Hell, even I have trouble functioning normally without using my skills to compensate. I don''t want to see what it would do to her. [Mana Domain - lvl 33 > Mana Domain - lvl 34] Oh, nice, that''s something. Vega, frustrated at her inability to shoot the monster with kinetic energy, just uses it to push her body to the side before closing the distance with another burst. Her dagger flashes, stabbing multiple times into the monster''s chest. She lands on her feet, as the Kobold sends her flying with a well timed punch, her barrier absorbing most of the impact. She pushes herself up again, stabbing for the neck and using her left arm to fend off the monsters gnashing teeth. The kobold tries to tear through the [Kinetic Barrier] covering her forearm, but the life disappears from his eyes before he can. Knowing the mood my disciple is most likely in, I don''t say anything and give her time to calm down. More presences start closing in from all sides, and I send explosions through a few more anchors and grab Vega. Then, while the forest burns behind us, I push us into the air and quickly head for one of the smaller mountains. Keeping our flight as short as possible, I land and then continue running on my feet, strengthening my body. But, just like before, even this is enough, and several flying monsters start circling the area, searching for us. I hide our presence, and when I find an opening in the side of the mountain, I enter, and pushing through for a few seconds, I enter the cave. A thermal orb flies in the air, lighting the area, and the monster that seems extremely surprised to see us as it wakes. [Ashenwolf - lvl 149] That day, we also got attacked by a snake as thick as a car. The monster moves extremely quickly, spewing acid at all times, and even radiates a form of mana I can''t fully block. It causes me to become lightheaded and makes it more difficult to keep up my external use of mana. It''s unable to pierce my Mantle, but the slithering moving debuff of a monster is extremely annoying. I run between the trees, as they topple behind us. Dodging to the side, a long patch of the forest in front of us gets covered in green acid which starts to melt the trees. A dozen of my mana projectiles trash the forest behind us, but the snake avoids them all, and as it moves, more trees fall. A few monsters attack from the sky only to be hit by the debuff, slowed down, and then either snatched from the air or melted in green acid. I create a few layers of barriers, and acid lands on them, slowly corroding them, forcing me to use more mana and let the attack drip down. The thermal orb floating near me shoots a laser-like concentrated thermal attack, cutting trees apart with a smooth burned cut. It slashes against the snake as well, causing deep burns and filling the area with a loud hiss. I create anchors near the monster, but they get disconnected from me by the field the snake constantly generates. Vega has already passed out and starts breathing heavily, even through the barriers Ive wrapped her in. Pushing us further away, three tricolored bombs explode next to the snake, but I only see its long body slithering like a blur away from the explosions. [Redistribution] fails to grasp the monster, and it never gets close enough to enter the reach of my kinetic attacks, and it avoids my ranged ones, detecting them as they take flight. Yet another asshole picking on me and taking advantage of the fact that I can''t fight properly with Vega in my arms. And yet another fella to add to my ever-growing list of beings that have pissed me off on this floor. When my [Perception] locates the tunnels below us and a path heading there, I lure the monster further away, dodging the attacks. Then I create hundreds of mana projectiles, each of them an orb the size of a golf ball. Thermal energy floods into each one of them, and I start my bombardment of the snake. They shoot off like rounds from a minigun, hundreds of them in just a few seconds, obliterating a big patch of the forest, some of them even manage to hit and burn the annoying snake. The monster hisses, an even more concentrated acid attack shooting towards us, splashing against my barrier. I keep the barriers supplied with mana and even use [Infusion] to infuse them with [Resonance], and gradually the acid slides down, melting the earth, stones, and trees underneath. Meanwhile, the snake leaves, and the annoying field it was generating goes with it. I check on Vega, and she seems to be feverish, and the little half-demon is still unconscious. Carefully, I use my mana to push the barely noticeable remains of the snake''s aura away, and her breathing calms down. Then I spend a bit of time testing my skills on the green acid that was left behind. The effect it has on [Resonance], how it clashes with kinetic or thermal energy. The amount of mana I need to use for [Regalia] to resist it. All that good stuff. But one good thing comes from the snakes attack. Its acid melts a big chunk of the stone off of one of the hills, revealing the entrance to a crude tunnel thats been shielded by the material around it. That allows my senses to reach inside, and I send them through the tunnel, slowly creating a map in my mind. Then I find something interesting deep inside the tunnel. A massive circular iron door not unlike the ones back at the Sanctuary. Checking the map in the mana stone and the area, I manage to conclude that weve located the resting place of the Mirror. Whatever it is. Chapter 302: Thank you, minion Chapter 302: Thank you, minion Only when I stop in front of the giant iron door do I realize how different it is from the ones that lead into the Sanctuary. This one feels much more powerful if that is the right word to use. There are inscriptions meant to take any mana that touches the door and use it to strengthen their defenses. Even the material itself is different. The iron is shinier, without a single speck of rust or damage. Given the information I have, I would say that while the Sanctuary is an old abandoned bunker from before the war, this one is newer. Built using newer technologies and more up to date knowledge. Even the stone around the door has been strengthened, laced with veins of inscribed iron. This seems like it will take a while, so I leave for a moment to block the entrance that was melted by the acid attack, I try to shield it as it was before, and then return to the door. I take a blanket, lay it out on the ground, and set Vega on top of it, placing multiple layers of defense around her. I even add a few more mana stones inscribed to protect against the mana radiation that is so ever-present in the Valley. Then I activate my trait and touch the door, only to immediately let go, my eyes closed and pain drumming inside my head. Yeah, this will take a bit longer than expected. One day later, I already feel like throwing an all-out attack against the door. None of it makes sense! How the heck is a normal Hell difficulty enjoyer supposed to get inside? Is there another way? Knowing the system, there probably is. No, knowing the system, there 100% are different ways to get inside. And most of them are probably much simpler. BUT. That doesn''t matter for shit. This is a clear challenge. A test of my skills, and there is no way I will stop now. 5th floor Nathaniel won''t back out, otherwise 6th floor Nathaniel will remember it and laugh at such a weak show of determination. Nope, I will open this goddamn door. It is not even powered by mana, so its defensive capabilities are dramatically reduced. For what I know, it''s 50-90% easier to unlock it now compared to if it was supplied with mana. Thankfully, the core of the Bunker, either a mana crystal or mana stone, seems to have been drained. Yet, here I am, angry at the door. Master, I leveled up my [Mana Manipulation]! At least Vega seems to be happy. She woke up a few hours after we reached the door and after examining the area, she went to training. Yes, I''m curious, but I wont forget my role as her master. There are 4 days remaining, so I spend half of my time with the door and the other half training Vega. We spar, I pressure her, she trains her heart. Over and over again, she gets hurt by me, forcing her to train harder and more. At this point I''m surprised she doesn''t hate me. I keep watching for that. A hint of growing hatred towards me, a desire for revenge. Yet there is none. Vega, do you not hate me? I ask, taking a break from the door.Folloow current novE?ls on nov/3lb((in).(co/m) Hearing my serious tone, she takes her time to answer, No, she says simply. That''s it? Yes. I do not hate master. Such a silly minion. I will be disrupting your mana. Do not even try to fight against it outside of your body. Try to keep the mana under your skin active to strengthen your body or send it to your heart, I tell her. Yes! Splitting my mind into two parts, I turn to the door while the other one trains Vega. One more day passes when I finally decide to do what Ive been avoiding for a long time. With a bit over three days remaining, I take a break from deciphering the door. I take two clean pieces of cloth from the bag along with a sweet fruity drink stored in a bottle with inscriptions meant to keep the contents cold. I also take out some sweets. All the things from the 4th floor. Then I turn to Vega and ask, Will you eat with me, Vega? A pure expression of shock appears on her face, and her heart palpates, beating weirdly. Revealing her surprise and shock. A big tear starts rolling down her cheek as I sit on the ground, the pieces of cloth marking our places, and I wait. Master this do you know I, she blubbers, and I wait. Of course, I know. This custom, this gesture seems to be reserved for people you either like, respect, or want to build a relationship with. Vega, up until now, hasnt had the opportunity to do this before the 5th floor, she probably only ever got to see other people doing this. Then she tried it with me, and I still remember how happy she was that day. That day and every day after that. No matter how many times I accepted, she smiled just as happily as the first time. But until now, its always come from her. Her show of goodwill, a desire for a relationship with her master. So it''s no surprise that she might react this way if I were to return the gesture. I don''t remember my disciple being such a crybaby, I mutter. She quickly blinks and wipes her eyes back and forth with her sleeve, I''m sorry. I''m so sorry. Vega then quickly sits down and, unlike many times before, she seems nervous as I take out food and drink for us. I take my time and carefully split the items between the two of us. Then we eat in silence, though I watch with amusement, as she nibbles on the sweets, and drinks the chilled fruit drink. Even though she is so much smaller, she eats more than me and doesn''t even seem to notice that I barely touch it, carefully sliding it towards her. The less food remains, the more sour my mood becomes, and that weird feeling fills my chest. When all the food is gone, she looks towards me, flashing me a giant smile that makes me want to pull on her horns. Vega, I start carefully, I will say a few words, can you repeat them after me? She tilts her head, curious, but then she nods, Sure, master! Dont worry, minion, I will deal with Nathaniel on the next floor. M-minion? Oh yes, Nathaniel said in the Community that he calls his disciple that. Apparently, his disciple likes it a lot. So I will be calling you minion as well. T-that evil man! I smile at him, and then, while we walk, I continue trying to use [Reconstruction] on the remains of the heart of the Fallen Hero. Even after a few weeks, it''s still in pieces and Its extremely hard to work with, but I think I''m onto something. Three days remain until Vega returns to the real world. Real world. A real disciple, from the real world. Not a fake, not a shadow of someone long dead. A real half-demon thats become my disciple. I might have become softer, and I totally blame it on the [Focus] that blocks most of my violent tendencies, and other stuff. But I''m happy, I think. So for rewards, I push my disciple more, and slowly she becomes stronger and stronger. I could go out and level her more, but that''s not what I want. What I want is to create a great base for her that she can build on. Show her what''s possible and the rest is up to her. And then, when the tutorial is over, I will find her and her world. She will be around 10 years old by the time the tutorial ends for me. Maybe even older as I''m not sure how long it will take to find coordinates to her world or how difficult it will be to travel there. But I will do it. I have also decided to spend one more day trying to open the door. If I don''t by then, we will leave with 2 days remaining, if something doesn''t change. That should be enough time to deal with the annoying acid snake, get some revenge on the Bastion jerks, stomp the Veil Guardian into the ground, and maybe even check on the Sanctuary. It''s not that I''m worried about the people there; I''m just curious about what they decided. That''s one of the reasons I left Darren, Nina, and others alive. I really wonder how these people will deal with the knowledge of what they were eating. I''m also curious what Irvin, the source of that meat, did. Did he kill Darren? Did he stay down there, or did he leave to meet his daughter? While Im thinking of that, something clicks. In the deep silence of the underground, it sounds deafening, and then in the light of my thermal orb, I see the door shift slightly. Just a tiny bit, creating an opening just wide enough for a human to push through. That makes me stop and once again examine what I was doing, and after a minute, I''m absolutely sure I didn''t do anything that would cause it to unlock. Should I close it? I shake my head. Whatever. It could be the system unlocking them; its set to unlock for participants on some schedule, or there is something inside that opened it. Who the hell knows? Vega, take your stuff; we are going in. I can hear movement behind me and her small feet tap against the floor as she moves quickly and packs up everything. When it''s done, we enter the bunker, me going first. Foolishly, I try to open the door more, but it doesn''t move. It doesn''t move even as I use mana or as I strengthen my body. Not even the tiniest bit. To be honest, it scares me a bit and also makes me want to take it with me to the 6th floor to examine what the heck is with them. The tunnel we enter doesn''t have any inscriptions on the walls, and it''s perfectly shielded against my mana and senses. When I try to send my mana through the wall, it reflects back inside the tunnel. After weve been walking for ten minutes, I start realizing how long the hallway is. All we can see is the same tunnel anywhere we look. There are no doors, no rooms, no markings. The only proof of us moving ahead is the shrinking door behind us. Oh, and also two anchors, one near the door and another one outside. Plus, a few mana threads that will warn me the moment the door moves even the tiniest bit. I also hold Vega''s hand, so I can teleport us both. Her possibly getting hurt by the teleportation sounds like a better option than being locked here. Just in case. Ten minutes later, the area finally changes. The tunnel widens, and we pass through a few more iron doors, which are open. Each of our steps echoes through this otherwise quiet and dark place, and dust flies into the air. The air becomes stale in this perfectly empty bunker, devoid of anything that hasnt been bolted down. We pass by filtration plants, we pass by an enchanting facility. We pass by a forge as big as a two-story building. There is a room full of shelves covered in dried-up plants that turn to dust when I touch them. Another room is as big as a football stadium, filled with thousands of seats. The walls have been painted in a pale blue color and theres a podium with a few paintings, barely visible behind it. We eventually reach the core, a circular room with stairs running along the sides and heading down. When I send my thermal orb down there, I realize that it is as deep as a skyscraper for sure. A single crystal goes through the middle of this room. It brilliantly reflects the light, perfect and beautiful. The biggest mana crystal I''ve ever seen. The core of this place. A few more rooms later, we finally reach a much smaller one. It''s barely as big as the room I used to live in with my sister. In that room, stands a simple mirror. It has no frame and it''s hovering in the air, just a bit over the floor. I take a few steps and watch our reflections inside of it. Both of us are a bit dirty and our clothes are not in a good state. Then I read the information that appears. The Mirror is an item. Yup, an item with a higher rarity than epic has finally appeared. Chapter 303: Remember what I taught you Chapter 303: Remember what I taught you Duplicating Mirror (Arcane) -This mirror can replicate any object up to its rarity, vanishing after a single use. Its power offers a unique opportunity for duplication, but with the caveat of its irreplaceable nature, making its selection a critical decision. Okay, I don''t know what I was expecting, but it wasnt this. Train for a bit, I give another mana stone to Vega and turn to the mirror. So, the next level of rarity after epic is arcane, and this mirror can duplicate any item up to arcane rarity. The unfortunate thing is that I don''t think there is anything of that rarity I could get my hands on on this floor. Maybe I should try moving it and take it to the next floor with me. I bet some opportunities would arise there. The mirror itself is a bit taller than me and as wide as my unfurled arms, so it wouldn''t be such a big problem.Folloow current novE?ls on nov/3lb((in).(co/m) I touch it carefully and then try to move it. It wont move. I use [Tether]. I use [Mana Domain]. I strengthen my body, I use mana arms. I try to push it with kinetic energy. Just like the door, the goddamn mirror wont budge. With a sigh, I sit in front of it and think while looking at my reflection. Should I duplicate the Voidsteel slicer? It''s well within the higher grades of epic rarity, and I bet most people in Hell difficulty would kill for it. Yet, I still can''t help but feel something akin to regret, feeling it would be a waste. I examine the mirror a bit longer. These are some of the most delicate and tiny inscriptions Ive seen up until now. It''s hard to even perceive them, and I have no fucking idea how they work or what they do. The mirror itself could be made from glass or from a thin piece of heavily polished metal. Heck, for all I know, maybe it''s just a reflective turd from a Calamity rank monster. Also, the mirror quest says this. Side quest: Locate the mirror Reward: ??? It most likely means that whatever I copy will be my reward, that could be the reason for the question marks. I wonder if I could duplicate Biscuit if he was here. Just the thought of two future Absolutes by my side fills me with bliss. Or maybe I pause my thoughts here, the gears in my head spinning. Maybe would that work? Probably? Logically it could work, the description doesn''t exclude it. Oh my. I quickly check the timer until Vega returns to her world, and it says almost three days. Too little time. Slightly annoyed, I return to examining the item in front of me. When the timer reaches 3 days, I get a new pop up from the system. Congratulations, you have protected your disciple and raised their level. In three days, you will be offered a choice. You can proceed to the next floor or remain on the 5th floor for another three weeks as the danger gradually increases. If you choose to stay, in 3 days, your disciple will return to their world for a week. Subsequently, they''ll return to the 5th floor for the two additional weeks. While the master-disciple relationship is crucial, it isn''t enforced by the system. Your choice will be respected, free from penalties should you decide to proceed to the next floor. After reading the message, I open the Community to curse at my group members for not letting me know. Any message with even the tiniest hint of these choices gets censored. That probably explains why they havent said anything, but its still annoying, and while Biscuit shouts something about the food, I proceede to bully the others. The timer slowly ticks down, and when our time is almost up, I put a stop to our training and let her rest. She also seems to realize our time together is coming to a close, so it''s hard for her to focus. Ive already prepared a small bag for her. We worked together to make it look old and dirty-looking, the same with her clothes. We hid a few mana stones, and she refused to give up any of the items Ive given her, carefully storing them in a hidden compartment within the bag. Will you really be here when I return? Yes. You won''t leave me? You should know me better after the last few weeks. As the time moves closer, I notice her becoming more and more nervous, but she will be fine. She is strong. Finally, the countdown ends, and Vega looks towards a spot in the air. From the way her eyes move, the object she is looking at is as big as a door. It reminds me too much of Myrra, unable to see the entrance to the 5th floor. In the same way I can''t see the portal leading to her world. Its surprisingly disturbing. Minion, my punishment has ended, so I don''t have to call you by your name anymore, I say as she takes a step. She turns to me and after a moment of hesitation a smile appears on her face, Master is dumb, same as me. I''ll be back, and you''ll call me Vega again! Without saying anything else, she passes through the invisible portal, and a new message pops up. Congratulations on protecting your disciple. According to how your disciple does, you will receive ??? after leaving the Floor. Would you like to continue to the 6th floor or stay on the 5th floor? Warning! If you decide to stay on the 5th floor, you will have to wait a week until your disciple is summoned back. Then you will have to protect your disciple for another 2 weeks in harsher conditions! If your disciple dies you will fail your floor quest, and receive severe punishment. Warning! If you decide to enter the 6th floor, your connection to your disciple will be severed. Your disciple can also choose to sever the connection between you. If the connection is cut, you will lose opportunities. Choose wisely! Why are you giving us options out of nowhere, I mumble and pick the 1st option. The more floors we pass, the more informative and nice you are. The system doesn''t answer, as always, and I just close the windows. Overall, I like it. There is so much to do and so many quests to complete, and without Vega I weaken the hold [Focus] has on some of my emotions, and my mood changes. Now that she is gone, it feels like that bit of warmth, the flame I had to protect, is gone too, and I can go back to my usual self. While looking in the mirror, I take out conductive paint and start drawing on my forehead, around my eyes, and on every free spot on my head. It takes a while, but I try to do it as precisely as possible. After that, I paint even more across the rest of my body. That takes even longer. When everything is ready, a small orb of mana forms nearby, quickly compressed, focused to a much smaller size turning to black mana. The familiar pressure threatens to take over my mana, but I just pull it into my hand, absorbing it into my body through the inscriptions as they disappear. I take a part of that mana and use it to strengthen my body. The black mana flows through my circuits, and my healing passive activates as well. I generate even more heat and send it towards my head. Then I take another portion of black mana and use it to [Focus], and at the same time, I activate my trait while looking at the mirror. The colors disappear, and the world slows down to a crawl. My thoughts spin wildly. My immensely strengthened [Focus] works in tandem with Mana Wavelength Iris, sorting and processing collected information. Ive wondered what my specialty is for a while now. Is it my Primordial energies? My mana projectiles? Multiple kinds of bombs? Disrupting opponents'' mana? The redistribution of absorbed energies? There are plenty of powerful options in front of me, and my build certainly fits the phrase jack of all trades, master of none. But there is something I was thinking of. The world I see through my enhanced eyes is beautiful, so full of information and options. Here its even possible to get a peek at the arcane grade item in front of me. I see the inscriptions, and with this comes the tiniest bit of understanding. My eyes are powerful, it''s a really strong trait, and in combination with [Focus] to process the information and with black mana to power it all, this may allow me to become a master of many skills instead of settling for a partial understanding of them. I won''t give up on any of my skills to specialize in one, no, I will keep them all, and all of them will become powerful enough to be considered specializations. I will drag my body, bleeding, and broken, until I reach that goal. The black mana is finally spent, leaving me with the after-effects. My vision blurs, my head spins, and I''m barely capable of controlling my mana well enough to generate thermal energy. Huddled up in the corner of the room, I clench my fists, waiting for the aftereffects to fade. I have seen it, and it seems that my plan will be possible. I may have found a really fun use for this mirror. Let''s see what the system has to say. Chapter 304: Using the Mirror Chapter 304: Using the Mirror It takes me almost an entire day, and I use the rest of the mana conductive paint, applying it to the mirror, floor, and my body. I even etch inscriptions into my skin. Lastly, I also melt down some of the metals Im carrying to add to it all. When it''s all done, I sit there, eating some food and enjoying the rest of my chilled drink. While Im waiting for my body to recover from my overuse of my eyes, I open the community. Noname (Hell, group 4) -test test! Sset (Hell, group 4) - you missed two days. Noname (Hell, group 4) -I was busy. Is everyone ok? Sset (Hell, group 4) -yes, but NotAarons disciple died and he was moved to the next floor. Oh. Sset (Hell, group 4) - his brother followed him, so hes not alone. Noname (Hell, group 4) -that sucks. Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - he was really shocked, I hope they will be ok. TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) -it all was going so well, and then... The rest of his message is censored, and I guess a few more after that. Sset (Hell, group 4) -The other news is that Gareth and WhiteWing have finally entered the 5th floor as well. They lost two members at the end of the 4th floor, in the battle against the First One. One more died from one of the other groups. Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -hey guys, yeah. The ant couldnt damage Gareth or the others around him, so he went after our ranged players. He was too quick for us to do anything. Fucking insect. Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) -its good to see that you guys are okay. Oh, Noname, Gareth wants you to speak with him sometime. But now I have to attend to my disciple, so later. Noname (Hell, group 4) -later, take care. My message feels awkward, even to me, but it is what it is. I was never good at this kind of thing. Noname (Hell, group 4) -I will be a bit busy for the next few days, so dont be surprised if I dont join. Grumpy (Hell, group 4) - be careful! Your passive sucks. Lily seizes the opportunity to poke fun at my passive and demands that I remove it. We bicker for a while before I close the window and return my full attention to the mirror. Its time. My eyes activate, and black mana from the orb seeps into my body. I force it under my control and forcefully calm my quickly beating heart. Then I take a step towards the mirror and activate it in concert with the inscriptions Ive made. I feel the arcane item react, its mana reaching out to me, as it attempts to find something to duplicate. I cant change the way it works or its function, nor can I do anything too big. No, I still have a long way to go before I get to that point. Instead, I give it a slight poke. Just a tiny bit, I mess with the inscription and help it find the object I want it to duplicate. That object is me. The weirdest feeling flows through my body. It''s as if someone is examining me so deeply that they must know every nook and corner of my being. The entirety of my body and mind are being scanned. And I allow it to happen. Warning! The Duplicating Mirror is being utilized in an unintended manner. This use does not align with the tutorial''s intended purpose. Small changes have been applied. A chosen object for duplication will not be permanent, a time limit and restrictions have been applied. The window disappears, and I take a step back, and my reflection takes a step forward at the same time. A leg steps onto the floor, and as the mirror cracks and disintegrates into shining particles, another me enters the room, his clothes disappearing along with the items he had on him. My eyes meet his. Ive thought of it often, and I expected to be able to read him, but I cant. I guess there is a difference between reading other people and myself. Don''t you have better things to do? Make a personality imprint or something? As if I could replicate my mind perfectly within a few weeks. I won''t be able to create an imprint that would 100% be me. So what, you want to prolong your life and wait here in hopes Cockroachsandra will find you on this floor? Everyone got their own instance of the 5th floor. Blah blah, you talk like I havent thought of that. And why are you so talkative, Clonthaniel asks. I mean, there is no need to hide anything, you already know it all. Don''t you agree that''s weird? I ask. Duh, you know what pisses me off? I still remember that it was my decision to use the mirror like this. I know what brought me there. I know the plan and what I expected from it. Part of me even thinks it was me who made the decision, so I can''t be too angry. But the longer I''m my own being, the more I differ from you and the more I want to jump at your throat. If you do and somehow succeed in killing me or get me killed by summoning Veil Guardians, or the sleeping danger noodle, you will probably disappear too. Yes, but you know what? If I come to the conclusion that I will disappear no matter what I try, I will be taking you down with me, he says. As always, he says it calmly, and I can see his [Focus] working. His face is emotionless, yet this is what hes saying. Up until now, I havent realized how disturbing it feels. I mean, I had some idea, but seeing it? Seeing him move, look around, talk? There is this uncanny valley kind of feeling, seeing my reflection in the mirror become its own being. You just keep saying things I already thought before using the mirror, I shrug, anyway, why is your left arm pale? I ask. Because I''m a perfect copy, isn''t it simple? You should be asking why your left arm is still pale no matter how many times it gets hurt and you restore it. Theoretically, it should become normal again, right? Do you think Lily did something to ensure it will remain pale forever? She marked us? Would you be surprised? That girl is bonkers. Did you notice how little shes spoken to you in the Community lately? Before she was much more talkative and cheery. I bet shes pissed off that you left the group at the end of the 4th floor. She must be busy with her disciple; that''s why, I retort. Even you don''t believe that. Dude, if you meet her on the next floor, she will beat you up. As if Id let her. And why the fuck are you speaking like this? You made all these decisions too. You are the original, asshole, as Biscuit would say. Damn, I hope I get to see that silly corgi. Anyway, it''s kind of refreshing to talk about it. Group 4 is a bunch of weirdos, aren''t they? I mean, even Isabella. I shift on the ground to make myself more comfortable and lean against the wall, Who knows what will become of her as she grows up in the tutorial. Plus, shes got that ancient bloodline Noodle. It''s fine, Noodle is cute too, so I don''t mind if he becomes the devourer of worlds or something. Clonthaniel shakes his head, Tess is scary too with her antimatter cannon sniping. Can you imagine her in a few years? She might be able to snipe people from orbit. I snort, People? She will be obliterating small cities from there. But damn, I''m still jealous of Sophie''s Manipulation. Clonthaniel smiles slightly. Both of us have relaxed the control [Focus] has over our emotions as we make most of the skill to manage the preparations were making to the inside of our bodies. He continues, I know how hard youve tried to evolve your [Mana Manipulation] into [Manipulation]. Too bad you failed. Yes, yes, you failed, we failed. Damn, this is annoying. Anyway, Im almost done, and you? The same. I will be going first. Hell no, I say. Then I wont be helping. I look at him as he says that, and I dont even need to read him to confirm that. I know what I would have done, I want to punch you, I say instead. That means you want to punch yourself. He stands up and moves closer. He sits with his back to me, and I put my hands on his back and let my mana flow through his skin. His mantle and natural defenses are gone, hes lowered them, and our mana is the same, so it passes easily. It''s almost disturbing how easily. Well, it''s time to make a new construct, and this one will be even more powerful than I wanted it to be. I wonder how far I can push it with two of me working in tandem. This is going to be scary. Chapter 305: No preparations, no surprise attacks Chapter 305: No preparations, no surprise attacks Clonthaniel is skilled, very much so. I watch the way he moves his mana through his body. He uses [Regalia] to create a core exactly in the middle of his chest behind the ribs. Together we compress it, and it''s easy. It''s so damn easy. Having someone to spot for me makes it easier to prevent the orb from turning into a shining bomb, ready to explode, or into an orb of black mana, so we can push it further. He notices this as well, and without saying anything, he scratches the initial plan, and we increase the size of the orb and compress it further. The sheer amount of mana we manage to compress is enough to evaporate a city block or a small mountain, and we continue even beyond that. Giving our all to make it happen. He relies on me, and I rely on him, and both of us know that if we screw up we will disappear in an awesome and deadly explosion. Then while I hold the orb stable, he starts working on pathways. He creates connections to his heart, redirects some circuits, and adds new ones. Our biggest inspirations for this construct are Mana Reservoir, the passive allowing me to store three times my mana, Mana Cycling, the technique I learned from the cockroach-like Absolute, and lastly, my experience from creating my Thermokinetic Mana Heart. So this new one better be juicy. I let him know that I need help, and he takes a moment to stop inscribing the inside of his body and help me keep the orb under control. Instead, I extend my senses to examine the work he has done, then I continue where he left off, connecting pathways to the core, surrounding it with dozens of connections to his heart. Then a new idea forms in my head and I create a tiny orb in his chest and inscribe the idea on that. My intent comes through, and he looks at the plans inscribed on the tiny orb, before nodding. I let the orb with plans dissolve and repurpose that mana to create another web around the orb. This one will do the work of the Mana Overload Absorption passive. In case the orb overloads, it will take some of the excess energy and disperse it through the body preventing it from exploding. Carefully, we then connect it all to the Regulator. Then we spend almost ten hours going over it all, over and over again. We make some small changes, we add some twists. We even manage to catch a small mistake that would have blown him away about a minute after activation, by our estimation. Little things like that. But what excites me most are all the possibilities. If this all works the way it should, it will open up so many options for the future, and this will be the next tiny step forward. One mind isnt enough, so we work together to carefully awaken the construct, and when mana fills all the pathways, I can finally let go. It takes me a minute to calm down, just now realizing how much this took from me. Clonthaniel then turns around, Everythings fine so far. Description? I ask. You will see when you get it. What a dick. Yup. Fuck, I want to punch you, I tell him. Yes, yes, he stands up and removes two pieces of clean cloth from our pack. Don''t tell me hes He sets two pieces of cloth in front of us and some food off to the side. So let''s rest before starting on your construct. Will you eat with me, Nathaniel? Clonthaniel lowers his [Focus], and his face settles into a creepy smile. I appreciate the lame joke, but somehow that makes me want to punch him even more than if he made the statement without emotion. Another ten or so hours later, we finish creating my construct, and I let mana flow through until it activates. A notification pops up. Congratulations, you have created your fifth Construct. The name will be kept as such and will be shown in the status under active skills and over passive skills. Well done! Vortex Core (construct) The Vortex Core is useful for energy conservation, swirling Primordial Kinetic and Thermal energies within its confines. Ready to unleash these forces at the user''s will. It remains dormant until needed, ensuring that the user has access to stored energies. Is it any good? I ask Clonthaniel, who is already practicing his inscriptions. He is on a bit of a time limit, so he is extremely motivated. Fucking good, he says simply and then ignores me. Well, I should have expected something like that. I redirect part of my mana to my Thermokinetic heart and start generating thermal energy. Thermokinetic heart, using the heart as a medium, transforms my mana. Then I can easily store some of that energy in my Vortex Core. Even now, I think Mana Reservoir is probably my strongest passive. So, what could be better than having something similar for Primordial energies? The Vortex Core will store them, and the vortex will spin them inside me, compressing them somewhat. The spinning itself works like Mana Cycling allowing me to store more or keep it from leaking. With a few upgrades, it could be possible to make the vortex more prominent, allowing me to compress them more or combine the two. Later, I may even be able to add a storage for mana. I could even do it now, but I rarely use all of my mana, so larger quantities of Primordial energy will be more useful. It also solves the issue of needing to sacrifice part of my [Focus] to keep the thermal or kinetic orb nearby. I still remember the monster biting into my leg in an attempt to eat me alive like it did to the other humans from before. I remember the quiet hours as I lay there under the rubble, my body broken and bleeding out. Hoping the monster had left, but too scared to heal myself lest that bring it back. All of that is there, but there is also an anger that surfaces as well. A pride and deep hatred of the monster that stepped on it. Even knowing that I should reactivate it, I keep [Focus] down. The longer I look at the monster, the more my plans change. Then, something inside me snaps, and I launch the javelins. Not at the guardian, but to the opposite side. I let all the mana Ive been collecting seep into the area, and I grab all of the kinetic and thermal energy my core holds, I grab and release it behind me. The resulting shockwave tears chunks out of the road, and topples buildings, sending them flying as if caught in a hurricane. After that, all the stored thermal energy explodes as well, melting the structures and roads alike. Scorching the air and flickering as golden flames blaze through the surroundings. The monster obviously notices and turns to me. It doesn''t rush me like before, but the gaze in its single red eye is the same. Deep hatred and anger directed at me. With my stored mana and energies gone, there is only one thing remaining. I redirect a thin thread of kinetic energy toward my face and explode it in front of my eye, blinding it. The monster takes a step towards me, and I take a step towards it. Then I put the blade into my left hand and cut off my right arm at the shoulder. I watch the blood spurt as the severed limb falls to the ground. As it lies there in the middle of the road, I think it feels somehow funny. A burst of kinetic energy explodes from me, vaporizing my severed arm. My next step is much more confident and lighter. My face breaks into a smile. It feels so right. No hiding behind my skill, no emotions being pushed away. Just me and all the fear I feel overwritten by other emotions instead of being pushed to the back. There is me and the monster. No preparations, no surprise attacks, no stored mana or energies. The same amount of limbs, the same amount of eyes. The Guardian opposite of me slows its steps, hesitation evident in its movement until it stops. I charge first, blood dripping from my destroyed eye and the stump of my arm. No mana leaves my body. Voidsteel blades meet, and I absorb the kinetic energy of the impact and don''t budge at all. That energy flows into my body, strengthening me even further as I move to the guardians blind side. Its a small advantage because of all the senses it has besides sight, but even that little helps. The guardian moves faster than me, our blades meet multiple times, and each time Im barely able to block it. There is fear, filling me each time the monster moves, and as I feel gravity increasing my weight, trying to push me down. Each attack is easier to block than the last, even though I''m getting slower and the monster moves quicker. I read its movements, I sync with its rhythm, and I absorb all the impact. The swings of the guardian make a terrifying noise that reverberates through the air while I move slower, accepting the strikes with the blade in my hand. There is blood seeping from my hand as I squeeze the raw metal where the handle should be. As the fight drags on, I grow more accustomed to its attacks and better able to read the monsters moves. Using kinetic energy in bursts to make my body quicker becomes easier, and I''m finally able to disrupt the gravity magic attempting to slow me down. I become quicker, I dodge attacks, and I start pushing the guardian. And with that comes disappointment. The monster is clearly weakened from before. Its body is wounded, and slower, and even its skills are weaker. Its still a terrifying enemy, and yet its lacking. A swing of my blade severs one of the monster''s legs, and I step to the side as its swing destroys the building behind me. I want to fight more, I want to feel this fear and all these feelings. This rage and excitement. But this weakened monster in front of me isn''t capable of satisfying those emotions. My passives resist the strain Im putting on my body, and I move quicker, and my next slash sends the guardian''s head flying. [You have defeated Veil Guardian - lvl 289] [Lvl 222 > Lvl 224] I disrupt the signal from the body to the Veil. Not yet. Then I look down at the corpse. I expected satisfying revenge, yet I found what could only be a broken toy. But not all is lost. There is one enemy that will test me, that will get the best out of me before this floor ends. An opponent that I''m absolutely sure is much more terrifying than the one I just killed. The one that is waiting for me by the bunker in the Valley. After grabbing the monster''s arm with the blade I lift off and finally let my passive heal my wounds as I fly. [Focus] snaps back into place, and my head clears off when I reach the Valley. I pass through the wall of mist, and the immense pressure of mana welcomes me like before. Then I freeze. The Gaiathra, the giant sleeping Calamity with a snake body and six legs, has moved. The calamity still sleeps, but now its body has shifted. But most impressive is the miles upon miles of destroyed forest, obliterated, leveled to the ground without anything left standing. Even a few of the hills and mountains that stood nearby are gone. Clonthaniel? What did you do while I was gone? Chapter 306: I woke it up Chapter 306: I woke it up I get into the bunker where I find the asshole in the room with the core as he examines the giant mana crystal pillar. As I enter, I feel his senses touch me, and he turns his attention to me. Again he stares at my missing arm and my eye that is close to being healed, do you even realize how much we tend to lose limbs? It can''t be normal at this point. Is it Bambi''s curse? What have you done? Just try to think about it; you could build five of us with the limbs youve lost. Actually, do you think it could work? If Lily helped... It''s not that many. And maybe? What have you done? It is a lot. We are the only reason Lilys been able to level up her healing skill so quickly; we boosted her. And I did nothing wrong. The sleeping noodle moved, I say. Yup. I woke it up. He did what to the three-question-mark monster? Damn, it is fun to tease you like that. I know how you will react, and most of the time I can even predict the exact words youre going to say, yet it''s still funny. Like a game, trying to predict a coin flip." I can''t even say much, it really does sound fun, So, want to show off? Oh, you know me well. He gestures at me and leads me to another room. I already toured the bunker, and it''s mostly useless, as is to be expected. At this point, I bet its the system making things more difficult. All the data has been deleted, the facilities are destroyed and its beyond my abilities to make them work. At the moment it''s just a cool place to store the mirror. Obviously youre free to check it out, you will surely find a lot to inspire you here along with a few tidbits of knowledge. We enter the auditorium, and he boosts his body and sits on the podium, and I follow, taking a seat in the front row. He explains, Do you remember that annoying acid serpent and the weird aura snake? Oh my, he did not do that. Yes, I did that! Fuck. Yup, fuck. Clonthaniel seems to be having fun, I was thinking, you know. This bunkers sole purpose was to store the mirror, so how can we learn what happened here? Surely not the Sanctuary and even the Bastion seems to be lacking. Then I remembered that there was a quest to avoid waking up the sleeping Calamity. Why? No one would go close to it anyway, right? He swings his legs, as he uses a thermal orb floating between us to light the huge room and its rows upon rows of empty seats. It''s a bit of a stretch, but I wanted to find out if there was some kind of facility or bunker near the sleeping noodle, he adds with a dramatic pause, And there is! The problem is that I couldn''t get inside. So, I found the acid snake asshole, left some marks on him, and imitated his mana. Then I used a few bombs mixed with his acid to attack the noodle. You probably saw the outside, but the big boy wasn''t happy at all. Damn, I would have loved to see that. Clonthaniel nods, Cool as heck. Anyway, the asshole snake is gone. The danger noodle moved a bit, which allowed me to place a few anchors through a crack in the entrance hes been sleeping on. I already sent a few monsters through one of the anchors, and it hasnt woken him up, so we can go in a bit. So, you are hoping something inside will help you? Yup, the natives here created the Veil, so they will surely have some nice stuff in their databases. And that place seems to be one of the facilities they used to work on the Veil. Even Butler assumed there might be a facility like that in the Valley. At first, I wanted to trash-talk him for taking such a risk, but then I took notice of my missing arm. Ehm, maybe let''s stay quiet about that for a bit. It also confirms that we are slowly becoming more and more different. His goals are different than mine, so hes thinking about different things, and practicing other skills. It''s fascinating to watch, and when I think about it now, most of the things he did make sense, and I totally can see myself doing the same in his situation. By the way, healing with our passive is quicker when you use thermal energy from the Vortex Core, I tell him. Sounds good. Will you give me one of the Voidsteel blades? he looks at the new one that I just got. Without hesitation, I throw it to him, and he grabs it. I know both of us are thinking of the same thing at that moment. Let''s practice controlling black mana. We can spend a day or two on it. I suggest. After that, we can go to the Bastion, get some mana conductive paint, and maybe a few more useful items. After we come back here, we can enter the bunker under the Calamity, That much is reasonable. Also, I want you to help me with the core of this bunker for half a day. I think I found a few interesting things, and two sets of eyes might be better than one. Okay. Without any other words, we get to it. A day passes, we do not sleep, and the black mana orb constantly hums in the air, fighting against us. It just keeps being annoying, Clonthaniel complains. If we lose even a bit of concentration it starts pulling all our mana in. I thought giving it a different shape would help, but right now it seems that the only thing that weakens the effect is absorbing it into our body. It might be because of our passives, hell, maybe the Mantle is helping or maybe its our Mana Circuits. Mana Circuit sounds more reasonable, maybe its our passives. Upgrading our Mana Circuits might help. Well, it''s not like were going to be upgrading our eyes; theyre hard enough to deal with already. Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 1/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3 Lvl 224 Strength: 109 Dexterity: 107 Constitution: 263 Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 874 + 874 Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic) Sub-class: [Initiate of Pride] Active skills: Focus - Lvl 46 Mana Manipulation - Lvl 46 Perception - Lvl 42 Redistribution - Lvl 43 Resonance - Lvl 42 Mana Domain - Lvl 33 Tether - Lvl 29 Regalia - Lvl 19 Infusion - Lvl 24 Constructs: Reinforcement (Construct) Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct) Mana Regulator (Construct) Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct) Vortex Core (Construct) Passive skills: Mana-Fortified Resilience (rare) Mana Reservoir (epic) Arcane Resilience (epic) Phoenix Embrace (epic) Mana Overload Absorption (epic) Tokens: Beyond Difficulty entrance token Shards: 11,892 Not wanting to push things further, I stand up and head towards my duplicate. The guy is annoying as heck, but we can test things together that would otherwise tear my body apart. Even then, I''m sure hes already planning something, even though he wont share it. I''m also extremely curious, so I let him cook. But the question is if I should let him cook. Well, anyway, I still have this collar I took from Ir Ir, something guy. Cattle guy? Soylent green producer? Null Collar (Epic):Actively disrupts the wearer''s magical attempts and skills, using absorbed mana to diminish both magical potency and physical vitality. There is a bit to learn from it that could improve our disruption of mana or even create a similar lasting effect without items. Using [Tether] to anchor that sort of disrupting stuff to someone could work. Hell, I already used [Tether] to glue a black mana dagger to the First One, and [Tether] seems to be a better skill than I initially thought. It even managed to ignore my black mana, at least partially. Is it because it''s a spatial skill? Probably? Who knows. Oh, and fuck the system. Anyway, let''s test some stuff and head out to the Bastion. I bet there will be some more interesting things and maybe we can get a few more honest answers. Chapter 307: Attack on the Bastion Chapter 307: Attack on the Bastion The Bastion in front of us feels different now, and I only need to activate my eyes for a split second to notice that. These assholes, the Duplicaniel next to me complains. I agree. The field around the city has changed and it feels much more threatening. Still, Ive decided to give them a chance, and, after gesturing to the copy of the handsome young man next to me, we teleport to the gate. Getting closer, the detection field catches us and sends a signal and a barrier around the city activates. The guards quickly take positions on the walls. So, we stand there for a while, waiting for someone to appear. The person who finally does is the Butler with his majestic mustache, I would like to apologize, Mister Gwyn... Gwyns... but you are no longer welcome here, he says suavely from the wall. The reason? I ask, noticing him looking at my damaged arm. He also keeps glancing between me and me. The Butler doesnt let his surprise show, probably because it would kill him to be so inelegant. We have received more information from the Sanctuary and the city nearby. After going through it all, we have decided to restrict your access here. I hope you will understand and behave accordingly. Thats when Clonthaniel shoots a mana javelin right towards the Butler. It doesnt connect as one of the small hexagonal barrier segments activates. Even then the Butler doesnt seem bothered, This time I will let it pass, but I would I shoot a mana javelin, and it activates another segment. Damn, am I so easily influenced by other people? That surely must be it. Butler, as I said before, I have no reason to hurt anyone in the city. There are just some things I need and want to ask about, I tell him. I apologize, the decision is final. Then, to keep his dignity, he leaves, and three more javelins from Clonthaniel light up the barrier. What are you, a child? I ask him. He turns his eyes to me and shrugs, I''m on a time limit here, and that guy isnt even real, so I''m going into the city. Are you staying behind? he asks, even though he knows my answer. Then a ball of mana concentrates above the city, emitting what seems to be a highly concentrated shockwave. We jump away, and the stones where we stood crumble. A few quick attacks from the defense of the city follow in quick succession until we both teleport to anchors we left further away. Damn, they are not even taking us seriously, using such a weak-ass attack, Duplicaniel is already forming an orb of black mana over his shoulder, and then he forces it to stretch into the shape of a javelin. I attack and defend, you get us in. Yes, yes, I sigh, a hundred simple mana javelins forming behind me, and I use [Infusion] to fill each one of them with thermal energy from the Vortex core. The duplicate attacks and the both of us watch with curiosity as the black mana javelin sails towards the barrier, with our trait active. It crashes into a segment and immediately devours it, and then a dozen more as they appear one after another. The black mana devours it all and then stops, hovering over the city. While the guards panic, the automatic defenses activate more segments close by, trying to stop it, yet they feed it even more mana. The flashes of mana are quickly absorbed by the black mana and can be seen even from this distance.Thi/s chapter is updated by It''s amusing to watch. Then I move a hundred javelins behind me, and each of them bursts into motion in the span of a few seconds. Like tracer ammunition from a minigun. My attack crashes into the weakened barrier, Each of them hitting the same segment and slowly pushing through. They reach further and further inside the city until one of them passes through the barrier and flies right over the buildings, the last few following. The anchor on the last shot javelin activates, and I put a hand on my duplicate and both of us appear in the air over the buildings. Uglier me immediately forms an orb made of black mana and pushes it into the air, where it absorbs a dozen or so attacks targeting our position. Sending my [Mana Domain] as far ahead as I can, I again put my hand on the duplicate, and we teleport again and then again. After each teleport, we leave a black orb in our wake where it devours any mana based attacks that were directed at us. While the woman gets closer and closer, I narrow the flame, condensing it into a laser as thick as my finger by the end. As extraordinarily athletic as she is, she dodges it all and manages to reach me, at which point I strike at her with a burst of kinetic energy. Purple mana flickers over her skin again, and she pushes through, her muscles contracting under her skin. Her rapier slashes at my neck, only to be met with a Voidsteel slicer, barely so. I redirect more mana to strengthening my body and fend off her attacks while being pushed back. The armor forms around my body, and I make it grow bigger until it''s twice my height. Attacks slash against transparent limbs made of mana, yet now that it is connected to me and under my domain, it doesn''t get affected by her skill, and it''s her who starts avoiding me. For the first time, I also use kinetic energy stored in my Vortex Core to power the movement of the mecha style armor. It speeds up my movements and makes manipulating it easier while lending more force to my attacks. She does a backflip and before jumping back a few times, she stops, looking up at me surrounded by all my mana. Are we going to take things a bit more seriously? I ask. The woman in front of me is stronger than she lets on, stronger than the Butler, and the both of us are still holding back somewhat. Why not, she smiles as her eyes become a darker shade of purple. The Housekeeper charges me, seeming to appear in front of me, her weapon aimed at my chest. In a split second, my armor shrinks becoming skin-tight, surrounding my body with all that extremely compressed mana. The rapier stabs at my chest, unable to pierce further. Collecting all the energy of her attack, I barely manage to hold it before quickly releasing it in her direction. She dodges, but a huge chunk of the area behind her explodes, the kinetic energy tearing the building and the garden apart. Once again, she attacks, each of her steps cracking the ground under her feet, her black hair flowing behind her. Two more attacks crash into my armor, and I absorb each one of them, immediately launching the absorbed kinetic energy at her, which she dodges. Then she stabs again, and this time it''s different; that weird skill of hers wont allow me to collect kinetic energy, and instead part of my armor loses its mana, disappearing into particles. I deflect her next attack with my own blade, to cover the missing section of armor, a clang sounding as two voidsteel blades clash. Im observing the entire exchange with my Mana Wavelength eyes, yet I still cant figure out what her skill is doing. With a sigh, I give up and decide to stop holding back. Mana and kinetic energy seep into my body, and my speed dramatically increases. The armor around me disappears, and I mirror the woman across from me, stopping my mana from leaking from my body, and face her with only a blade in my hand. Our slashes tear up the ground and damage the buildings surrounding us. The vibrations resonate through the surroundings as our blades meet, reducing the closest objects to dust. And I keep speeding up. The Housekeeper starts having a harder and harder time facing me, and I start placing anchors, using the fact that she has no time to destroy them to attack her from behind her back. My technique is worse. No matter how much Ive trained on Earth, I can''t compare to someone with over 100 years of experience. But what I''m lacking, I make up for in speed, boosted by mana and kinetic energy. Now that Ive completed this test as well, I stop and, to her surprise, launch a burst of kinetic energy at her. Though Instead of flying through the wall she perfectly deflects the attack, her purple mana absorbing most of the impact. That''s when my duplicate lands next to me and throws the Butler on the ground. Still alive and breathing, but with a wound on his head. Stop playing with your food, he complains. There is a lot to learn; she is really good at strengthening her body, and I like her skills, I reply. The Housekeeper fixes her dress, not a scratch on her and shes seemingly unworried. Then she notices the Butler lying on the ground and, looking at his face, her surprise multiplies. You didn''t, she says, almost in shock. I look where she is looking and notice that the left half of the majestic mustache is missing. Gone, reduced to atoms. Both of us look at my duplicate, who shrugs his shoulders, I did not, he says. A look of confusion appears on the Housekeeper''s face. I found him like that, the duplicate lies shamelessly. Chapter 308: Power source Chapter 308: Power source I think we might have a complicated situation on our hands, the Housekeeper moves a strand of hair off her face. Does she have a body that tough? Is she strengthening it? Does she have healing? I dont think she will answer me if I ask, and what the heck is that weird skill of hers? It has some disruptive properties, but there is something else as well. Should I get angry at my duplicate for ruining my learning opportunity? There is nothing complicated about this, Clonthaniel answers, Me and my buddy over here kinda have you guys in the palms of our hands. I dont think you have anyone capable of facing us, and even your oh so amazing barrier proved useless. Us choosing not to nuke this city is proof enough of our good will, he says mirroring the Butlers words as we were leaving. That only gets a laugh out of the woman. A loud, amused laugh. Like an adult dealing with a child. So, why dont we go out of the city and fight properly? It would be I ignore her and turn to my duplicate, I have located it. The duplicate lets go of the Butler, kicks him with the tip of his shoe, and puts his hand on my shoulder. The Housekeeper charges us, but before she reaches us, we teleport toward the anchor I placed deep inside the Bastion. What a clingy woman, the duplicate complains. Was her skill really that much fun? Yup. She wasn''t very versatile, she mostly strengthened her body, and she was really tough and quick, but she did it really really well. One of her skills seemed similar to [Disruption], but it worked against any attack I tried, mana-based or not. It also didnt seem to cost her that much mana, it was super efficient. I take a step, and we start walking through a circular tunnel with a flat bottom, through which we sense a source of mana while leaving some nasty traps behind us. Thats it? Duplicaniel asks. She also used some skill that allowed her to cut anything apart. Flames, mana, stone. Yes, yes, I know she has a Voidsteel blade, but it wasn''t just that. Every attack she cut apart seemed to lose its effect. Maybe I should fight her too. We have a bit of time, I agree. Exiting the tunnel, we find ourselves surrounded by vegetation. The room is a half sphere and its big enough to take probably 20 percent of the Bastions base; it''s just that big. The walls are covered in terraces, filled with plants and trees bearing fruits and simple vegetables. Even the floor is fully covered in grass and plants. Colorful, vibrant. The air smells nice, and there is even a soft wind blowing. Did you know that if you grow a tree in a room, it tends to be weak and often falls under its weight? A short man with a shaved head and wearing simple clothes says making his presence known. He continues, The reason is simple. There is no wind. The wind blowing against the tree forces it to struggle and grow its roots deeper and stronger. Trees grown inside don''t have that. He smiles, it''s almost a friendly smile. Almost. You must be the Armorer guy, the duplicate says in an effort to poke fun at him. Yes, Im the Armorer, he nods seriously. I can see the confusion on Clonthaniels face. Before he says anything, the man continues, Of course, Im not the Armorer, I am the Gardener, you dipshit. The man turns to me, Are you the more reasonable one here? I really really want to throw in some lame joke, just to be included, but in the end, give up and nod. Good, as I said, Im the Gardener, and I really have no interest in you kids fighting. So, will you please remove the traps you left in the tunnel before the Housekeeper triggers them all just to test them? I do just that, and a moment later, the duplicate does as well. Thank you, the Gardener bows his head slightly and gestures for us to follow. I already feel another conversation coming on. Damn, I really miss Tess. She would be much better at this. Reaching the small summer house, we sit there and wait. The feeling of the wind blowing is nice, and the crystal producing the light is amazing. It even seems to produce heat and without looking, I would find it hard to distinguish it from the sun. While we wait, the small man starts sending his mana to a series of tiny low-quality mana stones. He uses them to trigger watering or to make them radiate heat for the plants. Some bigger stones even generate wind, as they sit on pillars riddled with dozens of holes for the generated wind to flow through. And all of that is powered by something even deeper underneath us. And he is dead, his body is missing beneath the ribs. Belly, hips, legs, everything is gone. The rest is tied to a crystal, with the spine which extends a bit further beneath the ribs, the white bone feeling unnatural. Yet, still, the heart of the man beats slowly but powerfully, each beat sending a pulse of mana into the mana crystal which glows in sync. What do you think, used to be level 300, maybe 350 at most? I ask. Probably something like that, but there is no way chumps like them killed him. Maybe there were more of them, and only they survived, or they killed him in his sleep? Or he fell down the stairs. Both of us move closer, and without even looking, I know that his eyes are active, our minds trying to collect that immense amount of information. To avoid aftereffects, we both turn them off right after. Oi, I just thought of something, I start. I, we, have plenty of mana, right? Our hearts generate a lot of it, much more than someone at our level should. So The duplicate understands where I''m going, Okay, let''s hide it a bit better to not end up as some creepy mana battery. Sneaky mode will help. Sneaky mode is perfect for that. True, I agree and look around. Did you find anything interesting? Nothing we dont know about or arent working on already, but man, is the Butler angry. He keeps trying to teleport in. It makes sense now, why they tried so hard to distract us from getting here, I step closer to examine what remains of the owner of this Skyhold Bastion when I feel a movement behind my back. Armor forms around my body, and I throw a burst of kinetic energy behind me, only for it to be absorbed as the armor is disrupted. For a short moment, something holds my movements, and in slow motion, I watch as my duplicate tries to put a silver collar around my neck. Mana under my skin moves, tearing it from inside and forming into a spike that stabs into the duplicate''s hand. Right after, I change the frequency of my kinetic energy, and a short concentrated burst sends him a few steps back as he is unable to absorb it quickly. I send some thermal energy to the wound I created, and it starts healing. Well, I had to try, he says shamelessly. The null collar is still on me, I say. Yup, I found this one here and hid it from you. Anyway, you can''t really blame me. Thats true, but I can fucking kill you for trying to do so. You can try, he says, returning my gaze. Later, I will deal with him later. There is too much to be gained from our cooperation, and it''s not like I didnt expect this behavior. So, what was the plan? I ask and start examining the Lord again, "Isn''t it too soon for confrontation? That''s why I gave it a try right now, and it turned out successful. It really caught you by surprise. The plan was to stop you from using mana, getting you under my control, and come up with a way to either inscribe myself into your mind, kill you, and take over your body. I didn''t think of it that far. I pause, Thats a good idea, it is probably much easier to use my body and try to replace my mind, rather than creating an entire personality imprint from scratch. Right? Anyway, that clingy woman, the Housekeeper, is digging a tunnel down there, and the Armorer seems to be trying something as well, so let''s hurry. He passes by me and burrows his hand into the chest of the dead man in front of us and pulls out the still-beating heart which continues to do so even outside of the mans chest. The amount of mana it generates seems equivalent to the entirety of mine with the Mana Reservoir included. In my duplicates place, I disrupt the Butlers attempts to create a rift. They become much more aggressive, and I can feel the desperation coming from him, the Housekeeper as she digs, and even from the Armorer. I will keep the heart going and our defenses up. I should be able to do it for ten or fifteen minutes before the heart needs to go back into the chest. So you will have to do the talking. Sounds good, let''s get ourselves some nice stuff and more information. Something tells me they will be more willing to cooperate now. Chapter 309: Together Chapter 309: Together Both of us reappear in the summer house. The Housekeeper and Butler are gone, and only the Gardener remains. His expression is anything but nice, and it sours even more as he notices the beating heart in my duplicate''s hand. The one my duplicate is keeping beating with kinetic energy and careful manipulation of his mana. This will be the third time Ive had to speak with you guys, so how about you call the other two and the Armorer here. The Gardener is quick to understand, and its barely ten seconds before the Butler and the Housekeeper return. Both of them seem ready to jump us, but they stop when the Gardener gestures for them to. Mister Gwyn, I really hope you realize what I gesture to him with a finger over my lips, and he quickly shuts up. That almost makes me want to smile, So, I have had enough of you guys acting like dicks. Sure, at least my friend over here deserved that, and I might sound like a hypocrite, but whatever, right? The three of them remain quiet. Oh boy, this is getting fun. They acted so high and mighty, so prideful, and now? Anyway, we have around 15 minutes during which my buddy will keep the heart beating. So after the Armorer joins us, I will ask a few questions, and you guys will answer. If you lie or hide anything, the heart goes boom; if you take too long, the heart goes boom; if you attack us I gesture to them. ...The heart goes boom, The Butler answers. Thats my guy. Anyway, Housekeeper. I like your sword, will you gift it to me? I look at her. She stares at me for a short moment, and then on her face, a smile blossoms, Sure, Mister Gwyn, she says and takes a few steps closer and carefully hands me her rapier, like a knight offering the rapier to his lord. Quickly, I examine the weapon. Voidsteel Rapier (Epic): Echoing the qualities of the Voidsteel Slicer, this rapier is crafted from the vibration-absorbing Voidsteel, ensuring extreme sharpness and precision. The durability and cutting capability of the Voidsteel make the Rapier nearly indestructible, allowing it to effortlessly penetrate almost any defense. The weapon is beautiful, made of the same metal mine as those my duplicate and I wield, yet unlike our rough blades which lack handles, the rapier has been delicately made, entirely from Voidsteel, right down to the handle and guard. Thanks, I fix the rapier to my belt while the Housekeeper smiles even more and quietly sits back in her spot. "Butler, my friend, why don''t you go to the city and bring me as much mana conductive paint and metals as you can? You can add some mana stones too. Nothing too unreasonable, but don''t be cheap." Without a word, the Butler disappears through his rift, and everyone is quiet until the Armorer appears. An extremely thin, yet tall man with messy hair. I sense from him multiple items that seem to be connected to the defensive mechanism of the Bastion, even now they are working. Before you start, I hate to tell you that the amount of mana within the defensive system is still enough to kill both of you a dozen times over, he says. His voice is quiet, almost a whisper. Wouldnt that destroy the heart? Its probably more durable than the two of you, the Armorer says in his quiet voice. Why dont you try? ... I thought so. Anyway, we have what, twelve minutes? I turn to the duplicate, and he nods. So lets start. I dont care who tells me, but what is the cause of the high mana levels in the Valley? And please, don''t lie to me this time, I ask after reading one of the Side quests. The Armorer answers in his whispering voice, Its the location of one of the facilities that kickstarted the Veil. A high-ranking member of the Enchanters Guild used to own it. The mana levels are being caused by the broken core radiating mana. Even after over 100 years? I ask, unable to help but feel shocked. Yes, the thin tall man nods. The Veil required exceptional amounts of mana to start. Three most important facilities were powered by our Absolute, while some of our Champions powered the less important ones. The notification pops up. Congratulations. You have completed a side quest. You can now pick one from the offered mid-epic grade items! Are your Absolute and Champions dead? I ask. Our Absolute is surely dead. There might be some Champions somewhere, but we dont know. That''s when the Butler returns with a bag full of the items I required. With a nod, I take it from him, unable to take my eyes off the missing section of his mustache. How about the enemy? Their Absolute and Champions? I ask. I do not know, and neither do the others. I turn to my duplicate, What do you think? He is not lying. We repeat the process a few more times and stop only when we are far away from the Bastion and there is no one to be seen. Then, while we are healing our bodies, I empty my Vortex core throwing the store of kinetic energy at my duplicate. The energy tears a huge chunk out of the forest. I hear the system notify me of the deaths of several monsters that happened to be in the area, stones as big as cars are flung into the distance, trees break under the pressure, and the earth is rent, leaving us standing on the edge of a crater. Even through all of that, my duplicate is merely pushed back by a few steps. Deep wounds cover his body, blood flows, and a smile appears in the corners of his mouth. His eyes are activated and putting a strain on him. But he endures it all through the skills both of us share. Then, while looking at me, he asks, For the attempt with the collar? For the attempt with the collar, I confirm. Before this floor ends, we will talk, he smiles, the effect of his [Focus] lowering for a moment. Yes, I confirm. I can''t wait. POV Aaron Dalton When I reach Dennis, he is sitting on a stone, an empty expression on his face. "Dennis," I call to him, and he doesn''t answer. Hes cut off our [Connection], and I can''t feel his mind. I can''t feel our connection. "Dennis," I try to say as gently as I can and put my hand on his shoulder. My brother, who is usually so brave and cheerful, looks up at me with tears in his eyes. "She is dead, Aaron, she died just like that. It''s all my fault, I shouldn''t..." I don''t let him finish and just hug him, "It will be ok, I''m here." "It''s all my fault," he repeats between sobs, "I''m fucking useless. Trash. I..." "It''s ok," I repeat. It breaks my heart to see him like this, but I have no choice but to let it happen. Still, I have to keep an eye on our surroundings. Just from reading the floor quest, the 6th floor seems to be dangerous. "Aaron. You left your disciple. You shouldn''t have, you shouldn''t" To that, I grab his shoulder and force him to look at me. "Did you forget our promise?" "I..." "Did you?!" I raise my voice. "I did not," he shakes his head. "Then tell me, who is the most important?" "I don''t have to say that." "Tell me!" I scream. My disciple returned to his world, and even though everyone from our group decided to stay behind and wait for our disciples to return, I couldn''t. I don''t like it, but it was an easy decision. "You and I are more important, Aaron." At that, I hug him again. "Yes, you and me, brother. No one else matters as much. Not Kim, not Tess, Maya, or Isabella. You and I are all that matters and well take care of each other. Like we always did, it doesn''t matter if were on Earth or in the tutorial." "You and I." "Yes, you and I. Together. Now allow me to connect to you before I punch you." It feels weird seeing him so down, but when we finally connect, I tear through his weak mental defenses and connect to him. His emotions and flashes of his memories flow to me, restoring the connection weve grown so accustomed to. I feel tears roll from my eyes as I feel what he felt when his disciple died, but I refuse to shy away and I will help him shoulder the burden. I share his feelings, and between us, his pain lessens. (Together,) I squeeze his shoulder. (Together,) he repeats, returning to a more normal state as I share in his emotions. Chapter 310: So much to loot Chapter 310: So much to loot I stare at the spot where a mana crystal wide as a bus and tall as a skyscraper used to stand and turn to my duplicate. So it disappeared. Yup, he answers. It just disappeared while leaving behind traces as if someone had used the skill called [Tether]. Yup, he repeats. Well, it looks like someone is cooking. Be it for our confrontation or something else. But it''s not like I havent been doing the same, so I cant really complain. On the contrary, I''m curious. Our thought process is very nearly the same, but as our environment affects us, we come up with different methods and think of different skills. Him being on a tight time limit has changed him in ways that are hard for me to imagine. Well, anyway, I want to resume our attempts to power [Focus] with black mana with our trait active. It could help you too. I say. We can do that for today. Tomorrow we should go to the bunker under the Sleeping Noodle. My anchor is already weakening. Yes. I need to deal with some stuff but in one hour? Okay. He teleports, and I''m left alone looking at the empty spot. With a snort, I teleport as well, appearing in one of the rooms that seems to have housed someone in a high position. The furniture is gone, and there is nothing of real interest, but I like the colors and the way ornaments light the room when I run mana through them. I want to pick my reward for the side quest, I say. Congratulations on completing the side quest! You can now pick one mid-epic item from the offered options. Silentstep Tunic (Epic): Crafted from the silk of a mythical spider, the tunic is as durable as it is light. It can easily be concealed under everyday clothing and offers protection against both physical and magical attacks. The tunic''s unique fabric absorbs sound, making the wearer''s movements silent and hard to detect. Amulet of Whispering Winds (Epic): This amulet holds a fragment of the eternal wind within its core. It allows the wearer to communicate with others across vast distances. By whispering into the amulet, the message is carried on the wind, reaching its intended recipient with a whisper only they can hear. Mirage Bead (Epic): This bead can be activated to cast an intricate illusion around the user, making them appear as someone else for a few hours. The illusion is complete with visual, auditory, and even tactile elements, making it incredibly difficult to see through, though it is possible with enough skill. After use, the bead turns to sand.Folloow current novE?ls on nov/3lb((in).(co/m) Starfall Pebble (Epic): A small, unassuming stone that holds a fragment of a fallen star''s core. When thrown against a hard surface, it unleashes a devastating explosion of kinetic energy. The pebble is consumed in the process, making it a powerful single-use weapon. Heart of the Phoenix Emblem (Epic): Worn directly over the heart, this emblem can be used to bring the wearer back from the brink of death, engulfing them in flames that heal but do not burn. This power can be called upon three times, after which the emblem fades. Titan''s Backbone (Epic): Inscribed along the spine, this tattoo grants the wearer the indomitable endurance of a titan, enabling them to withstand any attack without faltering. This titanic resilience is available three times. I change the setting on my Regulator and devote more of my mana to strengthening my body through Reinforcement. Soon, the mana density starts increasing. The Valley is already full of extremely dense mana that were constantly having to defend against. Less powerful individuals even die there just from that. Even so, it increases even more and forces me to strengthen my Mantle and give more of my attention to the [Resonance] I''m using to deal with it. The further we go, the more damaged the tunnels are. Fallen pieces of ceiling, torn off in uneven chunks. An entire side of the wall melted into a heap of cooled slag. And the pressure increases even further. Then we find the first corpse. It''s extremely well-preserved. Either its fresh or more likely it was someone with a body powerful enough to look like that even after being dead for a hundred or so years. We spend a bit of time examining it. We look at broken equipment, search pockets, and try to find a wound. But we cant find anything. The man died just like that, without any outward or internal signs we could find as to why. In the end, I touch it and send it back to the bunker through [Tether]. A minute later, we find more corpses grouped together. This time they all show signs of the passage of time, but their clothes seem new. Each of the men and women is wearing beautiful robes covered in dozens of mana stones. Some of the mana stones are as small as my pinkie nail, woven into clothes, creating a series of defensive fields. Others are larger, set in necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Each one is densely inscribed and has some function, some of which I cant quite understand. One of the corpses, a woman, is wearing a bracelet with a big mana stone that seems to be something like a key. After a short discussion, we cut off the arm with the bracelet just in case the key needs DNA to activate, like when the orbit base on the 4th floor would only respond to Myrra. Then we send all the corpses and items away through [Tether]. As the pressure keeps increasing, we are forced to combine our forces to create a field around us. We walk close to each other, Mana Wavelength Iris activating once in a while just for a fraction of a second. The ever-present mana makes our abuse of our eyes extremely painful even with our preparations. The world I see with my trait is packed to the brim with mana that hangs like mist flowing in waves all around us, resonating with each other and reflecting off the walls. Tiny particles permeate the air, falling like snow and swirling in places as if they were caught in a vortex. Finally, more rooms start appearing, each of them has a door and most of them seem to have been labeled with markings that likely describe their use. Some of them even have panels that seem to be security interfaces. We examine a few of them, and it takes us a while to figure out how to use the key bracelet with the arm we cut off. The woman seems to have been pretty high up given her level of access. Even after a hundred years or more, the doors still move smoothly and quietly, barely making a hiss as air equalizes between the rooms. There are facilities, but most of them seem to be in a perfectly operational state. For example, theres an enchanting facility better than anything Ive seen up till now. Full of tools and materials. Conductive metals like arcanadium, ingots of endurium, compressed pieces of voidsteel, and many more I cant even identify a purpose for. The enchanting facility is also full of half-finished items. Swords imbued with mana stones waiting to be inscribed. Spears made of endurium waiting to be sharpened through some mysterious process. Robes on tables with tens of mana stones ready to be conjoined in a working web of inscriptions. A crown made of a mysterious metal waiting for mana stones to be placed in its settings. Dozens of items, most of them of upper rare rarity even in their unfinished state. The system shop is willing to pay more for items we craft by ourselves. When you buy an item from the system shop and sell it back, you get 50%. If you get an item from the floor and sell it to the system, you get 10-20% of its value. But if you craft an item from materials you gathered on that floor, you get 50% of the items value. Looking at the sheer amount of items and materials, some of them have the potential to be made into epic-grade items, I can only imagine how many shards I should be capable of hoarding after using all of this. And this is only the start. The first good facility weve found and there are probably quite a few more, judging by the sheer size of the place. So this is one of the Enchanters Guilds bunkers, one of the places they used to instate the Veil, and with a core that could only have been recharged by one of the Champions, it seems even they were willing to work for the Enchanter Guild. We send some items and materials back to the bunker we came from and then place multiple anchors within. Even in the short time weve spent here, I can feel my body''s reserves dwindling, and I have already dipped into my mana reservoir. It''s shocking how much I need to use to hold off the pressure and how much mana it costs even with my stats. We have to return as soon as possible, my duplicate says. And I can''t help but agree as we teleport away to recharge our mana before we come back. There is so much to explore and loot. Chapter 311: Do you think he is alive? Chapter 311: Do you think he is alive? Back in our bunker, Clonthaniel immediately takes some of the inscribed mana stones and starts examining them. The pressure here is much lower than it was in the bunker we left, and it feels like a ton of weight was lifted from our shoulders; only now do I realize how taxing it was. I take a moment to check the anchor I left behind there, and it seems to be holding up, though it is dissolving quicker than the usual anchors. Even then, we have plenty of time before it will disappear. "We have about three days before Vega returns; after that, its going to be more difficult to go back," I say to my duplicate. "Speak for yourself. I like Vega and all, but I currently have more urgent issues to attend to, so I will continue to explore the place. You can babysit our cute minion." "Too bad you won''t get that deep without both of us working together. You won''t even be able to reach the enchanting facility." That makes him pause. "I will inscribe some mana stones to help with that." "Sure." "Fuck. Okay, we have three days, so let''s hurry. We don''t have to sleep for a few days, and it should be plenty of time to explore the place. We can also send anything useful back here and continue." "Sounds good," I reply before opening the Beyond community while I examine one of the mysterious ingots we recovered. Noname - Gareth, you wanted to speak to me. It only takes about thirty minutes for him to notice my message. Like the others from Hell difficulty hes grown accustomed to checking as often as possible, for one second at a time. Gareth -Thanks for finding time for me, my friend. I should have a few minutes before my disciple runs into danger again. You probably heard about the deaths of two of our members. Noname - Yes. Did you change your mind regarding your approach? Gareth -I know you and I are of different minds when it comes to things like this, but I respect your opinion and even Savant''s. And no, I havent changed my mind, and neither has anyone else from WhiteWing. What happened was unfortunate, but every one of us did our best. Noname -So what did you want to talk about? This time it takes a minute for him to answer. Gareth - You would probably prefer that I be direct, so I will. I hope for your cooperation during the tournament. I tried to say more, but the system blocked the messages. Noname - can''t promise anything without knowing more.The source of this content no/v(el)bi((n)) Gareth -I understand that, my friend. I just want you to think about it. In the end, it''s not just the tutorial we have to deal with. We also need to think about what comes after, and some things are better dealt with as soon as possible. Noname - I usually let Sset deal with that stuff, you can talk to her. Nice try, evil man pretending to be a paragon of justice. Trying to get me to deal with people more than absolutely necessary? Not today. Grumpy -Noname! My disciple loves being called a minion. Noname - Hello Grumpy, I told you! But be careful. Minions might be cute, but they are tricky creatures. Grumpy - Will do! By the way, why does number 1 in Beyond never talk? >_ Noname -Probably going for the mysterious stranger aesthetic. Anyway, I''m going to check other Communities, so later. I disconnect and check on my duplicate. As before, he sits nearby and continues to examine the mana stones in the robe. I also notice that he pokes some of the corpses with a sword made of mana, probably trying to find out how much power remains in their bodies. "Hows it coming?" I ask, out of curiosity, as I rise. He looks at me, then back to the man with the perfectly preserved body. "This guy is something else. I can barely pierce his skin, and the sword gets stuck in his muscles." I watch as Duplicaniel uses [Resonance] to strengthen the blade of mana. Then, in a show of force, he stabs it into the leg of the corpse. The blade pierces the skin and then stops as if he had hit a rock. Oh my, isn''t that interesting? "I don''t think the guy was a Champion, so maybe hes somewhere in the ballpark of a danger noodle?" "That''s what I would like to know. It could be someone with a level around 300, with a significant investment in constitution. That or he had some kind of defensive trait," he answers, taking another stab at the corpse. "Tried voidsteel?" "Same result," he says. "How the hell did someone like that die?" "Food allergy?" "Or he bit his tongue. Unfortunately, the dude doesn''t have anything that would help us identify him. No mana stones, no keys matching the others we found. Even the items are all broken, to the point its hard to say what they even were. Yet his body isn''t damaged at all." My duplicate is looking at the corpse of the man we were unable to damage. He seems to be thinking the same thing as me, "Do you think he is alive or can be brought back?" he asks. That suspicion has only grown in me since we brought him here, and its been on my mind while Ive been chatting with the others. Is it possible for someone of that level to pull that off? Turning off his heart while relying on the strength of his body to keep him alive without rotting away? Perhaps theres something were missing. I think it is, and that''s what worries me. "Let''s send him away," I recommend. My duplicate is already heading towards the body and puts his hand on the man. I can feel him activating [Tether]. The body doesn''t move. "Well fuck," the duplicate uses more mana, and when I reach him, I resonate with his skill and supply it with more power. The body doesn''t move. "Well fuck," I say, and a barely noticeable heartbeat emanates from the man, as his bodys natural barrier reasserts itself making it surprisingly difficult to teleport him. Both of us get the same idea and quickly get null collars. The one I got from the man under the Sanctuary and the one my duplicate found in the Bastion. "Just in case?" I ask. The duplicate nods, and we place both of the collars around the man''s neck. His heart beats again, and I see inscriptions power up, the effect of the collar activates. Then a text flickers into existence over his head. [Forged Fury - lvl ???] The small wounds we caused while trying to damage him close in a blink, and through kinetic energy, I can feel the powerful beats of his heart. Two silver collars around his neck light up even more, allowing him to keep his constitution while lowering his other attributes, and then the man opens his eyes. He moves his brown hair from his face, and his strikingly blue eyes calmly look at me and then at my duplicate, and then he turns back to me. I immediately realize that hes somehow identified that my duplicate is well, a duplicate. Without saying a word, he stands up in a single smooth movement and dusts off his eyes. The collars around his neck shine even more, but the man doesn''t seem to be bothered at all. He stretches slightly and calmly looks around, ignoring my duplicate and me holding our weapons, our mana ready. "Take it off," he asks simply, pointing to the collars, his voice dismissing the idea that we might refuse. Is he bluffing? Seeing his level, he should be between 300 to 450, so hes not a Champion and hes far from being an Absolute. The collars are only epic grade, so I would be surprised if they could hold him much longer than a few hours. If he is level 300, it could be possible for me to fight him if I surprise him, hell, maybe even a bit higher if I work with my duplicate. But then there is that thought in the back of my mind. The man is wearing clothes unlike the luxurious robes of the others we found. His clothes are made of durable materials but theyre simple and focused on functionality. Craftsman''s clothes. There were no weapons among the damaged equipment he did hold. And then there is his class name. Without further hesitation, I take a step and, touching the Null Collars, I unlock them one after the other. The entire time the slightly taller man stares at me with his pale blue eyes. When the collars are gone, his fist moves, and he punches my face. Even though I''m expecting the attack, I''m incapable of dodging it. The blow doesnt seem to have been very strong, and I only need to take a half step back. "That''s for the collars," the man says. "The next time" Mana rushes through my body, entirely focused on strengthening it, and then I punch the man in return. He also staggers backward, a flash of surprise appearing on his confident face. As he opens his mouth to say something, I punch him again, and he staggers a half step back. My mana radiates from my body, and I''m ready to fight or disappear at any moment, yet the man doesn''t seem to be threatening us. Our eyes meet, and he just nods shortly. Then he turns around, passes by my duplicate, and heads deeper into the bunker. Me and Notnathaniel exchange glances and follow the man. He walks confidently even without light and without hesitation finds the control room where he approaches the central panel. As I have many times before, he sends a bit of his mana into it and looks at it for a moment. To my surprise, he does something, and a pillar as thick as my arm slides out from the floor next to his leg. On top of that pillar sets a perfectly round mana crystal. The Forged Fury touches it and sends just a bit of mana into it before it slides back onto the floor, and he returns to the control panel. Right after, the room lights up in a way I and my duplicate were unable to pull off no matter how much mana we ran through the core. Well, before the duplicate stole it or something. Nearby one of the walls cracks, a crack forms into the perfect shape of a door. The cracked section of stone topples, likely weighing a ton or more. And the man heads inside as if he owns the place. Chapter 312: Veil Ignition Station Chapter 312: Veil Ignition Station As it turns out, the hidden section contains a massive number of shelves, packed full of items. There are dozens, no, hundreds of mana stones. There are big crates full of food. A massive tank containing water. There are rooms with beds and utility rooms. Clothes, weapons, armor, the supplies here would make it possible to survive for years without ever needing to leave. But these rooms are empty, everything perfectly preserved and untouched. Then there is another panel and a mana crystal two times my height, which is likely a reserve core. The man once again channels his mana through it, and I observe as he does. His reserves do not seem to be that big. He is moving it skillfully too, but it feels different from the way I do it. It''s hard to describe. "So 99 years have passed," he mumbles and then turns back to us, "You, how old are you?" "Were from after the war, 22," Clonthaniel answers instead. The man glances at him. "I asked the original, not the duplicate," he says simply and turns his gaze to me, "What even went through your mind to use one of the duplicating items that way? They were never intended for use on living beings." He doesn''t even wait for the answer and continues examining the core that seems to have some information stored in it.Updated from "So that''s how it is..." After a few minutes, he takes a step away from the crystal, and it loses its light, "I need to know what you found in the Veil Ignition Station number five where I was." The way he asks sounds like he is expecting an answer, like someone accustomed to authority. "Nope," both me and my duplicate say at once. "I see." Not saying more, he walks towards us, then instead of attacking, he passes by and, after taking a few steps, exits the hidden room. He fires off a strange form of scan, and then he heads towards the room we used to store the items we got from the bunker he referred to as The Veil Ignition station. Like two kids, we follow and observe what he does while questions run through my mind. The man takes a few ingots of metal and other stuff we got from the bunker and heads to a different room. He doesn''t seem to mind us following him and ignores us as he finds the facility that we identified as a forge. There is a house-sized forge with multiple openings. It looks too simple, though I did learn some time ago that its more of a shell for the more complex components inside. Blowers, openings for fuel, leads for molten metal, and much more. The man sends his senses through it again and activates one of the crystals, before throwing it into one of the openings, and with that done, manipulates the panel. It''s broken, and the man examines and then ignores it. Rolling his sleeves up to his elbows, he touches some sort of emblem on the inside of his forearms, and the heat starts radiating from him in waves. It crashes into the room, melting the surface of the tables, and when it reaches us, we absorb it as thermal energy which we store in our Vortex Core. Right after, he redirects all of the heat hes generated through an opening in the forge and concentrates it within. As the massive forge heats up, inscriptions light up across its surface, surprisingly some of the blowers even seem to be working as they distribute the heat along the underside of the apparatus. With our eyes, we can watch as the heat is concentrated even further, and the man positions a table in the area and does something to keep it from melting. Then he throws some metals on the surface where they melt almost immediately. Without worry, he steps closer, his powerful body ignoring the heat, and begins to shape the metal with his mana while adding components to create some sort of alloy. Do you remember that movie where they kidnapped the dude and kept him in a cave, while he built an iron suit and escaped while fighting off his kidnappers? the duplicate asks. Do you think thats his plan? Are we going to let him? Do you want to stop him? Not really, the stuff hes doing is cool as heck, especially the way he uses his mana. It seems to work better than using those clunky arms . I tried my best back then, okay? And they still ended up being rare. So, blacksmith? Probably? Maybe he just has a powerful body and a non-combat class. Maybe that''s why he hasnt attacked us. The decision wasnt that difficult, and we handed over both of the null collars. In exchange, he created three simple epic pendants meant to take in some of the ambient mana radiation and redirect it. Whats interesting is that the man rarely uses inscriptions, he doesnt bother unless he has to. Most of the effects of the items he creates are a product of the combination of materials in his alloys. Is it possible that he isnt that good of an enchanter? Enchanting requires a specialized set of skills, so it''s possible that he is not. As for me, Im quite lucky that most of the ways that I go about controlling mana also allow me to create inscriptions. In preparation for our return to the Veil Ignition Station, the man collects a few more of the items we recovered. He takes what he needs, and seeing the corpses in beautiful robes we brought back, he turns to us, waiting. My duplicate and I exchange a look, having the same thought. We could leave him here and go by ourselves. We have rods, pendants, and even our skills. But at the same time, the man seems useful, even though hes not very talkative and seems to expect obedience and respect. I make a final decision, and he reduces his natural defenses, as I place my hand on his shoulder and teleport us to the station. The duplicate follows, reappearing between us. The man looks at us and then at the severed arm and the bracelet Im holding. His expression betrays that the arm belonged to someone he used to know. Yet he doesnt show much in the way of emotion and takes a few steps, stabbing two of the epic rods in the direction of the source of the mana radiation and a third on the opposite side. Almost immediately, the mana radiation lessens, and his weird senses reach out into the area. The radiation is even worse than I thought, he says simply. Then he takes a few pieces of metal and ingots and heads towards the corner of the room and the small forge. Emblems on his forearms activate, and he starts working again. Looking at the way he works, hes probably making more rods to absorb the Mana Radiation. My duplicate is already at work as well, grabbing some of the more valuable mana stones and doing whatever he does lately. I, meanwhile, grab a few upper-rare spears made of white metal. The spears are complete, beautifully crafted, sharpened, and ready for use. The only thing missing is the empty mana stones imbued near the blades. All of the weapons are ready for inscriptions. There are even circuits made of conductive metals leading from the mana stone through the weapon. Surrounding one of the spears with my [Mana Domain], I activate [Infusion] and then use [Mana Manipulation] and [Resonance], all while under the influence of [Focus]. I work on creating the best item possible for me given that I lack the skill to do this kind of thing on my own, but what I can do is create inscriptions, enchantments, or whatever the official term happens to be. I''m good at that, and a lot of my skills help me with that. I could use my eyes for a better result, but not here. It would be too much surrounded by all this mana radiation. So, I get to work, and time starts passing while I work. Nearly immediately, I lose two of the weapons to my mistakes, and then three more. But I do not stop and do not hesitate. If someone saw me using upper rare weapons as fodder, they would be mad, but they are just things to me. Useful items, yes, but never worth more than my life or too important to be sacrificed. The items can be separated from me, they can be destroyed, they can be stolen. My personal power, and the knowledge I gain, will stay with me no matter what. So, I waste even more of them, even getting a look from the man, but I ignore him and continue in my experiment. And then, after hours, my effort is rewarded, and I create the first epic item. It''s not entirely my creation, but I can say that I did a part of the work. A big part. That makes me happy, even if it is only low epic. Kinetic Pulse Spear (epic):A spear that accumulates kinetic energy and magnifies the force behind each strike. Movements and thrusts charge the spear, allowing the wielder to release highly concentrated kinetic blasts. I want to sell it, I say immediately. Do you really want to sell the following item for 1900 shards? Kinetic Pulse Spear (epic) Yes/No I confirm and then check my shards. Shards:13,792 Two some odd days until Vega comes back, and then two weeks until the end of the floor. I wonder how much I will make. Chapter 313: A Newcomers Welcome Chapter 313: A Newcomer''s Welcome You spend half a day ruining a dozen perfectly prepared items and you crafted that? the weird three-question mark man says, looking over my shoulder, several rods in his arms. It came out pretty good, I say in my defense. The look he gives me tells me he probably doesnt agree, and then he asks, Did you send the weapon away through your skill? It felt different this time. I just shrug. There is no sense in explaining; the system will censor it all and make the man go blank. So what is your plan? I ask him. Seeing that I dont intend to answer, he doesnt push, First, we proceed to my workshop where I can make some better items. Then we will head towards the control room. Not to the core? I ask. Not unless you have a death wish.Folloow current novE?ls on nov/3lb((in).(co/m) Then, before I can answer, he places three more rods and turns to me once the mana radiation lessens further. He hands me one of the unused spears near me, Do it again. I decide to play along and do just that. My skills activate, and I start over again. Then I feel a slap on the back of my head. My body is strengthened, my mana regulator turning a big part of my mana pool into reinforcement, yet it still makes me flinch. Before I punch the man, he says, Try it again, and dont be in such a rush to change the item. Examine the pre-prepared pathways and feel the intent of the person that created that spear. He just snorts as he watches me glare at him, You can try to punch me later if you want to. So? Instead of fighting, I send my senses through the item and get to examining it. The item you hold is something someone spent hours to create. They spent their mana to do so. They thought about how they wanted this item to look. The materials, rare or not, were carefully picked and smelted in an effort to realize their fullest potential. For all of that to happen, they had to study lifetimes of research authored by our predecessors and distributed by our teachers, a lot of people had to search for the materials, and a place had to be created to make it all happen. He continues to observe my attempts. So the least you can do is to pay a little bit of respect to the item in your hands, no matter how minuscule it might look to you. I dont agree, I say, pausing my work on the item. Explain, he asks me with interest. Items arent important. It doesnt matter if theyre epic, rare, arcane, or something higher. Sure, its fine to use them, to hold them, or even be in awe of them. Maybe theyre useful, or maybe you learn something from them, but thats it. You cant rely on them too much or theyll slow your growth. You cant tiptoe around them, worried about damaging them because someone put effort into creating them. Thats a very cynical way to look at it, but it also says a lot about you. Sure. I send my senses through the unfinished spear and examine it. You told me to think about the intent of the creator of this weapon. But all I can see are useless pathways. The spear is pre-prepared so it constantly pulls bits of the users mana to sharpen the blade. Sending more should cause it to extend and become even sharper. My skills activate, and I scratch some of the prepared pathways, change others, and straight up block some more. Like this, the finished item would become low epic at most and prioritize ease of use and reducing wear. The pathways I inscribe are much uglier, harsher, and more direct. They use more mana and require more from the user. I turn to the man, It''s an item prepared to be pampered. A spear used by someone who prefers ease of use and looks over functionality. Someone who rarely bothers with combat. It''s a toy, not a weapon. The inscriptions I create are more taxing to use but they allow more mana through. They allow the item to take damage over time. It''s like removing fail-safes, even at the cost of the weapons lifespan. I don''t do it this way to improve the items rarity and price in a shop. No, I would do it this way even if I intended to use it or to give it to someone else. Weapons are tools. I pause for a while and turn to the man again. He returns my gaze and then nods. It''s not in agreement but in understanding. Then he turns back, and I continue what I''m doing. Multiple hours later when the weapon is ready, I sell it, gaining 2,200 more shards. Right after, my duplicate and I send a few more items to the bunker and wait for the man to finish his work before moving deeper into the station. Meanwhile, our round of the tutorial has gained a new Beyond explorer. You two, come here, he gestures to us, and after exchanging looks, both of us head to him. He points at the pillar made of mana crystal, Can you activate it? It should be connected to the core. The core is leaking and thats whats causing the current mana levels, but this crystal should still be getting some mana. I don''t bother asking him why he doesn''t do it himself and only slightly examine it, but I don''t find anything. So while my duplicate keeps watch, I delve deeper, using my skills to examine it and finally recognize the problem. It''s physically cut off from the core and the system of this station. Probably some kind of manually initiated failsafe or something, I explain. He sighs as if he had expected but hoped to avoid, and then examines the rods we are using, We have an hour or two before these rods become useless, and then a similar amount of time before the amulets fail. You can grab whatever you want, and I will point out some things I need you to move to the place you call the bunker. Isn''t that your workshop? Why would you give us these things? the duplicate asks. Just do what I said. The man weve decided to call Dave then ignores us and starts creating a pile of items he wants to bring with him. As if planned, we step out of his workshop towards the rods he placed. As he said, they seem to be weakening, and a quick examination reveals some sort of corrosion on them. Our [Mana Domain] activates, along with [Resonance] as we use [Infusion] to make the process even more seamless. Then we take a step and pass by the rods. Immediately, the pressure assaults us. It feels as if the mana crashes against us in a series of rhythmic waves, attempting to pass through our domain and Mantle. It''s incredible. Even after a hundred years, the core of this Veil Ignition Station is still releasing so much mana. A core filled by Champion Niall, as Dave said. Leaving anchors behind the rods, we take a few more steps, making sure the amulets the man gave us dont interfere, all in order to test our skills. It all feels a bit like [Dawn], the skill Champion Tristan, used while being manipulated by the Mind Mage emperor, at the end of the second floor. A skill powered by The Sword of Aeons, the greatest mana battery in that world. And with that, he alone wiped out nearly all of humanity on his planet. [Mana Domain - lvl 34 > Mana Domain - lvl 35] [Infusion - lvl 24 > Infusion - lvl 25] Then, after giving our all for a moment we find ourselves pushed back behind the rods. Returning back to the workshop, he welcomes us, and his weird senses examine our activated skills. So, you even have a Domain-class skill, he notes and then points at the pile. With the help of this, I can prepare something better so we can head deeper. What is a Domain-class skill? I ask, ignoring his items. When he gives me the look, I add, We will move your things if you answer. Dave almost seems like he wants to ask something but decides against it, I keep forgetting how little you know. Within the many classes of skills, there are domain-type skills. If mastered properly, they can be some of the most terrifying. For learning more, find yourselves a disciple, candidate, or Champion. Now move these. He doesn''t say anything else and looks in the direction of the core of the station. After that, we take our time, we examine the place, and move items until our mana takes a big hit. We also head back and examine some of the rooms that are further from the core. There, we find more corpses, even corpses of the monsters my Duplicate sent through to find out if the Gaiathra would notice them. The monsters are as dead as the humans we find. The man seems to recognize some of human and when he kneels down in front of the corpse of a little girl, we leave him alone. Soon, we feel heat fill the tunnels as he activates his emblems, and when he rejoins us, nothing remains of the bodies. We return to the bastion, and I hand him the severed arm and bracelet. He stares at it for a moment. I just wait patiently until he grabs it. After taking off the bracelet, he heads to the pile where we put other corpses, ready to examine them. My clone and I leave to do our stuff, and soon flames light the tunnels of the Bunker as well. Chapter 314: The Minions Return Chapter 314: The Minion''s Return Just a bit over two days have passed, and I am sitting in the branches of one of the bigger trees surrounding the bunker. At this point the monsters almost seem to avoid me, the place seems to have been recognized as my territory after my short expeditions to level up. I have to go further and further to hunt now, but I make the effort every once in a while.The source of this content no/v(el)bi((n)) Over the past two days, Ive been working with a few of the higher tier unfinished items, converting them into epics. Leaving me 5,600 shards richer after selling them to the shop. Then I sold piles of materials, mana stones, and some of the weird robes. Anything I had in excess or lacked a use for. That alone has gained me another 3,800 shards. And that''s us going through the Veil Ignition Station twice given that we havent gone back since we returned, supposedly Dave is still preparing some important stuff. My current number of shards is 25,392. The cheapest arcane items start at 100,000 and the cheapest arcane passives arent available for less than 200,000, it seems so expensive. Gaining either of them on this floor seems like it will be impossible. So what am I doing out here? Waiting for my minion, obviously. Why outside? I want to get to her before my Duplicate can turn her against me. We can''t have that, and I''m sure he would try. I escaped while he was watching Dave like a hawk. My duplicate doesn''t have the benefit of a counter, he doesn''t have access to the quest interface, system shop, or any other system functions. So he can only estimate when she will return, and I did my best to confuse him. I even left an orb in the Bunker to imitate my mana signature while I escaped in secret. Congratulations! Your disciple will now return to the 5th floor! Bear in mind that you have to keep your disciple alive for two weeks longer. The environment on the 5th floor will become much more dangerous during that time! And here she is. Vega carefully emerges from an invisible portal. There she is, just beneath the tree Im sitting in. Just then, her senses pulse into the area like sonar, and her heartbeat accelerates as her skills activate. She envelopes her dagger in pale blue mana and lowers her stance. I dont even bother trying to hide as her senses touch me. She lifts her face, and her ruby-like eyes meet mine from below. A giant smile blooms on her face, Master! she shouts. You have stopped scanning your area. That''s a day of me calling you minion, and you can''t complain. It''s hard to describe the relief I feel. And seeing someone be so happy just to see me is still weird. I land beside only for my tiny minion to immediately hug me. It''s fine! Master can call me minion! she embraces me with the full force her small frame can manage. I lift her into my arms where she rests against my chest, listening to my heart. Im glad to see you well, Vega, I say, pulling her closer, and she nods with a smile. Then I feel the orb down in the bunker disappear and someone trying to reconnect to the anchor I used to get here. But that person finds themselves unable to do so as I expected that and removed the connection with black mana. Okay, minion, now listen, this is serious, I say. setting her on the ground and kneeling in front of her, There is a guy that looks like me and acts like me. But that person cannot be trusted no matter what! Looks like master? Vega asks. In the distance, I feel an explosion of kinetic energy, and a figure lifts high into the air. Quickly followed by waves of mana scanning the area for us, but my pre-prepared barrier activates, and I hide us for a bit longer. Yes, but you have only one master, right? You wouldn''t turn against me? I would not! Good disciple, I caress her hair and poke her cute pointy horn. He probably isn''t a bad guy and won''t hurt you, but don''t get tricked, okay? It''s a test. A test from master, her eyes wide., Ill do my best! Right after that, my duplicate descends on us, absorbing the kinetic energy of his landing without causing any shockwaves. You asshole! You are trying to turn my precious Vega against me! he immediately complains. My minion, wary, starts flicking her eyes between me and him. T-two of them, she mumbles. Vega, come to your master. I want a hug! the creep says, but surprisingly, Vega seems to hesitate, her eyes rapidly flicking between us. Wow, does she really want to be called Vega so badly? Huh, that makes sense. But isnt that interesting? the Duplicate mumbles. Did he tell you if the tutorial repeated again? I didnt ask, Im sorry uncle! Its fine, I answer instead and turn to the duplicate. So the system takes a bunch of people from a planet and puts them through the tutorial. The survivors return and become the so-called First Generation? He speaks in turn, expanding on the thought, After that, more people from the planet join the system, but without the advantages of people who went through the tutorial? Or could it be that only descendants of people who went through the tutorial get the ability to interact with the system? That doesnt make any sense. We saw a lot of people with levels on the floors. There wasnt anyone without a class. They may have gone through the tutorial tens of thousands of years ago, perhaps the descendants of the first generation replaced those who couldnt access the system. He ponders, That feels off, I like the theory that people from the tutorial return to Earth, and then slowly other people from Earth start awakening and joining the system. Maybe it is all even caused by mana leaking from the people who return to Earth. I turn to Vega and ask, Did he know anything else about the First Generation? Nothing! The duplicate sighs, So if we are right, there are 10 rounds of the tutorial. We are in the 5th round. Every round of the tutorial contains four difficulties, and each difficulty has 10 groups. 2000 people to split into ten groups in easy, a thousand in normal, 500 for hard, and 250 for hell. Overall thats, he counts, 3750 people for each round. If we are right and there will be 10 rounds, thats 37,500 people in the tutorial. I continue, Out of them, how many will survive? 20,000 people in Easy difficulty so maybe 10-15 thousand of them? Out of 10,000 in Normal, probably around 6 to 8 thousand, out of 5,000 in Hard, probably two thousand? and out of 2,500 in Hell what? Somewhere between 100 and 500, maybe 100 of them enter Beyond, and what, maybe 10-20 survive? The tutorial does become harder as floors pass and plenty of people might decide to stay on one of the nicer floors. Someone from Hard difficulty who gets to a higher floor might become stronger than someone from hell who decided to stay on the 4th floor. Thats true. Minion, any info on your Absolute or Champions? They knew nothing! I even bent the hand he used to hit me just like you showed me, master, but he said nothing. Pairing? Nothing! System shop outside of the tutorial? They didnt know about it! They said there is no such thing. At what levels do primary class upgrades happen? He was only level 40, he got only the 1st one and didnt know. The duplicate looks at her, Wow, our cute Vega beat up someone 10 levels higher. Is that how proud parents feel? Both of us ignore him, and I continue to ask a few more questions, but Vega doesnt have any answers. But that is to be expected, looking at the small village where she lives. Good job, minion, you did well. Thank you, master! After turning to my duplicate, I lift one of my eyebrows, and he sighs, As promised, you get the Mantle upgrade first, and I will help you create a better epic item. The chair made with [Regalia] disappears as he stands in a smooth motion and turns to Vega, Im glad you made it back safely, disciple, he says. To that, Vega thinks for a moment, then smiles, giving him a nod. Observing him carefully, I notice a hint of relief in his eyes. Even though he hasnt shown it very much, he is happy to even get that much. Our minion is just that precious a little thing. As we head back to the bunker, both of us notice that the Mana Radiation has started to become worse, and monsters from all parts of the Valley are fighting and moving erratically. And the Veil becomes just a bit more visible hanging in the air, just a tiny bit, but almost enough to be able to see it with the naked eye. The system didnt joke, and as it said, the difficulty will gradually increase. Chapter 315: Screw you Chapter 315: Screw you Dave looks at me; it''s still disturbing how easily he can recognize who the duplicate is. Then he looks at my duplicate and then at Vega, who looks up at him with interest. Having two of us by her side, she doesnt seem to be worried at all. Master, how should I address this man? she asks. I look at the man we even now call Dave, and he doesnt even bother answering and just turns around, heading back to his provisional workshop. Indeed, what to call him? The duplicate is uncle already, Maybe mister? I offer. Sure! Is this man another of masters minions, like uncle? My duplicate interrupts, Vega, Im not a minion and will never be. Actually, I''m currently stronger than him, you can hear my heart, right? Yes I can, but it doesn''t feel stronger! I let them talk and follow Dave, pushing through the heat being released by his emblems, absorbing most of it with [Redistribution] and turning it into kinetic energy which I use to strengthen my body. It''s better than releasing it, and my core is already full. Sometimes I think everything is a game for you, Dave says while the metal in front of him swirls, mixing and separating while forming into difficult shapes as he wills it into form. Its probably one of my skills, allowing me to filter out my emotions, I answer and jump onto the table nearby, examining the process. He doesnt seem to mind anymore than the times before, and I could even swear he likes having someone who shows so much interest in his craft. That makes sense. Concentration class skills tend to be like that, he moves his hand, releasing more heat, melting an ingot of heat resistant metal, even more so than endurium. I know because I tried to melt it too. It also sold for a nice chunk to the system shop. Are concentration type skills that bad? I ask curiously. They are useful, and the people who use them tend to be amazing in whatever they do. On the other hand, they often feel less human compared to others, the metal in front of him forms a sphere and then starts to swirl, mixing everything together. He continues, At a higher level of the skill, their users feel inhuman. Separating a bit of molten metal, he throws it to me where I release my mana and make it semi-metalize, keeping the molten metal in the air like he does. To prevent the metal from cooling off, I reach into my Vortex core and release the heat of my golden thermal energy. Weve already tried it a few times before, so this time I take care not to release too much heat and even let my eyes activate in combination with [Focus], while I try to limit their effect on my mana and the molten metal it surrounds. Sometimes I think it''s unfair that someone like you has Primordial thermal energy, he says to my surprise. Why? I ask, moving the heat around the molten metal and using my mana to try to form it. Jealousy, I would say. The flames from his emblem try to push against my thermal energy. Without compressing my thermal energy further, his flames seem to blaze hotter and more confidently. Yet, there is some beauty to my golden thermal energy as it swirls around, devouring his flames the moment he loses any degree of concentration around the edges. In the future, do not show anyone your Primordial energy if you dont have to. The same goes for your eyes. Even my eyes? I push bits of his flames away and absorb the heat to boost my thermal energy. The metal ball in front of me elongates as I try to form it into the shape of a dagger. An ugly-ass dagger at that. Wavelength-type eye traits are very rare. There were once entire noble families who only maintained their position in court because one of their predecessors had a powerful Wavelength eye. They were marrying away their daughters into other families hoping to re-awaken this trait. Dont humans only get 3 traits? Yes, but those youre born with don''t count against that number. The dagger I was trying to create melts when I use too much heat, and I start over. Taking advantage of the mans good mood, I ask, Can you tell me about the First Generation? When he looks, I think that I may have pushed too far, and annoyed him with my questions, but after examining the molten metal I''m working on, he sighs. Then a blank expression overtakes his face, and it reverts back. After returning to his senses the man seems surprised and almost ruins his project, but he quickly takes over and continues to work. It seems like the system is still censoring the information about the First Generation, and I have no hope of learning more from the natives currently. Maybe on higher floors? Or I can try to get information from newcomers to the tutorial, like Vega. Why do you want to reach the stations core so badly? I finally ask the question Ive been pondering for so long. My name is Nevan. Thanks for telling me, my name is Nathaniel.Folloow current novE?ls on nov/3lb((in).(co/m) "This attempt is so cheap," I tell him. "Hey, if it works, it works. Anyway, I need your help with some mana inscriptions. I want to test something." "Any good progress?" "Only shitty progress, Ive spent the past week in almost constant attempts to create a personality imprint, but I''m not even close damnit. It feels like I havent even started. I knew Lissandra was a monster, but this is too much." "Is Lissandra a minion too?" Vega asks curiously. "Maybe one day," I say. "Ha!" The duplicate just stretches. "If the personality imprint plan fails, as it most likely will, I can do something like what we did for Myrra. I''m not sure it worked, but hey, I might as well try." "But there is a problem with that," I point out while caressing Vega''s head. Huh, maybe he was really onto something with Vega being an ESM; I really do feel my stress dissipating. "Yes," he agrees. "The system has already reacted to my status as a duplicate, so the rules will probably be a bit more strict. There is also a chance that because every attendee has their own instance, it will work differently. And even if it worked with Myrra, it may have countermeasures in place this time." "How about trying to make yourself a tutorial attendee?" "I used the fingers you so graciously gave me, and tried to work on something, but I just don''t know. Lissandra has partial status as a tutorial attendee because she regrew from Hadwin and I''m entirely your duplicate, yet the system hasnt reacted. I tried to think of a way you could help, but I just can''t come up with anything." "What about returning to Vegas world with her?" At that, Vega''s red eyes grow even larger, shining from under her light brown hair. "While I was eating with her, I tried to look into it, but I have no connection to her. The problem also has to do with my lifespan. Just moving away from the tutorial wouldn''t fix it." "Now that you mention it, I think it may have been a dick move to duplicate myself." I ponder. "Only now?" he snorts. "What''s annoying is that I can''t be mad at you since I made the decision. But hey, let''s strengthen the Mantle and try inscribing a mana stone." "Sure." Its hours later, and we sit opposite each other. Nevan is still working, and Vega is sleeping, her head resting on my leg. The improvements to The Mantle were a success. Mana Sovereignty Mantle: A protective mantle seamlessly integrated with the user''s mana heart and body. Solely designed to prevent external influences from disrupting or hijacking the user''s mana flow. The name and description havent changed at all as Ive made no attempt to change the effect. Instead of trying to be fancy, I just wanted to strengthen one simple thing. To prevent someone from keeping me from using mana. Well, at least inside my body. And even though the description hasnt changed, I can easily notice that it''s improved. While we rest, and eat some food while Vega is sleeping, the duplicate keeps looking at me. "So?" I ask. "You havent stopped watching out for Vega, not even for a second ever since shes returned." I decide to stay quiet. "The entire time she was with me, you kept watching her, keeping the anchor you placed on her skin active and ready. Even as you worked with Nevan." "Just say it." With his emotionless face, he continues, "Ever since you duplicated yourself, you were worried about Vegas return. Doesn''t that say a lot about you?" He looks at Vega, who is peacefully sleeping, "You still think there might be a chance you would use Vega to stay alive if you were in my shoes. You aren''t sure, but you think you might use her or even sacrifice her just to stay alive. From sheer desperation and as the last possible option and because you still remember how you behaved on the 1st Floor." In the silence, broken, only by the soft breathing of my disciple, I caress her head gently. At that, she snuggles closer to me. The duplicate leans and rests against the wall, as always his mana is constantly moving, "You aren''t sure what you would do if you were in my situation, but I am. I already know the answer to that question. But I won''t tell you. Screw you, and figure it out on your own." "I really want to punch you sometimes." "You and I are the same." "Yes." Chapter 316: The first one in thousands of years Chapter 316: The first one in thousands of years Each of us gets another pendant. We put on the chest plates made of silvery metal streaked with copper. Nevan even threw something together for Vega, and shes been much nicer to him since. My minion might be easily influenced by gifts and shows of goodwill. I watch as she spins around, looking at her reflection in one of the steel panels lining the walls of the facility. Even Nevan has a soft smile on his face, watching the little half-demon girl being happy. At least she accepted only after asking him multiple times if it was for free and he didnt want anything in exchange Im going outside for a moment, something destroyed one of my anchors, the duplicate says and disappears at the same moment. A few seconds later, he returns. Two Veil Guardians sniffing around, he says simply. So that''s it? Is a normal Hell difficulty person supposed to be hiding now, or should they be capable of taking on the Veil Guardians? Or were we expected to join a group like the Bastion in an effort to survive the remaining two weeks with disciples? We could fight them together, I offer. Probably, but weve already prepared for a trip to the station. Wanna bet something would go wrong if we went to fight? That''s true. Well, let''s follow the plan. I wave at Nevan, Ready? Yes. Take as much as you can; we might not be able to return. After taking a moment to look at me, he nods and quickly does just that.Folloow current novE?ls on nov/3lb((in).(co/m) Vega, I say, you will stay by my side the entire time, and by that I mean the entire time, okay? Yes, master! the little half-demon agrees without complaint. But just in case, I give her my pendant. Then I take a few rods and some of the other things our personal blacksmith, alloyist, whatever he is, prepared for us. When we reappear in the station, the mana pressure immediately increases, and I observe Vega. Thankfully, she doesn''t seem to notice the pressure, and can only feel the difference through her scanning. Even now, she is curiously observing it, her red eyes wide open. Nevan, who is fully armored, even going so far as to wear a helmet, heads in first, and we quickly pass his workshop, stopping only so he can grab a few small items. I also quickly sell a few more items, getting a quick 680 shards. The hallway stretches farther than I had expected, and it gradually becomes clear that the pressure is emanating from somewhere on the right where the core must be. At a crossroads, Nevan turns left and leaves three rods between us and the core. Alleviating the pressure somewhat. The next stop is yet another facility. This one is in disarray, the damage is as extensive here as it was at the entrance. Deep scratches dominate the metal walls, sections of the floor have been melted, and the ceiling has partially collapsed. mana stones have been strewn about the room. Most of them have been destroyed, though some are still whole. There are dozens, in all colors and sizes, and none of them have been inscribed. One of my friends used to study mana crystals here, and he was using them to make mana stones in his spare time. Nevan enters the room and touches one of the walls, and a signal pulses out from the point of contact, and a crack appears there, revealing the entrance to a smaller room. There, in what seems to have been a panic room, lies the unrecognizable corpse of a man. But for Nevan, just a look at his bracelet is confirmation enough. The mans corpse is surrounded by empty bottles, and food packaging, and seems to have created a makeshift bed in the corner. But the most interesting part is the mana crystals littering the room, some of which have clearly been converted into mana stones. The man, unwilling or unable to exit the room, spent his final days and weeks working. He did something he enjoyed up until the end either to take his mind off his situation or maintain his grip on reality. I look at Nevan who is still looking at the corpse. Oh, Orryn, I can only hope that you did not suffer. Stepping inside, he cradles what remains of the man and lies him on the bed in the corner. He takes a few mana stones from the ground and hands them to me, They will be more useful to you than to me. I examine them, noting that, like those in the previous room, they havent been inscribed. They are, for the most part, just beautiful mana stones ready for inscription, with the exception of the few that are epic grade. Meanwhile, the ones in the prior room were rare at best. It''s a long-dead woman, some of her hair has fallen out, and her shriveled face is frozen in an expression of sheer pain. As many did, she clearly died from mana radiation that must have been even stronger 100 years ago. While waiting, I strengthen the field around me, making sure its blocking all the sounds and mana other than mine. Not like I think that is required, but just to be safe. The original douchebag can be perceptive sometimes, but right now, hes too busy, enamored by all these mysteries to check on me. Hell, I wouldve liked to do the same. Finally, the corpses eyes move, theyre still lifeless and disgusting, but they turn to me nonetheless. Even though they shouldn''t be making any sounds, the mouth moves and its words fill the room, I see you haven''t forgotten me, unfortunate one. Yes, yes. A week ago you told me you would tell me about a way to survive when Vega came back, so? So direct. You don''t have to hurry. Weve got ourselves some time to discuss. Well, I wouldn''t normally cooperate with an extremely suspicious being I met a few times in Beyond and once on the 4th floor when it took over Arcane Archer Bob. But it''s not like I have many options. If you want to talk so much, tell me why would you help me. The mouth of the corpse moves as if to make a smile and it makes her look even more creepy. To pass time, it says. So mysterious and cool. What is this method of survival you mentioned? It''s not all that difficult, unfortunate one. You just need to kill your originals disciple. Once she dies, I can move her ''status'' to you, and you will be returned to her world instead. With her status and a little bit of influence from my side, your status as a temporary duplicate will disappear. I see. No. Are you sure? the voice sounds playful, If you are worried about your conscience, you don''t have to kill her. But you just don''t have to help either. You left your mark on the sleeping Gaiathra, right? What if you just happened to activate it by mistake and werent here when the monster attacked? Accidents happen. When I dont answer, the being seems even more amused, the mouth of the corpse moving into a smile much too wide for its anatomy. The old skin of the corner of its lips tears, and the jaw moves lower in a creepy gesture. You might think you won''t now, but are you sure you wont change your mind when youve only got a day left? Don''t you want to survive? What is some little girl youve only known for a few weeks in comparison to that? Even though it can''t use its powers, the air in the dining room starts feeling colder. Just a small accident, after that you would be sent to explore her world. You can try to become its Absolute if you wish. You can fight and train as much as you want. A whole new planet for you to explore. As a bonus, your original would be punished for failing his Floor quest. Isn''t that beautiful? You are a really stupid motherfucker, aren''t you? I said no. The corpse moves and as it stands up, its limbs let out a cracking noise until the long-dead womans head stops just in front of my face, You already refused my help once, do not repeat that mistake. Without me, you will perish. Even if I die, I won''t regret it, as I say this, I feel confident in this conviction. The dumb original might not realize it yet, he is bad at dealing with his feelings, but hes the same. Neither of us would be able to hurt Vega like that. Never. It would mean betraying our friend and in that moment, we would be no better than the person we hate the most in the world. I think the subclass of Pride really fits you. It''s perfect for delusional people like you, the being giggles, and finally, the woman''s jaw falls off. At that, it only tilts its head and then steps back, I will ask you the same question a day before you disappear. I''m already excited to hear your answer. So he is not the Ruler of Pride. Well, let''s try to get more info at least, Why are you even here? There must be hundreds or thousands of tutorials going on, why this one? Because of Lissandra and her escape from the second floor? The corpse crumbles, but the words continue, amusement dripping from every single one, Absolutes going rogue once in a while isn''t that rare. Even though what Eladore''s Absolute Lissandra is doing is extremely interesting, it is not enough to catch my interest. No, you, Absolute Lissandra, and the other attendees of this instance are only a way I amuse myself. The next words only sound in my head, the corpse unmoving, (What brought me to this tutorial is someone else. It''s the man who started the tutorial in Beyond. The first one in thousands of years.) Chapter 317: The cracked core Chapter 317: The cracked core 1,050 shards, that''s how much Ive gotten from selling the stuff from the research center. Obviously, I keep the best items and data. Even then, that leaves me with just over 27 thousand shards. At that point, I decided to buy another epic passive. Sure, I could save my shards and advance my plan to build a repertoire of rare passives, and try to learn a thing or two, but with what''s happening around me, that might not be such a good idea. The Veil Guardians have been sniffing around, the Veil itself is acting weird, and my duplicate has been cooking something up. I mean, I have [Tether] too, but how the heck did he teleport a giant mana crystal from like that the bunker, and where did he send it? Master, another one! Vega rushes closer and hands me a few small mana stones. After examining them, if they aren''t useful, I sell them as well, getting a few more shards. Good job, minion, did you keep any for yourself? Ive done exactly as master said. Ive already started practicing. Good, keep doing that. You can push yourself harder, I will step in if you lose control. It''s hard with all of the items the mister gave me and all this mana floating around, but I will try. As she goes back to her training, I open the system shop and look at the passive Ive been eyeing. Cognitive Fortress (Epic) - Bestows upon the user a remarkable capacity for sustained mental engagement. This passive bolsters the user''s cognitive stamina to extraordinary levels, helping them endure prolonged periods of intense cognitive activity. It''s a bit expensive, just over 15 thousand shards. With epic passives starting at 8 thousand, this is probably one of the better ones. If there are hidden low, mid, and upper ratings like I think there are, then this one is probably in the upper tier, maybe high mid. My current passives are as follows: Mana-Fortified Resilience (rare) Mana Reservoir (epic) Arcane Resilience (epic) Phoenix Embrace (epic) Mana Overload Absorption (epic) The rare passive isnt even worth speaking of at this point. Mana Reservoir is my current favorite. Arcane Resilience says it reduces the physical toll of casting. Through testing, Ive learned that it refers to my tendency to overload my brain and eyes, though not so much as it protects my body from my ever-growing stat imbalance. Then there is the beautiful passive skill known as Phoenix Embrace, granted this will surely lead to a lot of trash-talk from Lily and shell likely demand that I sell it. I won''t, I love it. Mana Overload Absorption is like Arcane Resilience, though it works differently. So, Cognitive Fortress should help me deal with the strain my eyes subject me to. My new trait is powerful and difficult to handle, even now. And that''s good. The more dangerous it is to me, the more dangerous it should be to others. Or something like that. It should also help with my attempts to power [Focus] and my other skills with the black mana, even if it doesnt do as much as the other two. Okay, let''s buy it. I sell Mana-Fortified Resilience and confirm, and watch with a touch of sadness as over 15 thousand shards disappear. For the next few minutes, I focus on resisting the burning sensation that courses through me. It feels like someone has set my head ablaze from the inside, but I refuse to let it show as I continue observing Vegas training. Then, as we are leaving, I even sell some tables that are basically enchanting tables. It doesn''t get me that many shards, but after spending so much on my new passive, I intend to sell anything that isn''t nailed down. Even if it is, I mean to remove it and sell it. I don''t care if it''s only worth 1 shard. Hell, I would sell the entire station if I could. So, Minion, how was the week back in your village? I ask while waiting for the pain to abate. It takes her a moment to refocus from the mana stone she was observing and look up at me with her ruby-like eyes. I appeared at the same place I disappeared from. I then tracked and killed the monster that was hunting me before! Master, it was so weak I can''t believe I was so scared back then, I even cried while running. It''s fine to be scared, minion. It helps us survive. But master isn''t scared. You even block your fear, she tilts her head. Only a little and less of late. Sometimes I enjoy the feeling of fear, minion. It makes the fights more fun. For a short time, all sound disappears, replaced by the impossibly loud beating of our hearts. I''m even able to differentiate whose heart is which. Then it stops, and as we continue, the air starts to look misty. All of the epic rods crack and wear off, only to be thrown away, and Nevan uses even more of his mana to strengthen the effect of his chestplate, reinforcing the barrier around us. At this point, I''m sure the piece he made is a mere step away from arcane. The most he could do in the time given to him. We pass through holes that have been torn in the walls and melted doors, and eventually enter a large circular room. Yellow and purple colors become much more vibrant and a pillar radiates light in the otherwise dark room. It''s much simpler than expected and much smaller. The bunker we left did have a mana crystal to hold mana, and that crystal was as tall as a smaller skyscraper. This room is the size of a small apartment, and as expected, there is a mana stone in the center. It is a clear white color, and inside of it, yellow and purple mana swirls lazily, and just the sheer pressure makes my disciple pass out, and I strengthen the barrier around her even more, reaching into my reservoir to do so. Looking at the mana stone, I''m once again reminded that it has been leaking mana for a hundred years already. It''s hard to imagine the sheer force it had to have in the beginning. The mana stone itself looks like a transparent crystalline pillar with mana swirling inside. It is only as tall as me, yet even someone with my level of experience can see how amazing it is. The mana crystal from the bunker, even though hundreds of times bigger, can''t compare to this. Not even close. But there is a problem with it. Lodged inside the core is an ax, leaving a crack, through which, that immense mana can seep. Holding the ax, there is a burned corpse, a skeleton with a bits of flesh hanging off of it. Half of the head is missing, the place where the heart would be is nothing but a big hole. Someone made sure the attacker was dead though they were too late, the damage had already been done. A chuckle erupts out of nowhere, and I look at Nevan, who unbelievingly stares at the corpse. Finally, more emotion appears on his face. The pain of finding the world in this state, the pain from seeing his dead wife and daughter. All of it surfaces as he weakens his concentration type skill. The ax that destroyed the core was made by Champion Niall and I, he says as mana radiates from him, bits of metal floating into the air from his bags. And this man is my father, one of our youngest Champions. He was the only one on this planet with a body strong enough to endure the destruction of a core of this grade. Having even this little left shows how strong his body used to be, he smiles deprecatingly. Then he points to burned marks on the floor, This is where the cores explosion burned Champion Nialls first disciple. I can feel alloy melted into the floor from the armor I made for her. He points at another spot, Champion candidate Igred, I made a bracelet for him, another spot, Champion candidate Norret, I made a brooch for her, she gave me a design to follow, made by her 5-year-old daughter, another spot, vice guild master of Black Hand Jeal asked me for a dagger and I still remember how drunk he got while celebrating and constantly thanking me. He points out more and more spots. The emblems on his forearms activate and even in such intense mana radiation, he starts melting the pieces of metal floating around him, creating yet another alloy. Then the armor on his chest also disconnects and starts melting under his emblem, the mana radiation immediately attacking the man. At that moment, his face becomes clear. I had hoped that my father would be alive as you said there might be some Champions left. I hoped for something. But this? He gestures around. I have nothing left. Im tired after 20 years of losing my friends. I never wanted to hold my wifes or my daughters dead body. I never wanted to see my father like that, it doesnt matter if he was a traitor or if he tried to stop the ignition. Half of the alloy he creates moves towards the crystal where it surrounds the crack, causing the ax to fall out and crumble alongside the body of his father. Nevans body shows damage everywhere I look, even with as durable as he is. I wish you had never brought me out of here and allowed me to wake up, Nathaniel. His metal surrounds the crack fully and the mana radiation weakens and continues to weaken even more. Though too late for Nevan. But dont pity me; Ive been dying ever since I awoke. You just found out what happened, learn from our mistakes, and never repeat them. A big chunk of the alloy he made moves towards me and lands at my feet. And take this, its an alloy Ive created after my entire life of research. You know you could just leave. You could join other survivors, I say to the dying man. I could, but I have decided otherwise. I can do nothing in the face of his determination. I will respect your decision then, Nevan. Can I do anything for you before you die? Please burn my body with the Primordial energy you possess. You dont need to do anything else. I will. He smiles gratefully, and after a minute, he dies. Just a short moment without his equipment was enough. That and hundreds of years of lying down here in this radiation. Maybe he could be saved; there are two healers on this floor, and even though they are of much lower level, they could help. Yet, it was all his decision. To throw away his concentration type skill and allow his feelings to overtake him. The man was unwilling to live on alone. I wish I could say I understand, but I do not. In his place, I would hold on to my life and kill every single person who dared to hurt my dear ones before I would die. And I would not stop until their bodies lay at my feet. My eyes activate and even though there is still so much mana in the air, the pressure remains manageable. I watch as the mana that until now continued to leak through the crack only seeps out slightly, the ring of multicolored mass blocking the crack caused by the axe. Then there is the chunk of molten metal alloy he left to me along with the heavily damaged great ax that cracked the core. Theyre both pretty high grade, yet it all feels a bit sour. Not a Chapter. Announcement – Book 1 Live on Amazon! Not a Chapter. Announcement C Book 1 Live on Amazon! It''s here! Book 1 is live on Amazon. The ebook is 150k words, 685 Amazon pages. The audiobook is over 18 hours, narrated by Henry Kramer. It''s so damn weird hearing someone read the book I wrote, but it''s nice at the same time! So here I am, about to beg! Shamelessly and not even trying to hide it. I usually don''t bother you with shouts, and I plug my Patreon only once a week, so I will be shameless just this time. Did you really like the book? Please leave a review or rating. Day one is important, and even that helps a lot. You can rate and review even if you didn''t buy the book. Do you have KU? Please download the book it counts as a sale and helps my book look better in the algorithm. Reddit post on r/litrpg Reddit post on r/ProgressionFantasy Anyway, I will be here today, not sleeping and constantly refreshing the pages. I''m sure I will get used to it, but this is my first ever published book, so I''m hyped up a bit. Thank you all so much for being part of this! Chapter 318: Plan B Chapter 318: Plan B Arcanite Alloy (Arcane) Arcanite Alloy is a meticulously engineered blend of a dozen metals, each chosen for its unique resonance with arcane energies. This alloy was designed to amplify magical powers. Despite the complexity of its creation, items forged from Arcanite Alloy will be durable and capable of channeling immense magical forces. Flamebearer (Arcane, Damaged)Flamebearer held dominion over fire, with a mere swing capable of igniting the horizon. This axs blaze once burned with immense fury. Despite the damage and its weakened flames, moments of intense heat surge through its blade, offering a glimpse into its fiery past. Both the alloy and the ax are great items. The alloy is a chunk of metal that I might be able to smelt in the future. But for that, I will need more experience, much more. Either that or I need to find someone to do it for me. If I tried now, it could just end up wasting it and leaving me with a mere rare grade weapon, and I may wind up ruining the careful mix of metals in the process. Then there is the ax. It''s half my height with a single blade, made from black metal covered in a web of red glowing inscriptions. Its performance seems to be comparable to an epic weapon at the moment, and the damage is very much visible. Perhaps it can be fixed and restored to its former arcane status. It doesnt seem quite as strong as Peacemaker, the duplicate states while holding it and swinging it. Do you think the Peacemaker was a grade higher than arcane? Most likely. How long do you think Nevans patch job will last? If we are lucky, then it could last until the end of the floor. But we know the system so it will probably be a week at most just to mess with us. The alloy he used seems to be a bit different from that chunk he left to you. I nod, already putting it away. Ill have to be careful not to let him steal it. Duplicaniel knows what I''m thinking but doesn''t seem to mind. Instead, he holds the ax, and I allow him to keep it. Then while hes examining the remains of the youngest Champion this planet had to offer, Nevans father, I look towards the burned patch of the floor where the mans body used to be. Master? Vega says. awakening me from brooding as she slowly regains consciousness. Just take it slowly, I tell her.New n0vel chapters are published on Just in case, I gave her the remaining pendants, but so far the mana levels seem much more bearable. It will probably take months until they return to normal, but that is to be expected after 100 years of irradiation. Where is mister Nevan? For a moment, I think of lying but then decide against it. Rather than my protection, Vega needs to learn about the kind of world we live in. He died, I tell her. Did master kill him? I did not. Was mister hurt, is that why? You could say that. But it wasn''t just a physical wound. He had a skill like ours. But in the end, he decided to stop using it and didnt think he had anything left to live for. You didnt stop him, master? she asks curiously. I didnt; it was his decision. Even if it was dumb? her head tilts in confusion. Im sure he didnt do it without thinking. He must have been considering it ever since he woke up. But that doesnt make it a good decision, she declares. Master should have stopped him. It was his decision, minion, and I didnt know him, and She interrupts me, But master, you dont get to know people if they die. And not everyone is as smart as us, master. People are weak. Vega nods confidently. Isn''t it sad for a man like Nevan to die with those thoughts? He was so talented, a blacksmith, gifted for his ability to create alloys. An amazing variety of alloys for any situation that functioned by virtue of carefully crafted combinations of metals, without needing inscriptions. I think Nevan was a genius in his field, capable as he was of creating low and mid grade arcane weapons even with Champion Nialls help. Yes, he was human in the end. Valued as he was by the Absolute of this planet. Despite the fact that he had a concentration skill he couldnt handle his own emotions. But was he really as weak as Vega said, or is it just hard for me to imagine fighting for tens of years and losing friends one after another? Creating weapons for them, only so they can leave, never to return. However, I don''t think I will end up like that. No, I''m confident I will never end up like that. Cutting off my thoughts there, I lean lower to look at the charred body, its head, and heart purposefully destroyed. Denying the man any chance to heal. At my level of skill, I can''t understand properly what made his body so powerful, and what the traits did. Looking at the charred place where, with a concerted effort, we burned Nevan''s body, I sigh. Even after death and with the diffusion mana, and his body weakened stat, this will be extremely difficult. Sorry, Nevan, I say, and after spending a big chunk of my mana to send through the blade, I slice away at the thin pieces of charred flesh remaining on his right hand. The hand that held the ax and the one that bears the most damage. Spending more mana than I would like given our current situation, I''m able to get finger bone from pointing finger and store it. I also notice that the pinkie is missing, likely taken by my duplicate. POV Isabella Martinez Seneca, don''t get too far away from me! Sophie, Tess, and Nathaniel keep telling me to be careful during the last two weeks. Do you know how annoying it is? I complain to my cute disciple. Seneca looks up to me. As she should, my disciple is shorter than me, but I''m still jealous of her hair. Its short and blue and floats in the air, like flames. I want mine to look like that too. Master, don''t worry, I will protect you if anything happens! Thats dumb! Is she dumber than Soph? Even Nathaniel said it would be dangerous! If he said that, it must be true. And no, I will protect you, as always. You are too young and dumb. I''m as old as you, master! And Noodles the one who saved our lives twice already! I want to be angry at her, but I just can''t. Shes too cute, and her floating hair is so pretty. Do I need a trait to get something like that? Sensing emotion from Noodle whos currently twined around my arm, I look at him. Why are you getting so cocky, Noodle! Another emotion. Yes, you did once or twice, but I also protected you and Seneca. He swirls, and his green eyes keep looking at me. Noodle is very smart, and he is also getting too cocky. I''m the master here! Noodle, I will tell Biscuit, I tell him. Immediately he swirls erratically and snuggles closer to me. His face moves closer, and I can feel his tongue flicking close to my cheek. It tickles, and I laugh. He always acts like that when I threaten him with Biscuit. Then I turn to Seneca, And you! I will keep calling you minion if you don''t listen! I add. To prevent Seneca from saying something dumb, I issue an order to my party, Let''s hurry, the Veil Guardian isn''t that far behind, and we have to get to the Bastion! The Housekeeper will let us in, even if the silly Butler complains! And Noodle, eat all our mana so they can''t track us, okay? Through my [Empathy], I feel his agreement, and then we hurry towards the Bastion. Chapter 319: Its free Chapter 319: It''s free Sset (Hell, group 4) -most of us are already holed up in the Bastion. Tess tries to say more but most of it gets filtered. The system doesn''t let the message pass. Nothing about it being safe for the last two weeks, in fact, we cant even say anything about the extra two weeks. We can''t even tell WhiteWing about the extended duration of the floor should they decide to stay. But they should be able to figure it out. They can estimate when we left the 4th floor and then realize that weve already exceeded the original 3 weeks. Probably. They just need to be a bit smart about it. TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - I''m there. Izzy (Hell, group 4) - I''m close. Soph (Hell, group 4) -Izzy, be careful, please. Izzy (Hell, group 4) - don''t be dumb, Soph. Knight (Hell, group 4) -yeah, don''t be dumb, Soph! Maya piles on, and I watch for a moment as they bicker. FoodFood (Hell, group 4) - food! Noname (Hell, group 4) -good job, Biscuit. Sset (Hell, group 4) - The Guild and IDK groups have also entered the 5th floor. It seems like they havent lost anyone. Noname (Hell, group 4) -so The Guild has 6 members and IDK has 4? BenDover (Hell, IDK) -you bet! The 4th floor was quite easy. Did you guys kill Lorven to get his epic dagger as well? Bard (Hell, IDK) - are you sure you want to reveal your equipment? BenDover (Hell, IDK) -it''s fine. By the way, Noname, I was able to evolve my skill. You wouldn''t believe how easy it was to kill the lynthari matriarch with it. Noname (Hell, group 4) - you will have to show me during the tournament. BenDover (Hell, IDK) - I will. Trust me, I will show you, heh. It doesn''t matter how much mana you have. Lovable as always. Knight (Hell, group 4) - BenDover, I think you are full of it. I bet you waited until Lorven betrayed her to kill the matriarch. Or maybe you were working with him and killed him when you had no more use for him? BenDover (Hell, IDK) - Think about it on your own. I turn off the Community and focus on the results of my efforts and the contributions of my duplicate. We spent a day mapping the pathways the core uses to distribute mana through the Veil Ignition Station. Most of them have been damaged and mana barely passes through. Some failsafe mechanisms are probably sending the bare minimum of mana to keep the systems running while keeping most of it in storage. But Clonthaniel and I found one pathway in a fairly good state and worked together to create our strongest [Tether] yet. I even gained a level in the skill. Also resting, the duplicate turns to me, "It''s amazing how well we can use [Resonance] to combine our powers, must be because we share the same base." "Yeah, damn." "Another guy to beat up. It''s nice that the list keeps getting longer." I''m not even that worried, just curious. Just what kind of man is that person, to catch the interest of intent of someone so powerful? I really want to see and I really want to meet him. Just how much would I be able to learn from fighting someone like that? Having sold anything not nailed down and taking anything of interest like metals, weapons, and armor I want to inscribe and sell, that''s a lot of things to carry around. I mean, really a lot. Instead of pulling them, I just transport them through my anchors, though each teleport does cost quite a lot, to the point where I have to ask My duplicate to help so I don''t have to use Mana Reservoir. In exchange, as his reward, he gets to carry Vega. I''m not jealous at all. I''m happy. I sold 16 thousand shards worth of items. The sheer amount is staggering given that the system shop only pays 10-20% of the items value if I havent actively worked on it. So, the value of the mana stones, enchanting tables, metals, robes, and crafting materials were 5-10 times more than what I sold them for. And I still have a lot of the best things on me. Something tells me that maybe I wasn''t supposed to reach, and loot, the Veil Ignition Station. What I regret is being unable to find out more about the place given the decimation of the main and auxiliary control rooms. There were no records to be found, as usual. Is it doing this on purpose? Is the system an extrovert? Is it trying to force me to talk to people to learn what happened and finish the side quests? Killing a few monsters and avoiding two Veil Guardians with the combined efforts of my duplicate and myself, we reach the Bastion. It takes longer than it should, but when the view opens, I notice that some of the walls have been damaged and even the barrier surrounding the palace feels weaker. It''s getting darker, and I can see that even lights that once served to light the streets are now activated sparingly. All in an effort to save as much energy as possible. Killing more monsters on our way, we reach the place only to be welcomed by the Butler. The man has shaved the remaining half of his mustache, and his clothes are different now. They are not as elegant and serve a more functional purpose, and I can sense multiple items on him. "Mister Gwyn, another Mister Gwyn, and Miss Vega, can I ask you to leave?" he says in the same tone. It seems that his ways cant be changed, even by their current situation. "Ehm, no?" I start off. He sighs, "Did you not cause enough trouble? You got what you wanted, so please show just a grain of restraint and leave." "Butler!" Vega shouts cheerily, and the man turns to her, "You look better without the mustache!" The man looks at her, at me, and then back at her, "Thank you, Miss Vega." The little half-demon only nods and puts her head back on the chest of my duplicate, her social batteries most likely already empty. "See, you should thank me for getting rid of your mustache. I did it to help you," My duplicate can''t help but poke. "That''s why I let Tess deal with people, you are a disgrace," I tell him. He doesn''t even seem to disagree but continues to talk to the Butler, "We know about a way to power the Bastion. Lots of mana." "We are not interested, Mister Gwyn. I thank you for your offer, but we already..." he freezes mid-word and looks back towards the Bastion. An expression of sheer surprise appears on his face, the elegant mask cracking to be replaced by anger, "What have you done?" he asks. "I left an anchor on the heart of your good ol'' Lord when I was keeping it alive. To be honest, Butler, I''m disappointed none of you noticed even though I tried really hard to hide it. Anyway, I just sent a wad of energy through and exploded it." The duplicate seems proud even with our usual expression and the Butler seems like he is about to jump down and choke him to death. Unbothered, Duplicaniel continues, "So, about our offer to power your Bastion with a lot of mana. Sounds good, right? It''s free, I promise." Chapter 320: Magnificent mind Chapter 320: Magnificent mind Unsurprisingly, they let us in. Unsurprisingly, they seem to be pissed off. Unsurprisingly, my duplicate doesn''t care. I watch with amusement as he bathes in the glares of the Butler, and Housekeeper who has joined our party. Both of us are escorted through the Bastion, on the shortest route to the room where we met them for the first time. Getting there, we find that it still lies in ruins, a testament to the short clash between the Housekeeper and I. The tall and thin Armorer is already awaiting our arrival, alongside the Gardener. "We have only half a day until the barrier runs out of mana, along with the rest of the systems," the Armorer says in his quiet, whispering voice. With Vega in his arms, my duplicate just shrugs, and even I find myself wanting to punch him in the face for some reason. My minion seems to be enjoying the show as well. She is half-demon, isn''t she? Such a show of arrogance and power would be something she would appreciate. Indeed, I''m the most normal one here. While they talk, I plop down and sate my curiosity by watching them. All four of the natives seem to be holding back their emotions, but there is still a hint of panic in their expressions. "There is no way it''s that easy to transfer so much mana, it would tear you apart," the Armorer complains after he hears Plan B. "It''s fine, we have some decent skills, and well be working together with that lazy asshole over there," my duplicate responds. So rude. "Even then, it will take hours and hours of preparation to make it all work. You have no idea how many settings need to be changed. I will also need a sample of mana from the core you mentioned." "Sure," the duplicate reaches into the anchor we have placed on one of the least damaged circuits. Unable to contain it fully for a short moment, a wave-like mass of mana explodes from him, even pushing the Armorer a few steps back. I reach out and resonate with him, and together we close the anchor. Cursing under his breath, the Armorer gestures to the Butler, and both of them disappear through a rift to make their preparations. Left behind with the two remaining members of their small group, I find the Housekeeper standing in front of me. She is smiling, but her eyes are dangerous. Even now, she is still wearing the same light dress with the same skirt ending just over her knees, her shoulders bared. "I like the rapier you have; will you give it to me?" she asks shamelessly. "It''s a gift from someone very precious to me. I don''t know if I can just..." I start before she cuts me off. She just reaches out and takes it off my belt. For some reason, I cant help but find this amusing, especially as she starts checking the weapon for any sort of damage and before cleaning it. The Butler appears again, and my duplicate follows him, alongside Vega, to whom I gesture my assent, as the Gardener brings up the rear. Once theyve left me alone with the Housekeeper we spend the next two hours in silence. I can feel her gaze on me, but I just continue my training. When I feel a sharp pulse of mana wash over the Bastion we stand up and head back towards the city walls. Neither of us is talking, even as we come to a lookout at the top of one of the higher walls. There, in the distance, stands two Veil Guardians, looking towards the Bastion. "They must have followed you," the Housekeeper blames me. "Probably," I agree. "I can call the Butler for support, and we can..." Theyre already connected to the Veil. That''s not very good. I agree. I leave a tiny orb and anchor near her, If they move any closer, just destroy the orb, and I will be back. After that, I teleport a few times after locating my duplicate and the Armorer. I find them gathered in the core chamber alongside Vega and the Butler. When I enter and reach the core, the Lord''s body is already gone, now useless. Instead, my duplicate is discussing with the Armorer. It won''t work, the core of this Skyhold Bastion is heavily standardized, and weve only ever made slight adjustments to meet our needs over time. The amount of mana it can contain is measured in... the Armorer says in his calm, whispering voice. It will be fine, I''m good with inscriptions. Your inscriptions are far from adequate. I can already point out five twists and three wasteful lines on the ones youve already inscribed. That''s enough, my duplicate disrupts my skills and forcibly pulls me away from the core, and only then do I come back to my senses. All the sounds my skill allowed me to ignore come rushing in and with them, useless information like the state of my body, pain, and other useless things. The black mana disappears, and my passive activates, fed by the Vortex Core, and taking a few steps, I plop down on one of the tables. My body hurts, my head hurts, and I realize I can''t see. But my mind is fine. Either thanks to my new passive or the results of our training. Close your eyelids; your eyes have been burned out. You don''t want Vega to see you like this, My duplicate says, and then I can sense him moving towards Vega and pulling her somewhere else. I do as he told me and use more thermal energy from the Vortex Core. Then I examine the damage. Damn. Well, it could be worse. How can you be capable of channeling so much mana? You should be dead, reduced to a mass of burned pathways inside a charred body, the Armorer says. I can hear the curiosity in his voice, maybe even bordering on fascination. He continues, You bear a magnificent mind to handle it all effortlessly. Your body is extremely conductive too, and your eyes... it''s been so long since Ive seen such a powerful trait. Has it already been strengthened? Once, twice? Sensing his presence with [Perception], I release a bit of kinetic energy and push him further away from me. So, how is the core? I ask. Full to the brim, he doesn''t seem to mind but I can still feel his gaze on me. I already started the sequence to take off, and the Butler went to use communication systems to warn the citizens. Flying already? Yes, in the past few days, the Veil has become much more active in this area, and two Veil Guardians outside are bad news. We have to leave. But I want to show you something first. Can you transport both of us to the Housekeeper? Feeling thermal energy healing my wounds and making sure Vega is safe with my duplicate, I push myself off the table and onto my feet. I almost stagger but I''m able to control my battered body and keep myself standing. My duplicate seems to be in a similar, if a bit better state, so there is no way I will be acting all hurt where that weirdo can see. Pushing through, I put my hand on the Armorer and teleport us to the anchor I left on the wall. Appearing on the other side, a sharp pain flashes through my head, and with my eyes still closed, I turn towards the direction where the Housekeeper is standing. Fuck, you look like shit. I like that, she says immediately. Housekeeper, please, your language, the Armorer says in a quiet voice. Fuck you too. We are at full attention, and there will be a lot of fighting fairly soon. You know what that means. I''m taking over. All of us know the rules, Housekeeper. Good, do we have enough juice to deal with these two jerks? More than enough. I''m still unable to see. It seems that because of my trait, my eyes are taking longer to heal than they wouldve if I didn''t have my Mana Wavelength Iris. But I can use my other senses, and at that moment, I feel an immense wave of mana rush into the barrier and the walls. It spins, it twists, it hums, and I feel multiple segments of the barrier grouping up and creating a delicate shape that collects and directs all of that mana. That mana spins there, bounces, and clashes multiple threads against each other. All of that concentrates it even further, and the spinning circle gains even more speed. At this point, the noise of it reminds me of a sling spinning at terrifying speed. Suddenly, the Butler appears from a rift to stand at my side. Focus on the one to the left, the Housekeeper barks at the Armorer who has taken control of the barrier. Butler, I want you to grab the voidsteel blades afterward. There is no hesitation in her voice, and it seems to be well placed. The rays being emitted from the segments of the barrier roar through the air as if they were tearing it apart. In a fraction of a second, the rays hit their target. The Butler disappears, and a second later, he reappears, and I can sense two red-hot, and undamaged voidsteel blades on his person. The second one has escaped, the Armorer says. We expected as much. Continue our preparations for lift off. We will head to the Sanctuary and then move further south, the Housekeeper orders. Well, it looks like I will get to see what happened to Darren and Nina after all. However, and more importantly, let''s see how this thing flies. Chapter 321: Not bad Chapter 321: Not bad I notice a presence coming closer, and take my eyes off the chunk of molten metal hovering in front of me and look towards the door. "What?" I ask, annoyed; it just started getting interesting! The butler returns my gaze and, after looking around the room, he sighs, "Mister Gwyn, I would like to ask you, once again, to please minimize damage to the rooms." What is he even talking about? Ive only melted a few bricks and metal plates with my thermal energy. Isn''t it their fault for having such faulty protections on their facilities? "The Armorer keeps complaining about the increased heat signature triggering alarms and that he has to turn off." "Good, it will keep him sharp. I think hes been getting lazy over the last three days. So, what is it? Are we approaching the Sanctuary already?" "It is as you say, Mister Gwyn. The Housekeeper has told me to invite you to join us on the walls. You might be inclined to agree to help us push against the Veil forces on the ground. She said she doesnt want to waste the mana in the core, but I suspect you know her true motivations." "Sure, I will be there soon." After that, he leaves, and I look at the chunk of metal floating there. Its one of my experiments with one of the many metals I got from the Veil Ignition Station. I had decided to devote the past few days to experimentation, and Ive only left when something broke in this Bastion that hadnt flown in almost a hundred years. And damn, can it fly. I still remember everything so vibrantly, when we lifted off. I even took Vega, and we watched the Skyhold Bastion from afar, to get a better view, as it slowly rose into the air. Shaking, and crumbling in places, as people screamed, and waves of mana flooded through the inscriptions prepared by the Enchanter Guild so long ago. Just the sight of such a huge city rising into the air, hundreds of buildings, towers even, along with the surrounding walls was a truly amazing experience. I thought I knew what to expect, but when that huge mass just floated, I couldnt help but be amazed. Yup, I will totally try to replicate this sometime in the future. Maybe I can bully some of the people from Hard difficulty into working for me and helping with the construction. I should be able to handle a few of them. After the Bastion lifted off, my duplicate connected to the anchor in the Ignition Station to feed a trickle of mana to the Bastion''s core, refilling what weve spent. Even that much isn''t strictly necessary as the sheer amount of mana in the core should last through weeks of flying, even while using the barrier and weapons, but we did, just in case. Storing the metal away, I extend my domain, place an anchor at the edge of it, and teleport. I repeat this until I reach the section of the wall where the others have gathered. As I arrive, I look over the edge, and observe the vast forest below and the mountains in the distance, noting that we''re floating well above their peaks. Even the clouds seem to be so close, just a bit higher and I might be able to touch them. And I love it. What I dont love so much is the way the Veil has become even more visible in the sky. Its already gotten to the point where I can see it without my mana sense or my trait, and soon enough, even people without good mana sensitivity will be able to see it as well. The Veil is made up of hundreds, and thousands of lines encompassing the entire planet. Like pathways and inscriptions hanging in the air. And even after spending the last few weeks here, I have no fucking idea how they did it. It annoys me. "One Veil Guardian nearby and a few hundred veilshriekers," the Housekeeper states, breaking the silence. "We will take care of the Veil Guardian," my duplicate says, appearing nearby. "Shouldn''t you be working on your plan to keep yourself alive?" I ask. "It''s almost done. Now I just need granny healer or soylent healer." "Thats such a terrible name for the guy." "I know, I just couldn''t come up with anything better." Even as he says that I can tell that his mood has improved. "Are your preparations going well?" He nods, taking a few steps and looking over the wall, "It''s not perfect, but it should work. I just need a tiny bit of help from the annoying big guy. Hes looking for something entertaining to do while he stalks the first Beyonder, so Im going to try something." "Sounds good. For now, let''s bully the Veil Guardian." Not even waiting for the Housekeeper, he jumps off the wall and I follow, the barrier lets us pass thanks to the identification bracelets on our wrists. Vega fights while keeping the stronger monsters out of her path. We don''t have much time, and in the past few days, it''s been hard to find weaker monsters, so we need to make the best of this opportunity. There is no need for much feedback either. Unlike me, who likes to switch between ranged and close-range attacks, Vega prefers fighting at close range. She relies on her barrier and her kinetic energy to give her short bursts of power. Using her heart and passive to generate and store kinetic energy, it doesn''t seem like all that bad an idea. Seeing that she is at the last monster, she forms a small orb of mana, and I feel her transfer kinetic energy into it. She ducks, jumps backward, and slings the orb in between the last two veilshriekers, where it explodes, tearing a sizable chunk out of both monsters. With one last push from her remaining kinetic energy, she boosts herself at the monsters with the dagger in hand. "Your handling of kinetic energy is good, but your mana control is lacking, minion," I say as she hobbles over to me, her senses scanning the area. "I know, but masters the one whos weird; mana isnt that easy to control." "Thats just because you use your kinetic energy too much, minion. When we return to the Bastion, I want you to stop training kinetic energy for a week and focus on mana. You can''t even create a proper barrier, and your mana weapons are a disgrace." "I don''t need a mana barrier, master! I can use [Kinetic Barrier]!" "What about mana-based attacks? What if someone uses fire or lightning?" "I..." "Yes? You?" "I will train with mana more." "Good, I will show you some basic inscriptions and give you some mana stones with relevant information. When you return to your world, you can try inscribing weapons and make a lot of money." That seems to catch her interest now, "A lot of money?" "A shitload of money Minion." "Shitload of money!" she shouts happily. "Language. You are ruining the girl," the Housekeeper joins in, followed by my duplicate. Neither of them appears to have been wounded. Immediately, Vega''s expression changes, and her face becomes even less readable, like she does any time anyone else is around. My cute minion still has issues with trusting others. "I got a message from The Butler; someone called Nina has contacted us on the open channel. It seems like they are under attack." the Housekeeper says. The moment she says that a side quest pops up. Side quest: Help the survivors in the Sanctuary. Reward: 1000 shards. Some time ago, I would have been happy, but now, when I have almost 30 thousand shards, it doesn''t seem that much. "I need the granny and that healer guy," my duplicate says, turning to face me. Knowing my duplicate, he will repay me if I help, and that''s not so bad. I have a few ideas that won''t work without him, and he might refuse otherwise or ask for something in return. "Minion," I say reaching out to her, and she lifts her arms so I can carry her against my chest. Once there, she nestles in like a little animal, and the familiar sensation of her pointy horns poking my chin makes itself known. "The three of us will take the lead, you guys can follow us," I tell the Housekeeper, as we lift off. Chapter 322: What an insane bastard Chapter 322: What an insane bastard POV Nina One after another, our lines break down. Hundreds of veilshriekers are pushing through, even at the cost of their lives. Every time one dies, two more climb over its body, and shriek with a hatred that makes the guards shudder. It reaches the point where we finally have to stop in the clearing in front of the iron door to the Sanctuary. (Housekeeper, how long are you going to be? Were in trouble here! The moment the first veilshrieker sees the door to the Sanctuary, hes going to send a signal to the Veil and summon the Guardians.) It doesn''t take long to get an answer, but even then, it feels like forever. After long hours of fighting, my mana and stamina are starting to flag. (They should be there any moment. Got to go, we have company as well, just hold on!) The connection cuts off, and I fight the desire to smash the device in my hand. And then, just when I''m about to swap out with a tired squad mate, two figures appear in the air. There is no mana radiating from their forms, no wings, no other energy I could sense. They just float there as if they were standing on solid ground and letting everything else move around them. There is no jerking, no movement from side to side. Just two figures floating in the air, unaffected by any outside force. One of them disappears, and a split second later, brilliant golden flames erupt into the air from somewhere within the hoard, While the other figure slowly lands next to me. The man who calls himself Nathaniel. He is holding a little girl in his arm, his disciple, and I cant help but be relieved to see the calm expression that never seems to leave his face. Without any buildup or movement of mana, a stream of golden flames erupts from him as well, flooding the pathways between rocks and melting stones along with the monsters within. The heat doesnt touch me or any of the men standing near him, all of it devoted to destroying monsters that die so easily that it makes our prior struggle seem pointless. No monster can see the entrance to the Sanctuary, they will summon the Veil Guardians otherwise, I warn him as I allow myself to relax. Huh? Really? his flames disappear, and his eyes examine me. A spark of interest dancing within. Then he says something to his disciple and sets her down. Right after, he disappears, and when he appears again, he holds a veilshrieker by its neck, the monster struggling and trying to attack. Nathaniel then lifts the monster up and forces it to look at the door leading to the Sanctuary. Immediately the monster freezes and lets out a screech that I had yet to hear from them. A pulse of mana washes over us, and Nathaniel does nothing to stop it. The next moment, the monster''s head disappears in a burst of golden flames, and its dead body falls to the ground. What have you done, I can only ask with horror. Another man appears out of thin air, an exact copy of the man that has doomed us all. I noticed the signal; you let it pass on purpose? the newcomer asks. Yes, it seems like the veilshriekers are programmed to send the signal to the Veil the moment they locate the bunker. It should summon the Veil Guardian. Only one? Two would be better. What the fuck are they talking about?! If it''s two, I will move the minion back to the Bastion, and we can split them. If it''s one, you will stay and keep her safe. Sure, the second Nathaniel says and turns to me. Hey Nina, where is the healer guy? I have stuff I want to talk with him about. You... you! The growl deeper than any I have heard before fills the area, and a monster lands in the middle of the clearing. Just the pressure of the monsters mana nearly forces me to my knees, and the look in its eyes is something I''m sure I will take to my grave. Before I can even scream, a barrier stronger than any I''ve ever felt surrounds us, and one of the Nathaniels appears in front of the monster. He leaves a crater in the ground as he strikes the monster, sending it flying through the air, causing it to disappear in the blink of an eye, as its powerful body crashes through solid stone. Then armor forms around his body, simple and functional, though there is a regal kind of beauty to it. Master! Good job! That monster was scary. Oh, minion as well, is this my lucky day? Thanks, Vega, in a good mood, I decide to call her by the name I gave her, and the reward is the smile she gives me, her good ol'' master. So, how does it look? I ask my duplicate. Granny and her father Irvin are both alive and in the Sanctuary. Everyone seems to be prepared to evacuate, so we just need the Armorer to land somewhere close and get people in while we do some fighting. Having both healers alive seems like it would be better for your plan, I mention, and he nods. Then I turn to Nina, Where is Darren? I know her answer from her expression, but then she says, He was killed along with a few of his weaker men. As punishment. The stronger ones are used for dangerous missions. Its hard to read the exact emotion on her face, but she does seem to hate me, at least a little. For feeding human meat to people? I ask. Why are you alive then? I do not try to be sensitive about it. Ask our new leaders, her eyes meet mine, and I decide to return her gaze. I ask her, Do you hate me? Thats a dumb fucking question. Did your father curse me in the end? The most fucked-up thing is that he didnt. Even as they executed him, he just let it all happen. My father did it all for the people and took their sins on himself. He understood their, and your decision. He was always too dumb and caring. He should have just let these people die. Granny says as she exits the Sanctuary, pausing to spit on the ground. [Vitalist - lvl 103] That doesn''t seem to make Nina happy. I would fucking beat your ass if I could, she says. Sure you would, the old woman giggles and then spots me and my duplicate, her eyes ticking between us. She even takes a few steps closer and examines us with her mana. At which point she sighs, What an insane bastard you are. That''s all she says. So very charming. Meanwhile, more people flood out of the Sanctuary, each one carrying as many things as they can, scared and looking around with big eyes. They pass by us on either side, gathering in individual groups in the clearing after getting the all clear from the scouts and their new leaders. Within the group, there''s at least one man I know. [Lifebloom Weaver - lvl 216] He is even 10 levels higher than the last time I met him. Irvin, the guy they kept locked in the tunnels under the Sanctuary to serve as a food supply. Willingly at first, and in the end against his will. But he seems much better now. His beard and hair have been well groomed, and he is wearing clean clothes, but the biggest change lies in his expression. It''s not quite as crazed as it was before, even though some trauma remains. But now, he seems more reliable, even happy. If that''s the right word to use. My duplicate seems to be even more happy to see him. He puts on our friendly expression and reaches into our very small reservoir of social energy. Amused, I watch as he greets the man and granny, as he subtly compliments them though its still somewhat awkward, and then just says it, probably too annoyed to wait longer, So, I need your guys'' help. I want to transfer one of my eyes into my cute disciple over there. I just need a bit of healing and some other stuff. Of course, I will help you in exchange, with anything else you might need. Even that weirdo over there, he points at me, is willing to help out. Indeed, even though his chances for survival are low, my duplicate is not going to take it lying down. No, he is cooking. And I''m too fascinated to stop him. Chapter 323: A week remains Chapter 323: A week remains The plan my duplicate came up with is to give Vega one of his eyes, which will most likely give her a weaker version of our Mana Wavelength Iris. Of course, that''s not the entire plan. The duplicate has more experience with inscriptions than me and hes come to the conclusion that placing an inscription in his eye and giving it to Vega might be the best course of action. It might work better than trying to inscribe some random mana stone or other material, and we do have a lot of experience with creating constructs. Of course, the problem is that he can''t create a personality imprint. Even after weeks of practice, hes not even close. That''s how difficult it is. So his plan is to have the asshole from Beyond, the bored intent, help him with that. Giving his eye to Vega is also part of the plan as she will leave the tutorial fairly soon. Outside of the tutorial, it should be safer for him than inside where he would be constantly worried about getting deleted while crossing the floors. It''s an interesting plan, and I dont fully understand how the heck this could be the best idea he could come up with. But he has spent a lot of time thinking and theorizing, so there must be something to it. He is a smart guy, even if he is slightly mad. However, one last piece of the puzzle remains, getting that asshole intent to help store his personality imprint in the eye that he wants to give Vega. When I questioned him, my duplicate would only say that he knew where to push. The intent seems to be bored, so we might be able to broker some kind of bet or deal. I wont try to stop him, Ive already determined that it won''t put Vega in danger. Worst case, My duplicate fails, and Vega gets a weaker version of my trait. Im certain that she can inherit my trait the same way Min-Jae did with the eye we got on the 4th floor. As Im thinking all of this through, I float in the air and watch as tens of people from the Sanctuary rush into the Bastion which has settled nearby, crushing a small hill in the process. In the distance, a burst of mana explodes, marking the Housekeepers battle against a big group of veilshriekers. Meanwhile, my duplicate is fighting a group of veilbinders in the air, a flying variation of those monsters. Even though they are human-like they have a pair of creepy wings instead of arms accompanied by another pair on their back, and their legs are fused into a single tail, limb, thing with a spike at the end. I, on the other hand, have a dozen or so highly compressed projectiles floating beside me, and shoot them when needed. Sometimes I infuse them with kinetic energy, sometimes with thermal, or I just compress them further, making them extremely durable so that I can launch them at mach speed. It''s something I''m quickly getting better at. Under my barrage, no monsters manage to reach the people boarding the Bastion, and I even level up once. Lvl 231 Strength: 111 Dexterity: 109 Constitution: 266 Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 897 + 897 When everyone is aboard with everything they could take, I watch as a pulse of mana is sent through the Bastions barrier and rushes to the bottom. A shockwave erupts from the flying islands underside, and the massive inscriptions covering the bottom light up. With a dull humming noise, the Bastion floats into the air, and I watch as it rises. I don''t think this will ever get old, watching this huge mass just float there. How the hell would something like this ever get old? Just imagine an island the size of a small city floating into the air. Imagine the sheer weight of it all. And then watch it float there as if it were light as a balloon. Having dealt with all the monsters I wanted to fight, I fly over to the Housekeeper, and float above her position, before releasing a compressed jet of flame as thick as my finger, piercing the monsters ahead of me, cutting them apart, and leaving behind a series of burnt, even chunks. I sweep it across the area, putting an end to the remaining monsters before landing beside her. She lowers her defenses, allowing me to touch her shoulder, and teleport us back to the anchor I left on the Bastion, my duplicate appearing at our side at the same time. The Housekeeper brushes her hair from her face, she has the same smile on her face that she always does anytime she fights. But even now, the Housekeeper doesn''t seem like shes been pushed to her limit and gotten to fight all out. When she leaves, I turn to my duplicate, and we resonate our mana around us, creating a barrier that makes it impossible for anyone to eavesdrop on our conversation. "The Bastion''s Barrier has changed slightly again," I tell him. A week remains, and I have sold everything I can sell. Metal ingots, lower-quality alloys, any mana stones I cant use, and much more. I sold any items I couldn''t inscribe and inscribed all I could. I went through the Bastion and sneakily sold a lot of items from their storages. All of this has gained me enough shards to get to 49,725. My duplicate and I also hunted a few more Veil Guardians, and I sold a few of my voidsteel blades. As weve been returning to the Bastion after our hunts, Ive noticed the way the Butler and the Housekeeper look at us change. Their behavior has changed as well. The Housekeeper seems more interested, and I notice her keeping a hand close to her weapon every time I pass by. The Butler keeps one rift open at all times so he can activate it quickly. The Gardener spends most of his time in his garden, where he has plenty of defensive mechanisms. The Armorer seems to be more and more interested day by day. I feel his gaze on my back. I feel his senses within the floating island as he keeps observing me. The little bit of cooperation we did have seems like a house of cards, each side ready to colapse. Them against me, the duplicate, and Vega. Caught In between us, are Granny the Vitalist, her father Irvin, and Nina. Nina seems to hate me, but she doesn''t dare do anything. I think it is part of knowing she wouldn''t be able to do anything and partially she also realizes that it was largely her father''s fault. The granny and Irvin spend a lot of time with Vega and the duplicate. They theorize, discuss, and plan. Vega seems to be excited at the thought of getting a new eye, but that eye could disappear the moment my duplicate disappears as well. It just sounds like something the system would do. So in the end, it relies a lot on the intent and whether or not my duplicate can amuse it enough to broker a deal. The logic is that even the intent probably cant save my duplicate without giving him some more permanent status, and on this floor, that means me or Vega. I won''t agree. No matter how much I might consider it to be a bit of my fault or even if I pitied him or regretted it. I won''t do it. As for Vega, the duplicate won''t do it. In the end, the plan is simple. The eye being a body part makes the duplicate hope it will be less susceptible to erasure than a mana stone. He also said he found it easier to work with. It is a piece of his body with mana circuits and bearing his passives and mana. I don''t understand it fully, but hes spent more time thinking about it, so I cant argue. Something tells me that he hopes that even if he fails, he might be able to get the intent to ensure that Vega can keep his eye. One last gift to our disciple. Just in case, we will also keep Vega''s original eye. It would be unfortunate if the duplicate failed and Vega ended up without an eye. That''s where the two healers will help. They also seem to be planning to weaken the eye further so it will awaken gradually. Mana Wavelength Iris is a powerful trait, and we don''t want our minion to melt her brain by using it too soon. Overall, things go well. I progress with black mana, and my handling of my eyes improves. I made a lot of shards. And Vega is getting stronger by the day. But it all feels off, and I don''t think this floor will end well for my duplicate. No matter how much he plans, trains, and hopes. He was put in a shitty situation, and the only way out seems to be killing me or Vega and striking a deal with someone he cant even trust. I have gained a lot thanks to our cooperation, and I thought I knew what I would feel if it came to this, but... this is a shitty way to feel. That''s when I also decide to never do anything like this again. And I''m sorry. I won''t say it out loud, and I don''t think I need to. I''m sure he knows. Chapter 324: Truth about the Veil Chapter 324: Truth about the Veil Master? Yes, Vega? Now were even more alike! my minion says, with a smile. Her left eye has been replaced with my duplicate''s, and he now sits nearby, his eyes, making use of his passive to regenerate it and heal the wound. Meanwhile, both of Vega''s eyes are still red. Even after the duplicate gave her his gray eye, it briefly retained its color, before being overtaken by Vegas beautiful red. There is only a hint of a golden circle around the pupil. I wonder if it''s because of her demon heritage or because it came from my duplicate. Either way, after examining it, it seems to be working. Vega now possesses a weakened version of Mana Wavelength Iris. Even if it''s not as strong as mine, it should be of use to her in the future, and if their plan works, it should carry the duplicate out of the tutorial. For now, my duplicate is maintaining a connection to the eye with [Tether], the eye itself is heavily inscribed. Even though the personality imprint is imperfect, it should serve as a base in the case that the sliver of intent decides to complete it. His best hope is to go to Vegas world and then, one day when she becomes stronger, find someone who could restore his body from the eye. Hes also carrying a high-quality mana stone with my best attempt at creating a personality imprint. A slightly improved version of the one I left with Myrra on the 4th Floor. We dont know if it will work and, if so, how this floor will react to having multiple instances, one for each attendee. But it doesnt hurt to try. Creating a big barrier around our group, I turn to Irvin, the man who was used as livestock, I wanted to ask before, but what exactly happened with the Veil? Why do you think I would know or be willing to tell someone as crazy as you or your duplicate? Do you even realize how big a risk you took with that little girl? Vega doesnt seem to like his question, so I answer before she can, I had hoped the Armorer would know more, but it seems like he was little more than a small fry, so he doesn''t know much. You, on the other hand, are quite high-level for a healer, and I have learned that healers are very, very sought after. Even though he seems to be doing better than he was when I freed him, he still seems to have a bit of a wild streak. He even twitches every time he sees a sharp blade or anything that reminds him of a collar. Does it all even matter? Just curse the people responsible; they do not deserve more.Neeew updates at novelhall.com Rather than responding, I look at him and wait. At some point, his daughter, who still looks older than him, starts cursing at me and telling me to leave him alone, at which point he gives her a soft, loving look. The expression of a father watching his young daughter do something cute. It''s fine, thanks for worrying, my dear, he says shortly and caresses her gray hair. When he turns to me, his expression grows serious, All of us thought the Enchanters Guild had created the Veil on their own. They had done similar things before, some were even capable of defending an entire city, but an entire planet? It was something else. Even his posture is the same, his feet up on the chair with his knees pulled to his chest, just like when I found him. In contrast, his voice is calm, as he remembers, I used to work in the main headquarters of the Enchanters Guild. You might think I was in a position of authority, but even at my level, I was little more than low level personnel. They were just that powerful. It didnt matter what it was, but they always had to have the best, so obviously, they often collaborated with the leader of the Healers Guild. He laughs shortly. I saw her perform a healing for one of the high ranking members once. She just entered the room, and their entire family immediately grew ten to twenty years younger. That one second paid for her new Skyhold Bastion. Can you imagine that? Taking a short pause, he continues, She died, one of the first. The Veil went after healers, leaders, and anyone with access to our defensive systems. At first, we thought the enemy had infiltrated the Veil and used it against us. Then we thought it was a traitor, a rogue Champion seizing an opportunity. Some blamed our Absolute, but if he wished to, he could have taken over the planet even without the Veil. Are Absolutes that powerful in comparison to others? I ask. They are called Absolutes; how could they not be powerful? Okay, so what caused the Veil to go rogue, my duplicate interrupts, and how the hell did the Absolute die if he was so powerful? Irvin glances at him and then at his own hands, The Veil was never the creation of the Enchanters Guild. I still remember Champion Niall screaming at the remaining leaders of the Enchanters Guild before she evaporated them into nothingness. The Enchanters Guild either bought or found an egg of a powerful divine beast. It was passed through the guild for decades, and then when it hatched, they took care of it and experimented on it. The beast possessed a domain type skill they had never seen before and an extraordinarily powerful mind. From this point, it''s not hard to guess what happened, but I still listen to him and everyone else does as well. His daughter, Vega, my duplicate, and even Nina, who somehow ended up here with us. Leaving for a few hours at a time, me and the duplicate made all the preparations needed. Ive gained all I can from this floor, and I dont want to be too greedy anyway. Keeping Vega alive is my priority. I watch as Vega hugs my duplicate with tears in her eyes. She says something while crying and my duplicate smiles at her. It''s extremely weird to see myself smiling that way, and unlike other people, it''s hard for me to read. Is it a happy smile? A sad smile? Is it fake? My duplicate says something in return, and Vega squeezes him harder, right after giving him a little peck on the cheek, and his next expression is easy to read. Sheer surprise, though pleasant. He ruffles her hair and pinches her tiny nose, then he looks at me. When I nod, he extremely carefully teleports Vega outside of the Bastion, and I resonate with his mana, allowing him to pass through the Bastion ?s barrier. He disappears to hide Vega in the safe place we have prepared. Then I activate my trait, and keeping the black orb near me, I teleport to the room where the Armorer is hiding. Immediately, dozens of powerful attacks assault me, the pressure from the Bastion, shockwaves, mana attacks, physical attacks, all of it enough to kill a Veil Guardian. The black orb absorbs all the mana attacks thrown at me, and I block the physical ones with the multi-layered spherical barriers I prepared. Then, before the attacks can continue, I send out a wave of mana, much stronger with my eyes reading the frequencies, disrupting the mana in the room. The extremely thin Armorer sits near the core, with multiple tubes connecting his body to the core and inscriptions covering his skin. I just needed a few more minutes and I would get you, he hisses at me in his quiet voice. I know. After that, I use a voidsteel slicer and cut off his head, the blade strengthened by my skill cutting through his attempts at defense. The notification about the kill rings, and satisfied with that, I teleport outside of the room where the Housekeeper stands leaning against the wall. We just exchange a glance, there are no words said, but the understanding comes through. For the last time, I observe Irvin, who is there with his daughter, the two of them finding joy in each other''s company. I observe Nina, who probably hates me more than anyone else in the world, training even as the Bastion faces more and more attacks while trying to escape to the north where it will be safer. The Butler in his room detects my probing and shields against it. Yet, I still notice that he was standing in front of the mirror observing his growing mustache. Even then, his clothes are in a rough state as the man barely has any time to rest, helping anyone he can. He is a kind man. And the Gardener, deep in his garden, taking over the Bastion''s defenses now open to me, no threat at all. Such a weird bunch of people I have met on this floor. I teleport outside and fly for a while at my top speed. It takes a bit, but in the end, I stop and land on top of the first skyscraper I visited in the ruined city, with a poisoned Vega in tow, looking for a healer. There we found the old granny, who is now with her father. There my duplicate is waiting for me, his mana surrounding his body in waves and crashing against me. No words are needed between us. He has his own plan, but I will give him the opportunity to defeat me and rewrite my mind. I owe him that much. So let''s fight and give it our best. He activates orbs hes placed all over the city, and dozens of buildings immediately start crashing down in deafening explosions, at the same time, he reaches to absorb the kinetic energy of all that falling material. I reach towards the Veil and touch it. The Veil is more visible than ever, even without mana. Upon detecting my touch, ten presences appear almost immediately. Ten Veil Guardians reacting to my touch and rushing towards us. The duplicate attacks me, our mana clashes in the air and reverberates. Chapter 325: What an opponent to face Chapter 325: What an opponent to face I activate my Titan''s Backbone tattoo, and one out of the epic items three uses disappears. My eyes activate as well, and its with these preparations that I finally absorb the black orb of mana. Immediately afterward the world slows down, my thoughts accelerating. Even with all the information I''m taking, I can barely feel the added strain. I activate traps that I placed days ago, and a dozen extremely compressed javelins erupt from every direction, speeding towards my duplicate, each one creating a sonic boom. The air around the duplicate vibrates as he uses all the collected kinetic energy to tear the weapons apart. At the same time, two thin streams of extremely compressed thermal energy burst from him, sweeping across the city, cutting skyscrapers apart, and stopping just an arm''s reach away from me. I absorb their heat and redirect it at the Veil Guardian thats been sneaking up on me, incinerating half of its body, yet the monster continues to press the attack. Three Veil Guardians have ganged up on my duplicate, and he throws them away with a strong blast of kinetic energy. At the same time, golden flames surround me and the duplicate, roaring through the air like a giant snake coiling around the two of us. Anything the golden flame touches gets melted or incinerated as my duplicate and I fight for control, power pouring from our Vortex Cores. The air shudders from the heat, stone, and metal melting and dripping onto the street below as the flames burn hotter and hotter as we combine them. Two Veil Guardians try to push through, only to be cremated despite their durability. Two notifications ring out informing us of the kills, as their voidsteel slicers fall to the street. The duplicate lifts the damaged arcane ax into the air and channels his thermal energy through it, further strengthening his golden flames, and a giant wave crashes against me. I don''t even blink, as my eyes read everything, and I absorb all of this information, the knowledge strengthened by my own experience manipulating thermal primordial energy. Redirecting the flames, I spin them around me, adding even more of my own power. I reach into my reservoir and send more mana through my heart, generating even greater flames, and straining my mind to keep it all under control. Like a tornado of golden fire, the flames spin with us in the center, expanding and setting the ruined city ablaze. The ever-present vegetation turns to ash, the stone glows, and the last remaining pieces of glass crack. More Veil Guardians die just from getting too close, theyre not even a distraction anymore, faced with the combined flames of my duplicate and I. And we''re still fighting for control, and the flames wash over us in turns, only to be redirected each time. When the last Veil Guardian dies, and the signal is sent to the Veil, we barely take notice and relinquish control of the flames, allowing them to seep into the city, turning it into a burning hell. I activate another one of my traps, firing more compressed javelins at my duplicate, from the other side of the ruined city. He redirects them with a forearm coated in an extremely dense variation of barrier. He also takes the opportunity to activate a few of the traps hes placed, and an immense amount of mana seeps into the air, flowing through inscriptions in the stones nearby, hitting me with a strong jamming attack, a clear attempt to disrupt my mana. It''s the strongest jamming attack Ive ever felt, each of the sources emits a different frequency with a staggering amount of mana to back it up. At that moment, the duplicate closes the distance, swinging down with his ax. I quickly learn that I wont be able to absorb heat from the ax, so I try to push my body aside with kinetic energy, but he absorbs it, nearly matching my reaction speed. Yet Im still just a little bit quicker, and I strengthen my body with the full force of my mana and dash to the side, through the molten ground and debris surrounding us. Then the duplicate''s signature disappears, and the only thing that remains where he stood is a small black orb, absorbing the mana hanging in the air, preventing me from tracking him. I sense a strong burst of mana from elsewhere in the city and before another erupts high above me. There he floats, a calm expression on his face. Around him, six tricolored orbs float, and he launches them all at me, the orbs becoming a blur of mana, screaming as they pass through the air. One of six orbs bursts far too soon, revealing its real state. Instead of a tricolored orb, its inside is filled with disrupting mana. When it bursts, I find myself unable to teleport and my external senses quickly become as unreliable as my eyes in this storm. Countering it, my mind goes into overdrive and to fight against the five remaining orbs, I push my mana into a single one, concentrating it even further, turning that single orb black and launching it at the deadly projectiles. My duplicate appears behind me, I don''t have any idea how. I sensed nothing. Our eyes meet, were both using Mana Wavelength Iris and we grasp each other with a burst of [Redistribution], altering the frequency each preventing the other from moving. To counter my enhanced processing speed my duplicate radiates more and more mana, depleting dozens of mana batteries in the process. Then, while looking at me, he also touches the Veil, much more intensely than I did before. I watch him smile as a huge section of the Veil over us changes, mana enveloping the city. The Veil reforms, a long purple tear splits the sky, and an arm pushes through, followed by three more. The monster plummets through, crashing to the ground and even though it is only three times taller than me, it leaves a massive crater. [Veil Weaver - lvl ???] The duplicate disappears as the monster pounces, landing where he stood and attacks me. As the monster attacks, My duplicate launches a compressed mana javelin, and it crashes into the ground next to me, exploding into golden flames. Realizing that I wont get another option, I use Titan''s Backbone tattoo again, feeling the first use start to run out, and I absorb more black mana, strengthening my [Focus]. In slow motion, I watch as the monster''s fist swings toward me and golden flames burst forth from the javelin. The entirety of my Vortex Core explodes, concentrated into a reverberating cone of compressed kinetic energy, damaging one of the monsters four. Golden flames burn my body, but at the same time, they activate my passive slowly healing the burns. Even then, the flames are stronger than my passive so damage starts to accumulate before I can absorb their heat. The monster stumbles, losing control for a moment and its body gets torn apart immediately, with barely anything left behind. [You have defeated Veil Weaver- lvl 329] [Lvl 234 > Lvl 237] I lift the ax in my hand, and it absorbs a laser-like stream of thermal energy shot by the duplicate. Teleporting towards him, I swing the ax, releasing that energy and melting the ground under his feet as he dodges. When I try to teleport again, he disrupts my attempt, and multiple of his projectiles crash against me and the barrier I create. He opens his mouth, and I immediately tilt my head to the side; an orb I was unable to sense shoots from it, creating a deep, bloody gash on my temple. His voidsteel slicer and the ax I hold crash against each other, our primordial energies swirling around, waiting for opportunities. I also open my mouth, and a mana orb I was compressing there buries into his forearm he lifts to protect his chest. A mana stone somewhere on him activates, and I disrupt most of the attack, the invisible slash with mana still cutting into my side. There isn''t a single veilshrieker left alive. Third of the big city turned to ruins, and the material the buildings were made of mostly turned to dust or burning. I shoot kinetic energy from my feet, sending a bit of that dust towards him, covering the view. At the same time, I create a fake mana signature to my right, inspired by the twins. When I reach him and slash against him, my weapon passes through the air, him having done the same, and the fake signature disappears. Armor forms on my back, slowing down the voidsteel slicer just enough so I block it with my own before it cuts into my flesh. Up close, both of us create dozens of mana projectiles, barely an arm''s reach from each other. The projectiles shoot, all boosted even further by kinetic energy, and keep crashing against our bodies. They get either disrupted or blocked by small pieces of barrier that we barely activate just for a split of a second. As I feel my tattoo and black mana slowly wear off, I push ahead, letting him stab my thigh with his weapon, and in exchange, I swing the ax with both hands, letting go of my voidsteel slicer. He tries to teleport, but I disrupt it, and with the full force of my body, the ax crashes against his blade, which is held by a single hand only because of the other one I cut off. The ax buries into his shoulder as I redirect it at the last possible moment. Breathless, both of us stand there facing each other, even now our mana crashing and disrupting each other''s, and primordial energies exploding through the air and being absorbed. I know if either of us pushes just a bit more, it will be a fight to the death, but I won''t step back. He will either give up, or one of us dies. That''s it. The tattoo''s effect disappears, and the black mana as well, the aftereffects hitting me even though the tattoo alleviated most of it. My mind feels sluggish, the world feels empty, and even mana feels less vibrant than before. More and more of my thermal energy pushes through, heating up the ax stabbed in his shoulder, pushing through his attempts to absorb the thermal energy that keeps healing him while also burning him. "Fuck, you are dumb," in the end, he curses and takes a step back, letting go of the voidsteel slicer stabbed in my leg, and the ax I hold pulls out of his wound. I do not stop him when he starts using thermal energy to heal his wounds. Slowly, both of us start using a bigger part of [Focus] to block some of our emotions again instead of keeping up the skills. The world regains more of its colors and the sounds that the skill blocked come rushing in. The air is heated, moved by wind, dust that used to be buildings flies through the air, and fires rage in the distance, but I take a deep breath. Then I breathe out slowly. I live. "Good luck," I tell my duplicate. He stands there, wounds all over his body, cuts, burns. Inscriptions used, mana stones cracked, and batteries emptied. His eyesight blurry because of overuse of his trait. His hand is missing, and his leg seems to be broken. Yet, he stands proudly, and even now, he feels more dangerous than the monster we killed together. What an opponent. I will see you when you come to Vegas planet, he says simply, and then he leaves to attempt his other plan. With barely any mana remaining, I move towards where Vega is, on my way avoiding all the monsters while my mana slowly replenishes. On a few spots, I get mana batteries I hid there just in case our fight got so far. I absorb my mana stored inside and repeat the same with a few more filled with kinetic or thermal energy. I have placed plenty of them, and by the time I reach the place, my reserves are in a much better state. Getting into the range of my anchor, I connect to it and teleport to where Vega is, appearing in the darkness. The place is one of the old bunkers we have found while moving around. The bunker is similar to the Sanctuary, just much smaller, and every entrance to it is destroyed and covered by tones of rock and stone. The only way inside is through a teleportation skill, and to place the anchors, we had to extend [Mana Domain] to the limit in a single direction. Vega lifts her eyes up from the mana stone in her hands and smiles at me. It''s a mix between a happy and sad smile. Will he be okay, master? she asks quietly. To that, I decide to stay quiet. Chapter 326: I lied Chapter 326: I lied While down in the closed-off bunker, I walk from room to room, controlling air filtration systems powered by my mana through the anchors Ive placed near them. Making them work wasn''t all that difficult, just a bit annoying given that the bunkers core is broken and the room containing it has been buried under several tons of stone. Yet, even though this place has been cut off from the outside, Ive set thermal orbs all throughout the compound, producing a bright yet gentle light. The filtration system hums gently in the background, but otherwise, it''s eerily quiet. The only other sound comes from my minion and I, searching the various rooms whenever we get bored. That and our race to pack in as much training as we can. I have decided to spend the remaining few days here, rather than going outside, where who knows what is happening. I''m also taking the opportunity to acquaint myself with the skills that leveled up during the fight with my duplicate. Ive got a lot of work to do on that front. Maybe I could be raising my level, or focus on leveling up my skills. I could be fighting any number of powerful opponents, yet every time I look at Vega, I hesitate. She is strong, but shes returning to her world soon, and I won''t be able to help her anymore. So I need to hold back and train her. Im not used to this sort of selfless thinking, and Im reminded of how attached Ive grown to this smug little half-demon. This silly minion of mine. Master! [Mana Manipulation] leveled up again! Vega shouts as she comes rushing from somewhere behind me. Good job, minion, I answer, and she smiles, happy to receive even this small praise, and returns her focus to the mana stone in her hand. It all helps her to take her mind off my duplicate. They got close in the days we spent together. Looking at her, I probe her mana with my senses, and she allows my senses to pierce through her natural barrier, something else shes gotten used to. I observe her left eye, the one she received from the duplicate, and I can still sense his anchor connected to it, even now making small changes as he continues to improve his inscriptions. For a while, I examine the web of delicate pathways, they represent something hes only been able to do as a result of his collaboration and experiments with the healers from the Sanctuary. Hes spent most of his time working on this, but Ive spent mine polishing different skills, so I still don''t fully understand it. And yet, even I can tell that this wont be enough. I head back to the room where Ive stored most of my things. Looted items from the bunkers, station, and bastion. Items Ive had since the 4th floor and the auction. Theres plenty here. Then there is also a small tube that holds Vega''s original eye. Something we have kept in case the duplicate fails and the eye he gave to Vega disappears. Irvin also put a mark on the eye. Waiting for the slightest bit of mana to activate it. At that point, the mark will release a dose of healing mana to help reconnect the eye. I wonder when Lily will reach that level. One day remains when others start sending messages in the Community. Sset (Hell, group 4) -Stay safe, Noname, Ill see you on the next floor. TheStrongestOne (Hell, group 4) -I learned a lot, and I can''t wait to show you, Noname! Grumpy (Hell, group 4) -I hope you didn''t forget the promise we made! FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -food! Izzy (Hell, group 4) -I will see you soon, dumb Noname! I pick up a few messages, and then they disappear, and group 4 enters the 6th floor. They got to the 5th floor a day earlier than me, so it''s not really all that surprising. Now, theyve left to join the twins, one of which sacrificed his chance at some extra time with his disciple to follow his brother, who lost his. So that''s it. The floor is ending soon, after that, we wont have much time on the 6th floor before the tournament starts. What I don''t like is that I won''t be able to do the 3rd Beyond trial before the tournament; the timing just wont allow for with the time left on my cooldown. That could be interesting, I think Savant should be able to fit the 3rd trial in. It could also cause Savant to miss the tournament. The 1st trial took one day, and the 2nd trial took one week. So there is a high chance that Savant postpones the 3rd trial until the end of the tournament rather than risk missing it. That''s what I would do. Keeping my mind busy, I find Vega and sit with her, watching her train and observing her eye. POV Duplicate of Nathaniel Gwyn Well, that''s it, I guess. I did as much as I could, and the personality imprint Ive been trying to make is impossible as of now. The work Ive done up until now is so terrible I would rather wipe it than let it stay in my minion''s eye. Over the past few days, more plans have failed, and my last ray of hope lies in imperfect personality imprints, something more like the signatures my original created. There are five of them, one on me, one is with the original, and three more have been scattered across the 5th floor. So it''s time for the last resort. I poke the head at my feet with my shoe, Come on, I know you are lurking around. A quiet laugh sounds from the cut-off head of the veil shrieker, and eyes open up, So did you decide to accept my proposal, oh, unfortunate one? You know very well I did not. I might or might not know. The tutorial does grant its attendees some degree of privacy, the mouth moves, but it is not at all in sync with the words. It doesnt even need to move its mouth to speak. Hurting Vega is out of the question. I understand, so, what would you like? Its tone of voice speaks to the cruel pleasure it takes in my current situation. Help me to inscribe my personality into the eye of my original''s disciple. It''s amusing how much tamer you are now, unfortunate one, the mouth moves in a soundless laugh. Whats in it for me? After getting my body back, I would be... No. No? Then, as iron pulled to a magnet, the object Ive held floating high in the air gets pulled downward at a speed that continues to increase as I feed the skill with more mana. Gaiathra senses it but still sees me as an annoyance at most, it just shoots another attack at me, this time a bit stronger. [Sacrifice] activates, and my hair disappears, my right leg as well, along with a few fingers from my right hand, my last remaining limb. Even then I barely block the attack. The third attack Gaiathra throws at me is much more serious, and keeping [Tether] on, I do something even Lily was unwilling to do. I sacrifice my memories. The first ten years of my life disappear, and the barrier that blocks the attack still cracks, and all over my body, corrosive wounds start appearing, eating away my flesh. At the same time, it''s finally here. The skyscraper-sized mana crystal that I took from the bunker. Later, after examining the Bastions levitation, I placed it high in the air, and currently, it''s falling at a high speed to the spot right over the snake. Best of all, it''s filled to the brim with a terrifying blend of my mana, thermal, and kinetic energy. Like a meteor, streaks through the air, shining with golden thermal energy, transparent kinetic, and pale blue mana swirling inside. The Gaiathra tries to move, and 11 more years of my memories disappear. [Redistribution] activates, allowing me, for a split second, to grasp this powerful monster. When the skyscraper-sized crystal crashes into Gaiathra, I the last dregs of my mana to teleport to an anchor far outside of the Valley. And then I teleport again, sacrificing some of my useless organs to do so. Without any limbs and with black mana and life seeping out of me, I appear on top of one of the cliffs, leaning against the stone at my back. I watch as far in the distance beautiful lights fill the sky, shining against the bottom of the clouds. Between my attack, the shattered core of the Veil Ignition Station, and the sheer pressure from the explosion the clouds part, blown away by the force. I can feel the shockwave even from this distance, followed by a burst of wind and thunder. A few more seconds pass before the notification Ive been waiting for finally goes off after a few more seconds, and a chuckle escapes my mouth. Thermal energy flows through my body, and I examine my mind, looking at what remains. The things that I subconsciously didn''t sacrifice. My mom and sister are there, something I wouldn''t be able to sacrifice. But more faces pop up to my surprise. A girl with red eyes, a cute corgi, a silly blonde, an occasionally terrifying black haired girl, a troubled young boy looking up to me, and more. People I barely know, yet somehow they are still here, my subconscious mind not wanting to give up on them. (Not in a million years would I expect someone like you to be able to awaken a skill like [Sacrifice],) the voice of the intent sounds in my mind. I blink a few times, barely able to keep myself awake, my heart beating slower and slower, as my life seeps out of me. Our deal, I say. (You showed me something really fun, so consider me entertained, oh unfortunate one.) I use [Sacrifice] again, and one of my eyes disappears, just to keep my heart beating for a bit longer. (But I lied,) the intent says. The voice continues to sound in my head, (I wouldnt be even able to give you the status of your original''s disciple. I just wanted to see you kill her,) the voice sounds coldly amused. (You have rejected me, and for that, you will die.) The voice says. Well, I guess that''s it. I gave it my all, I defeated an extremely powerful enemy and learned a thing or two about myself. It''s not such a bad way to go. This past year in the tutorial was fun even though it was sad at times. Fuck you. I manage to say. (So fun. This is what I will do next. In a day, the little girl you call Vega will return to her world, and I will ensure that someone is waiting for her. I can''t touch the original yet, but the disciple should be fine. I cant wait to see how he reacts when he finds out.) I think I may have only felt the rage I feel now, once in my entire life. My heart beats strongly, and I''m about to stand up before I realize I have no limbs. Do not fucking dare, I hiss through clenched teeth, feeling blood fill my mouth. (Oh, but I will, so...) (You will not,) another voice sounds. This one I can''t grasp, unable to identify if it''s a man or woman, hell I cant even guess its age. Yet, at the same time, it sounds powerful. Very powerful. (Greed!) the intent hisses. (He will not touch disciple Vega, nor will he interfere on her planet.) These words are directed at me, ignoring the intent. Hearing them, I feel myself calm down, and as I do so, my heart finally skips a beat, and the world drains of its color. The intent says something to the Ruler of Greed, but it feels like a tiny dog barking at a wolf. And I know, at that moment, that he won''t be able to do anything to Vega. I feel a smile appear on my lips, and before everything turns dark, I hear that voice again, (Keeping you alive would be against the rules, but I can let her keep your eye.) My mind wanders off as the last whisper fills my ears. (You''ve been strong, you can let go now.) Chapter 327: Im back Chapter 327: I''m back I observe as all of the inscriptions inside Vega''s eye disappear one after another. All the work the duplicate put into it is gone, along with his [Tether]. Surprisingly, his eye stays. For a moment, a golden circle appears around her pupil before it disappears, leaving her eye bloody red again. Yet, I can sense that it''s the same eye that once belonged to my duplicate, the one containing our weakened trait. The little half-demon senses the change as well, and for a moment, it looks like she''s going to cry, but she holds it back and just comes to sit beside me. Without asking, she leans against me, and I put my arm around her. He asked me not to cry if he failed, she says quietly. Did he? Yes. He told me to grow strong and kick your ass sometime in the future. That sounds like him. Do you feel like crying? I ask her. She nods, But I promised I wouldnt. He wouldnt want that. Bullshit, I say, and she looks up to me. I continue, I know for a fact, that he would be happy knowing someone had cried for him. I put my hand on her head and gently stroke her hair. When she burrows her face into my chest and her body starts shaking, I continue to hold her. An hour remains until the end of the floor when my minion asks, Master, you still owe me for losing our bet. Yes, I do. What would you like? I want to know why you named me Vega. You said there was a meaning to it. Who is Vega? I know only minion. At that, she smiles but only slightly, her mood still not back to her usual self. She pokes me, looking up at me with her big eyes. There are tens of constellations in the night sky where I''m from, and one of them is the northern constellation of Lyra. It''s one of the smaller ones. The brightest star in that constellation is called Vega. I grab her horn, but do not shake her head; I just prod the point with the tip of my finger. The tutorial is a small place, in the end, one of many. Just like the innumerable constellations, there are a number of tutorials. But in this small place, this small patch of sky, I found you, I say, despite my embarrassment. In my head, it never sounded so... cheesy. Still, I cant regret telling her. To me, Vega shines brightly with her curious and cheery personality, despite her flaws. But saying it out loud just doesnt feel right to me. I hope youre happy because Im not going to repeat myself, minion. I need to assert my dominance to preserve my sense of masculinity. In response, her smile widens a bit, she doesn''t even poke any fun at me. Our remaining hours on this floor pass just like that. My silly disciple has decided to cling to me, and I can feel the warmth of her small body against mine. Her heart is beating strongly. I hold her hand, and I paint a series of simple, single use, inscriptions on her forearm, theyll be there to help her improve her mana weapons when she needs them. This time around Ill give her a few extra items, but nothing higher than a rare grade. Epic items seem to be exceedingly valuable even though I tend to find so many of them. Over the course of this floor and after having visited the Hard difficulty community, I have learned that out of all of them, barely anyone has access to epic grade items. Giving one to Vega at her level could bring too much attention to her. I also think shell be better off if she learns how to survive without relying on items. She already has a weakened version of my trait, waiting to awaken as she grows stronger. Hopefully. I listen as she tells me about her plans, and how shes a little worried about having to rely on herself again. She tells me how much she will miss me and forces me to promise, for the tenth time, that I will find her when I get out of the tutorial. Lastly, I give her a small piece of weird metal that reacts weirdly to kinetic energy. It''s something I got from the auction on the 4th floor, and now it feels like so long ago. Vega has decided to rely mainly on her kinetic energy, so she might have a better use for it. It will also force her to continuously examine it and search for anyone who might know something about it. I figured Id give her something like a quest since she seems to be lost at the moment. Finally, I notice her glancing at something I can''t see, and I know the portal to her world is there. As I stand up, she lets go of me somewhat reluctantly and quickly collects the few things she is taking with her. Will you miss me, master? I will. You really will? Yes. A few short steps and she hugs me again, I dont think youre quite the asshole you like to say you are. Master is really kind, but hes also really hurting, the last words she nearly whispers. Looking up at me with her red eyes glowing, she gestures to me to lean lower and when I do so, she gives me a quick peck on my cheek. When we meet next time, Ill just call you Vega. So try to stay alive until then, okay? I call to her as she takes steps toward the portal. She gives me one last short glance, I always liked it when master called me minion. She says, with one last cheeky smile, and then she disappears. Congratulations! You''ve successfully completed the 5th floor''s main quest in the fifth round of the tutorial for Hell difficulty. An entrance to the 6th floor has been created. I place an anchor near the portal to the 6th floor and extend my [Mana Domain], placing another outside where I emerge. Right away, I sense strong mana radiation everywhere, and the Veil seems to be burning in the sky with veil monsters all over the place. Killing the ones that get too close, I lift off and head towards the Valley. Then, I notice a mana signature hanging in the air, and change direction, heading towards a cliff with a good view of the area. There, at the top, I find what remains of my duplicate. Inside his body near the chest, I detect a hint of his mana. Pushing my emotions away, I pull a tiny mana stone out of his remains. When I probe it with my senses, I find that its a collection of simple notes. What few sentences my duplicate could manage to inscribe in his last moments. Intent is bigger fucker than thought. Never trust. Wanted to kill Vega. Liar. Ruler of Greed helped. Saved Vega. Payback? Black mana scarier than thought. I could kill you back then. I was stronger. Apologize to mom. Hug Victoria for me. Be nicer to others. Fucking call them friends, at least in your head. Boop Biscuit ?s nose. Remember me once in a while. Tokens: Beyond Difficulty entrance token Shards: 59,725 Well, it seems like the system rewarded me with a skill combination token for that Floor ?s main quest, the reward that used to be ???. I want to sell skill upgrade token. Do you really want to sell the following item for 5000 shards? Skill upgrade token Yes/No I confirm and my shards increase to 64,725. It''s a nice thing to have, for sure. Then I take a better look at the place Ive ended up, the floor known as the Astral Prison. It''s dark, the only light coming from the surprisingly bright stars. It is also totally barren. There are no trees, no vegetation, no signs of water. Just dark, rocky terrain with a lot of pointy mountains scattered about the place. In comparison to the post-apocalyptic world overgrown by vibrant vegetation, this place feels almost depressing. Noname (Hell, group 4) - I''m here. Sset (Hell, group 4) - That''s good. I will have Izzy launch a bunch of bright orbs every few minutes. Try to track us. Other than the twins, we are all here. Noname (Hell, group 4) -Will do. I close the community and check the floor quest. Floor quest: Escape Astral Prison Rewards: ??? Epic-grade passive skill 5000 Shards Increased daily Community limit Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes Send a single item to your disciple (up to a rare grade) Once again the floor quest has turned out to be the last thing I would have expected, as have the rewards. It seems like the system is slowly limiting the amount of shards we can receive as a reward. It''s either that or the last two are expensive. There are no more stat increases anymore and once again there is a question mark in place of a reward. Is it so the system can make them more personalized? That could be it. But given the mood I''m in right now the last two rewards are what interest me the most. Fuck, the end of a floor always leaves me like this. I sit down on the rocky ground and sigh, looking at the starry sky. Even this barren area has some beauty to it, and never in my life have I seen such big stars, much less so clearly. In one part of the sky, I can even see what appears to be a purple nebula. This night sky is beautiful. Use trait strengthening token on Mana Circuit, I say, and I allow the pain that follows to take my mind off these useless thoughts. Filled with this burning sensation, I stare at the night sky. I could have strengthened my Mana Wavelength Iris, but I haven''t even mastered them properly yet, and strengthening them could be a bad idea, stripping me of all the effort I put into being able to use them as much as I do. Im also hoping that strengthening my Mana Circuits will help me deal with my other traits and my ever-increasing Mana. So that I can continue to ignore constitution. Who needs to worry about the attribute imbalance at this point? For sure not me, that''s for future Nathaniel to deal with. Regardless, with my body still burning, I push myself up to my feet and then lift myself into the air, looking for Isabella''s orbs. There are no monsters, no wind, and no signs of civilization as far as I can see. Though the air does feel chilly, surprisingly chilly. Sending thermal energy through my body, I hold myself in that spot for a moment, turning around, before changing my position a few times. I move in a spiral, slowly getting further from my point of origin, looking for that signal. When I finally notice it, I start moving, pulling my items with me. It''s not as much as when I entered the 5th Floor, but there are a few rather large bags. As I approach, I trigger a web of extremely delicate mana and it sends a signal somewhere. That trigger causes a swarm of some kind of mana constructs to fly toward me in a threatening manner. Theyre basically a number of small orbs with inscriptions in them, bearing an obvious connection to their owner. Well, it seems like Sophie may have learned a thing or two. As my altitude drops, I finally manage to spot group 4, theyre all sitting in a circle around a bright blue flame orb, which radiates a soft blue light and heat. Tess is already standing, with a long spear in her hand and a smile on her face. I''m sure she saw me long before the others could. Her blonde hair is shorter than it was before, but she somehow looks even more confident. Min-Jae is at her side, looking around, searching for me. He seems... older now, it''s hard to describe. He just straight-up looks more mature. Maya, who has remained seated, yawns and says something to Sophie, who just shakes her head, in spite of her smile. Both of the girls, even in this situation, are ready for anything, but they trust the others to keep watch. Everyone seems to be happy, to be with people whove shared their experiences, to finally have the chance to share it all. I feel Izzy trying to connect to me with [Empathy] and I let her, curious to learn what kind of feelings shell pick up from me. (Food!) I hear Biscuit shout and even with [Focus] active, I feel a smile climb onto my lips. When I land, Lily charges me with a few surprisingly quick steps and stops an arm''s reach away from me. For a moment, I expect a slap or hug, but instead, she stands there as if waiting for me to say something. I look to Tess for help, but she just stands there smiling at me, and beside her, stands Izzy wiping her eyes. Back on the 1st Floor, I thought more of myself and basically ignored most of the others, ready to toss them aside. Yet, over and over again, they held their hands out to me, despite my terrible personality. I dont understand why; maybe they were trying to hide behind someone stronger, maybe theyre broken like me. Maybe they are just straight-up weird. Why would you even want to befriend someone like me? I wouldn''t do that. Yet somehow, we wound up like this, and I remember the words left behind by my duplicate. For the first time in a long time, I have people I want to call friends, I guess. I''m back, I say. Chapter 328: 6th Floor Chapter 328: 6th Floor No, I say, responding to Maya, who is currently holding my damaged arcane ax. Come on, Ill buy you something from the system shop worth 10 thousand shards. Fifty thousand. How the fuck would I even get fifty thousand shards? Ask in three to five more floors if I''m lucky. Forty-nine thousand, I prod. At that, Maya grabs a small stone from the ground, throws it at me, and smiles before continuing to examine the ax. I continue to pet Biscuit. Ever since I found them, hes refused to leave my side and lays in my lap while I sit against the wall of the cliff weve chosen to shelter our camp. Not that I mind, the best doggo of the 6th floor deserves all the pets I can give. It''s hard to believe Ive been able to cope without him for so many weeks. Sure, Vega is a great ESM, but there is something hard to explain when I pet this silly corgi or boop his cold nose. Damn, Ive missed him. Nat! You killed a Veil Guardian all on your own? Min-Jae interrupts, eyes wide, in anticipation of an exciting story. Biscuit woofs, either at him or at me for stopping petting, so I continue. A few. I brought a few voidsteel blades with me, so later well see if we cant get someone to make something out of them for you. By the way, you need to spend some more time training your [Telekinesis] and [Gravity Well]. I saw some scary stuff they should be able to replicate. Oh, me too. I saw a Veil Guardian using strong gravity attacks against the Bastion. The Housekeeper nearly died when he focused it on her. But the guardian didn''t use telekinesis or anything similar. I nod, There was one more monster. I saw it wave its hand and destroy an entire city. It tore down skyscrapers like they were nothing and kept throwing building-sized projectiles at me. Scary stuff. The boy continues to listen as I describe a bit more of what the Veil Weaver did. Back then, I don''t think I would have had a chance unless I could cooperate with my duplicate. What about you, Tess? Did you kill a Veil Guardian? I ask her. Two of them on my own and one with the help of the Bastion, she says. I just needed to keep my crown charged and set some preparations in place. Then Id just shoot them from really far away. Sophie was able to kill two of them. She even controlled one for a while. Sophie looks up from Izzy leaning against her, I only controlled it for a few seconds. The Veil didn''t like that at all, and it nearly killed me but the Butler and others killed it before it could finish the job. That was dumb Sophie, Izzy mumbles. Noodle is there as well, coiled around her arm. I can tell that hes looking at me, hes probably hungry for my mana, but a single glance at Biscuit in my lap makes him stop. I cant help but wonder how these two managed to establish their pecking order. During our last day on the Floor, I killed five, Lily says. Most of the eyes in the group turn to her. Of course, it wouldnt be that hard for her. She probably boosted herself with [Sacrifice] and she has the most powerful damage skill out of anyone in group 4, she would kill them. Her level is also getting rather close to 200, but it''s still scary to think that she might be able to pull that off. Well, it''s scary, but she is our scary crazy healer, so that''s fine. The others also managed to kill a Veil Guardian but they always had assistance from the Bastion itself or the four assholes running the place, mostly the Housekeeper or the Butler. The only people who managed to kill them on their own, whether they took them on in a straight up fight or by setting ambushes and traps, are those in Beyond. Well, other than Sophie, who I think would also do well. It''s just that she already used an upgrade token, and shes unwilling to leave Isabella for so long. Well, it''s not like she needs Beyond rewards with her [Manipulation]. Of course, I killed the most Veil Guardians. My duplicate and I hunted them at every opportunity not to mention the ones I fought on my own. But group 4 is as scary as ever. So Biscuit, how was your disciple? (Friend!) Oh, you liked him? (Food.) I agree. Disciples should be respectful towards their masters. (Food food!) Totally. (Asshole?) Oh no, my disciple was great. (Food?) I think it''s close but you are just a tiny bit cuter than her. Can you send them into orbit? I ask. Right away he steps up and he turns to me with even higher excitement, I knew you would understand, Nat! I just thought of it a few days ago, but you figured it out immediately! he says, speaking faster, happy to share it all. He continues, Right now I cant, but Im sure Ill be able to in the future. Just imagine sending monsters to orbit or launching them into space. Or I could lift them into the air and let them crash to the ground. Tess, Nat is at it again and Kim is getting riled up, Maya calls from somewhere nearby. Min-Jae, my boy. Why would you stop there? Imagine if you could lift a rock as big as a building into the air and then increase its gravity and send it crashing into your enemies. Or perhaps you dont use a building, maybe you use high density metal projectiles, the sheer kinetic energy behind it would be terrifying. Did you hear about kinetic bombardment? I did not! I saw it on TV, it was some old army project. Tungsten rods or some such. As tall as telephone poles and probably as thick as Biscuit. A woof sounds from somewhere nearby. They wanted to put these rods in orbit with satellites and then send them crashing to the ground, using gravity alone. supposedly they would reach speeds as high as Mach 8 and deal as much damage as a small nuclear bomb. Isnt that overkill, Nat? You have to think big. With your gravity skill and telekinesis, you might be able to do it even without putting them into orbit. I will think about it. You really like using your surroundings to fight. Whether youre using gravity, falling rain, or wind to generate kinetic energy or absorbing it from pre-charged orbs, Ive noticed that. Well, he is not wrong, It gives me more firepower quicker. I told this to my disciple as well, but you should always try to gain an advantage, don''t bother trying to fight honorably. That''s an idiots game. But now I need to accept one of my rewards. Tess, will you keep watch? Sure, enjoy. Thankful, I move away from the group somewhat, filter out their conversations, and accept my skill combination token. You have used an active skill combination token. Please pick two skills from the following that you would like to combine. Warning! Combining two skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill. Warning! Combining incompatible skills may result in worse skills. Warning! After combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination. List of available skills to combine: Mana Manipulation - Lvl 47 Perception - Lvl 43 Tether - Lvl 35 Regalia - Lvl 23 Infusion - Lvl 28 Five skills available. [Focus], [Redistribution], [Resonance], and [Mana Domain] are not here at all. I once again wonder if they are skills that are unavailable to combine or if they are higher tiered than the active skill combination token. If there even is something like hidden rarities as Ive taken to thinking of late. [Mana Manipulation] with [Perception] [Mana Manipulation] with [Tether] [Mana Manipulation] with [Regalia] [Mana Manipulation] with [Infusion] [Perception] with [Tether] [Perception] with [Regalia] [Perception] with [Infusion] [Tether] with [Regalia] [Tether] with [Infusion] [Regalia] with [Infusion] Well, the last time I didn''t even consider using [Mana Manipulation] given the way I relied on it, but this time Ill keep it on the menu, I think I should be fine, even without it. Let''s consider our options. Chapter 329: Brilliant idea Chapter 329: Brilliant idea [Mana Manipulation] with [Perception] This combination could create something akin to my Mana Wavelength Iris, so this is most likely a pass for now. It could be great, but I already have my trait, which is more than good enough for that. [Mana Manipulation] with [Tether] Sounds interesting, but I really like [Tether], and I still dont think Ive explored it properly. So, this one is also a pass. [Mana Manipulation] with [Regalia] This one sounds the most interesting so far. I will think about it. [Mana Manipulation] with [Infusion] This is one to seriously consider, though I suspect that itll just create a stronger, more mana-focused version of [Regalia]. Or maybe it will allow me to infuse mana more easily? In higher amounts? Like an improved version of my former skill [Mana Surge]? It''s not very enticing. [Perception] with [Tether] Also most likely a pass because I want to keep [Tether]. [Perception] with [Regalia] This one is a straight-up weird combination, and I can imagine a worse skill coming out of it. [Perception] with [Infusion] Better [Infusion] maybe, a higher version of it? Though that could end badly as well. [Tether] with [Regalia] It could be interesting, but once again, nope. [Tether] with [Infusion] Also nope. [Regalia] with [Infusion] And once again we have something truly interesting. So, in the end, it''s either [Mana Manipulation] with [Regalia] or [Regalia] with [Infusion]. Either seems to be a good option. Would the first option make a more controllable version of [Regalia], so perhaps the second will make a stronger version of it? These options seem fairly similar. When I did this before, I gave up [Mana Infusion] and got [Infusion] in exchange. It would be cool if it came out the same, and I could get [Manipulation] instead of [Mana Manipulation], but unfortunately, I don''t think that will happen. I just don''t have the same kind of talent as Sophie, in the same way, it''s hard for me to do healing. Ive even tried to get other forms of Primordial energy, especially Tesss lightning, but I have failed. Now that reminds me of something. Tess combined her [Lightning Armor] with [Lightning Manipulation] and got [Storm Crown]. Does that mean that if I combine [Regalia] and [Mana Manipulation], Ill wind up with something similar? That could be cool. At this point, I can manipulate mana pretty well on my own, and the skill mostly serves as a definitive numerical value for my skill level. Losing the skill would, of course, be noticeable, but Im confident that I could adapt within a few weeks. That''s what I like about this. With all the things Ive done, I should have a dozen more skills, but for some reason, the system doesn''t give them out quite so easily. though that also means that I can do some stuff without having the skills, so that''s cool. The system is clearly a mess, its highly situational and individualized, given the way the rules change slightly from person to person. Well, let''s hope things work out like they did for Tess. It might also force me to improve my manipulation of mana without the skill. I want to combine [Mana Manipulation] with [Regalia]. Congratulations, you have successfully combined [Mana Manipulation] and [Regalia]! A new skill has been created. You have acquired [Mana Crown]. [Mana Crown - lvl 0 > Mana Crown - lvl 9] I''m sure Tess back then got it to level 2, so at least that''s something. But it also irks me a bit. Tess got her crown earlier than I did. Does that mean I''m behind? Is my new skill stronger than her crown? It better be, Tess is just as competitive as me when it comes down to it. With nearly suicidal fascination, I watch as it even reaches into my Mana Reservoir and starts emptying that as well. How the fuck is this even possible. So interesting. I quickly tie an anchor to a mana orb, shoot it toward the others, and then fly further and further away from them, even teleporting through anchors multiple times. When I finally stop, I find myself really far away from where I started and Ive depleted most of the mana in my reservoir, but I finally manage to remove the crown from my head and throw it away. [Mana Crown - lvl 16 > Mana Crown - lvl 17] It tries to reach me, to take the rest of my mana from my reservoir, but I move further away, and it seems like the crown can''t move on its own. It just hovers there eerily, slowly spinning. The connection it had to me disappears and as if unable to maintain its properties without me, it finally stops, without any mana left for it to absorb. Damn, what a terrifying thing. I love it. The way it absorbs mana is scary and it doesn''t even feel like its real power, just a side effect created by its combination with black mana. Well, I can observe it a bit longer. If it''s like a black orbs, it will start crumbling after being deprived of mana for a while. Well, with as much as it did absorb, it will take a while, but... The black crown shifts through a series of colors in quick succession. From black to pale blue to darker. Streaks of light blue appear, quickly joined by purple streaks. Then the crown turns bright white. And as terror-struck as fascinated, I watch it all happen. Then I teleport away as quickly as I can. I land next to group 4 once more, only for them to pepper me with questions, I turn in the direction of the crown. Wondering if were far enough away. I flew a pretty good way out, didnt I? A bright white light appears on the horizon. At first, it is the size of a fireplace, then it quickly grows larger as the crown releases all the mana it has collected, unable to maintain its shape without its connection to me. There is no way thats going to reach us, right? The light becomes brighter and I check my mana stat. Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1015 + 1015 Then I remember that my Mana Reservoir basically triples that amount. I reach into said Mana Reservoir and move the rest of my mana, creating a pointy barrier in front of us that should divert most of the explosion, though we will still take some of the impact. I might need some help here, I call to others. There must be something in my voice because they immediately rush to join me in my effects. Everyone who can, moves to reinforce, creating barriers of their own or using support skills. Sophie even shows off her manipulation of the earth forming a sizable mass of rocks into a wall in front of us, which she proceeds to strengthen with her web. The horizon turns bright white and then a light flashes, Illuminating a huge area around us, turning the night into the brightest day. Every stone, every inch of the cliff face looks like someone is shining a massive flashlight across its surface. Then the heat follows and even as far away as we are the heat wave crashes into us, slamming into Sophies rock wall and baking the stone. The shockwave follows next and I feel pressure against my barrier and pieces of the wall crumble, while some of the weaker barriers the others made start to flicker. All of this is followed by the deafening roar of the explosion, just before the Mana Radiation hits us. Similar to what I felt back in the Veil Ignition Station, next to the cracked core. Its not nearly as strong and its not dangerous to anyone here, but it''s there and I can feel it hanging in the air. Lastly, with Mana Radiation arrives a weak field, which seems to be an attempt at disrupting mana. It''s weak and barely noticeable, but with my experience, I can sense it. Gradually, the light and the heat dissipate and we lower our barriers after making sure that it''s safe. We were so far away, and yet this happened. Could I do that on my own, by compressing mana into an orb? I don''t think so. I wouldn''t be able to keep that much mana under my control or collect it quickly enough. Could I do that with the help of items, perhaps some epic mana stones filled with my mana? Probably yes, but I would need help to create such an item, like when the Craft Guild on the 4th floor helped me create the ant obliterator. But even then it wasnt this potent. There was some Mana Radiation, but it was even weaker than what happened here and there was no disruptive wave following that. I mean it was almost like an EMP. And thats not even what it''s meant for, it was just a side effect of losing control of a combination of two incompatible or exceedingly compatible things. I love it. Who wants to check the crater? I turn to Group 4. Huh, why are they giving me those expressions? Aren''t they curious? Chapter 330: Start of the 1st tournament Chapter 330: Start of the 1st tournament POV Tess Hansen Nat and the others stand around the crater created by his skills. A small accident, he calls it. Kim and Lily following are close behind, though I notice that he seems to be a bit disappointed. I thought it would be a bigger explosion. Was most of the mana wasted? Or is it... he mumbles under his breath. Well, it''s Nat, so I''m not even surprised, as I observe the crater and remember the explosion and how far away we were when we felt its effect. Could I have created something like this? Probably not, I mostly focus on increasing single-target damage, that''s why I picked Potency mana upgrade. Nat could probably do similar damage to a single target, but I believe that mine is stronger; it''s just that his skills and their applications are... exotic. As I watch Lily and Kim follow him like little ducklings, I can''t help but smile. It feels nice for the group to be together once more. That''s a nice smile, Maya says as she stands by my side. Thanks, I say, smiling at her as well. It''s nice to have the band all together, well, most of us. Dennis and Aaron will be back soon, and then it is group 4 at full power once again. After months, Maya sighs and looks at Biscuit as he floats around Isabella, who, with a serious expression, tells him that she could create a crater like this as well. Yes, and when they get back, it''ll be us against the world once again. I say. Heh, so silly. I know, right? So what do you think of this? I ask, gesturing at Nat. The crater or the guy? The guy. Things like the crater are old hat at this point, and they come as a package with him. As I say that, I declare the space around Maya and me as mine, preventing our conversation from leaking out. He notices right away as I create the field, and a golden light flashes in his eyes before he turns back to Kim and continues to explain something. He seems a bit more approachable. Even his expression is softer when he talks to the others, Maya says. So, Its not just me. You know him better, so what do you think? I take a moment to think about the answer, Nat is... well, his upbringing has been a bit difficult, so he likes to close himself off and keep to himself. I think having to take care of his disciple on the 5th floor has helped him realize a few things. I can imagine that with the way the system chose our disciples. Mine was way too similar to me, Tess; it was almost scary. As if I was seeing myself as a kid. How was yours? Mine was the same. It was like looking in a mirror, but I''m happy for that. It made me realize how cute I used to be and how well I''ve grown, with a smile, I poke her side and then dodge her playful attack. I continue, As for our walking bomb, I''m happy to see him like this. You might laugh at me, but I think out of all of us, he might be the most normal person here. Maya shoots a few small mana projectiles at me, and I evaporate them with my lightning. Unbelieving, she lifts her eyebrow, I know he keeps saying that, but Tess, you at least, should know better than to fall for it. The guy is bonkers. But now then, do you still have that snack you stole from the Butler? I will trade you a few rare-grade mana stones for it. I partially filter out Min-Jaes and Lilys conversation and examine the crater once more. How is it so small! From the way the shockwave hit us, I expected the damage to be bigger. There was no implosion either. Did most of it get sent upward? Is the rock here more durable? Was there too much mana for an implosion to occur, maybe it was the lack of negative pressure? The smaller crater could also be because it was just compressed mana without any skill infusions or instructions. That could be it. As for the crown and black mana, Ive already thought about what went wrong. It''s highly likely that the crown should dominate mana, maybe even the black stuff; it''s just that the level is too low or, maybe I used too much mana when I created the black orb. Both of these problems seem to be similar in nature so in the future, they could probably work pretty nicely together. Imagine a crown infused with black mana absorbing the mana from the attacks being thrown at me and filtered through the crown to change the frequency so that I can use said mana. Later on I might be able to use the crown as a medium to absorb ambient mana. I already have a few ideas, inspired by the ethercrystal shortsword I got from that guy, Elydor. I wish I could meet him one more time... to talk. The combination wont be viable for a while yet. Pushing black mana into the crown gave it easier access to my own mana. It continued to absorb my mana even through the Mantle and my natural barrier, it usually wouldnt be capable of that, at least not at this level. Then it even absorbed mana from my Mana Reservoir and I find that highly interesting. Very, very interesting. Damn, this shit is going to be good. I just need some training and levels. That''s when Lily moves closer and pokes my side. I don''t let her know, but I carefully strengthen my body and even then I feel it. Once again, I''m reminded of the physical power of the muscle heads in group 4. The heretics that didn''t go full mana. You said you missed us, did you mean me as well? she asks carefully. But I can see where shes going. She knows the answer but wants to hear me say it out loud. I don''t mind all that much, it''s not that difficult to say, but something in the way this petite girl looks at me makes me want to tease her. Oh, yes, I missed Biscuit, I answer before turning around, and heading to the bottom of the crater. H-hey! she shouts and quickly follows me, nearly immediately appearing by my side with a quick movement. Did she use [Sacrifice] or is it her own strength? So you said you upgraded your Constitution? I say changing the subject. She pouts for a moment, but happy even for that conversation she answers, Yes! It will make my body much tougher. But the main reason is that the stronger the body I have, the more I get from [Sacrifice]. Lily is still somewhat awkward. We havent seen each other in weeks so it will take a bit to get as comfortable around each other as before, but it''s also fun to see her struggle. Am I the bully here? Am I the asshole as Earth''s future Absolute declared so long ago and my first minion confirmed? Any improvements to your usage of the skill or [Reconstruction]? Her eyes shine at the opportunity and she gestures for me to look. I have Noodle; I will be safe, Soph! First place is mine, I tell Tess. We shall see, she says, returning my gaze. The time ticks down, and with a small bag of a few important items and a damaged arcane ax in my hand, I click yes. The rest of the things stay on this floor, buried deep underground and hidden to be retrieved when we come back. I don''t even feel the effects of the teleportation and find myself in a different place. The bright sun makes me squint my eyes. Around me, I hear small birds sing, the sky is beautifully blue, and the gentle breeze moves through the leaves of the trees all around me. The air smells like summer. Then I sense a presence behind me. Mana rushes through my already strengthened body, and I swing the ax in my hand, ready to redirect it if needed. As my body tilts, my shifting point of view reveals a thin girl with messy brown hair and lively eyes. She ducks under the ax and tries to stab me with the dagger in her hand. It''s a playful move, but extremely quick. Kinetic energy explodes into the area around me, and sensing that, she aborts the attack. With an even higher speed and three nimble jumps, she moves behind just out of reach. In the process, she easily dodges the few small orbs I launch at her. Then there she stands, her lively eyes observing me. There is no text over her head, identifying her as one of the other tutorial attendees. But just the way she hid her mana from me is scary. I couldn''t feel it until she was nearly touching me. Even now, as I look at her, she is barely different from the tree next to her when it comes to sensing her presence. And that speed. Who are you? I ask. Lowering her guard, she just shrugs her shoulders. Then she lifts up one of her fingers gesturing for me to wait and nimbly moves towards one of the bushes and breaks off a small thin branch. She takes a few steps closer, not worried at all, and draws into the dirt on the ground. (;-_-) Haaa, Is no one here normal? Tacita? I ask. She nods energetically, happy for my guess, her brown hair bouncing around her head as she does so. The tournament is a competitive base, but also an opportunity to meet your fellow tutorial attendees. In one day the events will start, until then please enter the common area. There are no monsters or natives, allowing other tutorial attendees to get to know each other. Death is impossible on the tournament floor. Enjoy your first tournament! I look at the woman next to me who is still reading the notification. She is the first Beyonder Ive met other than Tess and Lily, so I''m curious. So far she is the same as she was in the Community and refuses to talk. She only uses emoticons. My theory that I''m the most normal here is getting stronger even as I meet more and more people. I''m Noname, you may have seen me talking in the Beyond community. She nods a few times and does some hand signs. Sign language? Is she mute? Seeing my expression, she just smiles weakly, as if not expecting me to understand. Well, it doesn''t matter that much. The tournament has finally started and even though it''s not what I expected, I feel myself getting excited. I can''t wait to see people from Hell and other difficulties. POV Tess Hansen We got split again. At this point its starting to get annoying how often the tutorial does this. Hello friend, my name is Gareth. I''m happy to finally see someone outside of my group, the man in front of me smiles friendly. He is tall, muscular, and has a face that seems like the kind you see on superheroes. The man is wearing full plate armor made of silver metal. I don''t see any weapons on him, but the armor itself feels like its at least mid epic grade. Hello Gareth, I''m Sset, weve spoken. Oh, a fellow Beyond explorer! he says excitedly. It''s nice to finally meet you. I hope we get along! he says energetically and with a smile. Right away I know Nathaniel is going to hate this guy. POV Lily Chen The man in front of me doesn''t move. Even his expression is neutral. But the way he stands makes me put my guard up. Even though he is missing his right arm judging by the empty sleeve where it once was, he feels very dangerous. And there is a beautiful sword on his hip. The sword is broken, and half of the blades missing, yet hes still carrying it. His face is calm, even pretty, he has a small birthmark under the left corner of his left eye. He has long black hair tied into a ponytail and very light green eyes. Are you a healer? he asks. How does he know that? And if I am? Then I will ask you to restore my arm. If you are capable of that, I''m willing to offer a trade. He pauses, his eyes observing me, Are you his healer? Grumpy? I get ready to use [Sacrifice], Savant? His expression changes and he nods. Chapter 331: Channeler Chapter 331: Channeler I decide to land rather than fly any further, and once I have I proceed to walk uphill towards some buildings I saw when I was flying earlier. Tacita seems to be amazed by my ability to fly and even claps for me when I land. As we walk, she seems to become a bit more comfortable, neither of us making any attempt to speak. That makes me realize that I may have found a kindred spirit, a fellow introvert. We take the time to enjoy the nice weather and the pretty forest as we pass by. Even the sound of the birds is calming, It reminds me of Earth. I wouldn''t be surprised at all if this floor was made specifically to resemble Earth. As Ive been checking the tournament status, Ive noticed something interesting. Participants in the tournament: Easy difficulty - 1290 Normal difficulty - 802 Hard Difficulty - 231 Hell difficulty - 31 Beyond - 6 When I compare it to the numbers I saw the last time, I come to the conclusion that a few people from Hell difficulty are missing, a few scores of people from Easy and Normal difficulty are not here, and only one person is missing from Beyond. Tess, Lily, Tacita, and I are here and Savant and Gareth arent likely to skip out. So the 1st Beyonder probably decided not to join. I find that interesting and wonder what kind of reason he could have. Tacita catches my attention and gestures to me in sign language, then points in a direction. When I search the area with my senses, I notice a presence belonging to a couple of people who seem to have mana signatures on the weaker end of the scale. Unfortunately, it seems like Ill be meeting more people before I can regroup with the others and let them deal with it. Still, I''m curious, so I head in their direction, followed by the thin young woman. I take notice as she moves extremely quietly. She makes not a single sound as she walks, releasing no mana at all. Shes even suppressing her heat signature and I can''t sense her heartbeat either. It''s as if she is not there. And that fascinates me. Hello! Shouts a blonde man with gentle brown eyes, waving at us with a smile as he rushes to meet us as another man follows behind him. What do you think of the tournament? Seems promising, doesn''t it? he inquires. I dont respond and Tacita doesnt seem to be any more forthcoming than I, and upon seeing this he chuckles nervously. The young man is extremely handsome. By that, I mean supermodel level handsome. Like damn, isn''t it illegal for a man to look like that? He could easily work as a model or an actor. Good for him. It pisses me off. Should I bully him? I''m Channeler from Easy difficulty and this is Oren from Normal difficulty! Oh... damn. I''m Noname from Hell and this is Tacita, also from Hell. Noname! his eyes widen and he takes a few steps closer and his bearing changes a bit. Like a chameleon, he adapts to his surroundings and he almost seems to shift his behavior specifically to deal with me. Ive spoken to Channeler the most out of anyone else from Easy difficulty, and from what hes said, hes been putting as many points of mana as he can get away with. Of course, not to the same extent as me, but even that small fact serves to raise my esteem for him by multiple degrees over the majority of the others. In a calmer voice, he continues, Its such a coincidence to meet you here. I want to thank you for all the advice youve given me. I appreciate it and I''m happy to meet a kindred spirit, he smirks and reaches out to me with his right hand. I grab and shake the offered hand, It''s fine. As you say! But damn, you two from Hell difficulty are really good at hiding your mana, I can''t sense it at all! I stop him before he can continue. If he continues, I will only pity him more. "Okay, that''s enough. Here, take this," out of my bag I take a low rare amulet that creates a barrier around the user. Channeler just stares at it as he holds it in his hand. It''s as if he can''t believe I actually did it, and his eyes move as he keeps reading the description. Under his nose, he smiles weakly, "Of course, the economy is different for people from Hell. Thank you," he says when he lifts his eyes up. This time his voice is calmer and even his expression changes, "Noname, I wonder, are you looking for a colleague? Once we get out of the tutorial." Oh? Interesting character, is he not? "I will introduce you to Sset; she deals with things like this," I say, deciding to dump him on Tess. It might add a bit of work to her plate, but I will make sure to pay her back. I always do. "Thank you." Channeler smiles, and I look away. It should be illegal for men to be so handsome. I don''t consider myself bad-looking, but this? I glance at him again, and he still has a small smile on his lips. His blonde hair is messy, but with his face, even that looks good. The lighting is perfect as well as if he were framed in time, waiting for someone to take a photo to put on a fashion magazine. It pisses me off. Should I take the amulet I gave him? "Let''s go," I order. Then I take the lead, with Channeler right behind and the other guy from Normal difficulty nearby. Tacita follows at the tail, stopping from time to time, to enjoy the breeze with closed eyes, only to rejoin us with a few nimble steps. A Dexterity build? Maybe some kind of assassin judging by how subdued her presence is. I just hope she doesn''t have an invisibility skill; that would be too much. My plan to declare invisibility illegal is still in effect. Anyone who uses one will be punished, and monsters with Phantom in their name will be killed on sight. As we move closer, more people join our group, each welcomed in turn by Channeler, who seems to have great social skills and a never-ending well of energy. He is friendly, but not too nosy, and sometimes even mentions that I''m from Hell difficulty, which seems to take care of anyone who might become a problem. Yup, I need to tell Tess to hire him; this guy will make a great shield... face of... Well, of whatever we need. Maybe Tess will decide to found a guild when we return to Earth. Maybe shell even take over a country or two. Channeler, as of now, seems like the perfect person to be our public face. Handsome people sure have it easy. That''s also when we meet the first people from Hard difficulty. Two guys in decent-looking armor. When Channeler talks to them, they laugh at him and push him away before he mentions this growing group of people has members from Hell. "Nice picnic you guys have here. But aren''t you too friendly, walking around and holding hands?" one of them laughs. "This is a tournament, for fucks sake, so fucking act like it!" His other friend smirks like a man whos used to throwing his weight around. Coincidentally they stop near Tacita, who has her eyes closed, enjoying the sun''s warmth on her face. When they enter her reach, she opens her eyes and tilts her head curiously. "What are you looking at, scrawny? Want to get punched in the face?" he steps closer, reaching his hand to put it on her shoulder. "People with weak presence like you should..." Before he says anything else, Tacita''s hand moves like a flash; only I seem to be able to follow the motion, and even then barely so. The surprised man staggers back and opens his mouth to shout something. Instead of words, bloody foam escapes his mouth, and he just now realizes there is a dagger embedded in his neck and grabs it. In sheer horror, his eyes expand. The guy with him shouts and moves to attack, but Tacita''s hand flashes again, and he falls to the ground. Surprised, he looks behind himself to find his legs severed right below the knee. As they start screaming, Tacita turns to me and shrugs. Then she takes a swift step and pulls the dagger from the man''s neck. While the man twitches and thrashes around, she wipes most of the blood from the blade on his clothes before putting it away. With interest, I watch as the wound starts healing at a high speed. The wound on his neck closes in a matter of seconds, and he quickly regains color in his face. The man keeps holding his neck, looking at Tacita with a terrified expression and gasping for breath. So it looks like there is something to the statement that it''s impossible to die here, but is it really? It seems like you can wound people. So what if you cut off a head or explode their entire body? The other man watches as his severed legs crumble to dust, leaving part of his pants and his shoes on the ground. From his wounds, a new pair of legs start to grow in a matter of seconds. When I look at people from Easy and Normal difficulty, they seem to be even more scared than the two men from Hard difficulty. I turn to Channeler, "Let''s continue. I want to rejoin my group in the common area." Chapter 332: Common area Chapter 332: Common area By the time we reach the common area, our group consists of a hundred or so people. Channeler, meanwhile, proves himself to be even more reliable than I expected and manages to keep anyone from bothering me. Hes either seen through my personality or he''s scared of somebody pissing off Tacita and I. At one point, I hear a weird noise from above, and when I look up, I see a drone flying by. The heck? Without thinking, I push myself up and fly towards it, and stop to observe it. It''s a drone from Earth, that much I can tell. Its on the larger side and probably represents an investment of a few thousand dollars. As it floats there, making its unmistakable noise, its camera moves and looks right at me. The drone then moves up and down as if Ive startled the operator, and then the camera looks down under my feet and then back up at me. I am willing to bet 10,000 shards that the owner is someone from Easy difficulty. Those guys seem to have the easiest time. What''s next? A helicopter? A yacht? I wouldn''t be surprised. So, I snatch the drone, land, and turn it upside down, which causes the propellers to stop spinning. The camera continues to move and look around. You can fly? Channeler asks, welcoming me with a shocked expression on his face. A bit. Can you carry this? I will give you an uncommon item, I offer. Will do, boss! the handsome man says, immediately taking the drone with a big smile. As we pass through the tree line and enter the clearing on top of the mountain, the view opens up to reveal hundreds of people already moving around. The clearing is massive, encompassing a few dozen grassy hills, both small and large. There are plenty of buildings. Some are small, and others are a bit bigger, and not unlike towers in their construction. Perhaps theyre meant to be a place for us to sleep between events? There are more things of note, but just seeing the sheer amount of people having conversations around us is starting to tire me out. They talk, and some even proceed to fight, flashes of mana erupting into the air. Someone screams, and I hear a baby crying nearby. Did a baby somehow find their way into the tutorial, or did somebody give birth in the tutorial? It''s all weird. Even though they are all real people from Earth right now, they don''t feel all that different from the natives. I examine that feeling a bit more but have to stop when I notice a car in the distance. A goddamn jeep with solar panels on its roof. And next to it are two more off road vehicles with solar panels plastered over the body. They are worn and slightly damaged, but they still seem to be fully operational. What the actual fuck. How did they even get here with those hills? As I probe the area with my senses and head toward the signatures representing my group, only Channeler and Tacita follow. Passing through the people, I hear music playing nearby, either from a smartphone or a stereo. It all makes sense given that the other difficulties seem to be much safer. Some people probably made it into the tutorial while they were camping and got to keep all their gear. Some probably even got teleported while they were in a shop and took a big chunk of it with them. It''s just that for us from Hell, we have nothing left from Earth. No clothes, no phones, not even rings. All of it was either damaged, destroyed, lost, or had to be left behind. Yet there are people with cars, drones, solar panels, and smartphones. I even notice an older guy moving around with a camera and recording everything. He is wearing clothes similar to the ones I saw on the second floor, and there is a sword on his hip. But hes holding a goddamn modern camera. Deciding I''ve had enough, I push further, but after a few steps, I stop and backtrack. My head slowly turns to the right, and there I see a young woman holding a chocolate bar and carefully opening it while talking to the people around her, all of them seemingly from the same group. I take a few steps and enter their camp, which immediately gets their interest, and a few of them stand up, mana rushing through their bodies. They are so weak. "What do you..." "I will trade a rare item for that chocolate," I say straight away. "What?" "Two rare items, and even more if you have anything else I want." Channeler stares at me with an expression that is almost funny, but I put my attention on the woman. "So?" I ask. "Are you serious?" the older man with a beard answers instead of her and moves closer. I identify their group as either Normal difficulty or Easy. Hmm, maybe I could go up to an epic item for trade. I''m totally willing to do that. I still have a few smaller epic items I didn''t sell to the shop, so I wouldn''t be losing much. I can sell these items for 1500-2000 shards each at most. In answer to his question, I nod, and their group quickly puts their heads together, and a passionate conversation ensues. It takes a minute, and slowly they become louder, arguing. When the man turns back to me, he says, "We can trade you three bars. One of them has melted, another is past its expiration date, and the last one has a small hole in the package. We also have a pack of marshmallows, two bottles of soda, and a package of crackers. Those are in perfect state." Sounds good for a start, but I will get more; let''s just flash some of my riches, "Okay, what do you want?" He seems to be thinking for a while, but before he can say anything, shouting erupts behind us, "That''s my drone! Can you..." Without turning, I use [Redistribution] to grab hold of the man shouting about the drone along with the rest of his group. Each of them freezes mid-movement, unable to talk or move, though I allow them to blink and breathe. "So?" I say, nudging the man. He looks between the newcomers and me and gulps, "At least a few rare items. I don''t think you will find that many of them..." he tries to apologize for the high price. Is there a reason why Lily didnt heal you? I ask them. Aaron answers, If we return with healed wounds, they will punish us even more and start asking who healed us and how we removed the mark, he shrugs. They? Black Tower. The vice guild master didnt like that we tried to escape a few times and likes to... to do this. his mark stops natural healing, and he will notice if we remove it. I see. I wanted to heal them, but Tess said it would cause more problems. I hate it, but we still dont know where they are on the 6th floor. Lily says as she approaches. We also asked her not to heal us, so dont blame her, Dennis looks at me, his blue eyes smiling even with the wounds covering his body. Dennis'' disciple died. Aaron followed him to the 6th floor so that he wouldnt be there alone, and then they got treated like this by a piece of sentient trash. Looks like Im going to be busy after the tournament and someone will be very dead. Im glad you two are otherwise ok. When we return to the 6th floor, we will find you. So just hold on until then. The two of them exchange a glance. We already have a plan, but we wont mind the chance to fuck the guy up a little bit more with your help, Dennis smiles brightly. Just that guy? The entire Black Tower is going in the trash, I say. Even better! Maybe we can try to blow it up, Aaron laughs as if he thinks I''m joking. So silly. But anyway, Have a welcoming gift. I say, handing a snack to each of them. Im glad you are safe and... Im sorry about your disciple, Dennis. After spending time with Vega, I have a hard time imagining how I would feel if she died, so the poor boy must have felt terrible. He thanks me, somewhat taken aback, and then I move around Group 4, giving time to everyone in the group. Biscuit, done with his food, floats over to me and boops my nose with his front paw. Isabella hugs me, and some of the other members are already stuffing their faces by the time I return to Tess. For you, I tell Tess, handing her chocolate. You like milk chocolate, right? I would hug you for that, but Lily would get mad, she says, accepting my offering and putting it away. I would not! Lily protests, sulking nearby. In that case, Tess says, swiftly moving closer and throwing her arms around me for a short hug, with a mischievous look on her face the entire time as she looks at Lily. She quickly takes a step back after a second. Anyway, Channeler left to find his group, so you had better pay him back later and throw in some extra. I would like to keep him around. Planning to take over the world when we get back to Earth? Just a few places with nice weather where our group can go on holidays. Will you help me with that? If it''s not too annoying. Just point me at anyone you need to be beaten, I answer, I even mean it. Sounds good! Anyway, was that girl following you who I think she is? Yes, that was Tacita. To my answer, Tess nods, and Lily becomes curious, looking for the girl whos already snuck off somewhere. I met Gareth, and Lily here bumped into Savant. Right away, I turn to Lily, who is looking up at me with a smile. I healed his right arm in exchange for this. The petite healer shows me a mana stone with an extreme amount of data inscribed inside, Its from the 2nd floor. Research notes on the use of regeneration-class skills, made by Champion Tristan and his disciple Hella, who was a healer. Oh, the guy who, according to the Floor quest, destroyed the world with the Sword of Aeons, the strongest mana battery in the world, and his unique skill [Dawn]. But how did Savant get his hands on it? Lily smiles brightly yet somewhat shyly, Its useless to me; I''m already a good healer! But I got it for you; I know you have been trying to get an active healing skill or something similar. Savant asked me to regenerate his arm in exchange for this and I refused at first. Then he said I should agree and give the mana stone to you. He must have seen me complaining about your weak passive in the Community. Damn, has she been scammed by that guy already? Still thankful, I take the stone and decide to pay her back later. But Nat, if you fight him, be a bit careful. We fought, and I lost. Of course, It was only because I wasn''t fully serious; I didnt want to kill him! she says defending herself and gesturing wildly, before slumping down and sighing, But I got angry during the fight and used [Disintegration] on a reflex. He let it hit him and... Thats where I stop her, No need to say more. I dont want to know. Even this is a big hint, and learning more would take some fun out of it. I would be able to prepare, and I might become able to win just because of that fact. But I dont want to. That guy has been someone Ive wanted to fight for a long time, Im always wondering which of us is stronger. And now, hearing that he resisted [Disintegration], I feel my hopes rising even further. This tournament will be fun. Chapter 333: Events for the 1st tournament Chapter 333: Events for the 1st tournament "So, as I said, I recommend buying a Detachment token and using it to remove your skill''s upgrade. At least for your main skill." I say. "That shit costs a thousand shards. Im not paying that to weaken my skill," Maya says, looking up from the smartphone I bought, just to complain. Then, having said what she wanted to say, she switches to the next song, and from the speaker of the phone, a cheery Japanese pop song starts playing, "Damn, I wish so much I could download something else." Tess takes the phone from Maya''s hand and increases the volume with a lively expression on her face, "I love it!" When Maya tries to take the phone back, a red and white spark of lightning hits Maya''s hand. That gives me an idea, "Do you think you could charge electronics with your lightning?" I ask Tess. "Nat... it''s Primordial lightning, and I don''t think that''s how electronics work." "Not with that attitude." Aaron jumps into our conversation, "How much did it all cost you?" "Twenty rare items, I think? Give or take," I answer. "Damn, how many shards do you have?" "A bit over 60 thousand." "Oh, 6 thousand, not bad at all..." "60 thousand." "6 thousand?" "Sixty." "Sixty?" "Sixty." (Food!)Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com "Sixty fucking thousand shards?" "Sixty-four fucking thousand shards," I say. The expressions of everyone around are extremely amusing to watch, and I feel my energy refilling. Vega would call me an asshole, but I''m sure she would be proud of her rich master. "Won''t you be able to buy an arcane item soon?" Min-Jae moves closer, looking at me while, as always, a dozen balls float around him as he practices. "Nope, I''m saving for a passive." "If you have so many, you should just give me that damaged ax..." Maya tries. "No." "Fuck," she deflates. I still have to study it. Later, I might even try to fix it. I''m curious what a low arcane item is capable of at its full power. (Food?) "If you really want it, I can give it to you, Biscuit," I answer honestly. At that, he burrows his head into my chest, and I continue to pet him. Such a good snuggly boy. The best doggo of the sixth... no, the best doggo of the tournament floor! (Food.) "Thank you, Ill hold onto it. If you decide you want it, just ask." The others ignore our conversation, seemingly used to it already. Really? Yes! she confirms, acting all smart. Its still not perfect, but very very slowly, youre starting to feel like a hero. That amuses me even more, and she seems to notice that even without her skill. Its not funny! I saw it on the internet. Some old guy said that Heroes are not born; they are made, and to me, youre starting to look like a hero! You saved Soph and helped us so many times. She explains. Such a silly girl. One day I really want to see her interact with Vega. Instead of responding to something so outrageous, I caress her head, almost trying to pull her non-existing horns, something I got used to doing. How was Seneca? I ask her. A mistake, as I realize quickly, as Izzy spends the next two hours telling me about her adventures on the 5th floor and the time she spent with Seneca, her disciple. It would be fine if she shared interesting information, but Izzy doesnt know about the Veil, the Ignition Stations, the Champions, and natives. She mostly talks about her adventures and fights, about teaching her disciple, and other silly things. But being in a surprisingly good mood, I decide to let her talk for tonight while I sit back and listen. At some point, the boys join as well, and Izzy gets Dennis to talk about his disciple who died. Such cruelty surprises me, yet Izzy keeps asking with her childish honesty, seeming to have some hidden plan in mind. Aaron tries to stop her a few times, but she manages to talk over him with a fast stream of words each time, and slowly Dennis opens up. He talks about his time on the 5th floor. How he was scared, how he was annoyed with his disciple, and how, as he slowly opened up, they started building a relationship. He talks about their adventures and all the silly things. In detail, he talks about the time they found a hill with a beautiful view. He talks about getting scared by a tiny animal in the middle of the night. Then he gets to the point when his disciple dies, and even though it feels cruel, Izzy keeps asking. And Dennis talks. When he cries, and the little girl moves closer, taking his bigger hands into her smaller ones. Isabella asks again, she makes him talk more and share it all. She doesnt even use her skill to share his emotions with us, but its all out in the open for us to see. No one talks over him, no one minds his tears; instead, people offer their support and listen to the quiet words he has to say. Thats how we learn about his disciple, a young human girl called Draya with whom he spent such a short, yet impactful time. By the time the night comes, Dennis seems as if a weight has fallen from his shoulders, and he hugs Isabella for a long time, whispering quiet words of thanks. During the night, the two of us keep watch while the others sleep. And one of those keeping watch happens to be me. The place weve chosen to stay is a bit higher than the plane where the buildings and people are, and I watch the lights down there with abject fascination. Every single person there is a real person from Earth, not a native of the floor. Its still a weird feeling. I listen as some cheer, celebrating late into the night, and making contact with others. Over two thousand people, are all in the same situation. They share information, they trade. Of course, there are some fights, flames light up the sky, projectiles fly, and mana blazes up, but never anything too serious, theyre just small conflicts aiming to establish a pecking order. Even then, a small group of stronger mana signatures moves to the conflict, stopping it and building up recognition early. People devoted to taking on that role even after returning to Earth. I wonder if they are truly selfless or if it''s just a cold calculating move with the hope of saving work and time later. When morning comes, half a day remains until the 1st event, but we finally get a notification from the system with the schedule. Events for the 1st tournament of the 5th round of the Earth tutorial have been decided. They are as follows: 1st event - The Survival Domain 2nd event - The Siege of Aether Keep 3rd event - Avatar Confrontation 4th event - The Arena 5th event - Chronicle of the Past The first event will start in 12 hours. More information will be shared soon. Chapter 334: WhiteWing Chapter 334: WhiteWing So, the events are Battle Royale, Tower Defense, Raid Bosses, Duels, and whatever the last event is, Dennis declares confidently. You and your theories. Just wait a few hours, and the event will start, Maya stretches, and we continue to walk between the buildings and the camps people have set up.Yo?ur favorite stories at novelhall.com Weve already found a house with a nice view to stay in, and Aaron, Sophie, and Izzy have stayed behind to watch over our things. The rest of us have decided to look around and gather some more information. I secretly hope to meet BenDover and Sami, the guys from the Hell and Easy difficulty Communities. Finding them among so many people could be challenging, but a man can dream, right? At some point, Tacita joins us as well. She appears out of nowhere, walking with our group, and scaring a few of our members when they notice her. After I tell Lily who she is, Lily rushes to her and stops an arm''s reach away, I''m Grumpy! I can heal you! Na... Noname said you can''t talk, and I''m a healer; I should be able to do it easily. At that, Tacita shakes her head. I dont want anything for it; its really simple, and it doesnt even hurt, Lily then reaches her hand to touch the slim girl and stops, with a dagger held at her neck. Quickly the mood changes, and the smile disappears from Lilys face. Take that dagger away before I tear your arm off, our healer says calmly. For a moment, she and Tacita look at each other before the mute girl smiles brightly and takes the dagger away. To that, Lily calms down and says, Sorry for trying to heal you without your consent. Tacita lifts her hands in the air, seemingly gesturing that it''s okay, and she gives a single short pat on Lilys shoulder. Her mood improves even more when Lily gives her a piece of candy from my hunt. Watching this exchange, I''m once more validated in my belief that I''m the most normal person here. Also, as we walk, I''m validated that Biscuit is the most handsome boy in this round of the tutorial. We see some animals, and some of them even feel somewhat strong. A white cat, a crow following a man from Hard difficulty, a big pitbull. We even see some monsters. A horse with six legs, a bird with a wingspan more than twice my length, And a pack of six weasel-like creatures. When Biscuit approaches them, seemingly out of curiosity, and then the animals and monsters start screeching out of pure fear. They tremble and dont even try to run; instead, they step back and cower, growling quietly. Each time, Biscuit just looks at them and then leaves. It seems to disturb some of Group 4s members, but I''m only proud. His greatness is showing even now. Did you notice that field? I ask Sophie. Yes, and to be honest, it''s trash, she says. I can sense that multiple people collaborated on it, and its likely that theyre all from Hell difficulty. And I agree with her. The field covering the clearing is pretty weird. Its nothing like Veil and its not even comparable to the barrier protecting the Bastion. The field in question is basically some sort of mana detector, meant to detect emissions over a certain level and send a signal and location to the creators. Its probably Gareth, Tess joins. He said he was going to speak with Samuel, and that he felt like he had a point. So they, ''re probably using it to police this place. We give her a questioning look, and she sighs, Gareth told me before, like I said, hes very talkative. Well, it''s not like it is hard for them to take care of a few people. From what I''ve seen, I could deal with tens, maybe hundreds of Easy or Normal difficulty people fairly easily, and I could probably handle a good number of people from Hard as well, Maya says. The way she underestimates her powers feels weird. I myself am sure that I could wipe out everyone from Hard difficulty even if all 200 some odd people joined forces against me. Following Tess, we reach a spot where a large group of powerful individuals have gathered. I can feel that much from their mana signatures. I switch to Sneaky Mode and observe like I used to back on the fifth floor. The central part of this clearing is occupied by a huge white spacious tent with multiple open entrances. The inside seems to be well illuminated though its shielded from anything that might overwhelm the eye. It seems cozy, and the tent is big enough to fit a hundred or so people. Sset, my friend. Im glad you made it, a man says as he emerges from the tent, seeming to be the strongest in the group. He seems to be around 40 years old, though hes muscular and fit. There is a friendly smile on his face, and his jaw is probably sharp enough to cut glass. The next thing I notice is the beautiful silver armor he is wearing. The armor looks heavy, made of thick plates of metal, and yet the man moves naturally. Hello Gareth, these are Noname, Grumpy, Knight, StrongestOne, and NotAaron. The mans eyes turn to me as he examines me for a moment, and then he smiles. Im happy to meet you as well, Noname and Grumpy. Its always nice to see my fellow Beyond explorers. I also welcome you, Knight, StrongestOne, and NotAaron. Jakub and Maximillian seemed to speak with you quite often, and Im sure they would be glad to meet you when they return. I once again have to remind myself that Jakub and Maximillian are Lootenant and Brainiac from the community. Gareth surely loves to continue to doxx everyone he meets. What a guy. When he stops in front of me, I observe him and the hand he offers. He is doing it all so naturally, with a big smile on his face. I already feel his extrovert passive leeching off my reserves of social energy. So I nod, Something like that. Max, its rude to ask about that, with a sigh, Lootenant moves closer and pulls his red-haired friend away, I apologize for Max. He''s a good guy but he can be annoying sometimes. Thats okay. Tess says, standing up with a smile on her lips, Im Sset, it''s nice to meet you in the flesh, Brainiac and Lootenant, or would you prefer Maximillian and Jakub? Its amusing to see the two young men react to the pretty, tall, and blonde Tess. Lootenant seems to even blush, and Brainiac is taken aback, his eyes moving up and down Tess''s figure. With interest, I wait to see how long Tess will let him continue before she zaps him, but unfortunately, it doesn''t get to that point. Tess introduces Lily, Min-Jae, Dennis, and Maya. Unsurprisingly, the young men are happy to meet the other boys given the way they spoke in the Community, and they get sucked into a conversation like old friends. Tsk, I wanted to see Tess zap him, Maya says, moving her chair next to mine. Me too, I murmur in agreement. Want to bail and check out the houses they mentioned? Tess can take care of the rest, she offers. You just want to find a nice house and have me pay for it. Yes I do, Maya agrees shamelessly. You are rich, and it might make you more attractive in my eyes. Don''t you want to look reliable and capable in the eyes of a pretty young woman? Well, Maya used to be a professional trainer, and after her time in the tutorial, her body has become even more athletic and shes not wrong, she could easily be called pretty, between her dark skin, wavy black hair, and dark brown eyes, but. The ax is now 55 thousand shards. Fuck, why! You said 49 thousand before. I need to make more money to seem more capable, apparently. I stand up. Take Dennis, and well head over. He can connect to Aaron and tell the others to move in. Before I can change my mind, she quickly exchanges a few words with Tess and pulls Dennis away from the group, and we head outside and deeper into the center of the common area. The deeper we go, the nicer the houses are. The common area isn''t exactly flat; there are a few small hills with houses at the top. Some houses even seem to have been built into those smaller hills. The common area is massive. Walking through streets made of cobblestone and passing by beautiful houses, we reach the center of the plaza, at which point I take the opportunity to look around. Finding a house that I like, I head there; it''s on the smaller side with a workshop nearby. The house sits at the top of a hill that is shielded on one side by a forest, leaving the front of the house as the only part facing the rest of the place. And by being at the top of the highest hill in the area, it offers a nice view of the town. As we approach, a barrier stops us, and a message pops up. Would you like to rent Forest Edge Retreat and the accompanying facilities? 500 shards/day Well, it looks like Gareth wasnt joking. Yes, I want to pay for the entire length of the tournament. Would you like to pay 3000 shards to rent the Forest Edge Retreat and the accompanying facilities? Yes/No I confirm, and the shards disappear. After that, the barrier disappears, and Dennis sends a message to the others to move in. How much? Maya asks curiously. Three thousand for the full duration of the tournament. Damn, she gasps. Unlike her, I don''t mind. Opening the tournament system shop and checking items and their prices, I already know I will get my shards back with plenty of extra. About ten hours remain until the start of the 1st event, so that''s plenty of time to cook up something nice. Chapter 335: [Restriction] Chapter 335: [Restriction] The first thing I bought was a bar of metal, which is floating in front of me now, held there by the mana Ive surrounded it with. To that end, I''m using my crown to increase my level of control. At the same time, I''m releasing thermal energy and melting it, allowing me to mold it into the shape of a dagger. All things Ive learned from Nevan. I would like to use better materials or even kinetic energy to pummel the metal more or experiment with alloys, but thats currently out of my reach. Those are goals for the future. For now, my goal is to create a rare item and sell it through the tournaments auction system. The materials must be bought from the tournament shop as well, but their prices aren''t very high, which of course means that the quality isn''t all that high either, but it should be enough for me to make some rare items. I allow the dagger to settle on the facilitys worktable and take a moment to look over at Isabella and Sophie, who are experimenting in the corner. The sisters seem to be having fun together. Isabella creates flames which Sophie helps her shape and they use the resulting effects in an attempt to mimic my techniques. It was Isabella''s idea and the mind manipulator, Sophie siscon Martinez, of course, agreed. Flames need to be more even at the edges and slightly hotter in the center, I warn her for the fifth time. I know. You told me already! the little girl complains. Turning back to my dagger, I absorb the rest of its heat, accelerating the cooling process, and observe the results. It''s made of simple gray metal with a core composed of a more conductive metal, creating rough pathways, connected to a mana stone embedded in the metal dagger. The dagger is entirely made of metal. If someone has a problem with that, they can modify it later. I spend a few more minutes sharpening it, heating up sections of the blade, and hitting it with small bursts of kinetic energy. The result is ugly as sin but it should be functional enough.Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com Manabound Stiletto (rare) -This dagger is bound with mana, sharpening its edge as mana passes through. It can slightly disrupt magical armor or barriers. Should be fine for now. I want to sell this and the other five daggers I made. To be able to sell the items in the tournament shop, register as a seller. Please, pick your alias. Huh? This again? For a moment, I think of just using Noname, but then I change my mind and pick a different name. Would you like to register as "Fuckyouintentbitch"? Yes, I confirm. I hope that the stalker is watching. This one is for you, Duplicaniel. I know you would have appreciated it. Congratulations, you have been registered as Fuckyouintentbitch, you can now offer items made by you for sale. What starting price do you wish to set for Manabound Stiletto (rare)? The low rare items are usually 200 shards outside of the tournament. As for this one, it did cost me around 50 shards worth of materials. 150 shards, I say, and then set the same price for the other 5 daggers I made and then close the window. I should get a 600 shards net profit if they sell for the price I''m asking. If someone bids more, my profit will be better. After the 1st event, I plan to make a few more to while away time here and make some shards. Others can have fun with people. Next, I move closer to where Isabella and Sophie are experimenting and observe the process. I don''t say anything but watch. Sophie is still using her [Manipulation] to help Izzy control her flames while her little sister tries to copy the techniques she saw me using. They are practicing on a piece of metal I brought here from the 6th Floor. The result can''t be sold in the tournament shop, but it''s good for practice. Curious, I observe Isabella''s blue flames and try to compare them to my golden ones. As of now, I still haven''t gotten what the exact difference is between flames made with thermal primordial energy and normal ones so I''m curious. Could it be that I still havent seen the true power of thermal energy? Are there any steps Ive missed? Is the difference great or small? Isabella''s flames are the result of her [Pyrokinesis] and they are beautifully blue, with no hint of another color no matter how strong she makes them. With her subclass, Kindness, she can even control them. It''s to the extent that she can burn the monsters in a big area while her flames dont hurt anyone she doesn''t want them to. Not even heat touches them. I''m also fairly sure that her subclass strengthens her [Empathy]. When she makes a mistake and more than the intended amount of flames leaks from her, I absorb some so she won''t destroy their project. Then I depart while holding blue flames over the palm of my hand and observing them, leaving the sisters to experiment. Entering the house, I meet Brainiac, Lootenant, and the boys in the living room. The red-haired Brainiac shouts, Nice place, Noname! I always knew you were rich. Well, it seems like everyone got the message. What do you think? I ask Tess who seems to be reading the notification again. I like the part with [Restriction]. I knew she would like that. What if you restrict yourself to your power level of the 3rd Floor and someone like me chooses to stay on the 5th or 6th Floor level? I ask. That makes it risky and fun, doesnt it? she smirks. Oh yeah, it does, I agree. This is fun. Being able to put an [Restriction] on myself could make even a fight against lower difficulty people fun while also giving out better rewards. For example, Gareth and his group are in the middle of the 5th floor and Savant is at its end, so the members of group 4, having made it to the 6th floor, with rewards from the 5th floor should have an advantage. But with [Restriction] in the mix? Dennis, you were right, it''s a Battle Royale, I call out to Dennis whos siting with the other boys in the living room. Told you! he shouts back. Arent you worried about your mana running out? Tess looks at me with interest. With my reserves, I should have the advantage against anyone with less than me. Thats true, she nods. So what if you meet someone from Beyond or someone from our group? No holding back, I answer simply. Maybe Ill throw something your way when I spot you, she muses with a cheeky smile, should be easy enough. Are you sure you want to risk missing with your pitiful mana reserves? We will see about that, she declares. Now that I think about it, a good number of people will probably group up to survive until the end and last the full 5 hours before fighting among themselves. I could ask Tess now, but somehow I dont feel like it, seeing how competitively shes been looking at me. Well, I''m sure it wont be so easy for her to snipe me in a crowd of almost two thousand people. The map will surely be massive. With a few minutes remaining, group 4 reaches the center of the common area. There are lots of pretty trees planted to create plenty of shaded retreats surrounded by flowers and benches. There is even a fountain and a small lake nearby with their own seating. Its massive. There are people everywhere, excitedly checking the timer. It almost feels like some kind of celebration. I wonder what the mood will be like after the 1st event? Will fighting each other sour the mood? Will they be the same after seeing what people from other difficulties are capable of? Ive already noticed but Easy and Normal difficulty are fairly soft. I can tell just from the way they look at me or how cluelessly they move around, without paying attention. Theyre either incompetent or the lack of danger hasnt made the effort necessary. They grill outside, they drink, and they trade. There are even a few babies barely a few months old. I saw them fight among themselves too, but being under level 50 for Easy or 100 for Normal, they are not that strong. Even weaker when I consider group 4''s power during that period. In ten seconds, you will be moved to the 1st Event''s area! The countdown starts and I look around, meeting the eyes of the others in group 4. I even notice Gareth as he waves at me. Quickly averting his gaze, I notice another man looking at me and turn to him. The man has a slim face and pale green eyes. His long black hair is tied into a ponytail that rests on his back. Under his left eye, there is a beauty mark. He doesn''t avert his gaze and my eyes meet his. I feel my mana rouse up and my heart pumps Primordial Energies through my body. Instinctively, I feel myself collecting my mana. That man is dangerous. You will be transferred to The Survival Domain. You have three seconds to place [Restriction] if you wish to do so. I watch as he mouths a few words, and I do the same. 4th Floor [Restriction], I call in tandem with him. Then both of us disappear together with 2,355 more people, and the 1st event of the tournament starts. Chapter 336: Start of the 1st event Chapter 336: Start of the 1st event Flashback Savant - 1st Floor We will throw that cripple to the goblins! You can''t do that! Are you even human!? Shut up if you dont want to find yourself being thrown to them instead. There is no way he will survive the remaining duration of the Floor quest, so he can at least help us this way. We shouldnt... Just close your goddamn eyes if you dont want to see it! And you remaining dickheads better keep quiet or I will fuck you up!Finnd new chapters at novelhall.com I watch as the rest of our group does just that and no one else tries to voice a different opinion. When he turns to me, he isnt even smiling. He is scared. No, he is terrified, even more than he lets show. Hear that, cripple? In the next attack, you will hold the monsters back so we can run. He looks briefly at the stick Im using to walk after I lost my prosthetic leg in one of the previous attacks. My classmates, my professors, everyone avoids my gaze when I look at them. Sure. Ill do it. I feel [Restriction] envelop me and it''s a disgusting feeling. My stats are lowered and my skills are as well. There is that feeling of resistance when I try to access skills I didnt have on the 4th Floor. The resistance feels like it would be easy enough to push through, but that would mean breaking [Restriction] and I dont want that. My level has only been reduced by 20, but a good number of my skills have been reduced to a much lower level and my base mana is at 782 instead of over 1000. It''s still good enough to deal with anyone who chooses to attack me. Most importantly, my Thermokinetic Mana Heart has been downgraded. Vortex Core is also gone and with it, the improvements to my Mantle. The Cognitive Fortress and Mana Overload Absorption are gone too, and my healing passive is capped at its rare version. Annoying, but very doable. But one thing amuses me. It looks like this event is better for people who went for Amplification instead of Regeneration. Regenerating mana or stamina seems to be impossible here so the builds that rely on a small mana pool with quick regeneration are at a disadvantage. Amplification is indeed superior as I knew so long ago. Small pewpew builds can only shake in fear. I look around and find myself standing in the middle of a big plain. There are mountains in one direction, and in another is a black wall of clouds with lightning flashing inside that seems to be moving fairly quickly, passing through areas and devouring anything inside. In another direction, the white towers of a small city dominate the sky, and in the last direction is a forest with trees that seem to reach the clouds. A warning from [Perception], a flash of lightning, and I push my body away with kinetic energy to dodge the attacks. It happens again, and I continue running, strengthening my body as efficiently as possible. Watching the direction the attacks come from, I start to predict their trajectory which doesnt seem to change once they leave the caster and I avoid them without wasting mana. Of course, I cant see the attacker, but that white and red lightning is unmistakable. Tess''s barrage of attacks is aggressive, shes infused the rocks shes shooting at me with her primordial lightning, damaging the area around me. However, theyre only intended to confuse me and make me let my guard down. A real attack will follow the moment I do. I expand my domain and focus on using [Perception] while I jump behind the huge rock nearby. More than sure that Tess is capable of piercing it, I keep my attention up aware of the possibility of her trying to reposition. At long-range, Tess has always had an advantage over me, especially now when I cant afford to waste my mana in some ill-advised attempt to catch her. Im also not sure what kind of [Restriction] shes put on herself, if any. My senses sharpen, looking for any sense of danger, and I feel my heartbeat quicken even when Im not using it to generate any energy. Its exciting. Its thrilling. Looking to the side, I watch the black wall of lightning move closer and closer to my position, the thunder roaring and the lightning tearing anything it reaches. There is also a new notification window, and I check it for a moment. FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? LightAbove (Normal, 6th) Is this the kill feed? And damn, Biscuit, did that guy try to kidnap you because he thought you were cute, and give you the opportunity to kill him mercilessly? Good boy! I watch as more notifications appear and the number of people inside seems to decrease quickly, barely a few minutes in. 2210 / 2357 Finally, the storm reaches the place somewhere between me and Tess, and I move from the rock and run toward the city I can see in the distance. A terrifying piercing noise reaches me and I rush mana through my body, creating a barrier around my forearm while launching myself away. Yet still, the thrown shield boosted by [Psychokinesis] and covered in Primordial lightning strikes the barrier, sending me spinning, and following it a stone crashes into my chest, the sheer force sending me rolling over the ground. Damn it, Tess! Thats not how you use a shield! How the hell did you find an item so quickly? The attack stops, and I hear a small explosion from Tesss direction, either someones attacking her or the storms forced her to move. With just a few more jumps and careful boosts, I move behind one of the chimneys of a medieval style city. A few roofs down, a group of 5 men have gathered, two of them from Hard difficulty and three from Normal, discussing something energetically. The leader is holding a bow that seems to be around rare grade and keeps watch. He stands in the center sending waves of mana outward to scan the area. They are a bit secretive, but to me, he may as well be shouting in my ear. How the heck is he even from Hard difficulty with scans like that? I get ready for combat and reach past them, placing a [Tether] in the middle of their group, expecting them to react before I send an attack through. They do not try to disrupt it. Even when the man''s scans washes over the anchor, he doesn''t seem to notice it. They don''t sense anything even as I send a strong pulse of thermal energy through, causing it to explode in the middle of their group, killing them all and destroying a chunk of the building. Noname (Hell, 4th) ? GigaChad (Hard, 6th) Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Toastmaster (Hard, 5th) Noname (Hell, 4th) ? MidnightM (Normal, 6th) Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Bobby (Normal, 5th) Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Ellie (Normal, 6th) My points increase to 22. So, Easy for 1, Normal for 2, and Hard for 5. And I still can''t see rewards for positions, so maybe theyre just personalized according to performance? that seems likely. I take the damaged bow out from under the debris, and it is in fact rare quality. Useless to me, so I just place it in the middle of the clearing to make it seem like a drop, and then I place an anchor near it, all while making everything as covert as possible. For the following thirty minutes, I watch a constant stream of people moving into and through the city. A large number of them detect the bow and head straight for it after scanning the area. And I''m almost disappointed by how terrible their scans are. After killing the 3rd group trying to take the bow and hunting two more groups passing through the city, I decide to change location. People here seem to be from Easy and Normal mostly, and theres rarely anyone higher, and Im tired of that. With a pulse, I destroy the bow and head out of the city, entering the grassy land where I limit my output even more while sending my scans out even further. 1st (84 pts) - Sset 2nd (68 pts) - Savant 3rd (61 pts) - Grumpy The top three are being led by Tess; it''s obvious that she would have a nice advantage here because of her skills. I, meanwhile, am 5th with 49 points. I check the total again, to find that its been reduced significantly since the last time I checked. 1819 / 2357 As I approach the field, I detect a presence that feels different from any other Ive felt until now. Hiding my mana and carefully placing anchors, I move closer, and on the edge of the forest, I watch two women passing by, both of them holding items and both from Hard difficulty. But there is someone else who interests me more. A man crouching at the top of a small tree the women are passing under. He has a shortsword barely as long as his forearm but he holds it more like a dagger. One of the women seems to notice something and quickly looks up but before her eyes meet the man, the air around him flickers, and, like a chameleon, he camouflages with the area. Even his presence disappears, in a manner resembling Tacitas, though its significantly inferior. The woman, confused, squints her eyes, but then pokes her friend, and both of them rush away. Most likely saving mana, the man, who seems like hes about 30 years old, cancels his skill and appears again, this time with a cruel smile on his face. BenDover (Hell, 5th) reads the text over his head. My very good friend from the Community. One of the people Ive most wanted to meet. I still remember the numerous insults he directed at my family and then at me. I also recall how he mocked Eris and Myrra later, boasting gleefully about helping to kill them both. The blade of the shortsword hes holding is coated in a sickly yellow substance, something that feels like a combination of poison and disruption, and he becomes invisible again. At this point, I''m willing to bet his class has Phantom in the name. It''s like the asshole is actively trying to make me hate him even more. Chapter 337: Silent Strike Chapter 337: Silent Strike Well, it seems like my buddy BenDover over here finally made it to the 5th floor. He doesn''t even seem like he can detect the presence of my anchors. I''m long since used to my opponents disrupting them or detecting them and that makes me wonder if it''s less common than I thought. Have the opponents Ive been facing just been that good, is that not how it usually goes? Curious, I put an anchor in front of him as he takes a step to follow and kill the women and that''s when he finally notices it. He squints his eyes and then to my surprise, he turns around and starts running away, even activating that camouflage skill of his. Huh? Before following him, I create two javelins, fill them with a decent amount of thermal energy, and then boost them with kinetic, shooting them at the women. One of them blocks the javelin intended for her and the other one tries to run away, dodging hers, but the javelins explode into golden flames. Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Momo (Hard, 5th) The other woman starts running away, even dodging the third javelin I shoot but then runs into an anchor and a burst of kinetic energy finishes her off. Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Emmmmmm (Hard, 5th) Then I use the anchors I placed to follow BenDover, easily tracking his location despite his attempts to hide it. To be honest, I would be quite disappointed if I was unable to do so. I put a lot of effort into being able to track invisible opponents. I find him standing in the middle of a clearing filled to the brim with his traps, almost like my anchors, but worse. I know it''s you, Noname! I saw the notifications. Show yourself, you dick! he shouts. Things like this feel more satisfying up close and personal so I enter the clearing without trying to hide, using part of my mana to strengthen my body. Yo?ur favorite stories at novelhall.com BenDover is around 30 years old. He has a short pointy beard and creepy eyes. He isn''t all that tall but his shoulders are wide. The sword hes holding is coated in sickly yellow mana. Finally, I... he doesn''t even finish the sentence before he launches an attack at me from behind, clearly trying to surprise me. An acid-like attack splashes against my barrier and sizzles on the surface, unable to penetrate it, even with the attack''s weak disruptive properties. A light flashes, blinding me for a split second, and when I can finally see again the man is gone and his traps as well. With a sigh, I enter the clearing, and boosting my body I turn around, grabbing the invisible man by his neck. My other hand grabs the arm holding the sword he was trying to stab me with. He opens his mouth and tries to spit yellow acid spit in my eyes, only for it to be blocked by a small barrier, then five needle-like mana projectiles strike at my back only to be stopped by [Redistribution]. I disrupt his mana and break his arm, taking his sword. Then I let go and punch him in the face, using more mana to match his speed in defiance of his higher base stats. When he staggers back I send kinetic energy to the anchor behind him, sending him stumbling back towards me and I punch him again, breaking his nose. With interest, I take notice of the systems refusal to heal the wounds for now. So it seems like they only heal in the common area, not during the events. That makes sense. He curses, dodging my next attack and I sense he is boosting his body to increase his Dexterity. So I disrupt his mana, falling back on a tactic I experienced fairly often until I made the Mantle. His attacks slow, and I punch him again, then kick his crotch, making him... well, bend over, and my knee hits his face, further breaking his nose. I remember you said something funny about my parents, I note. Without giving him the opportunity to talk, I slow his movement with [Redistribution] and then pierce his side with the sword I took from him. Even then, he somehow manages to concentrate enough to create a blue mana dagger and stab at me at the same time as my shadow moves, trying to grab me and slow me down. Just a short pulse of disrupting mana ends both of his attempts, and I knee his face again, sending him to the ground where he groans. He is constantly trying to strengthen his body or activate his skill, but I''m disrupting it all with [Resonance]. When I squat over him and grab him by his hair, he tries to say something, but it''s hard to understand with his torn lips and broken teeth. I look at his face, which is a bloody mess. I do not believe you were able to deal with the Matriarch or Myrra on the 4th floor." Without letting him say more, I create a small orb filled with kinetic energy over the palm of my hand, and grabbing it with my fingers I push the orb into his mouth. When I kick him away, I call out one more warning, I will find you in the common area, and then I let the orb in his mouth explode. As before, the system doesn''t let it happen, and the man just turns into mana particles, being transferred outside. It seems like the system was prepared for this kind of attack as well and really doesn''t want participants to die. Seeing it in the works I guess I can do some hardcore training later. Noname (Hell, 4th) ? BenDover (Hell, 5th) My points increase to 69, which is nice, but seeing the black wall of the storm, I decide to move away, heading towards the white pillar of light. I jump behind the tree and shoot a javelin toward a group of hiding people, barely missing the head of a man from Hard difficulty. His group launches a barrage of attacks at me. Rocks, pale blue mana projectiles, and even some decent fire orbs. At the same time, three more move to my right, trying to encircle me while others keep me busy. I send more kinetic energy to the orb I anchored to my core, making it spin faster around me. When the first woman with a sword and shield rushes at me, I slings it against her where it crashes into her shield, releasing the golden flames stored inside. Right after, I rush her, absorbing those flames and reusing them in a thin stream of flame that envelops another man. Strengthening my body, I grab an ax that the third one swings at me, disrupting the mana coating the blade. My kick breaks through his mana armor, causing him to crash into a comrade whos wielding a shield. I activate the anchor I placed on his chest while kicking him, and golden flames envelop both of them. Brainiac immediately moves to the back followed by two others. Meanwhile, Gareth heads in first, two more members by his side. Mari, a woman with a dagger and a sword in her hands, and the man called Pumpkin with mana collecting in his fists, elbows, knees, and shins. I know I should keep my distance, maybe even fly high into the air and bombard them with ranged attacks. That style of fighting always seemed to be the best option. But as always, I make the decision to stay at medium range, and the reason is simple. It''s more challenging and fun that way. The first one to attack is Brainiac, and he shoots projectiles that I can''t see and can barely sense. To dodge, I tilt my head, and three sharp projectiles miss me, cutting through the air while the thunder roars as the black wall of clouds moves closer. The projectiles behind me seem to disappear, their presence weakens, and they turn to attack me again, in an attempt to keep me from noticing them. Acting as if I havent seen them, I create a dozen projectiles of my own, spinning them around my body, and when Pumpkin attacks me with his mana infused limbs, I dodge to the side, and Brainiac''s projectiles disappear before they can injure his teammate. I launch my projectiles, and the mark Gareth placed on him glows, and a silver hexagonal barriers the size of my fist appears to block them. The woman with a sword and a dagger senses my burst of kinetic energy and blocks it, and the projectile aimed at her is blocked by a silver barrier. I infuse my golden flames with disruptive mana, and the darkening area around us lights up, the raindrops evaporating as the flames envelop the man attacking me with his fire. The silver barrier surrounds him, and more and more mana rushes into it in an attempt to fight the disrupting properties of my flames. Even though I know I just need to keep it up for a bit longer to get through, I stop and dodge a few more invisible and hardly noticeable attacks from Brainiac, and then an even smaller one from behind me. Damn, you are the first one to notice that one! he shouts. He falters in surprise as I shoot a javelin at him, boosted by kinetic energy that gets barely blocked by Lootenant whos staying close to him. The javelin just changes its direction mid-flight and heads to some kind of weird orb Lootenant dropped all over the place and hits it instead. Without time to examine the interesting skill more, I boost my body further, dodging Mari, whos clearly surprised by my sudden increase in speed and cut through her dagger and sword with a dagger coated in [Resonance]. The man named Pumpkin launches an attack from behind, but I just shoot a blast of kinetic energy at him that even now gets blocked by a silver barrier, and I disrupt Brainiac''s attacks. In a smooth movement, I dodge Mari''s kick, and the dagger in my hand extends and turns into a spear which I burrow into her shoulder, spilling her blood. Before I can send thermal energy into her through the spear, she disappears, Gareth taking her place, my spear embedded in his shoulder. A silver light flashes and my barrier blocks it, throwing me away. I absorb my inertia mid-air, confusing Pumpkin, and his attack misses. Boosting my body, I stab my spear into his leg, but again, he disappears, Gareth taking his place as well. The man in transparent blue armor grabs my spear, and with impressive strength, pulls me closer. I disrupt a few more attacks from Brainiac, this time needing to use more mana as he seems to be trying to get through my mana jamming, and a mace made of silver mana similar to his barriers forms in Gareth''s hand. It clashes against my dagger, and I send more resonating mana through it, carving the mace apart to the man''s surprise, and stabbing the dagger into his chest. He disappears, and Brainiac appears where he was, and a barrage of extremely quick attacks clashes against me, cutting into my flesh twice before I disrupt them. Brainiac is smiling, but I do not attack him. Instead, I use the anchor I placed on the dagger I left in Gareths chest and appear in front of the man who, like me, has made it into Beyond. His wounds have already healed, and his armor strengthens itself even further. I open my mouth, and a tricolored orb just turning bright crashes into him, and then I teleport away despite his attempts to stop it. Appearing in the air, I look down at the ground, expecting the explosion. Instead of that, a silver barrier surrounds my orb, and with a grunt from Gareth, it disappears, the explosion of white light, shockwave, heatwave, and following implosion tearing the forest nearby apart. No words pass between them, but they seem to be communicating. And this time, I really regret this limitation of not being able to restore my mana. I want to fight. I want to throw my all against them. But I can''t, I have placed a limitation upon myself and there are still four hours remaining. There is Tess, there is Lily, and Tacita, and most importantly, there is Savant. I check my reserves and close to 20% of my body mana seems to be missing already. My frustration increases even more when the man that was just standing next to Brainiac shoots a lightning spear at me, and Ive sensed him charging it the whole time. He even placed a mark on me that seems to serve as a beacon for the powerful charged attack made of white lightning. Something I let happen out of curiosity. Instead of dodging or using a black orb to absorb it, I just cover the back of my hand in a barrier of disrupting mana, and with a dismissive gesture, I disrupt the attack. Fucking monster! Youre under a restriction, so act like it! Brainiac shouts at me. Behind you, I call back at him. As if I would fall for that... in the middle of the sentence, he stops and throws dozens of slashing projectiles into the area. No matter that Tacita dodges them all, a calm expression on her face the entire time. She dodges and parries attacks thrown at her. Lightning and Lootenant''s weird orbs either disrupted or flicked away. When a silver barrier surrounds Brainiac, a wild smile appears on her lips, and her arm moves in a blur. She attacks dozens of times, the mana-coated dagger in her hand tearing through the barrier and turning Brainiac into particles of mana with one last slash that would have separated his body from his head. One of the reasons why I''m up here is because I noticed her sneaking closer. The rain continues to fall down, making her messy brown hair wet and stick to her face. Wordlessly, she catches my gaze, and she waves at me with squinted eyes and a smile. The message is simple. You are not safe there. Tacita (Hell, 4th) Chapter 338: Natural enemy Chapter 338: Natural enemy Out of every member of Hell difficulty or person that got into Beyond, there is one I respect more than any other. You wouldnt be wrong to say thats because of the degree of the advantage they would hold if we fought. I don''t know Savant''s skills yet, but it''s not him. It isn''t even Lily despite the fact that she has the most powerful damage oriented skill I''ve seen so far. It''s not even Tess with her extremely long-range and powerful attacks. And it''s not Gareth with his barriers and weird form of teleportation. No, the person that worries me more than any of them is Tacita. Even now, I''m not sure if I noticed her because she wanted me to, she''s just that good at hiding her presence. And her speed does tell me one thing. Tacita is similar to me, a person who also puts most of their stats into a single attribute, and her favored stat is Dexterity. I''m Mana-oriented and because of what I do, my reactions will never be as quick as someone who goes full into body strengthening. I can reinforce my body with mana, I can boost my strength, and make myself faster with kinetic energy. But someone like her will always be my natural enemy. The main reason being that, in close quarters, unless I was already reinforcing my body as much as possible, I wouldn''t be able to react if she decided to kill me. It''s a weakness, and I already have multiple plans for dealing with it. But for now, there are going to be situations in which I have no chance against Tacita. I watch as she lashes out at the lightning mage that once stood next to Brainiac and jumps back and to the side, her feet moving nimbly, as she dances around his attacks. Leaping, bobbing, and weaving as drops of rain cling to her skin.. Mari and Pumpkin try to rush her while Gareth and Lootenant keep an eye on me. So as Im floating there, I create two orbs at my side and fill them with mana until theyre on the brink of becoming unstable. As I do that I sow the ground with a barrage of normal mana projectiles, tying anchors to three of them. The first orb explodes through an anchor I managed to place between Tacita and the lightning mage, who, unlike the stabby brunette, dies. Gareth creates a barrier around the rest of the group, but, being closest to the explosion, the lightning mage''s barrier is unable to resist the implosion and breaks. Tacita, meanwhile, just opts to outrun the explosion. Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Ghast (Hell, 5th) Tacita doesn''t seem to like that and grabs a stone from the ground, her arm a blur as she throws it at me. The stone crashes against my barrier with a surprising amount of force, and she changes her target to Lootenant, the raindrops seeming to burst outward as she moves at incredible speed. Mari and Pumpkin actually manage to stand in her way for a moment, keeping pace with her. though I do notice that their bodies seem to be radiating a silver aura, which flares up to create barriers and heal their wounds as needed. Gareth blocks my second tri-colored orb, once again surrounding it with a silver barrier before sending it to the same spot as before. I wonder if he placed some sort of mark there. Using the third anchor, I appear on the ground near Gareth, kinetic energy exploding from me, only to be absorbed by his barriers. I send disrupting mana at him right after followed by a blast of golden flames, and yet he reforms his barriers each time, successfully blocking the attacks.Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com I sidestep a swing of his mace, causing it to crash into the ground and send chunks of muddy earth into the air. Thunder roars in our ears, and the wind grows stronger as the wall of black clouds moves closer and closer, blotting out all other sounds. The rain also grows in intensity, further obscuring my mana sight with the mana-filled droplets. Gareth stops holding back, and his blue armor turns silver, and a silver crown appears floating over his head. The hexagonal segments of his barrier orbit his form, and his mace shines brighter as he charges me. Each of his swings bears disrupting properties, and the marks he placed on his party shine brighter, surrounding them in that same silver light. Twelve sections of his hexagonal barrier move around him, forming larger ones to block my flames or splitting into a multitude of smaller ones to address heavy barrages. Though sometimes they stick to his armor, strengthening some parts further. The man negates most of my attacks, to my great annoyance, and I feel my frustration rise more and more, and my plan to limit my mana expenditure disappears from my head. Once Mari joins him, blades made of oscillating mana in hand, I have had enough. A black orb forms in front of my chest, and all of their eyes turn towards it, surprised by the unnerving feeling. A blast of kinetic energy from behind Gareth pushes him towards it, and silver and black mana clash. Following the clash, the black orb of mana manages to absorb a few sections of his silver barrier. Gareth moves to block it, though his weapon and crown flicker as the orb sucks in more and more. When he finally lets go of his weapon and moves back, pieces of his armor are missing, eaten away by black mana, and half of the hexagonal barrier is gone. Mari is also dead, an anchor placed near her head having reduced her into particles of mana. Noname (Hell, 4th) ? Mari (Hell, 5th) With the mana in my body reduced even more, I float into the air and fire one last projectile at Lootenant. Gareth finally manages to retake control of his abilities and blocks my attacks by surrounding the man with a barrier, but at the same time, Tacita passes by Lootenant''s traps, activating a few along the way, while avoiding their effects and finishing the man. Then, like me, she takes the opportunity to disappear into the forest as the gradually approaching storm ravages the area. The first bolt of lightning lands next to us, it evaporates a good chunk of a car-sized rock nearby, causing it to crumble into dust, leaving a small crater in the ground. The wind blows into me, leaving me feeling like I got hit by a truck, and I decide I do not want to get into that storm. Using more and more mana, I push my body through the air, leaving the thunder and lightning behind me. I remain high in the air, placing multiple anchors along the ground. When Gareth and the rest of his group exit the storm, a thermal explosion envelops them, and a rain of compressed mana javelins rains across the ground. When the flames disappear, pushed away by a wave of silver mana, Gareth and the last member of his group stand there free of damage, his barrier having tanked a bolt of lightning from the storm, the ground exploding around them, and the mud and rocks that erupted into the air. Tsk. Unwilling to waste more of my mana on a tanky target, I boost myself further, floating away when I catch a familiar mana signature behind me. Looking back, I see a figure floating just on the edge of the storm. And that figure''s head bears a crown made of lightning, brighter and twice as big as before. The woman''s blonde hair floats around her, shining in a beautiful golden color. The barrier shrinks once more, and even fewer people remain. 980 / 2357 A few of the slots on the leaderboard have changed as well: 1st (193 pts) - Sset 2nd (172 pts) - Noname 3rd (169 pts) - Savant 4th (168 pts) - Tacita 5th (124 pts) - Grumpy Sensing a trap ahead, I avoid it and move to a rooftop where I disrupt a few mana sensing triggers and find a group of ten people, most of them seem to be from Hard difficulty. One of them holds an epic weapon, an ax made of ethercrystal. A transparent white crystal capable of absorbing mana. A few well-placed anchors go unnoticed and half of them die before they are able to defend themselves. They activate defensive shields but a wave of disrupting mana crashes against them, negating the shields before a highly compressed barrage of javelins finishes the job, destroying part of the roof and their fortifications. I take a short moment to check the leaderboard and savor the feeling of seeing myself in the first place. It''s hard to find large groups of people from higher difficulties. Amid the falling snow, I examine the rare and uncommon items that were in their possession, collecting a defensive amulet with a single use of a spherical barrier remaining, and pick up the epic ax. Ethercrystal War Axe (Epic):Crafted from Ethercrystal, this war ax absorbs part of any mana it touches. Each attack channels the absorbed mana to momentarily increase the user''s physical strength. I test the feel of the ax in my hand, swinging it a few times to get used to the heft. I used to have a similar sword and the ax could help me conserve some of the mana I would otherwise be using to strengthen my body. While on watch, I check the notifications. Sset (Hell, 4th) ? TheStrongestOne (Hell, 5th) Damn, Tess. Did group 4 do anything to piss you off? Did I do anything to you? And a few more. Savant (Hell, 4th) ? Gareth (Hell, 5th) Savant (Hell, 4th) ? Pumpkin (Hell, 5th) Detecting something that feels like tunnels under the ground, I place an anchor, teleporting below while keeping my eyes on the notifications. FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? Two (Normal, 5th) FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? One (Normal, 5th) FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? Sami (Easy, 6th) FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? Eve (Normal, 5th) FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? Overlord (Easy, 5th) FoodFood (Hell, 6th) ? Snowman (Easy, 4th) ... And the notifications continue, proclaiming the names of almost two dozen participants whove been defeated. Biscuit, what the heck did you even do? Did they anger you? It might be awkward back in the common area if you scare them too much. Anyway, clearly the best doggo of the tournament floor, no, the best doggo of the 1st event and Survival Domain! I start heading towards an area containing multiple presences, I trigger a few alarms on purpose, and when I exit the tunnel and enter a big underground area a dozen people are there, weapons out and mana ready. Quickly I locate two epic items and two people from Hell difficulty, respectively from group 8, TheGuild. AnotherOneHere (Hell, 5th) Swordmaster (Hell, 5th) In the shadowy darkness of the tunnels, golden thermal energy surrounds me and I take a step towards them. Chapter 339: 6 / 2357 Chapter 339: 6 / 2357 I have been thinking lately, and my build is a big mess, to say it gently. Sure, I have a lot of skills, but no matter how hard I try to master them all, it''s impossible, and not often does each of the skills shine. They are all pretty situational and often countered by stronger or more skilled opponents. Sure, I''m extremely versatile, and I can switch up the way I fight, but at least to me, it feels lacking. Currently, I would say I''m at my strongest against multitudes of weaker opponents. The amount of mana and multiple skills I can use are good for bombardment and large-scale damage. When it comes to fighting a single, strong opponent, they can almost always pull off some kind of counter, forcing me to try to either surprise my opponent or overwhelm them with the sheer amount of bullshit I can throw at them. It''s not bad, not really. I did it all with the future in mind. I''m building a strong base to build upon, picking my own unique way. But until then, it will be a pain in the ass at times. I dodge a slash from a Hell difficulty man called Swordmaster, and his next attack slips across my armor while he blocks my swing. He jumps back a few times, and AnotherOneHere does something that changes gravity; causing it to pull me up toward the ceiling, rather than the ground. Surrounding myself with a barrier made of [Regalia], I tank a barrage of ranged attacks launched by people from Hard and Normal difficulty, as I take a moment to examine the skill disrupting my relative gravity before disrupting it. I fire off three projectiles in quick succession, each tied to an anchor, and teleport to one as they land. My ax burrows into the leg of a man who attacked me with a bothersome form of shadow magic. Taking care not to kill him, I absorb some of his mana through the ax, allowing the weapon to strengthen me. I teleport again leaving a thermal orb in my place, the orb explodes, reducing the injured man into particles and wounding Swordmaster in the process, who quickly changes direction and rushes me again. Before his gravity skill can slow me down again, I disrupt it and burrow the ax into another man. Then I teleport again leaving another thermal orb in my place. This time it doesn''t manage to explode before being covered by a shield of rock emerging from the floor. Making distance between us, I send a small tri-colored orb through the anchor, allowing it to explode within the room, the explosion strengthened by its confinement. Dust and rocks fall from the ceiling, shaking the walls and pieces crumble down while the men and women shout. Four more people from Hard and Normal die, leaving 7 people. I set up another barrier, deflecting a barrage of attacks that move much quicker thanks to a liberal application of gravity magic by AnotherOneHere. When I teleport back inside the room, Swordmaster is already there, with a strange form of mana surrounding an epic sword that he holds with the confidence of an expert. It pierces through my armor and stops only after I add [Resonance] to the mix. His movement accelerates, the same weird mana moves to his feet as he kicks at me, causing the same kind of damage to my armor. He dodges a projectile I send his way, quickening his movements even more before burrowing his knee into my chest plate and then jumps back, tilting his head to avoid a cone of kinetic energy. Swordmaster''s sword cuts through my flames, and even without armor, his body resists the heat as he attacks me. When I teleport, he locates me surprisingly quickly, getting used to my style. I feel a pull on my body, as he changes gravity once more in an attempt to slow me down and he seizes the opportunity, as his sword shines even brighter as he slashes towards my neck. My [Redistribution] at full power stops him for a moment. The pulse of disrupting mana makes him stagger in surprise as his enhancements disappear, and a sudden blast of kinetic energy tears a large chunk out of his arm. Yet the man still manages to avoid the worst of it. Before I can follow up, the rock Im standing on turns into mud, imprisoning my feet, as a golem-like creature as tall as me climbs up from the ground, reaching toward me. When the golem grabs my armor, I find myself unable to teleport, the last anchor disrupted. Im honestly surprised it took them so long to get around to that. More mana radiates from my body, the armor around me expanding and surrounding me leaving me twice my normal height and towering over the golem. With a single kick, I send the golem flying toward its creator, before returning to my normal size and teleporting to an anchor I left on the golem. A few teleports and kinetic blasts later, only two men from Hell difficulty remain, as my body is strengthened by the effect of the ax. Noname, you''re on the 6th floor, right? AnotherOneHere asks as I face the remaining duo. Seeing no reason to be rude, I nod; the man has been rather polite in the Community. Swordmaster, with his sword on his shoulder, gives me a look before shrugging and nodding towards his group member, We always knew group 4 wasnt exactly normal. It''s still disappointing to see such a difference between people from Hell. Finishing his preparations, AnotherOneHere raises his hands and claps. The sides of the room I''m standing in tear apart, huge pieces of rock heading towards me in an attempt to crush me between them. They expect me to teleport, so I create an anchor and activate it halfway. Then, instead of teleporting, I send a tricolored orb that Ive been forming in my mouth. It explodes the moment Swordmaster reaches the anchor. I, meanwhile, create a barrier around myself, mitigating any damage from the rocks and the explosion that takes out Swordmaster. The poor guy was too incompatible with my fighting style and my skills made countering him simple enough. AnotherOneHere uses his gravity skill, slightly compressing a portion of the explosion and redirecting it. Wounded and exhausted he rests against the wall, breathing heavily. I guess you found the arcane item? I ask him. Yes, I had hoped to find it earlier and get more points, but even so, the timing is fitting. It uses a lot of mana, so you would probably like it better, though, he answers. Interrupting our conversation, a man stumbles to the top of the roof. Bard (Hell, 5th) Hes missing an arm and he does something to his body to keep himself from bleeding out. Just looking at his state, I guess he wont be able to last much longer. Looking at me and Savant he staggers and stops. Then he sighs, Fucking corgi, tore my arm off. He was so goddamn cute... Before he can say more, Tacita appears behind his back at a speed unique to her, epic dagger in her hand slashing down and turning the man into particles. Tacita then stands there and sweeps her messy brown hair from her eyes. Her lively eyes meet mine and Savant''s. Tacita (Hell, 4th) ? Bard (Hell, 5th) Other than Sophie, one last man remains. The one with a single point. A member of Gareths group. He walks up the stairs to the top of the building and reaches the roof after opening the creaking iron door. Adam (Hell, 5th) The blonde sixty year old looking man with long wavy hair is in a pristine state, wearing something akin to a suit. He holds no weapon and there isnt a single mark on his body. Either hes avoided fighting or hes just been hiding up until now. But it''s clear that hes barely used any stamina or mana, unlike the rest of us. The man in the suit turns to Savant, Hey youngster, wanna get rid of that glove and make things fair? No. Understandable. A silence ensues and all of us stand there nearly feeling awkward, no one wanting to be the first to face the arcane item. Hey, really, let''s get rid of that... I try to say as well. No. Damn it, Do you not want to fight properly? Using an arcane item is cheap as fuck. I will fight one versus one during the duels. I know you would gladly use the glove as well. Well, he is not wrong. Unlike him, I wouldve probably used it a minute ago. So why dont you attack? I ask him. Your friend is still sneaking around. She keeps trying to get into my mind and the glove requires a lot of concentration. This time the man in the suit asks, sensing an opportunity So you can''t defend against her and use the glove at the same time? There is only one way for you to find out. Then his expression changes and his mana flows into the glove, Found you, he says simply and moves his hand as if swatting away a fly. The part of the city he gestured towards explodes in a single yet impressive show of telekinesis, destroying multiple buildings and a big part of the street. Savant (Hell, 4th) ? Soph (Hell, 5th) The moment Sophie dies, the web and constructs that shes been planting all over the place all head for Savant, in a last act of revenge. Tacita disappears. A purple circle forms behind Adam''s back. And I, for the first time, reach into my mana reservoir, as all that mana floods my body. There is no more hesitation, no more conserving mana, and with an ax and a sword in my hands, black mana seeps into my body and my eyes activate. Less than thirty minutes remain, but I dont think I will be able to last more than a minute before the system judges I''m dead. Should be enough. Chapter 340: Its MY mana Chapter 340: It''s MY mana With my eyes activated and strengthening and pummeling my body, I jump from building to building, prepared for Tacita to attack me. Even then, Savant doesn''t use the arcane glove and stands there, his mana surrounding his body as he fights the aftereffects of Sophie''s skill. Two tri-colored orbs shoot at him, one of them disappearing the moment it enters his reach, the other one redirected at Adam. The man in the suit repositions before the orb explodes, sending a shockwave and heat into the area. Purple mana flickers around Adam ?s body as he does so. Keeping an eye on Savant, I try to find out what happened to the second orb, but it''s gone. Where did it go? I can''t sense anything. Like a flash, Tacita appears near Savant, a dagger in her hand slashing down only for her to freeze on the spot as he squeezes his hand into a fist, using the arcane weapon. Unbothered, Tacita''s presence becomes even fainter, and she disappears from the spot where she stood. A big chunk of the building implodes into a small spot as Savant fully closes his gloved hand into a fist. Purple mana erupts from Adam, moving like water and crashing against Savant in huge waves. The air flickers under its influence, and the pressure of his weird skill grinds the building around Savant to dust. Without even using his weapon, Savant does something, and even though the attack continues, it doesn''t touch him at all. Then he moves his hand, and all the anchors I''ve placed disappear. Tacita, who attacks him again, is thrown away, into the empty city. While Adam is sent crashing to the ground surrounded by his purple mana. With my mana around me like a brilliant flame, I endure it all, floating in the same spot in the space. My eyes are bleeding as I read his movements and tactics. My domain expands even further, and Savant ?s domain pushes against mine, a gentle orange light radiating from him. Within my domain, my mana becomes easier to manipulate, and within his, mana radiation slowly ramps up, attempting to crush me. I know that skill. It''s hard to forget. The skill that Champion Tristan, controlled by mind mage Emperor, used to wipe out his world. [Dawn] In my domain, dozens of mana projectiles form a constant barrage to harry the man. Weaker ones disappear within his domain, and the stronger ones disappear an arm''s reach in front of him because of his other skill. Tacita moves to attack him again, but Savant, while defending against me, sends a pulse of telekinesis from the glove. The brown-haired woman tilts her body, taking damage and spinning around before lowering her posture to avoid another attack. Her body moves even quicker than before. Before he can attack her, I push against him with my domain, [Redistribution] and [Resonance] at full power crash against his body, trying to stop his movement and disrupt his mana as I read its flow. But all of it is pointless in attempting to match the arcane item. His hand moves and a big chunk of his mana disappears with it. The air reverberates, and I layer barriers in front of me when a huge area surrounding him explodes, all the buildings blown away as if by a powerful wind. Another pulse sends all dust away, revealing Savant standing on an untouched building and the tons of debris floating around him. Tacita is there already, her knife embedded in his side and pointed at his heart, yet she is unable to push deeper, her movement arrested in the same way as the debris, at a high cost to Savant ?s mana. He looks at her, the arcane weapon glowing. How? he asks almost curiously. I bet if Tacita could move, she would just shrug. Then he squeezes his fist and she disappears, turning into particles, unable to escape this time. Her dagger glows once more before that, damaging her target further, making him stagger and spit out some blood. Immediately after, even wounded, Savant moves, lifting his hand with the glove in front of him. A javelin made of black mana stops an arm reach in front of him. He tries to absorb it like he did with the attacks from before, but it doesn''t work. It did cost me a lot of focus and damage to my body to make that javelin in my current restricted state, so what will he do now? With curiosity, I watch as he looks at the javelin and then at me. Then a gray mana I know so well emerges from somewhere within him to war against the javelin. When black mana and [Disintegration] meet, they clash for a short moment, and then [Disintegration] destroys part of the black mana javelin before the skill weakens enough for the remaining black mana to absorb it. Seeing that, Savant tries to absorb what remains but is unsuccessful. Having a good idea at this point what his skills are, I put my body and mana into overdrive. My attacks strike him once more, a barrage of thermal, kinetic energy, or pure mana constantly assaulting him and destroying the building he stands on. Adding to the mix, orbs filled with disrupting mana pop near him, pressuring him to keep up his domain and waste his mana. Adam and his wave-like purple mana shoot into the area, crashing over it and pressuring Savant even more. And the entire time, I keep collecting mana inside my body. This isn''t all, I know. So you have noticed. However, it doesn''t matter, you are done anyway. You won''t be able to control your mana anymore. Me? Done? Because you decided that? It''s MY mana. POV Tess Hansen As always, when pushed to the corner, Nathaniel becomes the most dangerous. At the point where there is only a sliver of his life remaining, he throws all his failsafes away and becomes like a dangerous animal. He was always like this. Even when he got ganged up on by a group of boys who called him the brother of a murderer, he fought back. And then, when they pushed him to the point of losing, pummeled, and bleeding, he started biting, scratching, and fighting dirty. Just a few fights like that were enough. Even if he lost, the boys just became too scared, and decided that it wasnt worth the attempt anymore. That, and the fact that Nat hunted them when they were alone, beating them to the point where they were always moving in groups. Even now, he has the same expression as we watch him on a giant screen in the common area. The screen that allows people who left the Survival Domain to watch what''s happening inside. Nathaniel says, You have poisoned my mana, and Savant answers. Even knowing that the poisoned mana, his mana, continues to rush back into his body, his other eye losing sight, and wounds savaging his body. When he charges this time, the leg he uses to leap breaks in a dozen spots, turning into a floppy sack of shattered bone made of skin. He moves quicker than even Tacita did, destroying his body in the process. Yet, somehow, hes still capable enough to use that black mana of his to pull this off without immediately killing himself. We can''t die during the tournament, but being able to push yourself to the point where you know you will die requires a special kind of mind. When he crashes into Savant, the man, surprised, has time only to tilt his body and avoid most of the attack. Both of them roll on the ground, and in Nat''s arm, a nail made of black mana forms; he stabs it into the arm the Savant uses to cover his eye. The nail absorbs Savant''s attempt to push Nathaniel away, and Nathaniel smashes his head down, breaking Savant''s nose, and blood spills. Savant dodges another attack, his arm still somehow coated in pale blue mana; he stabs into Nathaniel''s side. In exchange, Nathaniel stabs the exposed jagged bone that''s left of his exploded hand and forearm into Savant''s neck. He has a cold expression on his face as he does so. The entire time their domains clash, Nathaniel''s easily overpowering Savant''s, as his mana radiates from his body, forcing the other man to shrink his domain more and more until its barely covering his body. And anything outside of it is destroyed immediately. Heat, vibrations, and mana itself move around, trying to tear Savant apart, only stopped by the gentle orange light surrounding him. But it''s clear he won''t last much longer. Unfortunately, neither will Nathaniel. Savant observes him calmly, and when Nathaniel attacks him, he blocks the strike and stabs Nathaniel again. Ignoring that precise mortal wound another black nail forms in Nathaniel''s hand, and with a swing, he stabs it down towards Savant''s eyes. In the middle of that movement, his body turns into shiny particles, and he disappears. Silence fills the common area, no one says anything, and everyone is staring at the screen. While holding his palm on his strongly bleeding neck, Savant stands up and looks at the spot where Nat disappeared. For a short moment, he stares there, the meaning of that look is hard to decipher. The winner of the first event has been decided. The air next to our group wavers, and Nat appears, outside of the Survival Domain. He is fully healed, his clothes fixed as well, and his mana restored to the levels before the event started. Nathaniel blinks a few times, looking around with wild eyes, ready to attack. Mana radiates off him in waves that wash over the common area, causing some people from lower difficulties to throw up and others to faint. I watch him, curious what expression he intends to put on, but his expression just returns to his usual neutral face and his mana disappears as if it never existed, barely a whisper. I will get the fucker during the duels, he declares simply. Even with his hard-to-read face, I can tell how dissatisfied he is. Then he turns around, passing by the groups of people and heading towards our house. Dozens of people flee from his path, some looking at him like some kind of demon. Chapter 341: Better than a stick Chapter 341: Better than a stick Congratulations, you have placed 2nd in the 1st event - Survival Domain and you have also reached 1st place in points collected - 441 pts. You can exchange your points for shards. 1 point = 5 shards. The reward for placing 2nd overall is 3 thousand shards. You may, either, receive the shards and choose one of three rewards, or forfeit them to choose from a selection of higher quality rewards. I close my eyes and lean back in the massive armchair Ive claimed for myself and moved to the terrace, offering a decent-ish view of the common area and the houses on the grassy hills surrounding it. So 2nd place it is. Tsk. If he hadnt gotten that goddamn arcane item if he hadnt absorbed a bit of Lily''s [Disintegration]... And what the heck even is that skill and how long can he store the absorbed skills? I''m pretty sure his skill does something like that after seeing it at work. So is that asshole storing the tri-colored orbs I shot at him? How much mana does it require to store them? What''s the name of the skill? How the heck does he have [Dawn] and the mana stone from Tristan that he gave to Lily? Did he get chummy with Champion Tristan back on the second floor? Biscuit! I need emotional support. I''m frustrated! As if he heard me, the best doggo of all tournament floors comes floating my way to lands in my lap. He also got defeated so he is quiet and just rests on my lap while I boop his nose a few times and then pet him. We will get our revenge in the other events, I whisper to him. He woofs in agreement and I focus back on the notifications. Should I try to gain as many shards as possible or try for better rewards? The rewards seem to be personalized so improving them in exchange for a few shards could be well worth it. I can also make shards by selling items in the tournament shop and it''s not like a few thousand shards are going to do very much for me. Biscuit, shards, or better rewards? (Food.) He says cleverly before closing his eyes again, stretching, and continuing to rest. Cute. Rewards it is. You have decided to not receive your shards. Please pick one of the three following rewards: Epic grade passive skill Epic grade item Summon disciple (24h) Looking at the rewards, the passive and the item, which must at least be mid-grade if not upper grade, to be listed here, but I''m not even thinking of them. Give me the last one. The window disappears and my slowly souring mood immediately improves. The item is called a disciple summoning, not a minion summoning token but I can live with that. Grabbing Biscuit and holding him to my chest, I stand up and head towards the living room where the others are. A lively conversation immediately cuts off, leaving me staring down a number of awkward looks. Are they worried about my mood because I lost... because that asshole cheated and got 1st place? I''m fine, like I said, Ill get that dick in the other events. But more importantly. Tess, get Channeler and see if he cant find frozen pizza or someone who can cook pizza for us. I''m offering an epic item for that. I let the stream of questions pass, already planning. Satisfied with that, I stretch, but now that I''m done, an annoying thought about the result of the 1st event comes rushing back. So I try to think about something else for a bit. It''s fine, my time will come. Once outside the facility, I meet Lily in the garden, currently throwing her gray mana at the poor trees. Are we fighting the trees? I ask her. She doesnt seem to be amused, I hate that Savant was able to absorb my skill; it shouldnt be possible. I agree with her. His skill didn''t absorb my black mana, but it succeeded with her [Disintegration]. The interesting thing is that the system allowed it even though he put the same [Restriction] on himself as Lily. So his skill must be quite good. More to think about. I already have plans to properly experiment with the black. My current immortality has given me some amazing opportunities, and after seeing that it really is impossible to die here and that my body and mana will be restored after the event, I can do just that. He probably had to use a shitload of mana for his skill to be able to absorb yours. Maybe his skill is just higher level than [Disintegration], or perhaps it has some means of countering yours to some degree, I tell her. Or maybe Ive just grown overconfident. I kept leveling my other skills and somehow thought [Disintegration] would remain powerful. Thats also an option. But your skill is capable of damaging someone a hundred levels higher, with a high constitution, so it''s not just that. But as you said, a bit of leveling wont hurt. And you? Are you ok? [Focus - lvl 48 > Focus - lvl 49] Its okay, I pinch Lilys nose. By the way, Im going to introduce you to someone important to me in a few days. As I say it, Lily seems to start panicking, Someone important? she whispers. Yes, youll like her. H-her? Yup, anyway, Im going to train on my own for a bit, so later. Before she can say anything, I teleport to one of my anchors and fly for a while, reaching a clearing in the forest without anyone nearby. Checking my surroundings once more, I then move my mana to test something Ive wanted to do since the start of the event. A pale blue orb forms over my palm, quickly changing its color multiple times until it''s pitch black. But unlike the event where I was restricted, I can control the black mana quite comfortably. I let it seep into my body and use it to power [Focus]. Then, as the world slows around me, I create a bigger one than before, using quite a bit of the mana in my body. In this state that feels so addictive, I let that black mana permeate me, and this time I feel the pressure. It makes it much more difficult to control as black mana inside of my body reaches a certain amount, but I pay it no mind. Ignoring the pressure and wounds, I let it all seep in and then use it to power a different skill. [Mana Domain] Immediately my domain expands, and then more, and again. The size is unlike any Ive used before. Observing it with fascination, I try to understand and learn as much as possible before I lose control. The black mana even inside of my body threatens to slip, and even controlling the mana I used to power my [Focus] has become much more difficult. Through the domain, I sense the mana of every being within it. It feels like I should be able to do even more, but as I make the attempt, the world blacks out, and I die. I died...Confused, I look around, still in the same place, though my skills have been deactivated and after checking, a chunk of my mana is missing. The feeling is extremely disturbing even though I quickly reactivate [Focus], this time powered by normal mana. It takes a few moments to calm my beating heart as I replay what just happened. Well, that''s a good start. The system didn''t let me die, which can only mean one thing. Let''s try it again. First, to see how black mana reacts with my other skills and then learn how much I can control it. I have a lot of time before the 2nd event starts. Chapter 342: (?_?) Chapter 342: (?_?) [Perception] powered by black mana isn''t that special, or at least its not at my skill level. I''m not as good at using that skill as I am at using [Focus], so black mana makes it, well, more perceptive. I still prefer my eye trait, but it''s not terrible and could be used to improve my scans. I might even be able to locate Tacita right now and quite easily at that, but it''s kind of hard to control. I died three times before I got any actual results. The second skill Ive decided to test is [Resonance], mostly for the bits that used to be [Oscillation] rather than [Disruption]. [Resonance] powered by black mana easily tears through the trees and rocks in front of me, it covers quite a large area as well. It''s like using highly concentrated, high-frequency kinetic energy but it feels sharper. Knowing I can''t die, I can afford to be less careful, intending to learn even from the way my body gets damaged. I died twice before getting the result I wanted from the skill. I also try to use [Resonance] with a burst of black mana to send a massive disrupting wave, as big as I can make it, and after examining it I''m almost sure it hit everyone within the common area. Its almost like a wide range EMP for mana. With that one pulse, the black mana I used for the skill is gone. It took up a lot of it, but the area is huge so Im satisfied. So what if it scared a few people and messed up the web the others from Hell and the Hard difficulty people have been constructing over the common area? Its a price I''m willing to pay. Next, I decide not to test it on more skills. The event is still a bit off, but I need to get there with my mana topped out. For the last test with black mana, I create a big amount and send it through my body, in a manner similar to my Reinforcement and body strengthening. And I observe it the entire time, without activating my healing passive even as my body takes damage, my bones and muscles strengthened by mana while it puts through an immense amount of strain at the same time. I move that mana to certain parts, like to my feet or arms, and attempt at independently strengthening them. Then I manipulate mana to create a black dagger before reabsorbing it. Each of these attempts would be extremely dangerous given that a single spike can tear my organs and mind apart, but here I''m not that worried. Congratulations, you have acquired a new skill! [Mana Manipulation] [Mana Manipulation - lvl 0 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 38] Huh? What? Confused, I ignore the black mana for a moment and check my status and the skill is there. Ive reacquired one of my original skills. Didn''t the system say it would be extremely difficult to get the skill back? And I was already getting used to training without it, and why the heck is it so high level? The other skills Ive gained are mostly in the single digits. Is it because I had it before, and more importantly, does that mean I can use [Mana Manipulation] in another skill combination? Is that even allowed? If so then maybe, in the future when I use it for skill combination, I can get it back again. This is a total scam! It''s still surprising, but I cant complain. It must mean that I have a great talent when it comes to mana, right? Hehe. I notice that my body is starting to take too much damage, and overjoyed over the new skill, I send kinetic energy into my brain and blow off my head. I die again, my body returning to its normal state. From testing, I know that if I had waited any longer the system would have restored me to my wounded state even if I wasnt dead. I''m still not sure what the exact time limit is, but it''s something that can be found out with a bit of testing. After "reviving", the first thing I see is Tacita squatting in front of me and looking at me in a way that I cant quite describe. Is it amazement? Admiration? Did she stalk me and see me testing the black mana and dying? She lifts her pointing finger close to her temple and makes a circular movement while looking at me. Oh, come on! Everyone normal would do that! You can''t die here, so it''s not a problem to destroy your body a few times. I''m normal. That was entirely reasonable, I protest. She blinks a few times and then gestures at the ground where she quickly draws something with her finger. (?_?) I''m normal. She wipes it off and pats my shoulder once before drawing again. (?_?) Did you come here just to make fun of me? Tacita shakes her head. Do you want something from me? A short nod. What is it? (>^_^)> ??*?? There is NO WAY she is more normal than me. Explosion? She nods excitedly a few times but then gestures to indicate that Ive missed something. Do you want me to cause an explosion? Nope! Sset saw it and zapped him and the group who was trying to help him. He moves closer and continues in a whisper. Sset is scary. A few of the guys from Hard difficulty cried and begged her to stop, but she was like: Channeler is with Group 4. So goddamn cool, I tell you! Oh nice, now even Tess is spreading Group 4''s name to other participants. But I''m curious about where shes going with this. Good, if someone bothers you just tell us. It should be easy enough to deal with them. Will do, boss! By the way, did you hear about that creep selling rare items? Huh, creep? I know multiple people registered as sellers and I even saw some rare items in the tournament shop, but who could have caught enough interest by now for anyone to be talking about them? Anything interesting? I ask. Yup! He made a few rare items and was selling them at a ridiculously low price! I''m friends with some of the guys from Normal difficulty and theyve already started talking about it. They say his weapons are being sold at the price of a low rare item with the performance of a mid rare! Apparently, not many people have realized their value yet. Heh, what a loser, getting scammed already. Channeler continues, The items are ugly as hell and sometimes theyre hard to hold and the shapes all wrong. Wait a moment. He laughs shortly, The guys complained a lot about them being ugly, but the performance and effects are amazing for such a high grade so theyve been selling like hotcakes. I even heard some were trading them in for other, more valuable items with crafters from Hard difficulty who wanted to examine them. Please no. Channeler explodes into laughter, But best of all is the guy''s name. Everyone calls him Tent Creep who apparently wants to... well, you know... Anyway, if you see any tent you better avoid it. T-That''s not it! I try to correct him, Isn''t his name ''Fuck You Intent Bitch''? I think I saw it. Channeler just shrugs, What even is intent? Anyway, they don''t care. Since the name has caught on, theyre likely to keep using it, he smirks. Obviously no one will make fun of him to his face. It would be dumb to make fun of someone with that level of skill! Yes, that would be really stupid. Maybe you could buy some of his stuff, creep or not. Yes, maybe. Hehe, such a stupid name. Right? I have to go to Soph. Gareth and others are getting annoyed by the web she is setting up around the common area. It interferes with, and has apparently been taking over, parts of their own web. Theyve already sent Brainiac to talk to her, but apparently, hes just been messing around with the other members of your group. Group 4 indeed, everyone seems to like stirring trouble. Sure, I think she is in the workshop with her sister, you can check there. Thanks, Ill see you later, boss! As he leaves, I watch him for a bit longer. Its nice that his behavior in regards to me hasnt changed much after the end of the 1st event, unlike some of the others. When I enter the house, I find Tess alone in the smaller living room with all the furniture floating in the air. Tent Creep! she shouts by way of greeting. Oh, come on. In quick succession, I shoot a few mana orbs at her, and she destroys them with her lightning. If you want, I can find out who started it, and you can have a talk with the guy. But that would reveal your secret identity as Tent Creep, and they would laugh behind your back. Or you can keep it secret. Let''s keep it a secret. Sure! By the way, flying is much harder than you make it look. Other than you, Kim, and I, Ive only seen two guys flying briefly. Maybe there are a few more, but they are all terrible in comparison to you. That improves my mood, and I know she said it on purpose. Such a cheeky blonde. They just don''t practice enough. I wanted to ask you something. I move closer and sit in the armchair that starts floating with me on it under the influence of her skill. You went pretty hard on group 4 during the 1st event, is there a reason for that? Tess attacked me the moment she saw me, and then again. I also heard she poked at the others and defeated Min-Jae. It''s weird to me, considering she was the one who wanted to create this atmosphere of camaraderie, yet instead of grouping up during the event she went off alone, even attacked a few of the members of our group. Slowly, the items float back to the floor along with Tess, who ends up on the couch opposite me. I attacked you because I thought it would be fun and I knew you wouldnt mind. When she looks at me, I nod and after a short smile, she continues, I poked the others to remind them that it''s not just you whos stronger than them in Group 4. I want them to know I''m here as well and they should not forget that. Want to be their mom? Actually, that might not be so inaccurate. A plate with snacks floats over to me, and I grab one before it floats to Tess who takes some as well. I want us to be friends, but at the same time, I took on the role of leader for the most part so I need to remind them once in a while. As for Kim, I defeated him because hes getting cocky, Nathaniel. I saw how harshly he was treating some guys from the Hard difficulty. It was getting awfully close to bullying. Just that? Of course, that alone wouldn''t be enough, it''s just that since he got his new eye, hes been getting more and more confident. Kim is still young and he doesn''t know what to do with it, so he takes joy in lording his strength over others. But lately, hes been pushing it. I could look into it, I offer. Having Min-Jae act cocky and overconfident could cause him some trouble in the future, so I could help with that. That would be great, just please dont be too cruel. I will talk with him too so you can do it later. Sure. Thats fine. I gesture and head back out. Chapter 343: Start of the 2nd event Chapter 343: Start of the 2nd event The 2nd event - The Siege of Aether Keep will be starting in 1 hour! In 1 hour, everyone will be transferred to the Aether Keep. All difficulties will participate in the same instance. You will be facing a gradually increasing number of enemies trying to destroy Aether Keep. The numbers and strength of the attackers will grow over the duration of the event. You will have 5 hours to prepare your defenses and then 5 hours to defend Aether Keep. Participants will be rewarded according to their performance during the defense. Note: You can leave the event at any time you want. Note: Cooperation with natives from Aether Keep and with participants of the tournament is required and fighting among defenders, be it tutorial attendees or natives, may decrease your points. Note: You can use [Restriction] for this event. Well, the event seems interesting. The only thing I dislike is the part about not fighting other participants, but it says that there may be a punishment. So maybe a bit of infighting is allowed? It also makes me wonder who or what the attackers are and what kind of place Aether Keep will be. There doesnt seem to be any restriction on mana or stamina regen, I cant help but like that part and I have to wonder if I should set a [Restriction]. Placing one might increase my rewards, but not placing one would give me more options for defending the place, which might work out better in the end. The question is how difficult the second event is going to be. If it''s easy and I placed no [Restriction], it could end up being overkill and earn fewer points. If it''s difficult and I placed one, I may regret it, and find myself hamstrung during the defense. Well, Ill have to leave that to future Nat. He can decide a few seconds before the event starts. Closing the window, I open another and put three items up for auction. Each one quickly made and apparently, according to the assholes who give me funny names, graded at mid rare. So this time I set the starting price for each one at 300 shards and set the time of the auction to 30 minutes. Let''s see how they do. As I did before the 1st event, I create a small orb inside my body and start filling it with my mana, trying to smuggle it in again. Entering the house, I find everyone already inside, spread out over the living room. The most notable is Biscuit who is facing Noodle in a staring contest. The white snake feels a bit stronger now. Did one of our animal overlords have a breakthrough in his training and is trying to fight for the position of Absolute? Well, in the end, it doesn''t matter. Biscuit doesn''t even release any mana, just looks at Noodle with his usual silly expression. The one that makes him look like he is smiling with his tongue slightly sticking out. Even that is enough and Noodle lowers his head and leaves in a clear state of defeat. (Asshole,) sounds proudly through everyones mind as Biscuit announces his victory. That makes the introverted snake lower his head even more and burrow under the blankets on the couch. It might seem harsh, but Biscuit is cute so he can do anything he wants. "Yoo, can you lend me the ax for the event?" Maya asks shamelessly as the fight between two animal overlords is over. "One thousand shards per hour." She blinks a few times staring at me. "You cant afford to buy it so a subscription might be a good idea. Even if its damaged, it''s an arcane item. It performs at the level of a mid to upper epic item and sometimes even a bit higher." "I heard you were offering an epic item to find someone to help you make a good pizza in a few days. We are teammates, right? You can be nice to me too." I shake my head, "That pizza is for my precious minion. She deserves it." I still remember Vega asking me about my food, and now that I have a token that will allow me to summon her for a day, there is no way I wouldn''t prepare a nice welcome for her. While the 5th floor wasnt all that long ago and it''s only been a few days since I saw her, this is too good an opportunity to waste, given that we are currently in the middle of a somewhat safe tournament. Maybe I could let her fight some of the people from Easy and Normal difficulty. I kind of wonder how my minion would do. "Can I become your minion too?" Maya tries again. I ignore her and pick up Biscuit from the floor, setting him in my lap and grab his lolling pink tongue, pulling it gently. Shaking his head, he woofs at me and calls me an asshole. In exchange, I pull his whiskers and whisper, "Im going to introduce you to someone in a few days."Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com (Asshole?) "No, she isn''t an asshole like me." I boop his nose. (Food?) "No." His rambling has put me in a better mood, so I may as well throw him a bone, The moment you shoot your invisible projectiles you move a lot of mana that makes it super obvious when you will shoot them. I can even read the trajectory that way. Then, the projectiles themselves are unstable and leak mana which makes them more apparent. I recommend using half of the mana you are currently and focusing on making them more dense. If youre fighting other humans you can make them a quarter the size, theyre too big as is. Noname! he shouts happily. You have to train me! I can trade you some items worth a few hundred shards per lesson. Huh? He thinks that''s enough? Itll be at least 1000 shards per hour-long lesson. And thats heavily discounted already. I answer. That much should make it worth it. Fuck man, thats too much. Thats unfortunate. Brainiac seems to be thinking, I can get a few guys and we can split the cost. I bet after the 1st event there are plenty who would be willing to join. Four thousand shards worth for group lessons. Five thousand if its over 5 people. Ten thousand if its over 10 people. What? What does he mean by what? There is no way Im going to let a bunch of people drain all of my energy if I dont have to. Sure, I can endure it for a while, but only for the right price. Now that I think about it, if I do well during the other events I might ask more. I wonder if there are actually people who would be willing to do that. Come on, Max, leave Noname alone, Lootenant jumps in, pulling the red-haired Brainiac away. As Brainiac gets dragged away to the other room, he keeps shouting that I''m a scammer or some other nonsense. With less than ten minutes left on the clock, everyone else returns and Brainiac and Lootenant leave to rejoin their group. While I continue to prod and poke at Sophie and the twins'' web, Tess and others have some sort of important meeting which I half listen to. I spend my remaining minutes thinking about what kind of [Restriction] I should set, or if it is even necessary. In ten seconds you will be moved to the location of the 2nd Event! The message finally sounds and the final countdown starts. 3, 2, 1,... You will be transferred to the Aether Keep. You have three seconds to place a [Restriction] if you wish to do so. Everyone else disappears, followed by me. Entering the area of the second event I look around. All two thousand tutorial participants are spread out across a massive courtyard, surrounded by a tall wall. Off to one side is a mountain rising into the sky with windows carved into its faces. Telling me that the mountain''s insides are filled with rooms and buildings. There are also more walls like the one currently surrounding us. The air here is slightly colder and the clouds almost seem to be close enough to touch. I give myself some time to examine the place. It''s simple, yet its architecture gives off the impression of old strength and power, and there are rough and fascinating mana-powered inscriptions. Interestingly, there are thousands of humans all around. Both armored and not. Each one scrambling to prepare the defenses. A dozen well-dressed men with guards following them are heading toward the participants whereupon they start explaining the situation. Well, it seems like we wont be defending this place alone. Looking around I spot and check in on a few people. Gareth (Hell, 4th) Tess (Hell, 4th) Grumpy (Hell, 4th) Tacita (Hell, 5th) And then there is also this guy. Savant (Hell, 3rd) I see. I think I know his reasoning and I had the same thought. The event has all of the tournament attendees participate and even calls for cooperation. Its very logical to assume that the event will be somewhat made to reflect that fact. Forgoing a restriction would probably be overkill and far from worth it. But, the system isnt always logical. The system is an asshole. Thats why the text the others see over my head reads thusly. Noname (Hell, 6th) And as far as I can see its the highest out of any Hell difficulty participant. Chapter 344: A low price to pay Chapter 344: A low price to pay Welcome to the 2nd event, the Siege of the Aether Keep. You now have 5 hours for preparations. Cooperation with other participants and natives is preferred, and doing otherwise will lead to a deduction in points. After 5 hours, the attack will start. The attack itself will last 5 hours with a gradual increase in difficulty. The longer you defend, the better your rewards will be. Enjoy the second event! After a few minutes of just looking around, I look for Tess and move towards her. Unlike me, the blonde started with with people and natives the moment we arrived here. Scary.Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com I think you made a mistake, Tess tells me when she moves closer, reading the text over my head. I see, the poor blonde is still underestimating the system. But she will learn, shes a smart girl. Don''t look at me with that patronizing look in your eyes, Tess complains. How are the natives? I ask her, changing the subject. Weve already tested a few things. Theyre like the natives of the other floors with more restrictions. As if their only purpose is to defend Aether Keep. To their minds, we are reinforcements sent by one of their Champions. We were able to gain their cooperation by telling them their Champion instructed us to take command. Gareth and Samuel are already speaking with them and collecting information. Sounds interesting, so what are we defending? Aether Keep is a bastion carved into an extremely tall mountain as you can see. You can do a fly over later and learn more. As for the reason, there seems to be a deposit of arcanadium and other materials in this area. Before I can say anything, she interrupts, Yes, we already sent people to find out if we can take it out of the event. Were locked out of the system and tournament shops, same as the 1st event. I did ask a few guys to go and try to craft some stuff with the materials. Maybe that could help us smuggle out some materials, but I dont think the system is going to let that slide. Thats such a shame. Anything you want me to do? "Maybe set up some traps for now. Youll know what to do." Having said her piece, she leaves to live her busy life as an extrovert. I, meanwhile, continue to fill the orb inside my body with mana. I could do it with my crown, but I still don''t want Savant to see it. Flying a bit up, I locate someone else instead of scouting, and when I land, I find my good friend waiting there. Bendover (Hell, 4th) Surrounded by the rest of his 4-man squad from group 2, IDK, he is as charming as always, welcoming me without any fear. He is even smiling. One of the members of his group I know. The man called Bard, he actually managed to survive quite a while in the 1st event. You said you would find me after the event, did you change your mind? It wont be quite so easy now, BenDover smirks. Huh? Oh. I remember now, I told him I''d find him after the event, right? But then I got distracted by my experiments with black mana and crafting, and I forgot. But seeing him up close now quickly reminds me why I wanted to do it. I forgot, I say simply. Sure. I will be waiting, he smirks and waves at me with a dagger in his hand, the same one that Lorven guy had on the 4th floor. I remember it being quite a decent epic item. I dont like it. It feels like he is looking down at me because it''s impossible to die during the tournament. His teammate tries to calm him down, but he just pushes him away and fearlessly takes a step closer to me, You keep looking at me that way like you want to do something. But you wont do shit. The event... Using my much higher mana reserve, I grab and hold him with [Redistribution], preventing him from moving or speaking. Without an active [Restriction], I manage it easily, especially with the amount of mana I can use. When I feel like it, I will find you in the common area, I say simply and then a concentrated blast of kinetic energy hits him, the system turning him into particles and sending him away. You have killed one of your fellow defenders. 100 points have been deducted from your score as punishment. The woman pokes the man, I thought you were a tough guy and you guys are getting scared of them just mentioning some random group? Shut up, Karen! They have that fucking lightning maniac. She would zap your ass off if she heard you or worse throw you to their dog. A fucking dog? How... their voices weaken as they walk out of my range. Noname! Channeler notices me and comes rushing with a bright smile. I used your groups name like Sset told me to, again, he says, looking somewhat ashamed. I know it works, but it feels... you know. He shrugs. Its fine, but what was that all about? What is Sset even doing? Oh, that? Shes butting heads with Gareth. He and Samuel want to play sheriff and keep the strong from bullying the weak. They set up webs in the common area and have been defusing fights. He looks around and moves closer. Channeler continues in a quieter voice, Sset told me she doesnt like it. She and Soph favor a different approach, something along the lines of: if anyone fucks around they get put down and the others step in line out of fear. He smiles. Normally it wouldnt work, people would get pissed and push back, but Sset is very strong and Sophs web is already much better than anything Gareth and Samuels people could put together. How oh, so fun. Infighting and conflicting ideals! Tess seems to be cooking something up and Sophies involved too. So whats her plan? I ask. Its a bit weird but I did tell Tess to do anything she wants and then point me at anyone who complains. After all, thats the least I can do. Sset has been using your name to scare people into compliance and when anyone does anything too serious she personally beats the shit out of them. No matter what difficulty they are. With Sophies web, she gets to the troublemakers quicker than Gareth. Shes also been throwing Group 4s name around in the process. Oh, so shes been doing some brand building. That sounds like a lot of annoying work, but if thats what she wants to do then shes free to do it. If Gareth and the others complain I will still be by her side. It would be fun to see Group 4 fighting against the opposition. Even though Tess, Lily, and I could probably handle a combined attack from most of Hell difficulty. Probably. Well, see you later, I say, waving to Channeler as I lift off, locating and flying towards Tess and the others. On the way I spot and stop by Tacita whos leaning against a tree, watching the arguing group from a distance. She waves shortly and without a word, I plop down on the wall nearby, also observing them from a distance. Gareth and Adam stand opposite Tess, Maya, and Sophie, discussing something. Behind them stands Samuel. Hes from Hard difficulty, a marine or something. His posture is straight and his clothes are well-kept. A sword as big as he is tall hangs from his back, though its weight doesnt seem to bother him. (Food?) Biscuit moves closer with his wobbly step. He notices Tacita near me and stops. Then he sniffs at her and throws a confused look my way. (Food!) I guess he couldn''t smell her? What an interesting skill or trait she has. Its fine, I say as I lift him from the ground and set him in my lap. Tacita doesn''t react and glances at the best doggo of the second event. It''s really hard to tell, but I could swear it seemed like she wanted to take a step forward and try to pet him. I wait for her to gesture at me, but she holds back and returns to observing the others. Well, it''s her loss. Maya also notices me and moves closer, handing me the damaged arcane ax I left in her care, and just waves at Tacita who ignores her. Rather than attempting further communication, she pokes Biscuit in the rump at which the doggo perks up and woofs at her a few times. Ignoring his frustration, Maya pokes him a few more times while Biscuit twists in my lap. Thankfully, hes patient with dumb people and deigns not to punish her for the offense. Maya then glances at the text over my head, I wonder whos right, you with no [Restriction] or Savant with the most severe [Restriction] out of Hell difficulty. She pauses and looks at me, Can you create a barrier around us? So no one can listen. I do just that and she continues, Tess will be busy for the next few hours, dealing with the natives, arranging the defenses, and hammering things out with Gareth. She told me to ask you to make a show during the event. Maya gives me a serious look, No holding back. Go all out and make sure that even people from Hell difficulty are scared shitless. Chapter 345: Why do you care? Chapter 345: Why do you care? I stop and look at her for a moment, and she actually seems to be serious. Tess probably wants to cement Group 4s strength in the minds of everyone here, whether theyre from Easy or Beyond. I take a moment to ensure that the barrier around us is still functioning before I note, I would be showing my hand before the duels. Tacita, Savant, and Gareth would see all of my skills and other abilities. Yes, Maya agrees. Tess already considered that. She knew you would object so she told me to ask: Why do you care if they see? Youre on a higher floor than any of them so just fuck them up anyway. Those two sentences from Tess, despite coming from Maya, make me think for a while, and though Maya continues to speak, I filter it out. Yes, Tacita might counter me. Yes, Savants full abilities are still a mystery, but why should that stop me? I used to be more cocky and confident. Its as if Ive placed them all on the same level as me. Even if its true, I shouldn''t be thinking like that; I should be an arrogant piece of shit. My subclass is Pride, isnt it? Okay, I respond, Ill do it. Tess must have realized it as well, even during the 1st event when I was conserving my mana for the final confrontation. So now that silly blonde is pushing me where she thinks I want to be. She really is good at reading people, isnt she? I activate my [Mana Crown], and when it appears over my head, I redirect all the mana Ive been collecting in the orb into the crown. Storing it there is much more stable and puts less strain on my body. Even then, the empty space inside the crown barely fills. What a scary mana battery this skill makes. I make my Thermokinetic Mana Heart compress the mana it generates as much as it can and redirect the stream of generated mana into the crown. My bodys store of mana is full, and my reservoir is full too, so all newly generated mana will flow into the crown. In five hours, a nice amount should be generated. Vortex Core is also full, compressed Primordial Energies swirling inside of it. That is amusing enough. The Armorer said as much on the 5th Floor. My body is extremely mana-conductive. All thanks to my Mana Circuit, my passives, and my constructs. It''s almost as if I''m turning myself into a mana battery, the rest of my body serving as a conduit to direct and shape that mana, right down to my second trait. Let''s just try not to end up like Armorer''s former Lord, imprisoned and used as a mana supply. I''m gonna go prepare then. See you later. I wave to Maya and carefully set Biscuit down. The best doggo decides to do his own thing and wobbles on his way as he follows Maya away. Tacita is observing me with her lively eyes, still leaning against the tree, brown hair falling over her forehead. Her eyes flicker towards my crown a few times and I watch the thoughts flash behind her gaze. As if shes already picturing our confrontation in her mind. I can tell, Ive done the same so many times already. Do you think you can take me down? I ask her. She pauses for a moment, though its only a short one. Tacita smiles brightly, her eyes squinting into a dangerous gaze. I see. There is no need for more words. Even as I walk away, I start already preparing ideas on how to best use my mana here. I like the idea of using ethercrystals they mine here. With a few good inscriptions, I could probably turn the entire mine into a bomb. But the quest is to defend the place not blow it up, unfortunately. Or I could turn myself into a bomb, in a bid inspired by Lissandras actions at the end of the second floor. The system would surely keep me alive. The problem with that is that I dont want a permanent construct like that, and I dont know if the system will remove it. Any alterations I make to my body during the event will probably stay even after I leave. Weve already learned that its probably impossible to level a skill during an event, though they tend to level up at the end of the event as if the experience were being collected and applied in the common area. There is also the fact that after I left the 1st event, my body was fully restored and my mana was returned to the state it was in before the event, but would that happen to the constructs made during the event? Especially now when I dont have a [Restriction] active? Well, lets not risk it and go with a single-use method; it will be a bit more difficult without mana conductive paint, but it should still be manageable. Mind if I join you? Lily asks, as she nimbly rushes to my side, leaving the others to their discussion. Grumpy (Hell, 4th) I bet its the second option. To break the silence, I challenge her, Guess what my subclass is. Pride. Close enough, you can try... Pride. Dang it. Nat, its quite obvious and I think most of the group knows. But I think it suits you. I know pride is generally viewed in a negative light, but yours is comforting. Its like you have this unshakable confidence in yourself. I often find myself being jealous of you. How easily you seem to deal with situations and events that bother me for days. Shes restored my arm up to the elbow by the time she continues, For example, that thing with Tent Creep, I know I would be cringing for days, but you already seem to be over... She stops as I pinch her nose and shake her head, and a playful laugh escapes from her lips. For the future Ruler of Lust, you really are quite the comedian, Miss Lily. One day I will have to beat the crap out of Aaron for coming up with that. But you can try to guess my subclass too. Do you think you can do it? Wrath, I respond, much to her surprise. Seeing her expression, I must have hit the nail on the head. How? I guessed what you would pick back then. We spoke and you told me you wanted to learn to control your skills. I did have two more guesses but that one seemed like the most likely option and you just confirmed it. After a minute of silence, she asks quietly, Was it the right decision? It was a decision you made on your own, thats all that matters. You just have to do your best to follow through. I stand up and stretch. We humans have to try hard to avoid being left behind by our future animal overlords. Biscuit and Noodle are here and ready to take over the moment we show the slightest bit of weakness so do your best. What? she blinks, confused. Oh, I dont think Ive shared that part of my theory with the others. Well, Ill have to do that at some point in the future, slowly to avoid scaring them off. Ill explain later. I want to go and place a few traps, but Ill be back before the attack starts. Ill pass that on to Tess... and our future animal overlords, she says carefully. Sometimes people don''t appreciate me as much as they should. Waving at her, I jump over the edge and fly away from the walls. The traps will be simple. A number of anchors inscribed into mana stones to make them last longer and keep more of them active than I could with my skill alone. Obviously, I won''t be using my materials and mana stones. I bet the natives have some nice stuff stashed away somewhere. Sharing is caring, isnt it? I can also string up some extremely dense, hair-thin threads of mana across the terrain; that would be nice too. Running into one could cut an enemy apart before they ever realized what was happening, and the amount of mana is minuscule. Ill need to find out how long they can last and how strong I can make them. There are a few more surprises after that too. Maybe I can prepare an avalanche or something that Min-Jae can help along with his gravity magic. Theres the question of whether or not I should be using these traps in the first place. I might just wait it out and join the fight near the end when everything seems lost. That could look cool; I bet Biscuit would be proud of me, and it would give me the opportunity to do something flashy. Anyway, whoever does attack will receive a warm welcome. Chapter 346: That maniac Chapter 346: That maniac By the time I return, thirty minutes remain until the attack, I spot Tess next to the rest of group 4; everyone else is already gone. As I land beside her, she seems tired. So, even the extrovert class can take damage from prolonged exposure to another extroverts leech aura. Don''t look at me like that, Nat, it pisses me off. I swear some people are straight-up stupid. Surely you mean Gareth. Has he already revealed his true colors? Gareth is fine, hes probably the most reasonable goddamn person in Hell difficulty believe it or not. Group 4 included, she sighs. Savant keeps calling Gareth disgusting and then leaves to do his own thing while calling you dumb for not using [Restriction]. Well, his face is stupid. Then theres Tacita. Anytime I try to ask her for anything she just draws her emoticons and shrugs when I ask her anything. By the way, good job killing BenDover, the others from his group refuse to cooperate. I can go smack them around if you like. Please don''t. Okay. What about the natives? Theyre mostly ok. According to them, weve been sent here by their Champion to help with the defense so they mostly listen. The one with the highest level is close to three question marks, and the others are level 200 and below. There are a few civilians, but weve sent them to hide in the mines. Well probably be rewarded based on how many natives survive and how much damage the mines take. Did they know anything about the Pairing, the 1st Generation, or the Tutorial? Nothing, they feel more like machines, theyre not quite as human as the residents of the other floors. And the attackers? Tens of thousands of monsters controlled by a neighboring kingdom that specializes in the taming and controlling armies of monsters. Damn, Sophie''s in for a treat. Tess nods, Shes already setting up her web with the twins. If you have any free time, try to make some improvements. Hows your crown? It''s as full as its going to get, but it would take days, not hours to completely fill it. She points at her own [Storm Crown] that floats over her head, Its the same for me, but its nice to have some preparation time and this event seems to be more fitting for those of us who focus more on regeneration rather than amplification. Its hard for me to abide by such heresy but I may as well let it slide, this time, Do you still want me to go all out? Yes. Blow up the mountain, burn the valley, and just do your thing. I want to scare the others a bit. Samuels too cocky for my taste. He keeps forgetting how much more powerful people from Hell difficulty are compared to his group from Hard difficulty. It should also make Gareth more cooperative since he seems to think that his group can deal with anything, so prove him wrong and youll make things a lot easier for me. So interesting. Are you planning to take over? I ask her. She looks at me for a moment and sighs, I wanted to take it easy and delegate a bit. But Gareth is too soft. I mean, even that could work, he and his group are powerful enough but it''s painful to watch how slowly hes been moving. Meanwhile, Samuels trying to recruit us all into the army so we can serve the greater good the moment we step out of the tutorial. Anyone else? So eating and sleeping. What a life. I''m jealous. Not even joking. POV Sophie Martinez That maniac is at it again! Aaron says out of nowhere, and I look up from the table where the three of us have been drawing our web. By maniac, he can mean only one person. With a sigh, I connect to our web, and hes right, the maniac is there. Hes going through the entire web of extremely delicate mana pathways I created as if it''s nothing. Hes reading them at a speed that still shocks me, even now. How does he do that? Shhh, he might hear you, Dennis says quickly and turns to me. Should we try to push him out? Just let him be, hes done it before. Hell get bored eventually, I turn back to the table. But how does he do it? We are using [Connection] so we can cooperate, and he just cuts in. Oh, wow look! He made a change! Hes infusing his mana into our web, though hes not connected to it. I could spend more time on defenses, but there is no need for that now. And its okay, hes creating a backdoor so he can connect to our web more easily next time. Dennis takes a moment to connect to the web and observe what the maniac is doing, I wonder if it would be the same if we hadnt restricted ourselves. Yes, it would, I respond. Focus on your work. Though that does remind me, you guys are getting better at this, you should speak to him after the event. Maybe you can learn the coordinates from him and sell them at ten thousand shards a pop. Hell probably want a portion, but you can still earn a decent amount. A few thousand shards is nice, but after hearing how much he has, it feels depressing, Dennis sighs and connects to my current project to help me with it. The skill he shares with his brother is a boon when it comes to connecting the smaller webs of my design. Both of them have already acquired [Mana Manipulation], and Ive agreed to teach them a bit. I am just happy that they dont blame me for failing to fight the First One back then. I wouldnt blame them, and they were angry, but after what happened to Aaron''s disciple on the 5th and to them on the 6th, theyve opened up a bit. Things here are complicated. Its a new experience for me as well, but for now, I think Ill go along with Tesss plans. It''s not so bad, and most importantly, Izzy seems to be having fun. Shes finally stopped pestering me about befriending the others. Her [Empathy] is something else, it makes for a really scary skill, and my precious little sister is slowly growing up. Surrounded by danger she shines so painfully bright, constantly reminding me how much I love her. The same is true for the twins; I can see the constant messages they exchange and the care they show for each other. So what do you think? I ask them as they examine my preparations. We probably wont be able to finish it before the attack starts, but somewhere in the middle, we should be able to convert your webs into a single unit for a short moment. The communication part is easy. That much should be fine; Gareth and his group''s pathetic web can fuck off. Yeah, fuck off Gareth! the twins smile happily, Our skills work well together. Maybe we can be the psyops unit of group 4. Tess will be the leader, and Lily will be our healer, Biscuit and Noodle will be the mascots. Izzy, well well come up with something for her to do, and Kim can be long-range artillery with Tess while Maya tanks for us. How about the maniac? I ask curiously. Hes the person we call when we need to blow shit up. Chapter 347: Still considered human? Chapter 347: Still considered human? Unlike the 1st event, we havent been stripped of our items. In my case, I brought a voidsteel blade, the damaged arcane ax, and a few smaller things. The axe''s performance can''t compare to the glove Savant used, and I''m jealous. Savant was restricted and, in my opinion, had pathetic mana reserves. Yet the glove still did such impressive damage. That''s why I rushed to put it on. If I had gotten the glove instead of him, I''m sure I wouldve torn the others apart in that event. Damn, and that glove was only low arcane. So what does that make my ax? Low, mid, or upper? Nevan was really skilled and he collaborated with Champion Niall to make it, so maybe mid? And how high is the difference between the mid and the other tier? Surely its a wider gap than one would see when comparing rare or epic items. I heft the ax in my hand. It feels heavy but not overly so, and it''s warm even though I havent fed it any mana. Its inner flame pulsates slowly like a beating heart. During this event, Ive decided to channel most of the thermal energy stored in my Vortex Core through the ax to put it through its paces. The inscriptions on my skin are also going well, and the crown over my head holds quite a nice amount of mana at the moment. It also seems that Ill have no trouble keeping the crown active indefinitely. It does require a bit of mana for upkeep, but it''s barely noticeable and my regeneration easily covers the cost. Of course, the crown will require a bit more mana if I use it more heavily, but it''ll be well worth it. Ive also been trying to infuse it with my other energies, but it doesnt seem to work. It only accepts mana, thermal, and kinetic energy refuses to enter at all. It is in the name though, so I can''t be too mad. During this event, I could send black mana to it, the way I did when I first got the skill, but even back then it felt like the explosion wasn''t as strong as it could be. It was just the after-effects of two things clashing, and the resulting explosion was highly wasteful. So tricolored bombs? I can make a lot of them. I could just use mana to power the ax? A few black mana orbs could fuck up any enemies that happen to use mana. Or I could burn them; thermal energy is reliable for large-scale damage. Maybe I could power [Redistribution] with black mana and absorb all the heat in an area, freezing the occupying enemies, well that or I could just immobilize them. As I pass a group of the other participants one of the guys from Easy difficulty quickly jumps out of my way, apologizing as he rushes to avoid me. There are whispers and people are glancing at me. Its something weve all had to deal with to some extent. The people from Easy difficulty are slowly beginning to realize the true difference between them and the higher difficulties. Ive already overheard some of them questioning whether or not we can still be called humans. It''s an interesting thought. Am I still considered human? Do I care? Some people seem to enjoy the rise in status while others seem to be worried by the prospect. Both positions are understandable. And it will be even worse when the tutorial ends and we encounter normal humans once more. Even now, there have been accidents caused by people from higher difficulties interacting with low level individuals. A single hug can crush someone with a weaker body. Accidentally releasing a bit too much mana. The heat from a skill can burn people. These things happen. People from Hell difficulty seem to do a better job controlling their powers, while it seems that those from Hard difficulty have a harder time. And people seem to realize it, every single one of the 31 people from Hell is being tiptoed around. There are men offering their services as assistants. People trying to make connections. Groups asking us to intervene because of the power we hold. Lily, whos clearly the strongest healer in Hell difficulty, has it the worst, a constant stream of people have been coming to her with old wounds, asking, begging, and offering to pay for her services. They want their limbs restored, or their hair regrown, or their scars healed and pain relieved. They keep asking and asking. Even if there are over two thousand people and most of them are reasonable, theres also a group of people that are shameless. Even brave enough to ignore the difference in strength, wanting to take advantage of our kind hearted Lily. It annoys me, theyre doing it right now; when they should be focusing on the event with mere minutes remaining till the start. But healers are sought after and this is just the start. Some people want their youth back, it''s mostly meant as a joke, or at least I hope it is, but I dont think its going to stay that way. Weve seen it and looking at Lilys talent I actually think it will be possible for her, later. Just a few hundred more levels and making some normal human feel and look decades younger should be easy. Hell, there were people who lived thousands of years kept alive by the dead Saints aura. At her full power, the Saint Absolute was probably capable of holding that aura over entire cities, making its citizens almost immortal beings. Something like that is hard to fully grasp. What would a power like that cause on Earth? Even if it was much weaker? Lily would become nobility instantly. One of the most powerful and important people on the planet. I saw other healers too, mainly Gareth who can heal with his aura-like silver light. Even he is not at her level, not even close. His healing is much slower and more gradual. So as the ant rushes out and behind him hundreds more ants start climbing out, they are close to abandoning our plans and attacking right away. Not caring that the monsters are only level thirty at most. There is no invisible connection connecting them all, no hive mind. These ones seem much more normal, communicating only with pheromones. We are sticking to the plan, Tess says simply and I can sense one of the twins connecting to the web and sending communications to the leaders of each group. Tess has a cold expression on her face as she says this, unlike many others. But just that seems to be enough and most of the people seem to calm down. Sometimes I will have to learn how she communicates with them. I know Tess is scary at times, but shes wound the others around her finger too quickly. Is she using Lily, Sophie, and I as threats? Well, let''s check something first. I use one of the anchors Ive maintained with the help of a mana stone and appear on the spot closest to the hole in the ground which continues to spew forth ants. The monsters notice me right away, dozens of them crawling my way while shooting acid at me. I just form a suit of armor around my body and ignore them while burning the ones that make contact. I pass through them to reach the hole, before squatting and looking down the bore as the monsters surround me. As the attacks crash all around me, I send my senses into the hole, seeking its origin. I would go down myself, but it''s not very wide, and I refuse to crawl through there. My senses detect thousands more monsters, most of them around level thirty or a bit higher. I do not detect anyone controlling them, not even another kind of monster. For a moment, I think of creating an atomic bomb and throwing it in but decide against it. It would make Tess look silly, having others not attack while I do this as her group member. Sure, it would be funny and satisfying, but... actually, just a tiny bomb wouldn''t hurt anyone, right? (Nat, if you do what I think you want to, I will stop keeping these people from bothering you,) I hear through the connection Sophie and the twins set up. (All the people?) I ask. (Do you think youre being left alone just because you went a bit wild during the first event? Tons of people wanted to talk to you. People rich outside of the tutorial, asslickers, people who wanted to become your disciple, or the ones that wanted to befriend you. There were also plenty of pretty young women and even a few men. I kept them all back.) Well, I was a bit surprised that I wasnt being bothered more. Disappointed, I use my anchor and reappear next to her. She just nods and smiles imperceptibly. Standing there tall and proud in her armor, her golden hair fluttering and crown floating over her head, Tess really looks regal and reliable as always. I will rely on you to run interference from here on. She nods, It''s my pleasure. Let''s just watch the kids play, and when the stronger ones pop out, you can do your thing. And Nat, be flashy when you do so. That much was obvious, wasnt it? I have a good idea, youre going to like it. As I say so I get rid of all the traps I placed. All the anchors, all the threads, everything. The others can have some fun comparing themselves to each other. Then after theyre done I will show them something really nice. Chapter 348: Under attack Chapter 348: Under attack I wave at Tess and leave the wall, heading to the generator that powers the barrier. There I grab one of the natives by the shoulders, Soldier! I have noticed that this part of the wall and defense is damaged. You are a scribe here to make sure it works smoothly, right? Explain the process to me so I can relay it further to our leadership. Confused, the man looks around, trying to get anyone to help, but there is only me. We do not call ourselves soldiers, sir, but I will sir! he answers in the end. If you move over here, you can see the hidden control panel. You said there is a problem with it? Yes, the enemy is attempting to disrupt the barrier on the first wall. That would be terrible! Let''s quickly confirm everythings working as it should. Thats a good idea, soldier! I''m not a soldier, sir. Please, right this way. The barrier is a much rougher version of the barrier the Bastion on the 5th floor had, so I don''t spend much time checking it out. I just take note of some interesting ways they deal with this kind of construct, it will be useful in the future. I leave, appearing back on the 1st wall. Not even one hour out of five has passed and as I look down the mountain, it all seems to be under control. Yup, just thousands of level thirty, corgi-sized ants. They are under the wall, nibbling on it at places while the lower difficulty participants shower them with attacks. Some of them do have some mildly interesting skills like hot water, a weak variation of hypnosis, some wider area sleep debuff, and snow attacks that seem nearly useless. Then there are traditional mana projectiles, fire, and ice attacks, some kind of shadowy nonsense, weak variations of lightning, gravity, and telekinesis. Most of the people from Easy difficulty seem to be using their weapons as a crutch. Either as a focus for their mana or as damage amplifiers. So far, the atmosphere is light and people laugh, joke, and smile as they compete to slay as many of the little monsters as possible. they find this easy as the ants struggle to climb the wall in spite of the barrier coating its surface. Do they really think its all going to be this easy? Actually, that may be what theyre thinking. The weirdos. I just continue to fill my crown and observe it while doing so. I havent tested it properly yet and looking at it, it''s still pale blue. From what I know, my mana changes colors the more dense it is. I''m not sure if it''s the same for the others as it tends to change under the influence of skills, passives, and traits. Ive seen plenty of variation, thats for sure. For me, it''s pale blue, followed by dark blue. As I push further it starts to develop pale blue streaks and beyond that, some of the streaks turn purple. And then it goes boom. The crown is still at the light blue stage, hungrily devouring my mana. At this point, I start thinking this thing might be even scarier than my Mana Reservoir. Moving a bit further from the others, I put my damaged arcane ax on my lap and send my senses inside it with the support of multiple skills. During the tournament, I saw what an arcane weapon did in Savants hands. The guy doesnt even have all that big a mana reserve and yet the weapon did such a great deal of damage and was even able to ignore natural barriers to some extent and have enough power to spare to hold people in place. What would someone like me be capable of doing with that glove? With my mana reserves? I would easily win the 1st event, I believe. So here I have a weapon of similar or maybe even higher rank. The glove was low arcane, meanwhile, the ax could be mid arcane at its peak. Even now, damaged as it is, its at least upper epic in terms of power. My goal is simple: to bring it up to par with a low arcane artifact, at least for a little while. It probably wont be anywhere near full power, but it should be more than enough to pull off the kind of flashy stuff Tess wants to see. And I will gladly oblige. Mostly because I think it sounds like fun. But also to show others how dumb they were to restrict themselves. Tacitas the only one who stands out, either she has the least severe [Restriction] or she hasnt made it to the 6th floor yet. She probably hasnt made it, but I cant be sure. As I observe the ax, it''s the same as before. A myriad of twisting lines, and things I can barely perceive even as I use [Mana Domain] supported by [Mana Crown] and my Mana Wavelength Iris. The interesting part is that I can''t change these lines. I can''t scratch them out as I could with other weapons. I can''t connect new lines to them. I''m just not at the point where I would be capable of doing that with an arcane weapon. The amounts of that mana are incredibly small and even most people from Hell difficulty can''t sense it. Yet heres Noodle nomming away at it. When he gets closer, he freezes. Slowly his head turns to the right and he spots Tacita. He stares at her as if surprised by the fact he couldn''t sense her up until now, nor even see her as she sits stock still and has probably managed to hide her heat somehow. He quickly slithers towards me and then stops a short distance away, waiting. You can come. Once I give him permission the polite snake moves closer and gently coils around my arm, his head resting on my shoulder looking and following my gaze. Carefully, I release a bit of my mana which he starts absorbing. Separating part of my mind, I observe as he absorbs mana, and with another part, I send senses towards the first wall. Most of the folks from Easy difficulty are already starting to get low on mana, resting to the side, and groups from Normal difficulty are replacing them. Even now, an hour in, no monster has even reached the top of the wall; the barrier feels weaker, but its still going strong. So far, Ive only sensed a few stronger attacks, mostly from bored people from Hard difficulty. There is also a new kind of monster now. Spiders averaging around level 50. They emerge from the same holes as the ants, several having opened since last I checked. The ants and spiders do not fight each other, attacking together instead. They throw themselves against the barrier and sacrifice their lives to weaken it even a bit further. So far, it seems to be working; as the mana from the batteries powering the barrier is slowly exhausted. When exactly one hour has passed, the mood changes and the battle comes to a pause as the earth starts to shake. Curious, I fly up, but something grabs my feet. When I look down, I see Tacita holding onto my feet, hanging in the air to get a better view. I pause mid air and look down at her. She looks at me. What the fuck. A shrug. With a sigh, I fly us both higher and look beyond the first wall. As I scan the area another hole opens, much bigger than the others. Much, much bigger. From the hole, emerges a lizard-like monster, rising with slow, lazy movements, as it tears through earth and stone, before stomping and shaking to shed the rubble. The monster has orange eyes with vertically slit pupils and a snake like head, with a body covered in gray scales. It stands on four thick legs, and its tail is long and very thin at the end. It almost reminds me of a Komodo dragon. [Quake Serpent - lvl ???] It doesn''t feel as strong as the Gaiathra I saw in the Valley, much weaker actually, so maybe it just entered into the range of three question marks. Level 300 and some change perhaps? It''s earlier than I expected, but I can say that I was right. I would love to see Tess''s and Savants'' expressions right now. The monster takes a few steps, killing hundreds of ants and spiders as it does so. Then a rumbling pulse of sound emerges from its body and appears to move through its strong legs and into the ground. The earth around it explodes, causing thousands of the small monsters to die, as the earth shakes. They eventually reach the wall, immediately cracking the surface. It repeats, the barrier weakening even further as chunks of stone coming loose and taking some of our people with them. They either die from the fall or get killed by the monsters that continue to attack even as they are dying of the same damage. Finally, screams fill the area, as people start to realize that the wall has been lost and rush to abandon the post. Looking at the giant lizard, I have a single thought. I can take it on easily. Chapter 349: Have fun Chapter 349: Have fun At some point, Tacita lets go of my feet and lands nimbly like a cat, running somewhere else already with her incredible speed.Fiind updated novels at novelhall.com I look at Noodle, who is still coiled around my arm, "Why aren''t you that big?" I ask, gesturing at the giant lizard. Noodle seems to understand and flicks his tongue a few times rather than answering. Okay, youre cute, so you can keep your secrets. But remember good ol'' Nat who fed you his mana when youre the size of a skyscraper. I take a moment to locate our leadership and push myself over to them, a cacophony of frantic discussion assailing me as I land. Yes, I can fight it, but I believe it would cost me my life or render me useless afterward, a man clad in simple armor says. The highest level native Ive seen, the one approaching level three hundred. How is it possible for there to be such a strong monster? This event was supposed to be inclusive of all the difficulties, this just doesn''t make any sense, Samuel asks, looking around confused. Oh, but it does. I meet Tess''s gaze, and whisper, I was right. The system is an asshole. Tess doesn''t react, in that way so common to the uninitiated, faced with someone wiser in the ways of the world. I was right. Noname, do you think you can take it? You dont have any restrictions, Brainiac asks, he and his group close to Gareth. Who knows. For the first time, Savant joins the conversation, There is surely a way around it. The system is usually fair, so it wouldnt have done this without giving us a way to deal with it. Oh? So that''s how he sees the system? Maybe that guy is meant to take care of the lizard? Maya gestures toward the strongest native knight. Maybe. Tess pauses, listening to an invisible voice, and then continues, "Dennis says the monster stopped attacking after it broke the 1st wall, and more of the stronger monsters are approaching the second. Maybe it''s just here to break the walls? A mechanic by the system? Brainiac wonders, Or it is on cooldown and needs some time to recharge its ability to break the walls and barriers. This is not a game, Max, Gareth says. Oh, come on, Gary, even these natives are nothing like the ones on the standard floors. This feels extremely gamey. We just need to CC the lizard when it tries to destroy another wall. Or we can try to kill it before that? CC? Gareth asks, but Brainiac ignores him and continues speaking to the others. Through the Connection the twins have prepared for group 4, I send a message, (I''m sure the lizard isn''t the end. Im going to lay low until the end, either that or Ill do something flashy when you guys flunk out.) (You don''t want to help?) Aaron asks, somewhat surprised. Instead of me, Tess answers, (Just let him do his thing. This is a nice opportunity for us to develop some teamwork.) A number of messages are exchanged, but Im already lifting off, as I feel Savant''s piercing gaze settle on me. I head deeper into the fortress, even beyond the first wall, and there I sit on top of the tower, my legs dangling over the edge with a view of the remaining two walls and the one that was destroyed. Even from this distance, I can see the lizard lying near the rubble of the 1st wall and waiting. Maybe Brainiac really is right, or perhaps the lizard is there as a challenge for the stronger participants and will move either to face them or destroy the walls. Just as before, thousands of monsters, ants, and spiders proceed to scuttle across the debris. These ones are slightly bigger, and their levels are starting to get closer and closer to 100. I watch as they catch up with groups of stragglers from Easy and Normal that failed to escape quickly enough. The groups face them while pulling back with support from Hard difficulty. (Nope.) (I thought so, this felt different. Someone absorbed a small part of my web, creating a weak connection to it. It was him, right?) (Probably.) From where I sit, I track the person who did it. Savant, noticing the touch of my mana, pushes against it, a gentle orange light radiating from him. But before he does that, I notice that he is doing something with the broken blade he brought here. He seems to be preparing something as well. I could stop him. I could even fly down there and forcibly take the sword off him. He would probably leave the event rather than let me, but even that could be a win for me. What stops me is simple curiosity. I want to see what he can do with the [Restriction] he placed and with his skills and the sword. I already have a suspicion of what the latter is. So I just let it be and sneakily, to avoid leaving any tracks for Sophie, I clear the parts Savant messed up so she can''t cut him off easily. Then after seeing that the giant lizard doesn''t attack, I return to the ax on my lap. Two hours remain, and I have a theory. As the natives said, there is a group of people attacking who specialize in taming. That group is controlling the Quake Serpent and using it only to destroy the walls when they are weakened. This could be a setup made by the system or the fact that the group just doesn''t want to throw the Serpent into an attack against the nearly level 300 human who defends the Aether Keep, who would probably kill it with his advantage as a defender. So currently, it''s a game of chicken, one side waiting for another to make the first step while weaker forces fight each other. Moving for the third time, the Lizard destroys the second wall and, once again, stronger monsters start rushing out of the tunnels. Many of them are over level 150, ants, spiders, octopuses, and now even termites, in huge amounts. Once again, the strongest people participating in the tutorial hold back and wait. Hard difficulty people are fighting now, along with a few of the people from Hell difficulty, for the first time a large amount of mana blankets the area, and high damage skills start activating. I observe things for a while, curious to find out what level the others are operating at and the kinds of skills they use. As I do so, I continue to dabble with Sophie''s web, watching what Savant does to it. I find it interesting, and some of these things inspire me to the point that I decide to change my plans a bit. Savant''s interactions with the web feel clumsy but the progress and improvement he shows is nothing less than amazing. His clumsy first attempts quickly become much more confident and sneaky as he analyzes parts of the web and, while hes hiding from Sophie, he manages to absorb parts of it. That''s what they call a genius. Some of the things he does are eye-opening, in ways I havent even thought of, honestly, itd probably take me dozens of attempts before I had the same idea. And hes doing it all with such a severe [Restriction]. But even then, hes far below my level and if I used my [Focus] and eyes, I would blow him out of the water easily. My skills and traits are just so much better when it comes down to it, and I''m sure they would continue to be so even if we were at the same [Restriction]. Even so, I''m not blind enough to not accept a simple fact: Savant is more talented than me. However, it''s something I never cared too much about. I''ve seen people like him my entire life. People born with talent, people born with stronger bodies and other advantages. In the end, it''s about who is crazy enough to push themselves further. Standing up, I stretch and take a glance at the fight taking place down there. Thousands of monsters are climbing over the destroyed walls, throwing themselves against the people standing their ground under the final barricade or those shooting from the top of the wall while the barrier flickers around, being attacked by the octopus-like monsters. Screams, cries, and noises of skills burning through the air fill the area as blood is spilled. Two hours remain until the end of the event, but my preparations are already done. To be honest, watching them fight down there is getting annoying. It''s frustrating to see how hesitant and careful they are. Sure, there''s some logic to it, but if it were up to me, the giant lizard would have been nuked out of the event the moment it appeared. That would probably screw things up, and I would end up losing a limb or two, but it would feel more satisfying. So while others are having fun, let''s check on the Aether Keep. (Have fun,) I send through the connection kept up by the twins and head towards the mines. Chapter 350: Without a single speck of doubt Chapter 350: Without a single speck of doubt Landing on the balcony, I encounter very few people. Everyone from the tutorial is already fighting down there, and the explosions can be heard even at this distance, and I can feel the tremors in the ground, the vibrations shaking clouds of dust from the ceiling. Once inside, I meet very few guards, only the bare minimum, along with some people in the uniforms of different workers. Further deep inside, the civilians lie in hiding. Pushing through them all, I slowly pass by the rooms, scanning the area. Like the exterior, the inside of the Aether Keep feels rough, yet it gives the impression of solidity and safety. There is a cozy feeling inherent in the tons of tough stone blocks surrounding us and the flickering orange light playing across the walls. After a few minutes of walking through empty hallways, I pass through the door leading to the mines, and the atmosphere changes. The walls become rougher, the tunnels narrower, the lights brighter and the air isn''t as well ventilated either. After some time, small crystals seem to start growing from the walls, along with thin veins of mana-conductive metal. All mere chaff, left behind, not worth bothering with in comparison to the larger deposits deeper in the tunnels. Surprisingly, the mines are constructed in the same pre-industrial style we once had on Earth, and probably still do in some places. To be honest, I expected something different. Sure, the walls are rather smooth, compared to those on Earth. The light is sharp and emits no smoke. Even parts of the tunnels were probably constructed much quicker than their counterparts on Earth. There is also no need for wooden supports, it''s all been reinforced with the help of skills. And the ventilation works surprisingly well. Yet... I don''t know what I expected. Wouldn''t a single high-level individual be able to do this much, almost, on their own? That probably creates its own issues but it also raises more questions. Is mining just a task reserved for low-level workers, leaving higher-level individuals with greater degrees of freedom, or do they spend all their time fighting? But that can''t be it; there has to be money to be made, surely enough to tempt even those with a high-level. Maybe they have regulations to prevent materials from being mined too quickly, and flooding the market? That is more likely. How interesting. The more I learn, the more I find out how little I know. An entirely new world is constantly being opened up to me. I expand my domain and place an anchor further ahead to which I teleport, and then repeat this multiple times in quick succession. In a few seconds, I pass a much greater distance than I did in ten minutes of walking, and I continue until I reach the smaller cave that seems to serve as storage. There are massive and, from testing, extremely heavy iron boxes. After cutting them apart, I find them to be full of chunks of the mana-conductive metal arcanadium. Something I have some experience with. In its rough state, the metal is darker, and there are imperfections in it, unlike the ingots I found in the bunkers on the 5th floor. (You are not going to join? I thought Tess wanted you to be flashy?) I hear Sophie say through the connection made by twins. Holding a chunk of arcanadium in my hand and examining it, I answer, (You guys have some fun. Ill do something flashy after you all die.) (You better not regret it when we kill the serpent and you don''t get any points. Check the leaderboard; you are dead last.) After that, Sophie cancels the connection. I do not even bother checking it and send another pulse into the area. Locating another stockpile, I move there with a few teleports, and this time open a box containing ethercrystals, a material capable of absorbing mana in its vicinity when properly prepared. A sword I once had on the 4th floor and the ax I found in the 1st event were made of the same material. Both weapons turned absorbed mana into physical enhancements. As with the arcanadium before, the ethercrystal here hasnt been processed, a number of the crystals are milky, cracked, or are simply an inferior product. It also seems to make them less receptive to mana. The ground under me shakes, and dust falls from the ceiling, and the roar of the monster reaches me even down here. A loud crack erupts, and I teleport away as the place I stood ends up buried under a mass of stones. I teleport a few more times, finding a cache of mining tools. Clothes, masks, and tools suitable for excavation. Once again the ground shakes and the dust starts falling from the ceiling as if it intends to fall on me, but this time I create a barrier and support the walls, stopping the stones from burying me. Then I continue to examine the inscriptions on the tools. Theyre really simple, yet there is beauty in their simplicity. A great deal of focus seems to have been given to improving their efficiency and reducing mana consumption. The protective gear is similar. Some parts of it even have inscriptions to keep you warm when fueled by mana. The inscriptions on the clothes have been woven from threads containing bits of conductive material that I have a hard time identifying. Putting it away, I sit on the ground and look at the barrier holding up the stone around me. It''s a shame that the shop is locked; I could sell a lot of stuff. It''s also a shame we can''t take items from the events, weve known that since the 1st event. But I guess it would be too much if someone took a low arcane item out of an event or tons of materials from the mines. I release the barrier and watch as the stones start falling, about to bury me there, and at the last moment, I use the anchor I left outside and teleport to it. Appearing at the tower behind the last standing wall, I sit at the top looking down upon the pandemonium. The Quake Serpent is now shining a brilliant shade of white, though one eye is still blind. But the monster is moving extremely quickly, belying its size. The lizard rushes towards Lily who avoids its attack, and once in a while, a burst of gray mana pours out from her. Shes still carrying the bag of our limbs on her back. Great holes have been rent in the monsters flesh, eaten away by [Disintegration]. Even the monster''s head hasnt come away unscathed, signs of a failed attempt at destroying the brain I would imagine. Chunks of metal the size of large cars fall from the sky, pulled by an invisible force, striking the monster and dumping an immense amount of kinetic energy from the sheer speed and weight. I locate Min-Jae who seems to be controlling them. His attacks do cause some damage, but not enough. There is also Brainiac who keeps taking potshots at the lizards good eye with his invisible projectiles. With a horrifying noise, three javelins come flying down, burrowing into the Quake Serpent''s head, immediately followed by red and white lightning crashing from the sky and flowing into the weapons. The monster roars again, thrashing around, killing any monsters and people that get too close. Even so, theres not much in the way of damage. The monster still moves, quickly approaching the wall, only to be stopped by a man with a silver barrier surrounding him. The earth shakes, and the wall is cracking and about to break apart when the strongest native finally moves. His mana surrounds him like a cape and he draws a sword wrapped in a brilliant light as he enters the fray, confidently facing the monster. The monster rears up, towering high in the air, its white scales seeming almost indomitable. That''s when purple tentacles explode from the ground, each as big as the monster, crawling over its body, tying it down, surrounding it, the tips piercing into the lizard''s body. The monster roars, falling to all fours as the tentacles envelop its face, hooking themselves to its maw and forcing it open. There Biscuit floats nearby, a purple ball of mana floating over his form. The orb destabilizes, turning bright white, only to be shot into the monster''s mouth just before the tentacles weaken and disappear. Biscuit starts fluttering in the air about to fall down when Min-Jae reaches him and pulls him into his arms, flying away as quickly as he can with his clumsy method. As the monster tries to spit out the orb, it explodes from within, its jaw reduced to a bloody mess. Blood drips from the gaping hole, and the moment that blood touches the ground it melts the stone, creating a toxic mist. Even that kills multiple people, even a few of those being protected by Gareth''s silver light. The native knight attacks next, his sword extending much further as he thrusts the blade at the Quake Serpent. The ensuing fight goes on for quite a while. Natives, and the people of Hell difficulty come together to defeat the Quake Serpent. More monsters appear to help, separating the groups and forcing them to deal with weaker monsters as well. Isabella unleashes the orbs shes been charging all this time, the two of them manage to consume one of the Quake Serpents legs in its entirety, taking a big chunk of the beasts torso with it. The sheer heat generated by the skill kills some of the defenders and forces Lily and Gareth to heal a few of the more important fighters. The web covering the entire Aether Keep activates finally, strengthening Sophie''s skill and its reach. Thousands of ants turn against each other, tearing their fellow attackers apart, some even start crawling up the giant lizard. And then she takes over more ants. And more. Between the web and her cooperation with the Twins, Sophie controls thousands of monsters, forcing them to fight their own forces, defending even against the opposing armys attempts to wrest them from her control. With one final burst, Tess releases a stream of lightning into the giant lizard''s head, and finally, the giant beast stumbles. People from Hell difficulty are hungrier, wilder, and more aggressive. From the way theyre fighting, it almost feels like its just another day for them. They do not hesitate when that powerful monster attacks, throwing everything against it. The silence that fills the common area is eerie, and through the screen, we can even feel a portion of the pressure being generated by the monster. It''s not quite like a monitor, its more like a screened window allowing air to flow through. Though the system is limiting it, I feel myself getting sick just from the mana being released by the monster. Even being so strong, people from Hell difficulty die one after another, all of them appearing in the common area, their bodies restored, clothes fixed, and mana replenished. None of them seem satisfied like theyre eager to jump back in and face that horror inside. So this is why they are where they are. When a minute remains, I check the leaderboards. 1st (689 pts) - Soph 2nd (576 pts) - Savant 3rd (553 pts) - Sset 4th (551 pts) - Tacita 5th (501 pts) - Grumpy 6th (490 pts) - Gareth 7th (471 pts) - Brainiac 8th (469 pts) - TheStrongestOne 9th (401 pts) - NotAaron 10th (389 pts) - FoodFood And there is one name right at the bottom 2357th (-99 pts) - Noname The last remaining person inside the second event finally moves, seemingly unaffected by the pressure that caused the others so much trouble. Noname is wearing simple, almost casual clothes; he wears no armor, and no visible equipment other than the ax and a weird blade on his belt. Standing there, he seems out of place, careless even. He moves his hand, sweeping the hair from his eyes, and I can see the gold circles appear around his pupils on the screen. Even now, he maintains his neutral expression. Some people start talking, complaining about why he hasnt helped until now, but an orange light radiates from a single man, the pressure bringing the babbling masses to their knees. Shut up, the man says simply, his eyes glued to the screen. Noname, as if he knows were all watching, stretches, and for the first time since Ive met him, a smile overtakes his face. It''s an eager smile, careless, and full of honesty. He is happy, and it is terrifying. Noname floats into the air in that unnervingly stable flight of his, almost as if the world is moving around him rather than him moving through it. The ax in his hand glows brighter, and I can swear I feel the heat radiating from the systems window. Rotweaver screeches for the first time, the sickly aura it radiates tries to expand again but it cant, held at bay by something else, something even stronger. As he swings the ax, golden flames explode. Like a wave, they pour from the weapons blade. Small at first, but quickly expanding and crashing into the monster below. The stone burns red now; corpses are set ablaze, burned to ashes nearly immediately. The flames reach the Quake Serpent, setting even this monster ablaze. They climb up its massive body like a living being. 20th (299 pts) - Noname Quake Serpent roars soundlessly, a shockwave exploding through the earth as it rushes towards Noname who isnt even flying all that high, about to take a bite at him. Something black moves around Noname, and inconceivably the monster freezes in place, its mangled bloody maw wide open around him. With calm movement, he lifts the ax and once again the flames explode, flowing right into the monster''s face and mouth, burning it from inside. The flames feel alive as they eat the monster, turning its giant body into a charred husk while it can''t even move. 6th (499 pts) - Noname The air around him flickers from the sheer heat and the remains of the monster get blown away. Rotweaver screeches again, the limbs behind its back weave and glow, a more sickly aura radiating from the monster. The remaining reanimated corpses move as one in their offensive. The ax swings again, the rest of the monsters burned by a flame that envelops the entire area. At the same time, Noname lands on the ground, all around him his golden flames burning, the ground cracked and turned into magma. Wounds cover his body, but they are slowly healing. The flames closest to him get pulled into the ax. 1st (798 pts) -Noname After a few steps, he stops, a silence so deep the only sound is the breathing of the people in the common area. All gazes are on the screen as that man stops in front of the monster, surrounded by that hellish landscape. Its dark and only his flames serve to light the area. The Rotweaver is burned, the left half of its body missing, three of its eyes are burned out and the aura it had radiated so intensely is just flickering. There are no more corpses to escape to. On its own feet, the monster tries to run, but with a speed that rivals Tacita''s, he reaches it. He grabs the back of its neck and burrows the monster''s head into the molten earth. The smile on his face grows even wider as the crown over his head loses most of its shine, mana flowing into an orb the size of a basketball. The floating orb changes colors in quick succession, from pale blue to dark blue, then gets streaks of light blue and purple all over, and then starts shining bright white with a shimmering of golden light. The sheer amount of mana it contains is hard to imagine. That dumbass, someone whispers, and when I look up I notice it''s Sset. That fucking dumbass, she repeats. As if hearing, Noname blinks, a bit of his usual casual face returning, and he glances towards the Aether Keep just nearby. Oh, his mouth moves as if he just remembered something. But it''s too late and the orb explodes, instantly evaporating what remains of the monster. 1st (1298 pts) - Noname A burst of flames erupts from the center of the ball, in a shockwave sending the remains of the wall and earth into the air. They expand at great speed, destroying everything in their path. As they are about to reach the Aether Keep, they freeze. The flickering air immolating everything in its way stops, and the heat disappears. The shockwave, nearly visible, flickers in the air. All of this held at bay by that single body that produced it all. In that moment I realize that it''s only been one year since the tutorial started and that nothing will ever be the same, even if we return to Earth. Our lives have changed, and the Earth will change, all because of him and people like him. Noname, looking like he is about to break apart, finally disappears, appearing in the common area. With his clothes, and mana restored. The living weapon and winner of the second event without a single speck of doubt. Chapter 351: Hey babe, are you a nuke? Chapter 351: Hey babe, are you a nuke? Holy hell, that felt satisfying, and it was surprisingly easy. Sure, I would have probably died if I had done that outside the bounds of the tournament, but it''s totally fine. Sooner or later, I will get to the point where I can pull off stunts like that with impunity. The amount of black mana I used to keep my body from breaking apart as I channeled all that mana was enough to kill me. However I was able to hold on until the end, and the system ended the event before I crumbled. I dont think the others even saw that. I need some time to think over my actions. The inscriptions and the black mana strengthening my body helped me channel the force of my mana. Im surprised how close I am to being able to pull that off even without the black mana to strengthen my body. My Mana Circuit is really pulling its weight. The new eyes are helping and my passives are helping too. So maybe I should strengthen my Mana Circuit again? A few more rounds of active tempering after we leave the tournament? A few more levels in my skills? But damn, the [Mana Crown] is really good. I Love that thing. Keep doing a good job. I also love the ax, good stuff. It handled all of that mana like a champ, without picking up a single scratch. Anyway, it''s time to check my rewards. Before opening the notification, I make sure to act strong and slowly walk through the crowd. At some point, a group of people from the lower difficulties starts to cheer, Noname! Noname! Noname! the chant carried by dozens of voices. It''s surprisingly disturbing, especially seeing the expressions they are making. Are they not ashamed? Weirdos. Well, it''s better than having them shout Tent Creep, so I place an anchor far away and teleport a few times, reaching our house and taking my favorite spot in the armchair near the window. Congratulations, you have completed the 2nd event - The Siege of Aether Keep in 1st place and you have taken 1st place in terms of points collected - 1298 pts. No [Restriction] was placed therefore no bonus has been awarded You may exchange your points for shards. 1 point = 5 shards. Your reward for taking 1st place overall comes out to 5 thousand shards. You may choose to receive the full allotment of shards (11,490) and pick one of three rewards or forfeit the shards to increase the quality of your options. Its here that I hesitate. Eleven thousand shards is a lot and it would be a nice bump to my current total. I don''t think Im going to get an arcane passive anytime soon, but that amount could help a lot.Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com Yet I still have to question how these shards will actually improve my rewards. Maybe itll be enough to net me an upper tier epic passive? It could be a high grade epic item again, perhaps itll be a bit better? I already have a few good passives that fit me, so it would be hard to change them. Well, let''s take out the shards this time. I want to receive shards, I state, and the balance of shards I hold increases. Shards:77,644 Im still short but I will get there, and when I do, it will be glorious. Now then, let''s check out the rewards. Please pick one of the three following rewards! 10 levels, skill upgrade token Epic grade passive skill Epic grade item Well, nothing for my minion, but thats okay. My first complaint is that I should be getting these 10 levels anyways; I killed a shitload of enemies, even two of the stronger ones, so whys the system cheaping out... the fuck am I even thinking, it''s the system we''re talking about here. I give the window the bird and check the rewards again. Once again, Ive been offered an item and a passive. Maybe they are really good? Upper epic grade? Whatever, Ill check them out later if I get another offer after the remaining events, but there is one thing I still want to try. Can I forgo my reward to improve my final rewards for the tournament and the last event? It is possible to forgo rewards to improve any future rewards. And you didn''t tell me that?! This asshole of a system needs a manual. If I had known that before, I wouldnt... never mind, I would have still taken the summoning token for my minion even if I had known. Haaaa... I''m too old for this crap. I want to save my rewards and improve my final rewards. Yes! cries the 11-year-old girl with the smartphone I bought, as she pulls it out of the dresser she stored it in. She then cleans the lenses and takes a pic before I can protest. Quickly running to me on her short legs she shows me the photo, Look! I am indeed a villain. But damn, Biscuit is really photogenic. Then I look at my face and freeze. What is that expression? Im going to take pictures of others too! Izzy shouts happily, rushing back into the room to do just that. Some members of our group even pose for group photos. The atmosphere is nice, my people are happy with the results of the event, and not the least bit surprised by my actions, unlike the others. But I guess its not the first time theyve seen me do something like that. Tess moves in closer to speak, Good job out there. You made the right decision, waiting until the end. People could see us struggle to fight the monster and the others from Hell could feel how strong it was. While you wiped it out just like that. I will be relying on you to keep the people at bay, I respond simply. No problem. Youre mine too, so I have to prevent any poaching. She smiles, then looks up and calls, Izzy! Can you take a picture of me and Nat? Coming! Isabella shouts and quickly takes a few more photos of Noodle hanging around Mayas neck, while Maya pretends to be strangled and Noodle is clearly not impressed. Tess plops down on the armrest of my armchair and smiles while Isabella takes a photo of us. That prompts the others to rush in and take a few more photos against my will. Theres one with Lily, and the boys surrounding me. And another of Maya forming a victory sign with her fingers. Some of them notice my growing annoyance and that only seems to egg them on as they continue to bully me. Biscuit is woofing, and they start talking about rewards, Isabella finally stops taking photos, and Tess and Maya fight over the phone, each wanting to play a song they like from its library. Lily starts telling me about her experiments with the remains of the Champions heart. She becomes instantly interested when I show her a bone from the Champions finger I retrieved from the 5th floor. We make plans to try something together before the tournament ends. Theres a lot of testing to be done, after all, we cant die. The twins then proceed to ask about the coordinates to Lissandras home world, Eladore, while telling me about the conversation they had with Sophie during the assault. They offer me a nice cut, so we agree to do that sometime after the tournament and put our time here to better use. At this point, Im beginning to suspect that the people here are taking advantage of my good mood to get their way and my eyes naturally slide to Tess who suspiciously averts her gaze. I knew it. I will let it pass for today, Im still in a good mood after the event. Even though I almost obliterated the Aether Keep along with the Rotweaver. A small mistake. A tiny one. Could have happened to the best of us. Against my will, I also learn rumors about a guy from Easy difficulty whos reached the highest floor of anyone here. The rumors also say he killed the other 199 people from his group. At some point, Izzy proudly presents me with a smartphone, and judging by Sophie''s look of shame, I can only guess that she somehow has something to do with this. Probably some form of coercion on the part of her little sister. Isabella shows me a video of myself. It looks like she recorded it from the giant screen during the event. In the video, Im floating in the air, with a golden circle appearing around my pupils and the crown glowing over my head as I lift the ax. The video has a number of glitchy effects layered over it and she even added filters, along with some kind of Phonk music playing in the background, trying to make the videos contents, and me by extension, look cool. Please help. Should I destroy the hellish device? We haven''t seen any smartphones on the other floors yet. Not even on the super developed 2nd Floor. So maybe they shouldn''t exist. It only cost me a few rare items, so I could easily do it; it''s a cost I''m willing to pay to put an end to this. It seems like Isabellas just getting started and who knows what else shes going to get up to. She even happily chirps that she saw someone with a laptop while sitting in my lap, her objective clear. Even Noodles been roped into helping, poor little disgraced guy. Poked and prodded by Izzy, as he slithers closer, the entire time glancing at Biscuit who keeps a close watch on him. Noodle acts cute, Isabella acts cute. In an attempt to make me buy the laptop for her. She says she could make even better videos for me as if that were something I would want. Hell, I am willing to pay if she doesnt make them anymore. With a sigh, I agree to buy it if she promises to be nice to Vega when I summon her here and let me do some small tests on Noodle. She agrees right away. Poor Noodle. Vega is still only around level 40 while Isabella sits somewhere over 150. But their ages are fairly similar, and I remember the stories Vega told me. It would be nice if she could have fun with Isabella at least for that one day. When the snacks start appearing on the table and everyone takes a short break before doing their tournament stuff, I decide to do the same. I just move to my quieter corner and stay there while experimenting with my mana. Chaper 352 - The rules of the third event Chaper 352 - The rules of the third event Tess, Sophie, Gareth, his right-hand man Adam, Samuel, and I have gathered in the living room, sitting together in awkward silence, but I''m enjoying it. Everyone else is outside doing their own thing and having fun, but I''m stuck here helping Tess. Though I am eager to learn what kind of silly things they have to say. Adam, who I remember wanting to have a conversation regarding some of the things that occurred at the end of the first event before the start of the 2nd, is looking at me. Even now he wears the same suit, the older man sits ramrod straight. He seems to be somewhere around 60 years of age going by his face, but none of that shows in his movements. He moves with as much energy as any young man. That in itself has some interesting implications. How might the system influence someone, let''s say, 100 years old? Just throwing a few levels and stats into boosting their constitution would probably go a long way toward improving their life. Even Lily alone is more than capable of making some level of improvement. In the end, even an old man could be brought back from the edge of death and fully rejuvenated. Now that I think about it, could Lily heal things like cancer and HIV? What about genetic diseases and PTSD? Wait, wouldn''t Sophie be better for mental problems? It''s an interesting train of thought. Now back to the present, I meet Adams gaze. According to Tess, Adam is one of the richest men in Germany or something like that. Who cares, I bet I have more shards. And it''s not like money will be all that useful when we return to Earth. Sset, I would like to ask you to reconsider once again. I know you dont like Samuel, but I do not think he is wrong, Gareth says. No, Ive said it all before, Group 4 isn''t interested in following your stupid rules. I know what Samuel is trying to do and what hes hoping to accomplish with this petty show of authority, it wont end with the tournament, Tess answers in a calm tone. Gareth smiles patiently, This isnt about what comes after the tournament, this is... I know, she cuts him off. But you need to stop acting like an idiot. And you, Samuel, she turns to him, youre too weak to be ordering our group around. Yeah, Samuel, don''t do that, I add. Noname, this is serious. We need to establish some kind of order here. Its calmer now, but we still have problems that need to be solved. We need to have rules in place when we return to Earth. Even the slightest touch of our mana has the potential to kill a lot of people. I dont like Samuel''s tone of voice. As if we should follow his orders because thats all hes ever known. Hes the kind of person who always has to do things by the book. Why bother? We can leave that for future tournaments and our return to Earth. Some of us, not you Samuel, will be powerful enough to give orders to those from the lower difficulties if you want to keep order. I say. Isn''t it simple? But what about Hell difficulty and Beyond? Adam asks for the first time, his calm eyes on me. Tess continues instead, Well deal with that as we go. We might not have a Champion before the tutorial ends but we should have a few candidates to set some ground rules. Plus, well learn more from our experiences in the tutorial; that''s what its there for, right? As the conversation continues, they seem to be taking her more seriously. Tess is only around 20 years old, so even though theyre trying, it''s going to be hard for Gareth, Samuel, and Adam to take the young woman seriously right away. Yet, Tess and, by extension, group 4 cannot be ignored. We have three people in Beyond. We have Sophie and her mind-blending. Now that I think about it, Lilys a Beyonder too but shes also the strongest healer in our round of the tutorial, and I don''t think that will change. We have Biscuit and Noodle too, and best of all, we have me, hehe. Group 4 is scary indeed. See you later, I say, already bored of the conversation, and teleport to the anchor I placed on the roof. There I meet Lily, who holds a twisted chunk of flesh, with a finger bone next to it. Have you gotten bored already? she asks. Samuel was about to start talking about great responsibility coming with great power. Or call me a teleporting atomic bomb or some other ridiculous thing. She smiles, Hes not so bad, just uptight. Obviously, he would be nice to you, you are very important. But you should watch how he treats people from lower difficulties. The man would be happy to declare martial law if he could. But hes weaker than us so he has to tread carefully when were around. The people from Hard difficulty aren''t that weak. Theyre very weak, Tacita here has already killed Samuel once or twice when he bothered her, I gesture. Tacita here? Lily turns to the side to find Tacita sitting beside her. She almost jumps out of her skin, surprised by the girl whos clearly been sitting there for who knows how long without being noticed. H-how long... Lily whispers. She was there when I got here, I say and wave at Tacita who returns the gesture while looking at the bone and scrap of heart Lilys been experimenting with. In the end, I create five more items over the next few hours, and set the starting price higher at 500 shards each, even though the materials for each item only cost me about 50 shards. I set the auctions duration at an hour and close the window. After a bit of waiting, a notification pops up. The 3rd event - Avatar Confrontation will start in 12 hours! Everyone from Hell difficulty will have the opportunity to create an Avatar, for which they may set a [Restriction]. The Avatars will be placed in separate arenas. Hard, Normal, and Easy difficulties will then be able to challenge these Avatars. Each difficulty will have to pay a different amount of shards to challenge the Avatar.: Easy difficulty - 5 shards Normal difficulty - 10 shards Hard difficulty - 30 shards The Avatars won''t have emotions and won''t have any memories beyond those required for combat and managing their abilities. The only goal of the Avatars will be to defeat their challengers. For defeating the Avatar, the challenger will receive suitable rewards according to their performance and the strength of their opponent. Note: There will be no cap on the number of participants in a challenge. Note: A Hell difficulty attendee can create a single Avatar, with any [Restriction]. The Avatar in question can be challenged three times at most. Note: If an Avatar defeats the challengers, the creator of the avatar will receive rewards as well as all the shards paid for the right to challenge the Avatar. The system claims 10% of these shards. Note: The creator of the Avatar can add additional rewards for beating the Avatar to entice more challengers. The additional rewards can be shards or items. The additional rewards will be lost in case the Avatar is defeated and split among the challengers according to the challengers'' performance. The Avatars can be placed in 12 hours and it will be possible to challenge them during a 24-hour timeframe. Okay, that''s a lot. Opening the notification again, I jump up to take a seat on the table Ive been working at and read it again. I''m glad the Avatar won''t possess any of my memories or emotions. If it did I don''t think I would be willing to set one, not after the 5th floor. This is not the kind of event I would have expected but it sounds fun enough. The most important things are, Hell difficulty people will place Avatars so there can be 31 Avatars at once, with or without [Restriction]. Each Avatar can be challenged three times, which means people from other difficulties can join up to 93 fights against someone from Hell difficulty. The interesting part is the lack of restrictions on group size. This means that over 2 thousand people can challenge a single Avatar at the same time, provided each of them is willing to pay. That makes deciding the level of [Restriction] a bit more fun. Alone, no one from Easy difficulty would be willing to challenge someone like Tess or Lily, but if they create a big enough group and the girls place the right [Restriction], they might get some challengers. Placing additional rewards could also help. However, there is a bit of a problem for me. A very big one. Is there going to be anyone dumb enough to challenge my Avatar? Especially after the last event? Damn. But it''s too soon to give up already. I already have an idea. It''s time to make use of the group 4 psyops unit and the uselessly handsome man. Reaching out, I touch the web covering our house and Sophie responds. (What?) she asks. (I need you to get the twins and connect with Channeler. Tell him to come here and to bring as many of his friends as he can. Useful ones only.) (Will do. But what are you planning? You saw the notification, right? Youre screwed.) (Worry not. I just need you guys to help me with a disinformation campaign.) This is gonna be fun. Chapter 353: I want him dead Chapter 353: I want him dead The living room was too small, so we decided to meet in the garden. It''s a nice change of pace, seated at a group of tables loaded with snacks, surrounded by a variety of lovely shade trees, and vibrant green grass, with a nice breeze to bring it all together. Even Biscuits in attendance, floating around and sniffing at the gathered people. Some of them almost seem to be terrified; I guess they saw his performance in the prior events. Now that I think about it, didn''t Biscuit kill a bunch of people from Easy and Normal difficulty during the 1st event? As for the people milling about, weve managed to gather about twenty men and women from Easy and Normal difficulty. Channeler, Dennis, Aaron, Sophie, and Izzy are also here. Off to the side, theres Tacita, sitting on a branch high up in a tree, nomming on some kind of snack shes stolen and observing us down here. I don''t think shes been noticed by anyone other than Sophie and I. Ive already brought Channeler up to speed on the situation, so he starts, So, the goal is simple. We need to make Noname look as weak as possible. Someone giggles before being silenced by two of her friends Good fucking luck with that, I hear before they cover her mouth. Channeler, unbothered, smiles at the gathered people, his handsome face projecting a calming aura. As he continues, even I find myself starting to believe his words, You guys have got it all wrong. During the second event, Noname waited for the others from Hell to weaken the monster so he could steal the rewards. No ones going to believe that! someone shouts. Why not, Eve? We all saw it. Noname used an item, thats the only reason he was even capable of defeating the monsters. It is a powerful item he stole like a coward on one of the floors, thats the only reason hes gotten so far. He looks at Sophie, Izzy, then the twins. Even his own group has been complaining about how much theyve had to carry him. That... that sounds reasonable, doesn''t it? Plus, Nonames Avatar wont have the ax, Channeler adds. Someone else asks, What about the first event? He didnt have that ax then and he almost won! The handsome man shakes his head, Once again, Noname was lucky, he even got his hands on an arcane item thats why he got so far. It''s insane how lucky this guy is. Even then, he lost against Savant. Didn''t Savant have the arcane glove? Channeler looks confused, Has anyone confirmed that? Savant wont deny it, hell pretend he did because hes trying to hide his true power until the duels, right? In truthSavant fought with skills alone. This time a small group of people starts mumbling among themselves. (That guy is good,) Sophie sends. (Hes mine,) I return. After waiting for everyone to quiet down, Channeler continues, Obviously, were going to lead by example and challenge Noname. Dont worry about the shards. Noname promised to reward us accordingly. Each of us will get an uncommon item and we get five rare items. But, Channeler lifts his finger, The items are from Tent Cre... from Fuckyouintentbitch, and Noname was able to buy them. He might throw in some extra if we do well. A few people giggle and Tent Creep gets called out a few times. Maybe I should beat them up. They do seem more enthusiastic after hearing that though. It looks like the performance of my items has spread. Continuing, Channeler explains, Noname will place a high [Restriction] on his Avatar and place a few decent rewards. Of course, the first few groups of challengers will probably lose. We need to be in those groups to downplay it as much as possible. Then for the third challenge, were going to get as many people as possible. I will take time with each of you to go over the things we expect people to say and our excuses. Watching everything go down, I almost feel like a villain and I love it, its like having my own minion to enact my evil plans. The group asks a number of questions and Channeler answers each with patience and a smile. He even knows all their names and after watching them I''m sure half of the people here are only helping because theyre into him, men and women. (Handsome people sure have it easy,) I send through the twins'' link. (I wish women would look at me the way they look at him,) Dennis sighs. (Maybe we can have Lily use [Plastic Surgery] on our faces to make us look better,) Aaron tries. (You guys are all dumb, none of you are that bad looking.) Sophie replies as she observes the crowd while testing a few adjustments. So that''s the guy? I ask. Yes, Tess nods. So what if I am? You can''t do anything. Once the tournaments over, Ill be freed, and you wont be able to reach me, the man''s voice is calm, despite his wild expression. There is something chilling about the way he looks around and speaks. That would be quite a wasted tournament for you, I mention. I can live with it, he responds coldly. Whats the name of your skill? I ask. Noname, you can''t be serious! Gareth says, speaking for the first time, and the usually calm and compassionate man sounds like hes on the edge. This isnt the time or place for that. Does it matter? I step closer and send mana to the man, forcefully overwhelming him and breaking through his natural barrier. Sending my mana through his body, I examine it and his mana. Other than a token attempt at the start, he doesn''t bother trying to defend himself and watches me with eyes that tell me he would stab me if he could. Or something much worse. Such an amusing guy. So how many? I ask Gareth. Tess answers instead, It''s hard to say exactly, but we think he killed all 199 members of his group, sometime during the 1st Floor. How did he do that? It couldnt have been that easy. We dont know for sure, Tess says, shaking her head. Maybe he poisoned them. He seems to have the skills for it. We spoke to a few of the people he defeated in the 1st event, and they seemed to confirm that he had some kind of poison smoke and acid that melts through low density mana. Both of them cause a lot of pain as well. Maybe he just poisoned their water or something and killed them slowly, I ponder as I examine his body. Other than being surprisingly high-level, it seems normal. I''m not an expert, but there is nothing remarkable. The guy just seems to be some kind of sociopathic mass murderer. Maybe he wanted to level up or take their equipment. Or maybe hes just a murderer and a twisted person who found himself in a place without any rules. I stop using my mana and look at him. The entire time, and now even more so, he watches me with those eyes of his. I''ve met plenty of psychos but this one seems to be a special case. Any idea what floor hes on? I ask. If he went no [Restriction], then hes made it to the 11th floor, that''s what a few guys saw, Gareth joins. Oh? Isnt that the highest floor out of anyone here? I ask. Yes, and before you ask, yes, weve tried to get info out of him, but he refuses to cooperate and the system censors everything else as always, Tess leans back on her chair. Such an interesting situation. So, how do you deal with a murderer like that? Do you even want to? He can''t be killed during the tournament. Sure, he can be fake killed, even tortured, but after a few more days, he will be back to doing whatever he wants. Even if he goes back to the Floors, anything he does will be limited to fakes created by the system their not actual people. The question is if Gareth and Tess want to punish the guy for what he has done. More interestingly, do they even have the right to decide that? Curious about what theyll do, I turn to them. Gareth is silent and indecisive, unwilling to show his darker side, which I''m certain he has. There is no way the guy looking like a hero, with shiny armor, healing skills, and speeches about protecting others isnt evil. Tess, on the other hand, returns my gaze easily, her eyes unwavering as she declares simply, I want him dead. That''s why I like her. Chapter 354: Expectations and consequences Chapter 354: Expectations and consequences "Are you sure?" I ask Tess, my curiosity growing. I want to see how she responds. "Yes," she says simply. "Do you have the right to decide that?" I ask though I don''t care what happens to the guy. I want to know what the young blonde in front of me is thinking. "Who cares if I have the right?" Ok, thats a good answer. So I ask again, pushing her, "I killed a real human, I threw that guy on the 1st floor to the Cinderbear." "Yes, you did." "Soph and Hadwin also killed the guy who wanted to kill Soph after his friend died." "Yes, they did." "And Izzy probably burned a group of people from Hard difficulty who entered Hell difficulty back on the third floor. Are you going to punish all of us as well?" "I will not." A simple answer. "That''s hypocritical." "Yes, it is." "So you want others to follow your rules while acting as judge, jury, and executioner without following the rules yourself?" I continue to push. "It''s not about rules I want them to follow. As I told you before, I will be leading this round of the tutorial. I will take over so our group will be safe when we return in four years. Yes, it''s still far off but it will be better to start right away." Gareth is just listening and the murderer tied to the chair is forgotten. Only when the bound man tries to say something do I hold his mouth shut with [Redistribution]. "No one will want to follow a woman who sets rules she won''t follow herself," I note. "They will have to," another simple answer I like. "So this man is an example?" "Yes, we will make an example of him. A lot of them think they can do anything they want during the tournament because they can''t die. A lot of them also know about this murderer, rumors have been spreading for a long time and he even bragged in Community." "Sounds good," I cant help but be fascinated by this version of Tess. And yet that can''t be all there is to it. Her subclass is Chastity and now here she is, greedily trying to pull everyone under her control. Gareth, other difficulties, and even the people from Hell. All in the name of protecting her friends and maintaining the camaraderie shes always wanted. It feels greedy but pure at the same time. Such a twisted combination. So I don''t mind helping, "I could forcefully inscribe a construct inside of his body. The kind that would trigger gradually a few days after he leaves the tournament. I could make one that constantly disrupts his mana or one that will make his heart explode. Something impossible for someone of his level to deal with. With a bit of help from Grumpy or Soph and some testing to learn what the system will allow, I should be able to do it fairly easily." "We can''t do that," Gareth finally joins in. "I know where youre coming from, Sset, but this, this is too much. You won''t fix anything if you become a murderer as well." "Ive told you before Gareth, but youre too soft. We saw it all over the previous floors, there was always someone strong keeping the others in check. The second floor had the Champions. The third floor had a king. On the fourth floor, the lynthari kept the order and no one dared to step too far out of line. Even what we learned about the fifth, the Absolute, the Champions, and their powerful guilds," she gestures around. "I know where you are coming from. But there has to be another way." "Probably? Maybe well find a utopia on one of the higher floors. But Gareth, Soph, and I looked into his mind, albeit briefly. I felt flashes of his emotions when he killed people. This man is nothing more than a rabid dog to be put down." She takes a step towards the bound man and looks down at him, her voice turning darker, "Weve all done things were not proud of and I''m sure we will continue to do so. And probably worse. We will kill natives, well even kill people from Earth. Hell, some of us might end up like this man. But right now I want him dead because of the things I saw in his memories. Later I will learn more about the way I want to walk. Then I might regret it, or maybe not." Instead of talking to Tess, Gareth turns to me, switching his strategy, "And how about you? Have you accepted the idea of killing him so easily?" "I have," I affirm. Taking a few steps towards the men he says, "I don''t think you were honest enough. As you said, shes my friend." Even as he is saying so, I can see a tenuous smile on his face. That smile and the way he pushes away their efforts to escape his gravity field tell me enough. I don''t even have to watch as he uses the excuse of defending his friend to put these men under his boot. Especially now that he is also angry because they insulted Tess and probably called her even worse names. I already know the reputation she has. As Tess said before, Min-Jae is young and because of his past, it''s no surprise he turned out this way after getting all these powers. Having seen all I wanted to see, I use an anchor I left in the common area to teleport away. There, I start walking around and checking for some things I could buy. Maybe some interesting stone that would prove to be a damaged arcane item, a ring with the personality imprint of someone powerful, or a talking sword. Bored and wanting to take my mind off my useless ponderings, I gesture for a young boy whos watching me from a porch nearby to come closer. "Do you want something?" I ask. The boy was following me for a good minute. "Are you Noname?" he asks. The boy sounds even younger than Isabella, and he feels much weaker. Easy difficulty probably. "Yes," I say. "The Cheater Noname?" he asks curiously. Damn, some people just really lack survival instinct. "Why do you think Im a cheater?" I ask just in case, knowing it''s most likely the result of Channeler''s efforts. "I heard your group got an arcane item and you stabbed them in the back to take it for yourself. And even then you lost to Savant who was tired because he already defeated like 20 people from Hell difficulty." Oh. My. God. I love you, Channeler my dude. The boy doesn''t let my silence stop him, "During the second event too! You have some leech skill you used to steal mana from other people. Mom said it would be impossible to have so much mana otherwise! You also stole mana from the mines and the natives. All while you waited for the others to weaken the monsters and because you were scared!" "Be careful," I add with some urgency in my voice. "I don''t want people to know about my cowardly [Mana Steal] skill," I say, stealthily handing him some candy I traded for a common item. "I knew it! A nice lady was telling my father about it and I overheard! Is it true that you also have an item higher than arcane, but to use it you have to sacrifice 10 years of your life?" This is getting ridiculous. The boy doesn''t stop, "And you are such an asshole that you are sacrificing the life of your group instead!" There I pause him, "Kid, wanna learn something funny?" The weird kid nods and steps closer. How the hell can you talk about me in such a way and then just listen? I lower my voice to add more dignity, "There is one word I heard the most powerful Absolute Ive ever met say. That word bought her the respect of her enemies and the love of her friends." His eyes expand, "There is such a word?" "Yes," I gesture for him to come closer and whisper. "Don''t tell anyone. You promise?" I hand him another candy. "I promise! My dad said to never break a promise!" I nod and look around, like Im making sure no ones listening, "That word was ''nya.'' She added it to the end of every second or third sentence she said, gaining the respect of everyone who heard it." Then, unable to resist, I flick his nose and teleport away. Silly kids. Chapter 355: Miwa Chapter 355: Miwa I teleport back after the auction ends, I check the result and receive just over three thousand shards for the five items. The tournament shop has already covered our rent for the house and workshop, and a few days still remain. It''s not as good as looting the Veil Ignition Station, but it''s good enough that I should be able to make a few thousand extra shards before the tournament ends. As I check the crafter ranking, I''m still first, with the second person being someone called Miwa and even Adam is there. For a moment, I consider buying their things to examine them but then decide not to. Looking at my results and 1st place, it''s obvious I''m doing better. So, there probably wouldn''t be all that much I could learn from them. I still might do it before the tournament ends. Sensing a few signatures on the roof, I boost myself into the air and land on top of it. Lily and Tacita are still in the same spot, and Maya and Sophie seem to have joined them. The women observe Tacita while talking to Lily. Maya is closer to the mute girl. Maybe too close. Unlike me, she doesn''t seem to notice the tension in Tacita''s body every time someone moves too quickly, gets close, or speaks too loudly. It''s obvious to me after dealing with her for a bit, but Tacita seems to be about as twisted as the rest of us. Maya, being as straightforward as she is, smiles and holds out her hand by way of introduction. When Tacita ignores her, Maya makes a bit of a mistake. She presses closer and reaches out to her with a kind word. In a flash, her hand is severed, and Maya staggers back, a dagger sprouting from her neck. She coughs, blood spraying from her mouth and soiling her clothes. Maya doesn''t panic and her face takes on the deep calm of the skill we share. Before Lily or Sophie can move, Maya puts a hand on the wound after pulling the dagger free, blood seeping between her fingers. A blade made of mana extends from the stump of her severed hand. Even bleeding, her expression turns dangerous. Lily lets go of everything and moves at a speed rivaling Tacita''s, reaching Maya and putting a hand on her to heal her quicker. She heals her even before the tournament healing aura activates, the wound closing within a blink. Then the three of them stand there, skills at the ready to launch an attack on Tacita. On the other side, the mute girl is calm, her slim body relaxed, arms hanging along her body, and fingers slightly bent. Her feet are placed just so, priming her for a sudden burst of speed. Not to escape, but to attack. Even facing three powerful members of Hell difficulty, Tacita doesn''t hesitate. It might be sociopathic, but I want them to fight. I bet Sophie and Maya would go down, almost without a struggle, and only Lily could defend herself. However, the knowledge of our immortality in this space takes the sting from such thoughts. But I don''t forget to warn them, If you damage the house, I will expect an item equal to the damage caused. Tacita lifts her hands and gestures at the trio opposite her after meeting my eyes. You too, I dont go around destroying your stuff, so I would expect you to extend the same courtesy. That causes her to deflate a bit, and her stance becomes more relaxed. "You saw what she did to Maya," Lily says through clenched teeth. Maya, unlike her, maintains a mask of calm, her eyes on Tacita. Have they forgotten who this girl is? Shes been solo climbing the floors, the same as Savant. She has time and again proved herself to be an extremely dangerous individual and shes unstable to boot. Maybe the way she acted made them forget? Tacita''s behavior tends towards the playful, most of the time, not to mention the silly emoticons she uses instead of speech. It''s amusing, to be honest. How little it takes for people to let their guard down. Just a few smiles, a bit of childish behavior, and an innocent face. Unlike them, I strengthen my body every time I see even a shadow of Tacita and keep a barrier under my skin, ready to activate. Not even once have I forgotten to do so. I also know that Tacita has taken notice; she knows that I''m ready to fight her anytime. But being twisted as she is, she doesn''t mind my lack of trust. No, it almost seems like she prefers it, shes actually more comfortable when I try to keep her at arm''s length. Tacita looks down on those whove grown complacent. But I guess that''s the inevitable result of her climbing the floors alone and being on constant guard. So I just tell Maya, "Dennis told me you know about someone who can make pizza." While keeping her eyes on Tacita, Maya says in a calm tone, "Yes, Ive already spoken with her already and can arrange a meeting." "Sounds good. Can we go?" I lift my eyes from her right arm, which is made entirely of metal. Its clearly some sort of heavily articulated prosthetic, covered in delicate inscriptions. Looking up at her I ask, You didn''t make it, where did you get it?. The metal itself is an alloy I do not recognize. Possessed of a silvery color with a pinkish luster. The arm is beautiful and I''m unable to take my eyes off it. She looks at me, I''m Miwa, I would like to hear your names first. Noname. Knight, nice to meet you, Miwa. Miwa nods, Thanks, even if they are aliases. Now then, I thought you wanted help with pizza, offering an epic item in exchange? I have a healer in my group. She can restore your flesh and blood arm. I will add two epic items in exchange for your metal arm, I offer. I apologize, but no. Five epic items and my healer will make your new arm stronger than the original should be. I already said no, Miwa repeats decisively. Should I try to steal it later? I mean, shes only in Hard difficulty, it should be easy enough. It might be worth the hell Tess would raise or Gareth''s complaining. Ive seen a few prostheses, but this arm is something else, theres only one floor where she could have gotten it. You got the arm on the second floor, right? Seeing no reason to lie, Miwa nods, I got it from a man called Keiron. She lifts her arm, it moves perfectly, fingers reacting immediately and nimbly as their natural counterparts. Even the metal seems to bend slightly at the required places. The arm is a masterpiece and more so given by Champion Keiron. Maybe he was nerfed on Hard difficulty or not, no matter what it''s not something to ignore. More so him being a descendant of Lissandra. I want to offer another trade, but Maya pokes me before I can and when I look at Miwa I do realize that if I ask again she will send us away. Even now, this polite reception is little more than an act. I will think of something later. Yes, we came here because of pizza. Apparently, you can make one. Miwa gestures to us to follow her and heads towards the house, I like to cook so when we reached the common area I traded with other people and got a lot of ingredients. With what I have, I should be able to make pizza as well. We enter the hallways at which point she takes off her shoes and puts them to the side. We follow her example and wait for her to invite us in. She leads us to a small, but lovely kitchen, and the woman, still in her work clothes, starts preparing tea, her metal arm as if not more nimble than a normal one. Me and Maya both sit there awkwardly. Even Miwa seems to be somewhat cold because of my offers. Well, I think I know what will make her more friendly. I can give you an item for the pizza, but what do you think about this instead? I put a few pieces of metal on the table. Turning back to us, Miwa sighs, Please, do not try to change... she cuts off. Miwa quickly puts the kettle away and takes a quick step towards the table from which she grabs a small piece of metal. It''s voidsteel, not a blade, just a few pieces of the metal I found in Veil Ignition Station. As expected, the woman seems to be even more interested now. Voidsteel is extremely expensive in the system shop and is mostly sold in ingots for one or two thousand shards. Then there is the problem that they are difficult to work with, especially for us from Earth with only a year of experience. So the pieces I gave her should be even more enticing given the way they should allow her more freedom to experiment. Then I decide to push more, I also have a damaged arcane grade item. I lower my voice, trying to make my offer sound as enticing as possible. I will let you look at it if you let me look at your arm. Chapter 356: Just give me the goddamn robotic arm Chapter 356: Just give me the goddamn robotic arm After being told to fuck off, we leave the place. It''s the nicest way anyones ever told me to fuck off, and I dont realize what''s happening until were already outside, and she throws our shoes out behind us. HOW! How is she not enamored by the chance to examine an arcane weapon? Just show me the goddamn robotic arm! "Maya, I''m annoyed," I complain to the woman next to me. "You should run [Focus] in the back of your mind to..." Maya swiftly dodges my mana projectile and deflects another by creating a barrier over the back of her hand. She smiles playfully, "Just let it be before you make it worse. We can ask Tess or Channeler to talk to Miwa and at least get you your pizza." "But the arm..." "Oh, come on! What''s even so fascinating about it?" "It was made by Champion Keiron, the dude with [Avatar] skill and the descendant of Cockroachsandra. That alone makes it interesting." Her eyes burn on my skin as she asks, "Please tell me you are not planning on stealing that arm." "Borrowing. I can give her both of my arms if she wants. Theyre good arms." She snorts, "Only Lily has any use for your arms, please act like a normal human. You shouldnt be so laidback about losing an arm. I mean, what are you, a lizard or something? Having Lily on hand is making you even worse." Grabbing my hand, she pulls me away from the house, "You have that arcane alloy you keep babying. Maybe she would like to examine that more, she seems like a blacksmith." She lets go of my hand and I shake my head resolutely, "She would want a piece of it. I know that. I''m not willing, not even if she offers to give me the arm." "Is it that good?" Maya wonders. "Yes. It was made by someone who worked with the Champions on the 5th floor and was rewarded for it by their Absolute. His lifes work." "But it''s only arcane." She pauses, giggling. "Only arcane," she repeats. "You already have a damaged arcane ax." "That''s not how it works," I offer my hand to Maya and she puts hers onto it. Then I teleport both of us, appearing near our house, and I continue, "It''s arcane even in its raw form. If you have, let''s say, upper rare materials like metals or stones you can, with a lot of work, create low or maybe even mid epic items." She pauses me there, "But I saw arcanadium, endurium, and some other metals and thats not including the rare crystals she had, some of them were even epics.." "Yes, that''s the difference in the purity of the material. I don''t know that much about it, but these metals are rarely found in their pure state, so they usually need to be purified. Nevan told me about a method he had to categorize the different grades of ore, but I ignored it back then." "So that arcane alloy can be turned into a mid or upper arcane item?" "Probably? There is a low chance that I may even be able to make something better than arcane, but probably not. Even Champions tended to carry arcane weapons and items. If the system hasnt been reducing the grade of these items, then it means that mid and upper arcane are usually what the new and weaker Champions would have." "And the systems already been putting low tier arcane items in the tournament?" she asks unbelievingly. "If I''m right, there is a huge difference between grades within arcane." It makes a lot of sense, in my opinion. As the rarities will grow, the difference between low, mid, and upper will only increase. Maya smiles out of nowhere, "When you have the funds, buy me some arcane armor or something. Ill be your personal minion if you do. We [Focus] holders have to stick together, right?" she pokes my side. In retaliation for her shameless declaration, I ask, "So what level is your [Focus]?" That silences her for a moment, and she sighs, "That skill is scary to level. Anyone who makes it to the higher levels can''t be normal," she says, repeating her favored excuse. "But I turned out just fine," I say, in defense of my favorite skill, and myself by extension. (Food food food!) Only an hour remains until we get the notification for the third event. It''s still night, yet from the hill where our house is, we can see thousands of lights shining in the common area. People moving around, lights of the houses, campfires set. Nobody here is a normal human anymore, and that applies even to the weakest among us. Even a few levels are enough to put the average person on a footing with those whove trained their whole lives. We are stronger, we can move faster, and our stats make us more resilient. It''s easier to go without sleep for some time, and after the body upgrade, a lot of us require less food, water, and rest. Even with that, only a few things would change if we returned to Earth. But it doesn''t end with this. Some people lack the proper scope. They see people from Hell as tactical weapons of mass destruction. Weapons to be used as deterrents by their respective countries. But that''s straight up silly. Were in the process of the Pairing, we will be forced to fight a whole other planet and face its natives, who are likely to be much more experienced than us and have had more time to build their forces. Weve just been introduced to the system, everyone in the tutorial is our First Generation. People who went through the tutorial while learning as much as possible. The goal here seems obvious now. Were being groomed to lead, protect, and set the order once we return to Earth. Some of us will need to serve as teachers. Every time I think about it, I feel the excitement in my chest. The boring life I had on Earth has been left behind, replaced by something new and grand. The pursuit of power in the name of taking on opponents who want to see me dead, and the opportunity to explore the powers weve received. Champions, Absolutes, and their Disciples, Rulers, and maybe something over that? The mystery of what happens after reaching level 99 in a skill. The final Beyond trial and Beyond itself. And more. Thinking on too small a scale is straight up stupid. This wont end with Earth. Back in the common area, I examine the window that pops up announcing the event. Please, create your avatar. You can decide the severity of your [Restriction] as well as any additional rewards. Warning, if your avatar gets defeated, the additional rewards will be split between the challengers. Warning, once you set a [Restriction], it can''t be changed. Looking at the window, I think of the love and hate relationship I have with the system and the tutorial. From a certain point of view, it also makes sense that Savant thinks that the system is fair. But, the system is still an asshole. I set my avatar and look around the common area, Lily next to me has finished setting up hers as well. Then after a minute a notification appears for the difficulties under Hell and everyone starts scrolling through their windows. Then like clockwork, a conversation starts. Slowly growing shocked calls and hundreds of people looking around, some people look almost like their eyes are bulging out of their heads. Some of them find me, poking their friend, and like that, hundreds of pairs of eyes are looking straight at me. The reason is obvious, a simple small window theyve all been shown. Avatar: Noname, group 4 Restriction: 3rd Floor Additional rewards:80,000 shards Chapter 357: Pump these numbers up Chapter 357: Pump these numbers up For a short moment, I bask in the gazes of the people, but when Brainiac comes rushing, screaming about where the hell I could have gotten so many shards, I teleport away. I appreciate [Tether] more and more, the way it allows me to avoid people is amazing. Through the [Connection] twins set up I receive a call from Channeler, (Boss! Good job with the shards! I don''t know how you tricked the system, but thats going to help a lot!) (Tricked the system?) (The amount of shards. Did you bug it out somehow? We could use it maybe or...) (I didnt have to. I have the shards.) The silence that ensues is quite long, but it warms my cold heart. Actually, can I even say that? My heart can generate a lot of heat, so maybe it''s not all that cold. (Are you serious?) Channeler''s voice is quiet. (Yup.) (Are you maybe dumb?) Okay, someone''s asking for a beating. Before I can send a message, Channeler adds, (Do you realize what you have done?! With such a high reward, I wouldn''t be surprised if over a thousand people challenge you at once!) (That would mean thousands of shards for one challenge, after the system''s cut. That''s not bad.) (Noname, please... you set a 3rd Floor restriction! I know youre strong, but your restricted Avatar can''t defeat hundreds of people from Hard difficulty!) (Itll be fine.) (It won''t be fine! Youre going to lose all those shards. So many!) (Channeler, my dude. Don''t worry, just keep to the plan and let me know when people challenge someone interesting so I can come and watch.) (Will do.) Channeler says, sounding deflated as he does, and I end the conversation. It''s a bit after midnight, and yet the common area is lively enough for me to take notice even from afar. A giant screen dominates the center. Well, not one. Four of them, arranged in a cube for people to watch from every direction. So far, theres not much to be seen, and it seems like only one Avatar can be challenged at once. That''s interesting and it adds a degree of complexity, given the 24 hour limit. Still, with 31 Avatars that leaves room for 93 challenges. Joining all of them would cost a massive amount of shards, so I don''t think anyone is going to be joining all of them. Especially if theyre from Easy difficulty, they usually have 50-100 shards at most. The fact that Channeler has 150 is a feat in and of itself. Now that I think about it, I should probably feel bad for trying to get shards out of these people. Nah, screw them. Anyone fighting my Avatar is after my shards, so I have no need to pity them. Plus, I can always think of it as a form of patronage, after all these shards will go a good way towards making myself stronger, which will, in the end, help the people of Earth. Probably. I still haven''t decided what to do once we get out, but I dont think Ill like whoever winds up attacking us in the pairing, so Ill probably join the fight. Even if its only to level up and acquire some nice loot. Pushing these thoughts away, I place a few more anchors, and teleport until I reach our house. Once there I sit on the roof and wait for Lily. Were meeting to collaborate on a few experiments. Weve decided not to sleep for the next 24 hours, and we shouldnt have any problem staying up for that long. Plus, I don''t want to miss any interesting Avatar fights, so I maintain an open connection with Channeler and the others to stay so they can continue to feed me information. It takes a few more minutes but Lily appears on the roof with a big smile on her face, Thanks for the warning! You were right, Savant and others were extremely fun to watch when they learned about your additional rewards. She laughs, a memory flashing behind her eyes. Brainiac even started calling you sugar daddy Noname and insulted us for keeping you to ourselves. Lily plops down on the roof next to me, a smile still on her face. Her eyes seem to glow. Dennis said Savant looked like someone told him they pissed into his drinking water for days. Oh boy, maybe I should have stuck around longer. Tess said Gareth and Adam think you managed to bug out the system. She stretches and lays on her back, I haven''t laughed so much in so long! Seeing the expression on Savants face was priceless. Screw that guy, I note. Not because of jokes but because of the healing of this floor. No matter how hard we try to slow it or keep the wound open by stopping it from closing, it always heals after a few seconds. According to the severity of the damage, it can be nearly instant or slower when the wound isn''t severe. Me or Lily causing it doesn''t change anything, the healing is the same in both cases. Well, it''s not like I didn''t expect that. This healing aura is also the reason why Active Tempering won''t work here. For it to work, my body needs to be infused with a special frequency of mana and get damaged. Any sort of healing prevents Active Tempering from doing its work. It''s almost like working out. You need to lift enough weight, enough times to damage your muscles. Then, while you sleep or rest, the damaged parts heal and become stronger provided they have the nutrients to do so. Well, it''s not exactly that, but it''s similar to Active Tempering. So, cutting my chest open, I was able to see my heart for the first time. A beating Mana Heart, slightly modified to serve as a medium to generate thermal and kinetic energy in exchange for mana. The heart was surprisingly normal. It didn''t glow. There was no change in appearance. Sure, there was some mana radiation as if the chest cavity were acting like shielding, and each beat of the heart creates mana, but that''s probably all thats different. Other than the inscriptions surrounding it from my constructs, it was almost normal if you can call it that. At least it allowed me to gain a bit of knowledge I can use in the future when I try to upgrade it again. (Noname, theyre challenging your Avatar!) says a message from Channeler. How interesting. Was it the additional rewards and severe restriction? Or do I have the rumors to thank? Somebodys challenging my Avatar, wanna watch? I ask Lily, whos returned to studying the Champions bone. Hearing me, she quickly puts it away, Yes! I offer her my hand, and after a bit of hesitation, she takes it in hers, and I teleport us away. Like most of the people from Hell difficulty, Lily is more than capable of enduring the process with her enhanced body and mind well adapted to powerful skills. Appearing to the side, we move even a bit closer. (Your Avatar is the first to be challenged,) Sophie sends through the web with the aid of the twins connection. She has chosen to sit with some of the other members of group 4 and Hell difficulty taking up benches around the central plaza of the common area. Some of them have occupied the terraces with drinks and food close at hand. It''s all being treated like an event to be enjoyed. (I would expect them to test it out on someone else, no matter how much we tried to make me look weaker,) I reply. (Eighty thousand shards is a lot, Nat,) Lily says, joining the conversation. (A lot,) she repeats. (Lilys right. Plus, it''s not that expensive for Hard difficulty, so even if they die, it''s worth trying once.) (So how many of them are going in?) I ask. (Theyve gotten greedy, so only twenty members from Hard difficulty. The group is being led by Samuel of all people, would you believe that.) I can hear Sophie smile through the link. (He threw his weight around and tried to limit the number of people who could enter.) (How does it work exactly?) (One person challenges the Avatar and a countdown starts. The countdown is 15 minutes, and within that time, anyone can join the challenge, and then they enter together. At first, there was only Samuel and his handpicked group, but the more time passes, the more people join. You should have something in your notification. It''s as much our event as it is theirs.) (Youre right,) I reply while checking the window. Challenge 1/3 - 9 minutes remaining until the start Number of challengers: Easy - 10 Normal - 26 Hard - 33 Collected challenge fees: 1300 Were going to need to pump these numbers up. Chapter 358: This one is for you Chapter 358: This one is for you It really looks like a fun event. Seeing so many people all around, some of them sitting on the grass in groups like theyre on a picnic, others occupy the benches surrounding the plaza, while still more watch from the terraces of their houses. The four screens are more than big enough to see what''s happening from that distance. Its just after midnight, and yet I don''t think many people are sleeping, not with all the excitement over the event. It''s an opportunity to compare themselves against others in the same situation. To group up and challenge them together without needing to worry about dying. Maybe they can win and stomp in the face of some person from Hell difficulty that managed to annoy them. Maybe they can earn enough shards to buy a higher grade passive. I can totally understand that. (What have people been saying?) I ask through the link. This time Dennis answers, (They are excited and worried. I don''t think many people intend to challenge you, and Channeler and his harem are being careful, I think theyre saving most of their persuasive efforts until the third challenge.) His brother follows, (They also know the challenges will be there later so they don''t mind watching others try it first before wasting their shards.) (Are they not worried about some early bird beating my Avatar?) (Not that much,) Sophie notes. (Isabella checked the emotions around and most people are still scared of you, even with everything we tried. But the fear of missing out will probably kick in by the third attempt, and with a bit of help from our side, a lot of people will try.) (You might lose! What level were you at the end of the third floor?) Aaron asks. (Around 120, I think.) (What? Are you serious?) (Yes.) (What the fuck.) (Yes, what the fuck!) Dennis follows it. (There are people from Hell on the 5th floor whove barely reached 150, and you were 120 during the third floor?) (Did you think I lost all those limbs just for the fun of it?) (Do I have to answer?) Little twerp, just wait. (Anyway, I can''t imagine my avatar losing, even if they have a few hundred people challenging me,) I say. (But there are 231 people here from Hard difficulty, your avatar might not be able to face them all. They dont have a [Restriction] and some of them are decent,) Sophie notes. (It will be fine.) (If you say so...) With about Five minutes until the start of the challenge, the screens flicker before lighting up. A forest appears on the screen, pocked with a multitude of big clearings. The trees of the forest seem to be fairly normal in size, with vibrant green leaves, all the same variety of oak. It''s a bright day with few clouds in the sky. My Avatar finally appears in the shot, standing in one of the clearings, unmoving, devoid of expression Though it feels different from my usual self. As if there were no glimmer of life behind his eyes. The most interesting part about him is the colors. He looks as if hes been drained of all vibrance. His skin, clothes, and hair look grayish. Only his glassy eyes retain their color. So, third-floor. Back then, I still didn''t have my subclass and I didn''t have my skill upgrades removed. I only had the Mana Circuit trait and my mana stat was around 400, and then doubled by my attribute upgrade. There was no [Regalia] or [Mana Domain] or [Infusion]. If I remember correctly, I had [Focus], [Mana Manipulation], [Perception], [Redistribution], [Armament], [Mana Surge], [Mana Infusion], and [Resonance]. As for my constructs, all I had were my Kinetic Mana Heart, Reinforcement, and Mantle. And most importantly, no epic passives. It''s interesting, I''m fairly certain there wont be anyone in Hard difficulty at that level. There is something I think will happen after reading the rules of this event and if all goes as planned, I have no need to worry at all. Three minutes remain and too many people start moving around, so I offer Lily my hand and place an anchor, before teleporting us onto the roof of a nearby house. When a group of 10 Hard difficulty challengers find and attack him, he ignores their attempts at slowing him down and disrupting his mana. The Mantle takes care of that easily. Flames close to him weaken and disappear and he moves at a much higher speed. The mace in his hand turns into a sword, the blade resonating and cutting through any barriers they make. It doesnt matter if it was made from mana, stone, or wood. Their skills fail to damage the Avatar as he disrupts them or blocks them with armor made of mana. Even now, hes not going full out, hes saving most of his mana, while he steamrolls through the attacking group. Ten Hard difficulty challengers appear outside. They launch their strike at range, bombarding him with attacks, but theyre either too slow or too inaccurate with all the smoke, then my Avatar rushes them. The flames in the forest die off as he passes by, his speed increasing further, as he pushes himself to the limit with kinetic energy. He disrupts the barriers they try to stack, his flames rushing ahead. He concentrates them more and a laser-like stream moves through the battlefield, cutting multiple people apart. Someone attacks him up close only for my Avatar to sling orbs hes been spinning around himself at the attacker. A few of them get blocked, but the skin of the attacker is unable to endure more, and he soon succumbs to the barrage. The following fight doesn''t take that long, and my Avatar hunts down the remaining challengers, without once going full out, nor examining opponents'' skills, or trying anything fancy. Just like a machine, he mows through them, and when the last one appears outside. The screen flickers, settling on one last shot of my gray Avatar standing in the burning forest before the screen turns off. Channeler and some of his group were inside, also challengers, and now they move around, laughing and waving their hands, downplaying what my Avatar did. They do it carefully, and I feel a bit of admiration. I think after a minute of that I would be drained of my social energy. Hmm, maybe there is a primordial version of it? (I keep forgetting how scary you can be,) Dennis notes. (You dumbass, he just nuked an army of monsters during the second event, how can you forget,) his brother replies for me. (But look at him. You cant feel any mana coming from him and other than looking around like a cat, he seems like a grumpy grandpa rather than a walking bomb. Then he does all this weird shit like the thing with Tent Creep. The more you know him, the more he feels like a very very grumpy grandpa who has trouble showing his emotions. That, or a cat.) (Dennis,) I call. (You fucked up, you dumbass,) Aaron immediately pokes. (Yes?) Dennis asks carefully. (This ones for you, little jerk. Sophie?) (Dont you pull me into this, Nat. I''m not interested in childish...) (A few days ago, Dennis said you have a smaller ass than Maya, but that he would let you squish his head in your thighs or something like that. I listened with only half an ear because I was practicing.) Someone tries to destroy the connection with a very strong hint of panic. Over and over again, attempts are made to disconnect, but Sophie pushes them away, keeping the web and her connection to it alive. I continue, (He also said group 4 girls have disappointingly small chests with the exception of Maya and maybe Tess.) The attempts increase. (Oh, he did?) Sophie''s voice is cold. (Yes.) After that, the connection cuts off, the web having been silenced by its creator. When I look to the side, Lily is staring at me with big eyes, You are evil. I didn''t lie. They often sit around in the living room with Brainiac and Lootenant and forget that I''m there training. So I tend to catch a thing or two. You would be surprised to hear the things Ive heard. Then I check the rewards. Congratulations, your avatar was victorious in the 1st challenge! You have received 2,668 shards. The final reward will be delivered at the end of the 3rd event! Not bad. Is this what they call passive income? Chapter 359: Hypothetically Chapter 359: Hypothetically Over the next few hours, there are three more challenges. One of them is against little Isabella. A group of people from all three difficulties, around 60 people in total, most of them from Hard. They enter expecting an easy win against the kid but get welcomed by unrestricted Isabella. Within seconds, blue flames devour them all, burning through their barriers, and heating up the environment enough that some people die from that alone. The girl easily dodges their attacks. Her Avatar predicts who will attack and when by tracking their emotions through [Empathy]. To be honest, it''s not even close, and Isabella cheers for her own Avatar the entire time. There is no shame to be found and when the challengers get out one after another she makes fun of them. That''s something I can get behind, its entertaining to watch all these adult men and women avoiding her gaze. They can''t even say anything back, just her Avatar was enough to show them a clear difference in their power levels. The next challenge is against the lightning man from Gareth''s group. I think his name was Ghast. A group that attacks him does so because one of their members is capable of redirecting lightning with some sort of metal manipulation, using it to create lightning rods. Obviously, that group doesnt fare much better. In the end, the effort appears to have been a playful lark by a group of curious people willing to spend some shards on a challenge. Even though they lost, they seem to be satisfied and often laugh. For their last challenge, theyve decided to take on someone from BenDovers group, only to lose once again. Then they stop, leaving a few people behind in case there is a challenge so they can inform their groups, and the remainder slowly goes to sleep. Before leaving, I take a moment to listen in on Channeler and his group. The uselessly handsome man is aware that a few people have already connected him with Group 4 so he lets his friends talk most of the time, only joining the conversation when necessary. "Strong?!" he laughs pretentiously while talking to someone from Easy. "He clearly abused the fact there was a forest and burned it down around us. Had we been fighting on an empty plane, we would have probably won. He probably has some kind of passive or trait that makes him stronger around the fire." he postulates. The woman from Easy difficulty says something and he smiles at her sweetly. "Of course, I''m helping group 4, theyre paying me." He leans closer and whispers, "Most of them have no idea how much shards are worth so they tend to be ridiculously generous. Noname is also less than... bright, so I got a lot from him." Dude. I know youre just trying to help, but you didn''t have to go quite that far. Another man shoves Channeler and throws a few insults at me while hes at it, catching one of Channeler''s helpers in the crossfire. Channeler just nods in response, saying, "We just need better terrain, maybe a few more people and it should be doable." The conversation quiets down and they disappear into the distance. Lilly and I move to the side, to join Tess, the twins, and Sophie. I feel my cold heart warm inside when I see how awkward Dennis is around Sophie and Tess, unable to look up. His brother seems to be enjoying the situation as well, but he doesn''t dare to push it for fear of retaliation. I know he said some interesting stuff himself, back when they were showing off for Brainiac and Lootenant. "Do you think anyone will really fall for it?" Lily asks when we join them. Tess answers for me, "People aren''t that dumb, Lily. Some of them might, but the rest will likely be acting on their greed. Nat offered a LOT of shards as additional rewards so it''s worth the gamble even if the chance of winning is low." "But Nat and Channeler spent so much time preparing, hes even paying them in items. Is it all for nothing?" Lily asks, looking up at Tess and I. Knowing me, the lightning blonde smiles, "That''s just how Nathaniel has fun. He just likes messing with people." I mean, she is not wrong. It''s annoying, but there is a lot of humor in watching others make sad attempts at trash talk. Even though I dont expect it to do much, it''s worth it just from an amusement perspective. "Youre weird," Lily notes and I shrug, copying Tacita. Unfortunately, It doesnt quite have the same effect. Walking under the dark sky lit by stars, the sound of conversation fades away, and we find ourselves at our house, with only the six of us for company. "How do you know that maniac so well, Tess?" Sophie asks and yawns. She seems bored, but Ive noticed the way she enjoys gossip. "We used to date on Earth," Tess says, carelessly dropping a bombshell of revelation. That gets any number of interesting expressions from others. Especially the twins and Lily. Seeing that, Tess smiles, "We were both really young. He was my first boyfriend," she smiles. I stay quiet. "Then after a few weeks, he tried to use me as an alibi." Tess stretches a slight smile still on her face. "Back then, it really broke my heart. Did that handsome bad boy date me just so he could use me later? Did he even care about me?" The others are stunned into silence, and we continue to walk in awkward silence. "Now that I think about it, you never apologized, did you, Nat?" Tess asks. "I did not," I agree. "Fuck, that''s brutal." Sophie breathes out finally. "Right?" Tess turns to her. "Poor innocent me betrayed by the first boy she ever liked." "Youve already told me that, more than once," I note and push her away. "And Ill keep saying it because you do not listen. Any more and youll be dumber than Soph! At least she listens to me sometimes." "So anyone who doesn''t listen to you is dumb?" She looks at me, somewhat disappointed, "Dumb people are dumb, not just the ones who dont listen to me," she says as if it''s obvious. I see, makes sense. No, it does not. I do not understand how kids work. "Do you enjoy melting stuff?" I ask. "I''m not melting stuff! I''m practicing smelting!" "I see." "Don''t laugh!" "I''m not laughing." She kicks my shin in response, dealing no damage, "I can feel your emotions." "Yes, yes." I pause for a while. "I wanted to ask you something." Isabella''s face turns serious and she sits in the chair nearby, her full attention on me. It''s quite funny seeing the serious expression she is trying to make. What I want to ask her is a bit silly and may be the result of my own cowardice. I could also ask someone else, but there aren''t many people I feel comfortable enough around to ask for advice. So yeah, better to ask an 11-year-old girl, right? Maybe I really am dumb. "So, I did something bad to someone I know. It was a long time ago, but lately, around a year ago, I met that person again. Oh, it''s all hypothetical. So let''s say, hypothetically I met that person after a few years, just a year ago, hypothetically." Isabella just nods and waits. "So how... what should... I..." "Just apologize," Isabella interrupts me. "It''s not that simple." She shakes her head like shes dealing with an idiot, "It''s simple!" "There is no way it is that easy. She probably hates me for it even if shes not showing it. Hypothetically, of course. Betrayal is one of the worst sins you can commit, especially when someone trusts you and never wished you any ill." "Just apologize." "I mean, betrayal like that is beyond pathetic. Sure there might have been a reason and it was always part of my plan long before I ever met her, but who would have known that person would prove to be so important to me." "Apologize!" "Back then it wasn''t even something I would have thought about, but in the past year, still hypothetically, a lot of things changed. So how to say it? It feels right to do something about it?" "Dumbthaniel." "Ive decided to make some changes and set rules for myself, to avoid being a savage. I know now that what I did isnt something I can abide by. Not long ago I threatened to kill someone if they did the same." Isabella stands up and starts kicking my shin and I strengthen my body further. "I even said it in front of her. Damn, do you think she smiled because she remembered what I did? Did she get pissed off because I did something to her, that I had just said I would kill her for? Is that why she mentioned it in front of others? Oh, and don''t misunderstand, Izzy, it''s all still..." "Still hypothetical!" she kicks me, blue flames creating a small explosion at the place of impact. "Yes, still hypothetical." I pause and then look down at Izzy who, at this point looks like an angry kitten. She isn''t an ESM, but shell do. I cradle her in my arms, putting her in a similar position to the one my minion likes. Ear against my chest and her tiny horns poking the bottom of my chin. Isabella struggles, trying to get away, but in the end, it''s not quite right, and I let her go. "Thanks for the help, Izzy," I tell her, ruffling her hair. She pushes my hand away and while I head out she shouts something about all the dumbasses she has to deal with. Chapter 360: Challenging the Avatars Chapter 360: Challenging the Avatars Sitting on the roof, as I observe the group of poor guys who thought it was a good idea to challenge Lily''s avatar. Lily decided to go with a mere 4th floor restriction, and it''s fun to watch as she tears through men who are probably thrice her weight and twice her size. She takes them on in a style similar to the one she used to fight the Fallen Hero. Her Avatar is using its [Sacrifice] to boost its movements and it doesn''t bother wasting any mana on [Disintegration]. The sheer strength of its body is enough to allow it to go berserk. The event is fun for us and an interesting learning opportunity for those from other difficulties. For them, theres a difference between seeing people from Hell doing all these things and then having to face them. Sure, they got a taste during the 1st event, but they still thought they might stand a chance in a group only to fail regardless. Each Avatar can be challenged 3 times, and 1st and 2nd challenges are mostly limited to smaller groups, hoping to get a better reward. No one from Hell difficulty interferes, and the remaining attempts are slowly getting more organized, and bigger groups are being put together, a lot of planning and information sharing is going on. Samuel, being the annoying guy he is, is behind most of it, and he even has a few more guys to help him. In the end, it seems like the first 2 challenges are to test the Avatar, and they are saving the last ones for their real attempts. Tess Avatar is challenged as well, and the group gets wiped out before they even reach her. Gareth is attacked by dozens of people and still takes no damage. Even Min-Jae, the twins, Brainiac, Lootenant, Adam, Maya, and others take easy wins against the smaller groups. The restrictions are mostly around the fourth floor, Tacita also being fourth. But there is that one annoying guy whos restricted himself to the 3rd floor as well. Savant. His Avatar has five epic items and 20 thousand shards offered as additional rewards, and other than my Avatar, his seems to be the most frequently eyed one. My Avatar still got challenged only once, and his Avatar not even once. Channeler told me that there are a few dozen people going all over the common area, trying to look for anyone whos faced me, in an effort to gather information on my abilities. It''s entertaining to watch. Theyre taking it much more seriously than I thought they would, and a big part of it probably has something to do with Samuel. Seeing how effective he is, I guess it makes sense that Gareths been keeping him around and to a certain point, Tess as well. He seems like a useful guy. What''s also fun is that the murderer guy from Easy difficulty is also accepting some challenges and entering the arenas to face the Avatars. After each attempt, they take him away, tie him up, and put the null collar back on his neck. Yet the guy seems to have a decent amount of shards and accepts nearly every challenge, joining with all challengers. Seeing others having to keep grabbing him because the system is teleporting him away is amusing enough. I also watch as he generally tries to take advantage of his stealth in an attempt to damage the Avatars with his poison-like attacks. The guy clearly thinks a lot of himself and sometimes he gets into clashes with other people; in one situation, he even attacks and kills one careless guy from Hard difficulty and multiple people from Normal. It''s like hes doing it on purpose just to make fun of us. Especially when in the challenge against BenDover''s Avatar he just attacks the other challengers immediately, standing there and smiling while they scream in pain from his poisonous attacks. He gets outside and it''s Tess who pacifies him, grabbing him by his neck and pulling him away like a dog while he tries to attack her. Then, when thirty minutes later another challenge starts, he accepts it again and this time attacks other challengers right away. While others expected that, some people seem to have a lot of trouble dealing with his poisonous mist, not to mention how quick and hard to catch he is. Even though he''s from Easy difficulty, he has to have some degree of skill to have made it to the 11th floor, so there must have been some decent rewards. Samuel, the killjoy, takes him out with a swing of his giant sword and the murderer appears outside, laughing as Gareth approaches him with a dark expression. "The system does allow some changes, I can probably make his heart stronger. The system might even consider it beneficial. But it will continue to get stronger and stronger and once hes out of the tournament, it will explode in a week or two," Lily says with a surprisingly angry tone. "We can give it a try," Sophie nods. She, Min-Jae, and Biscuit are sitting on the roof with Lilly and I as we watch the event. "I could give him a [Geas] that would suppress his survival instincts. Or if the system allows it, I can ensure that he decides to end it on his own. Sophie offers" Only Min-Jae seems to have any doubts regarding the topic of our conversation. "Is he really that bad?" he asks carefully. "Imagine the worst you can and then double it. That''s what that man is. I saw hints of his memories when we were looking into whether or not he really killed all those men, women, and children. Hes the lowest of the low." Even Sophie, who usually only cares about her sister, seems determined to end him over what she saw. I, on the other hand, watch a group of 100 people face down Biscuit. Some of the Easy and Normal difficulties still remember him tearing them apart during the 1st event so they are careful. However, Biscuit has no restriction, and even his grayed-out version looks cute. It even moves like the original, slowly wobbling on its short legs. Avatar Biscuit doesn''t really hesitate much, and it creates two purple orbs which turn bright white, before shooting off towards a group that gets in his way. Their attempt is good, and it even seems like they might be able to pull it off, but that''s when tentacles form around Biscuit, extending to the length of a football field. They whip through the air in a blur of motion, cutting cleanly through a huge patch of trees. When the tentacles crash into the groups barriers, they either slice through without resistance, or shatter them with sheer force, and concentrated fire. Biscuit also uses a mental attack to scream directly into their heads, as it turns out most of the challengers arent quite skilled enough to block it out. The orbs explode, wiping out half of the group. A few mana projectiles snipe the injured members and tentacles finish off the rest. "Good boy," I say, looking over at Biscuit and handing him a piece of deer jerky. He tilts his head, slightly confused before he quickly noms the offered treat. The defeated challengers meanwhile group together once theyre outside and start trading notes. "Nat," Min-Jae says, interrupting my musings, so I return my focus to the conversation theyve been having. "Yes?" Then, the Avatar detonates the flame orb. The challengers were expecting him to shoot it at them, having been warned by the more mana-sensitive among them, who surely know the amount amount of energy contained within. They are constantly aware of that and being unable to cancel it theyve prepared for the Avatar to shoot it at them. But nope, the Avatar detonates it right next to his own head after charging into the biggest of the surviving groups. The flames wash over the forest, setting it ablaze, reducing the forest to ash and baking the ground. There is a hint of gold in these flames and no one is capable of stopping them as they devour most of the group. Then from the center of the explosion, my Avatar steps out. The helmet around his face is destroyed and half of his face is burned terribly, bone showing through. All the flames die off, pulled towards him, as he ignores the wounds. Then he attacks again. The rest of the challengers die in a minute. Just over five thousand shards flood into my account. Of course, thats only after the system takes its ten percent cut. Anyway, Avatarthaniel did a good job once again. "Who do you think would win? 3rd Floor me or Savi guy?" I ask. "Neither of your Avatars went all out, so it''s hard to say," Sophie states while observing the group that, straight out of the lost challenge, starts brainstorming. "I would win," I say confidently. "Famous last words," Sophie pokes. "I''m more curious how they will challenge you in the final attempt. Channeler said they plan to go against you with probably over a thousand challengers, even people from Easy are willing to gamble 5 shards to do so. The thought of you losing almost an arcane item''s worth of shards is as painful as it''s funny." "Itll be fine," I say, waving my hand. The challenges continue to the point where a lot of people from Hell get challenged twice with the last challenge remaining. I also realize that within 24 hours, they do not have time to challenge every Avatar three times. Since only one Avatar can be challenged at once, and there is a 15-minute waiting period followed by the time spent facing the Avatar. So they are a bit more selective. Every Avatar gets challenged at least once, but some of them do not get challenged a second time. Tacita is a menace, killing the group that challenges her with such efficiency they wind up more scared of her than anyone else, Biscuit included. Isabella gets called a crazy kid. Even after challenging her a second time, they dont even find Tess as she snipes them from afar. Gareth endures combined attacks from dozens of members of Hard difficulty. His damage output isn''t all that high, but just by having a stronger body than them, he slowly takes them down, in the end, hes not even tired and he hasnt a single wound on his body. The twins and Min-Jae do well, winning the first two challenges. The twins use [Sensory Deception], causing their challengers to attack each other and moving at high speeds with their [Haste]. They also launch a number of mental attacks that seem to disrupt most of the casting of their opponents. Min-Jae uses [Gravity Well] and [Telekinesis] mainly. Small stones turning into bullets, easily killing people or forcing them to waste mana on maintaining their defenses. The projectiles are much heavier than they should be, causing a surprising amount of damage. But even without the overt use of our skills, there is a clear difference between Hell and other difficulties. People from Hell move their mana quicker, skills are activated faster and are more powerful. Their body strengthening and senses are much better. Even people from Hard difficulty can''t compare. It''s interesting and I expected the difference to be smaller, but in the end, maybe people from Hard difficulty just aren''t that strong. Or are people from Hell just that much stronger? Only three out of the 31 people from Hell difficulty managed to lose in the first two challenges and none of them came from group 4. Overambitious restrictions were probably the cause of the losses in question. Maya''s Avatar, using armor and weapons made of mana, cuts through them. Her technique with weapons shows as she restricted herself to the 4th Floor where she paid some people to give her lessons. She really looks like the knight she named herself for in the Community. Sophie, with the same 4th Floor restriction, is also scary. Even then, she was capable of getting into the head of The First One and holding him down. So what are some challengers from the tutorial in comparison? Her Avatar is ice cold as it takes over a group of people from Easy who start stabbing each other. Anyone who gets close to her freezes just for a moment which she uses to stab them somewhere vital. Her [Manipulation] interrupts castings, causing attacks to explode in the middle of their groups. Those with weaker defenses die just from the pressure of her mental attacks. Then she easily manipulates the mana around her, redirecting the attacks being thrown at her or disrupting them outright. She manipulates stone as well, spikes made of the stuff impaling multiple people. The branches of trees twist and bend around people. It''s not the kind of combat she prefers, but she wins nonetheless. When about five hours remain, my Avatar gets challenged for the third time. The first Avatar out of all. It''s not because of Channeler and the disinformation campaign we did. No, the cause is exactly what we expected: simple greed. It''s like a lottery. You know youre probably going to lose, but what if...? I watch as the number of challengers grows until there are five seconds left until the start. Challenge 3/3 - 5 seconds remaining until the start Number of challengers: Easy - 1021 Normal - 755 Hard - 212 Collected entrance fees:19,015 shards My Avatar appears in the arena for the last time. The same empty expression as before and grayish in color. With close to two thousand people arrayed against him. The common area becomes eerily empty, just a few remaining people remain, mostly from the lower difficulties, and us from Hell. For the first time ever since the start of the tournament, its grown quiet. The following slaughter takes barely two minutes. Chapter 361: Gareth Chapter 361: Gareth My Avatar does exactly what I thought he would when faced with a large group of opponents that he couldnt face head-on. That beautiful bastard just flies straight up. Yup, it''s that simple, yet it still gives him a huge advantage. It''s like introducing a helicopter with machine guns and rockets into a conflict between people fighting with muskets. And it isn''t pretty. Once hes out of range, the people below struggle to detect him and a few of them do manage to reach that far, warning the others of the upcoming attack. But it''s all to no avail. Five seconds pass. Ten seconds pass. Nothing. People from Easy difficulty, nervous and more sensitive to the fluctuations, are already starting to feel his mana concentrating high in the air. Fifteen seconds pass and a number of fairly decent barriers form over a number of groups. Thirty seconds pass and Samuel shouts, causing people to scatter and spread out over a wider area. Then my Avatar attacks. Like a crashing meteor, he slams into the ground where the greatest concentration of people from Hard difficulty are, and like an EMP, a disrupting wave explodes from him. It spreads over a huge part of the forest, weakening barriers, canceling skills, and straight up disrupting them. He then lifts off as quickly, a single orb left in his wake. A thermal orb as big as an orange. It shines an intense golden color, the immense heat being released causing the air around it to waver. Golden flames explode into the area and with this, dozens of people from Hard difficulty start appearing outside. And more follow. One after another, their hastily recreated barriers, their armors, and skills fail to resist the brilliant golden flames. Bodies melt, charred to the point the system pulls them out. Being charged by so much thermal energy, the orb envelops a huge area, killing hundreds of people. Findd new stories at novelhall.com When it looks like it''s the end, from high up in the air, an orb lands in the middle of another group. A tricolored orb that turns bright white, exploding into heat, shockwave, and following with an implosion. Then another tricolored orb lands somewhere else, and a third one too. The explosions are changing the landscape, tearing the trees from their roots, sending huge chunks of the ground flying through the air, and flinging human bodies around, burned and crushed before disintegrating into a cloud of shiny particles. There is no sight of my Avatar, as he hangs safely in the clouds. It''s an efficient and smart choice. Down below is pandemonium. People are burning, the ones not dead have been left with terrible wounds and missing limbs. Some of them scream, most of the leadership is already dead and safe outside in the common area. As I thought, my Avatar seems to have run low on mana and there are no more big explosions. Instead, a rain of orbs as big as grapes falls to the ground, each of them letting out a whistling noise as it passes through the air. Some of the survivors try to hide under trees or block the attacks. A few even attempt to shoot something towards where the orbs are coming from. But it''s to no avail. The Avatar focuses his attacks on people who have been weakened or occupied with fighting against the forest fire. Just ten seconds is enough to finish the rest of Easy and Normal difficulty. Tens, hundreds of people decimated by an Avatar with most of its mana depleted. The surviving members of Hard difficulty shout and hurl insults at my Avatar. Every single one of them finding themselves frustrated with their inability to reach him with their attacks. Obviously, the Avatar doesn''t care at all. Not even a little bit. I love the guy. On the screen, his face shows for a moment. Calm and expressionless while he forms some larger mana projectiles around himself, compressing them. Using natural gravity and his kinetic energy to launch them at the remaining challengers. Unable to use the flames the challengers just put out, he simply smites them from up on high with mana projectiles. It''s quite shameless. Why do you not fight like that? It looks so easy! Min-Jae comments, watching the screen with big eyes. Because it would be boring, I respond. I figured this fighting style out a while ago. Most of the people around my level or higher can''t fly. That''s something kinetic energy allows me to do. Having air superiority and being able to launch ranged attacks without worrying about retaliation is truly powerful. You shouldn''t underestimate him just because he acts silly sometimes or seems nice. Hes in Hell and in Beyond for a reason, Tess warns the other members of our group. He is, Brainiac nods. You know what''s funny? Hes at his strongest when he is alone. Fighting with us, he holds back a lot to protect us, but the moment hes alone his fighting changes. Just wait and see. He points at the screen where the Avatar waits for the challengers. A few minutes later Gareths Avatars 3rd challenge starts with over a thousand people inside. Right away the man starts moving towards the group of challengers and a silver crown floats over his head. Once again, I have to wonder what his crown is called. Other than me and Tess, he is the only one so far that has one. That offers another question, are crowns rare? Are they considered powerful or important? Getting closer and seeing the first people from behind the trees, Gareth starts radiating silver light from his skin. Maybe light is the wrong word, it''s more like silver smoke seeping through his pores. In his hands, two maces form, each of them with a few nasty spikes, and both weapons probably as long as my arm. Over his shoulders, two silver orbs float. Combat opens with Gareth slamming a mace into a melee attacker from Hard difficulty. Not even for a second is the man capable of facing Gareth''s strength, his arms cracking and the mace piercing the skin-tight barrier and turning the man into shiny particles. A group launches ranged attacks at him and whether they bombard the ground around him or his skin he doesn''t bother to create armor around himself. He faces them all easily with just the sheer strength of his stats and enhanced body. One of the orbs shoots ahead with surprising speed and reaches a group of twenty ranged attackers. Before they can move, the orb expands, in the blink of an eye, almost like a bubble, and each of them finds themselves inside of that bubble. The bubble stops expanding and then changes color to a darker shade of silver. The group finds themselves unable to get out. Their bodies slam against the inner walls of the bubble and their weapons fail to pierce it. Before they can try more, the silver bubble starts shrinking as quickly as it expanded before. All twenty people are caught in that. From the size of a small house, the bubble shrinks to the size of a small room and then to the size of a basketball, and finally to the size it started at. Everyone inside it, unable to escape, is squeezed and killed. Attacks start anew. Gareth is bombarded while moving almost lazily from group to group, no one manages to endure more than one attack from his mace. The two silver bubbles move around, enveloping groups of people and turning them into shiny particles. Outside of the tournament, the result would be more gruesome. A bunch of people reduced to a compressed bloody paste. The forest exploding around him from the challengers'' attacks doesn''t cause him much trouble. He seems capable of going on for days. Shadowy attacks fail to slow him, fire causes him no trouble. They can''t disrupt his mana and they even fail to pierce the orbs. Anyone who winds up inside one of those silver bubbles dies without exception. When they start moving out of his reach or the range of his bubbles, he changes strategy. The crown over his head disappears and the silver smoke stops leaking from his skin. Instead, armor forms around his body. His armor isn''t bulky or impressive. It seems almost skin-tight and dense. At the same time, the maces in his hands dissolve, and Gareth dashes, the ground exploding under his feet. In a blink, he reaches another group, gloves forming around his hands as he delivers a shattering blow to someones head, reducing the man from Hard difficulty into particles. Gareth twists his body and grabs the poor man''s sword in his hand as he kicks another assailant, caving in their chest, and dispersing them into a haze of silver particles. Like Lily, Gareth uses the strength of his body and armor to go wild and tear the remaining people apart. Gareth is really bad at doing multiple things at once, Brainiac sighs. But when he doesn''t have to focus on healing, teleporting, and keeping our marks active he can be really scary. Nice. First, Gareth doxxes the real names of everyone from his group, and now heres Brainiac giving us exposition on his abilities. What a group. So what are the names of his skills? I ask. Not telling! Brainiac answers. Well, maybe they arent that stupid. It''s fine, I might ask Tacita, I''m sure she already knows the names if you guys talked about them sometime during the tournament. While I say it I glance back to the top of the chimney where a thin girl with messy brown hair sits. Her eyes meet mine and her expression seems to be surprised and in quick succession a weird field she generates changes a few times. But each time I change my detection as well, allowing my senses to pierce through. Only her last attempt succeeds at confusing me for even a moment longer and then she stops when I see even through that. Tacita seems dissatisfied, annoyed even, her eyes turning dangerous as she examines me, studying the way Ive been detecting her. I hope you didn''t think you could keep hiding from me forever. Chapter 362: Challenges Chapter 362: Challenges During the next few hours, as we watch the challenges, Tacita and I play a game. As she sits on the chimney, rooted within her barrier, skill, trait, or whatever it is, keeps changing. She alters it rapidly as she figures out my methods for detecting her. Sometimes it takes me a few seconds to pierce through, sometimes it takes thirty minutes. Shes really good at it, and it''s intriguing to observe. Shes not like Savant or Tess, with their genius level use of skills, theyre both quick to learn and grasp new concepts. Shes not even like me with my abuse of skills to push myself further than others while trying to scam the system. What Tacita is doing is mostly based on wild instinct. Like a bird thrown out of the nest, forced to learn to fly by instinct rather than rote learning. And damn, does she seem to be getting annoyed. Her penchant for stealth seems to be an important part of her identity. The way she gets twitchy when people get too close, it''s no surprise. Yet I refuse to take that into consideration. No, I even resort to using my eye trait when I have trouble piercing through her hidey barrier. The longer this goes on, the more dangerous she feels. The playful mood is gone, and her eyes are glued to the back of my head. I can nearly feel that gaze burning me. I also keep my body strengthened, while preparing to empty my Vortex Core, and funneling a large amount of mana to my Mana Regulator for Reinforcement. It''s a clear challenge to her, and I might be playing with fire, but I cant bring myself to care. I dont like having her sneaking around and appearing out of nowhere. Ive had a deep hatred for such tactics ever since my experiences on the 1st floor. It''s not to the point of trauma anymore, but I still find it deeply unsettling. So we either set some rules about that or we will fight. That''s my message to her. Meanwhile, the remaining Hell difficulty Avatars go through their third challenges. After being beaten by me and Gareth, they challenge a few of the weaker-looking ones. Just like before, they continue in groups of anywhere from a few hundred to one thousand. I turned out to be the exception with close to two thousand. They even win some of them. BenDover gets tired out and hunted down once he runs out of mana. Brainiac fails to reposition quickly enough and gets surrounded, as they use the forest to their advantage, limiting his ranged attacks. Lootenant is more defense based, so he finds himself lacking in means of attack. Aaron and Dennis get tired out, neither of them capable of sustaining long combat against that many people who are getting better and better organized. They are also weaker on their own and separated from their twin. The murderer from Easy difficulty is also joining a lot of these fights, often getting in a few nasty attacks during the challenge only to be pulled away once he reappears in the common area. At this point, around 150 people from Hard difficulty create a core that goes around challenging Avatars one after another. They are the main forces the others join and follow their lead. That group of 150 people has gotten quite efficient at this point. There''s a ranged unit, a melee unit, a unit of scouts, defenders, and a few really weak healers. They protect each other, their members switching places to keep their mana topped up and stamina fresh. Once again, theyre being led by Samuel and the other soldiers from his group. Once theyve seen how well they do, the others seem to have an easier time trusting his lead and following orders. They defeat another Avatar from WhiteWing and another from BenDovers group. Would be nice to see them beat your Avatar, Tess, especially given the way youve been putting Samuel down, I note. Tess doesn''t flinch, her bearing confident and carefree. If anyone from Beyond lost, I would be deeply disappointed, she says. I still want to see them beat Savant, I sigh while looking on as they make preparations in the common area. The next Avatar is Tess, restricted to the 4th Floor. Maybe if he went for a 2nd Floor [Restriction], Tess states, watching the proceedings with interest as they split into groups, having received final orders. I regret not going for 3rd. I was too careful. Scared. Careful. Sure. Has anyone told you that they would like to punch you? Yup, I heard it constantly on the 5th floor. He was a handsome lad with a very punchable face himself. I see. By the way, can you stop playing with Tacita? Youre starting to scare people. When the challengers return brainstorming starts and most of the challengers dont really seem all that disappointed. As if they got the result they were expecting and theyve chosen to take it as a learning lesson. Though I mostly get that sense from Hard difficulty. That makes me reconsider a few things. Lately, Ive been thinking of them as weak, how could I not? Even restricted members of Hell difficulty can wipe them out with ease, but maybe Ive just been lacking perspective. It''s not like Easy has a power level of 1, Normal has a power level of 2, Hard of 3, and Hell of 4. It''s more like Hell difficulty is a few stages above. Yet, Hard difficulty isn''t that bad. Logically they shouldn''t even be, the tutorial must be... well, hard, for them as well. Theyve shown me a hunger for improvement thats a cut above the people in Easy and Normal who seem to take things at a more relaxed pace, more like a hobby. When the tutorial ends, I can certainly imagine a few people from Hard growing strong enough to destroy a small city on their own. Maybe even a bit more when it comes to the stronger ones. But for the moment thats mostly speculation on my part. It''s fun to think of the differences between us. Oh and now that I think about it, dont the strongest people tend to be loners? Actually, it might be half and half. Currently, we have 6 people from Beyond here. Tess, Gareth, and Lily are on the more sociable side while Tacita, Savant, and I seem to be more introverted. Though I''m sure our trio of introverts would win. Yup, screw those extroverted weirdos. I bet theyre fine talking to people, even the moment after they wake up. Creepy. I also decide to ignore the fact that we three introverts are certainly weirder and bigger assholes than our counterparts. But it''s not like theyre normal either. Everyone in Beyond is a bit twisted. When I finally crack through the change Tacita made in her field, I turn back to the screen. That one was difficult, it took me the longest time yet to pierce. Tacita can be surprisingly stubborn, it seems. Ever since we started, she hasn''t moved from her spot or stopped staring at me. The next avatar they challenge is Min-Jae. They dont even go in with that many people, below 500 even. I already suspect the result, but Min-Jae gets defeated. He takes out a bit more than half of them and they have trouble catching up to him. The Avatar even uses the eye he got on the 4th floor as it precedes the restriction. In the end, it''s not enough and his attacks gradually weaken as they catch up to him. Current Min-Jae would wipe them out easily, yet the [Restriction] he chose is too severe. The young boy is too proud to go higher than 4th. The result is a celebration among those excitedly discussing the fight. The one who did the most walks away with the better part of the two thousand shards Min-Jae offered as an additional reward and an epic item he got from the 5th floor. He did set it up after he saw me creating my Avatar and the result is what it is. If Tess knew, she wouldve probably stopped him. Even twins wouldve done that. But Min-Jae did it all on his own. Even before his Avatar was defeated, he disappeared from the roof. When Lily''s Avatar appears on the screen, I stand up and detect where Min-Jae went. I don''t even have to watch this challenge as I''m sure Lily will wipe the floor with them with her surprisingly low [Restriction], the 5th Floor. But that''s just her. I''m sure she would be able to do it with the 4th Floor one but she doesn''t seem to have the confidence. I stop in front of Tacita, I have to go now. But let me tell you one thing. Ive humored you sneaking up on me for a good while, but I don''t appreciate it. Even back on Earth I had bullies trying to ambush me in groups. I spent three days fighting for my life, being hunted by Phantom Goblins only to be stabbed every time I faltered. It''s not something I can help, even if theres no malice in it, even if its just playful teasing. I dont trust Tacita the same way I trust group 4. And even though I can''t die here, I cant bring myself to allow it. Just for once, Im going to be nice and try to solve things by talking instead of fighting, Do you know what I mean by that? I ask. Her eyes shine below her messy bangs, giving me a long appraising look. Her expression changes a few times until it lands on one of understanding. A few seconds later, she nods. The field around her changes but this time it''s more akin to a playful attempt to hide and catch someone off guard to laugh at them later. Like a game. She looks at me with a question and tilts her head. Her own warning to me, to avoid pushing her any further. This much is okay. I also change the way I detect her to match her change. From now on, it''s a fun way to keep ourselves sharp rather than anything more sinister. A bright smile appears on Tacita''s face and she waves as I use one of my anchors to follow Min-Jae. Chapter 363: Kaboom! Chapter 363: Kaboom! I reach Min-Jae just as he catches up to a smaller group of people. Once again I hide my mana and watch from a distance. Without hearing their words, I can only guess at their conversation, but it''s not all that difficult. The people hes confronted seem to be from Hard difficulty, specifically from the group that challenged his Avatar just a few moments ago. At first, Min-Jae seems non-aggressive even though I can sense his wildly swirling mana and see his clenched fists. The situation escalates after a short exchange, and the group ends up easily pushed to the ground by a gravity field. Yet even then, the boy seems confused. There is none of the satisfaction he expected, just a dirty feeling, I would think. It''s hard for me to guess because I''m just an asshole who doesn''t care about anyone outside of his own family and friends. If someone had asked me one of those trolley questions like, "Would you rather save 1 friend or a million people you don''t know?" I would let the strangers die. Without hesitation. Of course, the situation would be shitty and I like to think that I would feel something, but I have my priorities straight. That''s one of the main reasons I want to be so strong. So things like that wont happen to me, leaving me to do whatever I want. Min-Jae, on the other hand, is young, troubled, and had a difficult childhood, forever caught in the shadow of his siblings. You can even see it in his choice of subclass, Envy, and the ways hes been trying to emulate me. I dont think it''s too big of a problem. Min-Jae will grow and change, and these experiences will serve to guide him in the future. He is still young, and looking for his place in this world. So for now, I dont bother to intercept him even as he waves his hand, uprooting and crushing a few of the surrounding trees. He stomps angrily, causing more trees to fall under the resulting gravitational waves.Yo?ur favorite stories at novelhall.com Then he almost seems to flee from the people at his feet, with an indescribable look on his face. (Theyre about to challenge Savant,) Sophie says over the web some time later. (I see. I won''t be watching this time,) I answer and then disconnect from the web. Keeping an eye on the man in front of me, I create a chair from mana and take a seat opposite him. You didnt watch my Avatar fight. Why? I ask Savant. Sitting in a cheap camping chair, he returns my gaze. It cost me a few uncommon items, he says in lieu of an answer as he touches it carefully. Its only been a year, but I have this weird feeling of nostalgia seeing these items from Earth. Its just a chair. Yes, its just a chair. He stands up and throws a few logs into the fire hes built nearby, over which hangs an iron kettle with water coming to a boil inside. Nearby, he has a glass with a tea bag prepared. I wanted to observe everyone. To collect some information I could use during the Duels, he says. But? I changed my mind. It was mostly thanks to you. I still think my way is better, but watching you during the 2nd event, I came to the question - why am I being so timid and nervous? When the water starts boiling, he pours it into the glass and then leans back in his cheap camping chair, his eyes turning back to me. Im stronger than any of you. He declares like hes speaking an absolute truth. The moment I entered the 2nd Floor, Champion Tristan took an interest in me. Through my talent, I became his disciple and grew quickly. Before he died, he declared me a Champion candidate. I am strong, he repeats. Silence fills the small camp Savant has set up in the forest. A spoon clinks as he starts mixing the water in his glass. In a quieter voice, he continues, I dont need to see more, learn more, prepare more. I will win even without the effort. I want to confirm that. So you''re second guessing yourself and want to prove that you are the strongest? How human, I reply. Its highly possible. I''m human too in the end. So whats your reason, why arent you watching my Avatar fight? He asks. Same here. I mean, if I thought you were going to lose your additional rewards, I would probably watch, just to laugh, but I dont think thats going to happen. Plus it wouldnt be as satisfying to beat you. Pride? I nod, Patience, Diligence, or Pride? Patience. I see. Yes. Taking a sip, he looks at me, You havent been declared Champion candidate yet, right? Nope, but I might try to have someone declare me an Absolute candidate. He swirls the tea inside of his glass and nods, I see. So, is that the damaged Sword of Aeons? I ask, gesturing at the broken sword on his hip. Yes. The best mana battery of Eladore? Yes, though I think its weaker than it should be. The system is probably limiting items and the like to arcane at maximum within the tutorial. Thats unfortunate. Still, I will buy it from you. 100 thousand shards. No. You could bet it. Ill throw in my ax and shards and you bet your broken, and certainly useless-to-you, sword, winner takes all. No. I find myself unable to teleport within Savants domain. Somehow, sneakily, he cut off my connection to my anchor right when I was about to disappear. ( ? ` ) Well, there goes my cool exit. Savant, to make it worse, doesnt even say anything, sipping on his glass of sugar as he watches me. I sit back down. Do it again, I say as I examine his domain and the way it sneakily blocked my skill. Right away, I activate my Mana Wavelength Iris and try to examine it deeper. While Savant starts saying something, I create an extremely small anchor near one of the legs of his chair and start sending vibrating mana through it, stealthily weakening the leg. After some time, I leave, Savant unwilling to show me how he cut off my access to my anchor. It''s not surprising, but hes still an asshole. At least he didn''t notice the damage I did to the leg of his precious chair. Unfortunately, it didn''t break while I was watching, but it will probably happen sometime soon in the future. That''s what he gets. With people from Group 4 nearby, a notification finally pops up. Congratulations, you have placed 1st in the 3rd event - Avatar Confrontation. You may choose one of the three rewards if you decide to accept. I want to use them to enhance my final reward, I say right away and the screen disappears. At the same time, the four giant screens disappear as well. As expected, Savant, Tacita, and Lily were not defeated. Sophie survived too, and from one point of view, I think people are scared of her more than anyone else. I can see it in the way they look at her and the way they avoid her. Even some members of Hell difficulty seem to share in the sentiment. Mind manipulation seems to be just that despised, even among people who have very little experience with it. Izzy and Maya both lost. Izzy was defeated by the strategy they tried to use for me and Maya lost when they tired her out. It could be different if they chose no restriction, and the challengers seem to realize that even as they defeated the Avatars. But overall the mood seems good in lower difficulties, the event was fun for them even though they didnt get the most juicy additional rewards. Honestly, it''s surprising considering that most of them died multiple times in the process. The reason might be the difference between how death feels during the event and in the common area. Having some experience with that, I would say that death in the common area feels much, much worse, and certainly feels more real. It''s possible that thats the system at work. The 4th event, Duels, will start in 24 hours. The 5th day of the tournament affords the opportunity to take a break and get to know your fellow tutorial attendees. You will receive more information as the duels approach closer. Well, it''s time. Use minio... disciple summon, I call. The invitation was sent to your disciple. If accepted, your disciple will join your side for the following 24 hours! Where is she? Tess asks curiously. She needs to accept the invitation. That makes sense. I nod and then we wait. We''re soon joined by Lily, Maya, and the rest of group 4 now that I think about it. It''s kind of weird, to be honest, and I hope they dont spook my disciple. At least were off to the side of the common area, far from the noise of others. Your disciple has accepted your invitation. Creating an entrance! A few seconds later, Vega steps out of a door we can''t see. Seeing her face carefully looking around and blossoming into a big smile as she spots me, hits surprisingly hard. The end of the 5th floor was just a short time ago, so why? I bet its because she is a kid. I can''t bring myself to be mean to kids. Probably a result of my past. Well, I don''t think thats a bad thing, so I won''t try to change it. But damn, Nathaniel Gwyn, you are getting soft with some people. I need to beat up BenDover to feel manly again. That reminds me that I once again forgot about him. I wonder if he is sitting somewhere, scared, expecting me to come for him. Master! Vega shouts and comes running on her short legs. I notice she glances at group 4, but once she sees me acting normal, she decides to ignore them as she comes to a stop in front of me. She lifts her arms so I can pick her up. Then she nestles her ear against my chest where my heart is. Minion, I say seriously. Its Vega, master! Why do you feel stronger? You left close to level 40, so why are you 50-60? Kaboom! Dont kaboom me! At that moment, I hear shouts and screams nearby and sense a powerful presence appear in my domain. When I turn around, I find a giant wolf. The wolf is pitch black and taller than the tips of the trees nearby. The golden eyes shine with surprising intelligence, and he is looking in a single direction. At Biscuit, who is in Isabellas arms. (Human...no, Asshole! Let go of my master right away!) the powerful, and young voice shouts in our heads and probably those of everyone nearby. Even though people around are panicking and preparing to fight, Biscuit doesnt seem bothered in the least. He simply allows himself to be held by Isabella. As he does, with his legs hanging down and his tongue lolling, he almost looks as if hes smiling with a cheeky look in his eyes. Chapter 364: A demon and a wolf Chapter 364: A demon and a wolf The panic erupting around us is glorious. Hundreds of people from the lower difficulties turn in flight as they spot the black wolf from a distance. I admit that I might have underestimated their survival instinct. I halfway expected them to stand around taking photos of the giant wolf snarling at Isabella and calling her an asshole. But well, some of them faint just from the pressure of the wolf''s telepathic messages, so maybe I shouldnt get my hopes up for their abilities. (Let go of my master! How dare you, human! Master, this is such a disgrace! Please, I beg of you, let me avenge you!) he shouts telepathically. Yet the wolf still doesnt attack. Knowing where to look, I can sense his telepathic connection to Biscuit as they communicate. Unsure what to do with the unmoving potty-mouthed wolf, we opt to stand there and wait it out. One thing is for sure: if he so much as moves in an aggressive manner, hell have a few dozen members of Hell difficulty piling up on him in moments. Like Vega, he doesnt have any text floating over his head. Vega used to have the title of [Disciple] over hers on the 5th Floor, but it was gone when she returned after her week off. It hasnt returned either. Does that mean we wont have access to this information after we leave the tutorial? Is this a tutorial thing only? Master, I want to pet him! Can you hold him down like you did with that Ashenwolf? I ignore my disciple and keep my eyes on the giant creature. This situation, especially the reactions of the people around me, has become highly entertaining. Once again, something new has been thrown our way, an unexpected situation caused by a single blimp-like doggo. This burrito-shaped corgi is always doing stuff like this. Damn, I love that silly little animal. Biscuit, is this your disciple? I ask, its the only sensible thing I could think to ask. There is no way... Maya tries to say. (Friend!) Biscuit interrupts her, speaking into our minds. Oh boy. Sophie, please tell the others from Hell to calm down. Group 4 will take care of Wolfy, I tell her. Sophie acts immediately, without asking questions, and relays the message. With Vega in my arms, I use kinetic energy to push myself through the air and land in front of the black wolf. The creature is massive. About the size of a building. His mere presence feels overwhelming, not to mention the sheer weight of him as he shifts his body. His golden eyes shine dangerously as he bears his teeth, each one longer than I''m tall, and he lowers his head. (Asshole, I have not attacked because my master doesnt wish for me to do so, but I refuse to watch the disgrace he is being subjected to. Tell that young female to let him go! Right away!) His voice sounds like that of a young boy, and the thought that he might be little more than a pup comes to mind. Just how big must his parents be? How powerful is the wolf? He doesnt feel as strong as Gaiathra nor as strong as Veil Weaver. Maybe hes around the level of a Veil Guardian? I want to fight him and test him out. He is the first monster Ive met with human intelligence and capable of speech. Actually, is he considered a monster or an animal? (Friend,) Biscuit says, relaying the message through the common area. It feels like the declaration was mostly meant for me, almost as if the corgi knows whats going through my head. Damn it, okay. I wont bully the wolfy. Biscuit floats from Isabellas hands and slowly flies over to me. Then he looks at the wolf who lowers his head in response, like a child expecting a spanking from his father. (Friend!) Biscuit tells the wolf and floats over to Vega who I hold in my arms and sniffs at her curiously. Master, are these people and creatures your minions? Vega asks, her eyes ticking between Biscuit, the wolf, and the others. You could say that, I reply. Were they your minions even before I became your disciple? You are my first minion, I respond, knowing what she wants to hear, much to the happiness of the red eyed half demon. She shifts in my arms, clearly satisfied, her tiny horns poking the bottom of my chin. Then as First minion and First disciple, I outrank them and they have to show me respect! Through our link, Dennis can feel my emotions and I can feel his, and we are of one mind when it comes to the little girl. (Shes a demon,) Dennis says. Tiny pointy horns, deep red eyes. She looks like she is ready to start a fight at any moment and will try to bite out your neck if she has to. (Izzy, what do you think of her?) I ask, adding her to the conversation. At the same time, Aaron adds Sophie. (She is scary!) Isabella shouts the moment she connects to the web. (She is just a girl, shes probably been through a lot,) Sophie tries. (Is there a chance its that? Nat said his disciple had a harsh life.) (It could be...) Isabella hesitates. (But she is scary! Even the pretty wolf feels less dangerous!) (Well, fuck,) Dennis sighs. (Dont curse in front of Isabella!) Sophie warns. (What emotions do you feel from her?) Isabella is silent for a while and then says, (She is very happy and really likes Nat! But she doesnt like us.) (Maybe shes jealous, maybe she thinks were going to take Nat from her,) I offer as we observe the little girl. I found a nest of gray lizards, a LOT of them. The gray lizards I told you about, and they really were tasty and their limbs really do grow back. Maybe I can get you one sometime so that you can learn to regrow your limbs faster! Nathaniel ?s disciple looks at him and studies him seriously, How is Bambis curse? Did it get better? What are they even talking about? (She is not worried about us taking him,) Isabella disagrees. (At least not much! She just doesnt care about us. She got very scared when she appeared here and saw us all, but the moment she noticed Nathaniel she calmed down.) That is surprising. Other than the few glances Dennis and Ive caught she seems normal. Even now she is smiling happily while talking to him and when Nat introduces people to her she greets them. She seems friendly, almost like shes just a kid, scared of meeting a lot of new people out of nowhere. But I just cant help but feel nervous when her eyes change just a tiny bit every time she looks at anyone other than her master. (She is really good at detecting mana too,) Sophie mentions. (Shes had her mana senses up the entire time, constantly checking for danger.) I didnt notice anything. (The hell, really? I cant sense anything either!) even Dennis seems to be as shocked as me. (Try to focus on it a bit more, like this,) Sophie implores as she shares her method for detecting the interference and I feel it too. Only then do we notice. The faintest touch of her mana senses. (Oh and by the way, what shes doing feels extremely similar to what Nats been doing. Its just that I cant even sense Nat doing it most of the time. But Im sure hes expanding his senses around himself even now.) (Hes happy,) Isabella says out of nowhere and with Sophies help she shares what tiny bits of feelings she can detect through Nathaniels defenses. Its so weird. Even though his face stays nearly the same as always, he seems more lively, even his movements are quicker, as if his whole being has been affected. He doesnt even seem to mind as she snuggles up to him, her head pressing into his chest. As if it were routine. But then Nathaniel seems to notice something and mid sentence, his eyes light up with a golden circle around his pupils. He turns to us and I feel him take over a section of the web as if it were nothing. No matter how many countermeasures weve placed to limit this kind of influence. (Izzy, I told you to stop doing that,) his voice admonishes through the link. (But anyway, my minion sensed you guys probing so at least come and greet her. Youre acting like a bunch of creepy stalkers.) Then his presence disappears. Looking towards us, one of the red eyes of his disciple changes too, the faintest hint of a golden circle appearing around the pupil. The girl younger than Isabella smiles at us, but I still feel like a bug in her eyes. Chapter 365: Sold for Jerky Chapter 365: Sold for Jerky It doesnt seem like my minion cares much for the people Im introducing her to. I can feel the tension in her posture and I see it in the way shes constantly monitoring them. Well, itll be fine. Shes just shy around new people. She even gave Nevan a chance and she liked Duplicaniel because he looked like me. Vegas a good girl! They will not become friends in the 24 hours we have, but she will bear with it for my sake. But damn, as I listen to her telling me how she found a lair of gray lizards and spent a day collecting kinetic energy to collapse the roof on top of them, I cant help but be moved. She is indeed a good disciple. So where are you currently in your world? I ask her. I left the village after beating the snot out of a few people! I know master told me to lay low, but I couldnt help it. Plus, I didnt even tear their limbs off, and their broken bones will heal soon enough, she declares somewhat satisfied. You said you would do much worse, but I held back! I wish Sophie and Maya wouldnt look at me like that. It was also really easy to steal from them. The locks were easy to break and no one used any mana-based defenses! After an hour, I left half of the things I stole behind because they were too heavy to carry with me. Just how much did she take? Minion continues, I tried to steal as much as I could, just like you showed me in that bunker! You know, take and sell anything thats not glued to the floor! Nodding at her statement, I look away from the rest of Group 4. I dont think I deserve the looks theyre sending my way. Vegas eyes shine as she happily describes how weak-hearted most of the people from the village were and how easy it was to deal with the monsters and animals further from the village. It looks like shes been having fun even though she is on her own now. Well, its only been a few days, so she might get bored after a while. But so far this minion of mine is happier than she ever was in the village. Its certainly not something she would have been able to achieve without getting stronger. Wanna check on the wolf? I ask when she finishes her story. Yes! With her answer, I stand, and Sophie, Maya, the twins, Izzy and Lily follow us to the rest of Group 4 with Biscuit and the black wolf. So your name is Vega? Lily asks with a soft voice and gentle smile, in a clear attempt to be friendly. The other members of Group 4 seem to be curious though they view her with a sense of caution. That tracks given that I havent really told them much regarding Vega. My minion glances at me then our black haired healer and nods while answering Lilys question, Yes. Vega is the name master gave me! He said Im the brightest star of his tutorial. That in the darkness of the tutorial, he found... I quickly cover her mouth with my hand, but the expression she makes tells me that she knows very well what she is doing. Little devil. As a punishment, I flick her nose. Tess, seeing us coming, leaves Gareth with the others whove gathered around the wolf, to meet us. She surrounds us with a barrier to keep anyone from listening in, and Sophie supplements her efforts by jamming any foreign mana with the aid of her web. Are you going to introduce us? she inquires. Sure. Vega, this is Tess. Tess, this is my disciple Vega. Hello! Vega says simply, and Tess smiles at her understandingly. Probably by intention, she doesnt pressure my minion, knowing the little half demon will be happier that way, and turns to me instead. Did you know about this? she asks, gesturing behind her at the giant black wolf. All I knew was that Biscuit liked his disciple, I say watching as Biscuit floats out of our house. In one of his tentacles, he holds a piece of deer jerky he clearly stole from the sealed cupboard I was hiding it in. He sets the small piece of jerky in front of his disciple. The giant wolf looks at the ground where the small piece of deer jerky is and then at Biscuit, who floats proudly. Anyway, he seems surprisingly reasonable. And not just because of Biscuit, he just seems to be like that, Tess continues. He knows about the tutorial and tournament, but some kind of custom or rule seems to be preventing him from acting in aggression while hes here. Though I suppose it could just be an aspect of his personality. He is surprisingly naive. The black wolf lowers his maw and sticks out the slightest hint of his tongue to lap up the jerky along with a few stones and some dirt. Yet he doesnt seem to complain and eats it all while thanking his master. Im lost here, Tess sighs. All of our disciples were so much weaker than us. The others seem to be the same, and yet Biscuits is so strong. I bet he could take out most anyone from Hell difficulty with ease. We are trying to get information out of him, but he refuses to share anything of use, and he doesnt want to tell us his name. He just says that there are some things he doesnt want to say and that the system will censor the others. I wont hurt him, dont worry. He is your disciple after all. (Food!) Okay, deal. The black wolf seems to be shocked. (M-master, did you just sell me out for a measly...) I ignore the wolfy and turn to Tess, Can you take care of Vega for a bit? I will go to Miwa to get the stuff. I wanna meet minion Miwa too! Vega in my arms says. Its a surprise for you. And you should get to know the others at least a bit. Ill be back soon enough. Its not a problem. Ill keep her safe, and well send you a message if anything happens, Tess smiles at Vega. You can call me Sset in front of the others. She says gesturing at Gareth. The definitely-secretly-evil man looks at Vega with a weird expression, especially at her red eyes and horns. I wonder whats going through his head as I remember everything Brainiac told us about Gareth during the Avatar challenge. That also makes me wonder about Gareths disciple and how Gareth sees him. Damn, I love this place. So many interesting things to see and think about. Anyway, Minion, if anyone attacks you, fight back. Use the kick or kaboom. Otherwise, you can trust Sset and the others, and I will leave an anchor on you. Then I turn to Biscuits minion, See you soon, wolfy. We will fight before you leave. The giant monster just snorts, putting its massive head on the ground, and looks around while communicating with Biscuit. I create an anchor and then fly for a short moment, stopping in front of Miwas workshop. As one might expect, heat pours from within alongside the ringing of iron. I have to wait ten minutes before the second ranked craftsman calls for me, Just come inside and dont touch anything. Then the clanging continues. Already preparing the pizza? I ask, trying to lighten the mood as I enter the smithy. The place isnt that big, but there is a massive anvil in the center, and just a step away from it are a few tables bearing inscriptions, a wall covered in tools, and a floating stone that radiates a lot of heat, while being powered by Miwas mana. Miwa doesnt seem to be amused. I picked out the items you offered. I want that small dagger made of voidsteel and a mid-sized piece of broken voidsteel blade. For that, I will make the pizza you want and add in some extra ingredients. Deal. Miwa, holding a silver hammer in her hand, smashes it into a piece of mystery alloy a few times, working it on the anvil while feeding more mana to the floating stone. The heat spikes, and she redirects it towards the anvil which absorbs it and then emits into the metal being worked. While it is heating up, she turns to me, Ill also show you this arm. She lifts her right arm made of a silvery metal with a slight pink luster. Even with all the heat in here, it doesnt seem to have absorbed any. Its just as cold as it would be outside. And that just seems to be a property of the metal, not the inscriptions within the arm. So what do you want? I ask. Tess is really good at dealing with people. I could get used to such surprises. Sset told me you know somebody I want to meet. Huh, I dont know all that many people. Tess could probably do the same, so why bother me? Miwa continues before I say anything, Ive been wanting to meet that person ever since I bought one of their items. She gestures at one of the darker corners of the room. As I look I notice a number of items laying on the table. Items I immediately recognize. None of them are pretty but they apparently perform fairly well. And Miwa has more than half a dozen of them. I want to meet Tent C... Fuc... the person whos taken first in the crafter rankings. Sset said you could connect me with them. Miwa seems to be ashamed to say those words, but her expression changes for the first time. She ignores the metal on the anvil as it starts to melt, and a deep look of interest takes root in her eyes. Nearly a creepy amount of interest. Is it how she saw me looking at her arm? But now I also know why Tess seemed to be having so much fun. Damn it. Chapter 366: A bit weird Chapter 366: A bit weird If I tell her its me, will Miwa expose my identity as Tent... the top-ranked craftsman? She wouldnt, right? But damn, she looks creepy. It''s almost like shes about to start drooling at the thought of meeting the 1st ranked craftsman in the tournament. Is she a stalker? Is that why she bought so many of my items? Was she driving the prices up? Miwa, noticing my gaze fixed on the ugly items, smiles, her face taking on a manic cast. She takes a step closer to them, I bought as many as I could! I even got a few of the members of my group to chip in. I owe them, but it was worth it! Miwa takes two items: one is a dagger I made, and the other was made by someone else, likely Miwa herself. She confirms it soon, I made this dagger. The system rates it at mid-rare. The dagger she is showing me is beautiful, and even though it''s pretty, it doesn''t feel weak. The inscriptions are a bit clumsy, but she did a good job shaping the metal, compressing it, and making the result pleasant to look at without sacrificing the performance. Next to her dagger is one of mine, and as they both lay there, the difference is stark. My dagger is much rougher, a mere chunk of dagger shaped metal. There are imperfections; it''s ugly, and even my inscriptions feel less delicate. Miwa picks up both of them and sends her mana through the blades. Then she swings them against each other. With a clang, her blade is sundered, and my dagger comes away whole, despite suffering a tiny chink in the blade. This dagger, she lifts up the surviving one with a smile, is barely rated mid-rare, bordering on low-rare. Her voice has more emotion in it, and she talks quickly. Like someone finally receiving permission to talk about their hobbies and obsessions. So I want to meet him or her. I will let you examine the arm if you promise not to damage it. Sset said you bought items from them and can contact them. She takes another step closer to me, and I hold out my arm to keep her at bay. Okay, okay, lets calm down. Finally coming back to herself, Miwa blushes and quickly takes a step back with an apologetic smile on her face. She bows quickly, I apologize for my behavior! Its fine, just let me think about it, ok? And give me some space. I quickly teleport to an anchor I left in my room and take the dagger she wants and a good chunk of voidsteel. Then, I return to the anchor I left behind. For now, take this for your help with the pizza. Ill talk to Fuc... to that person, and get back to you soon. Please do so and thank you! Miwa takes the epic dagger and the metal and carefully puts them away. Should I start preparing it? Maybe in an hour or two? Then I get an idea, Actually, I will come to you in about a day, and we can make it together. Would that be fine? I dont mind, but I cant guarantee the result if anyone else is involved. I wave my hand, That is fine. So tomorrow around this time? After she nods, I quickly teleport away. Dealing with the drooling fanboys is a problem for future me to deal with. Screw that weirdo. Appearing on the roof of our house, I scan the area. As expected, there are hundreds of presences gathered around our lodgings. Its no surprise people from other difficulties are intrigued, and the giant black wolf can be seen even from afar. Focusing on one presence in particular, I place a couple of anchors and find Channeler at its source. Hey. He stumbles back, almost collapsing in shock. I forgot some people arent that good at detection or surprises. You cant keep doing that to me, he complains as I help him back to his feet. So how is it for you, Noname? Are you the same? Maybe. What else does your psychologist friend think of me? He thinks you might have had a messed-up childhood, probably something to do with your parents. That seems to be the most common issue. He sees something that suggests deep emotional scars. Interesting. He seems to know a lot. Yeah, hes a bit weird. Hes got an eidetic memory and a habit of watching people. Channeler says nodding. Anyway, it''s not something I want to talk about. Can you get me a few people who are willing to fight? Easy, Normal difficulty, and maybe one or two from Hard. I ask, changing the subject. I could try. What do you want them to do? Just a bit of light sparring. No worries, their opponent wont be from Hell difficulty. Shouldnt be a problem. You wont need to offer any rewards. There are plenty of people who just want to get close to you guys, so I can use that, so long as we remember that person in the future. Damn, is this what a high-level extrovert is capable of? It seems so easy when he says it. Then I remember something and pull a small mana stone from my pocket, I prepared this for you. It should help you practice moving your mana. I modified it so it should be perfect for you. Channeler takes the stone, and as expected, he ignores me for a moment, examining his new toy. I dont even mind; its nice to see someone with similar interests to mine. Dont ask, I warn him, try to examine it on your own and come to your own conclusions. It will help you more if you do. Ill give you some more before the end of the tournament, at least if you do a good job with this one. In that case, Ill just accept the gift. No problem. Ill see you later. After I teleport, I think for a moment. Should I wait for a response? Are there any customs or rules regarding etiquette when it comes to teleportation, are there places and situations where it might be considered rude to do so? Lately, Ive been getting used to my instantaneous mode of transport, but I should probably ask Min-Jae to let me train under his increased gravity field so I dont get too lazy. Its been a long time since I pushed my body with proper exercise. As I arrive I find myself welcomed with an unusual sight. Tacita standing across from my disciple and staring at her. Tess and Lily are standing nearby, and I can almost feel their skills on a short trigger and mana hum under their skin. The girls are about as far away from Vega as Tacita, though they certainly realize how terrifyingly fast the girl with messy brown hair can be. Tacita must have appeared there out of nowhere, surprising them and cornering Vega. (Its fine,) I say sending a message to Tess through Sophies web. If they do something stupid it might trigger Tacita. She is my disciple, I tell Tacita, as she looks from me to Vega. Even as quirky as she is, she can be startlingly intelligent at times, that sentence alone will surely tell her a lot - the meaning of Vega to me and what will happen if Tacita tries to hurt her. Yet, at the same time that sentence, it feels empty. Tacita is faster than me, and she is closer. If she decided to do anything, I probably wouldnt be able to stop her in time. And the same as me, Tacita realizes that Vega might not be included in the cant die during the tournament part of the message. Something I failed to think of in my stupidity. I act as calmly as I can and take a few steps closer, as I feel my heart pounding in my chest. A few more steps, and Im almost within reach. A black mana orb forms deep inside my body, ready for absorption, to strengthen my body to the fullest. The anchor I left on Vega is ready to be activated at any moment. Then Tacita moves her hand, and I almost attack her. But her movement is restrained, and I hold myself back through clenched teeth. She looks her over without malice, and slowly, gently, she reaches a hand out towards Vega. She looks at me, her hand stopping mid-air, and when I don''t react, she continues and gently touches Vegas pointy horn with the tip of her finger. Tacita then smiles brightly, her eyes devoid of ill will, and I feel myself calm down. Then my minion kicks her in the shin. Chapter 367: Horns Chapter 367: Horns As the kick lands, Tacita turns away from me to look at Vega, a look of sheer surprise on her face. And Vega kicks her again. The second kick lands as well, which Tacita surely allowed again. (Dont) I warn as Tess and Lily move to intervene through Sophies link. Yet I still take a few steps closer, ready for anything. Displaying an unusual degree of care, Tacita puts her finger on Vegas forehead and pushes her away, causing the young half demon to stumble. As I catch Vegas gaze, I cant help but think Oh no. Its like Vega is confirming Im nearby to help, as she forms a dagger in her hand to stab Tacita with, as she taunts Vega by standing too close. Dont ever touch my horns! my minion shouts, her voice trembling with anger. The silent assassin dodges swing after swing with ease, her expression overcome with mischief. Her hand darts out in a blur, knocking the pale blue mana dagger from Vegas hand. Before my minion can continue, Tacita gestures for her to stop. She takes a step closer and presses her own dagger into Vegas hand, closing her fingers around it. Then, unsatisfied, she pries the minions hand open, shifting her hold on the dagger, until it settles into a more natural state. Tacita then gestures for my minion to attack again. For the following few minutes, my minion tries to stab her as Tacita avoids Vegas attacks and corrects her form. A poorly positioned blade here, a wrong step there, an overzealous swing. Tacita somewhat impatiently corrects it all, with a slightly annoyed expression, as if not understanding why the minion is that bad at trying to kill her. When Vega does anything too bad, Tacita flicks her tiny horns. (She appeared here out of nowhere, right in front of Vega. Not even Sophies web detected her. Sophie couldnt even feel Tacitas mind.) Tess says carefully, speaking directly into my mind. (And then she touched Vegas horns?) I ask. (Yes), Tess nods. (Vega didnt seem to like that very much and shouted at her just a moment before you showed up. They seem to be sensitive and when you showed up Tacita touched them again.) As we talk, I watch as Vega opens her mouth launching a thin, needle-like projectile of mana at Tacitas face. Even then, her attack is easily dodged, though it still makes Tacita smile brightly. As is the proper reaction to having someone try to kill you. Over and over again, Tacita corrects my minion, who just refuses to give up. Watching it all go down, I find myself counting the ways my minion has improved while leveling her skills. Vega always did prefer fighting at close-range, her style aggressive, not unlike Tacitas, honestly I cant bring myself to think of the experience as anything but helpful, so I let it happen. Still, I dont forget to make my presence known, as a reminder to Tacita to step lightly. Either because of my warning or, more likely because shes taken a liking to Vega''s personality, Tacita makes sure not to push her too far. Though shes fully capable of doing so. And thats just knowing how many times shes killed Samuel alone. But damn, swindling a free lesson out of one of the most powerful people in Hell difficulty. My Minion is truly a cunning little creature. As I watch, I check my own notifications. Ive managed to level a few of my skills thanks to all my training in the common area, especially my [Perception] thanks to the staring contest I had with Tacita. [Perception - lvl 43 > Perception - lvl 44] [Perception - lvl 44 > Perception - lvl 45] [Mana Manipulation - lvl 42 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 43] [Mana Manipulation - lvl 43 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 44] [Tether - lvl 35 > Tether - lvl 36] [Infusion - lvl 28 > Infusion - lvl 29] [Mana Crown - lvl 20 > Mana Crown - lvl 21] Not bad at all for a few days. Especially given that my higher level skills have been getting harder and harder to level. I could probably get more out of skills with lower levels, but I would be stupid not to seize this opportunity. I already lost count of all the times the systems decided I was dead, each time Ive made huge improvements when it comes to handling black mana and the higher frequencies of kinetic energy. And yet it still feels a bit off. Sure, I can push myself further and learn more, but theres still something missing. That feeling of danger and death if I slip up is gone. And with it, at least subconsciously, Ive lost my drive to give my all. My mind has dulled, and I find myself failing to push my limits. Actually, its hard to describe it properly, and despite my efforts to fix it, I find myself at a loss. Its not like its ruining my plans, but its still something I need to consider. This is what I expect of my minions, I tell Maya, whos been watching from the sidelines. She did say she wanted to become my minion to get free items, didnt she? I cant help but enjoy watching her expression as she witnesses Vegas assault on Tacita. Sure. It is! You took sweets from Tess, Lily, and Maya. You even let them pinch your cheeks and hug you. Master always said to get as much as possible from dumb people! I gained amazing items in exchange for that short hug. I scammed them! Thats true, minion, but did you even think to ask for more? More? She asks, tilting her head. Yes, more. You accepted the first offer they gave you, but you should always ask for more, go back and forth, and meet somewhere in the middle. Watch. I say turning to Lily. You gave Vega one candy for a ten-second hug. Wouldnt you pay three times that for the same hug? Yes! Lily answers happily. Minion seems to be shocked, N-no way. Its you who got scammed, minion. You might be cunning, but my group is full of weirdos, so you cant let your guard down. What should I do now, master? Well, if someone scams you with the intention to hurt you, you can hurt them back; that much is obvious. If you were stronger, I would tell you to beat Lily and others, but as you are now, you would lose. I could stab them when they arent looking or prepare an exploding orb for them! That would be going too far. I know you dont care about them, but theyre members of my group. Nat, your disciple is a bit extreme. Im not sure if I can get you to accept me as your minion like this, Maya sighs from the couch, nomming on our snacks as always. Thats the problem with you. Why would I accept you as a minion with such poor resolve, right, Vega? Yes! Her heart is also weak! Little demon, why are you so obsessed with hearts? Maya asks, why do demons like them so much? I catch a glimpse of the annoyance on Vegas face before she puts on the fake smile again, Im half demon and half human. And a stronger heart means a stronger demon, she says as if that should explain everything. Demons are usually born with a 4th trait, most of the time it is some sort of modification to their heart. The stronger the heart, the stronger the demon and they seem to prefer being around strong people, I say, explaining to Maya and the others listening in. What if there is someone powerful without a strong heart? Maya asks, teasing my minion. But Vega doesnt hesitate, stating that You cant become truly powerful without having a strong heart. as if it were a fact. I leave them to their fight walking into the kitchen with Sophie, Izzy, and the twins. Izzy tried to make friends with my minion, but after no end of trying, she left, tired. So what was the problem, Izzy? You can be honest with me. I ask, stopping next to her. The 11-year-old empath sighs before responding, I had to stop using my skill around her. She is constantly ready for an attack, and I keep feeling spikes of anger from her. Shes probably imagining methods for attacking us. Isnt that normal? I used to do that all the time. Yes, Izzy agrees. But it was much harder to detect from you! Im at a higher level than her, so I can feel a lot even without trying. I need to level up my skill and improve my control. Sophie puts her hand on her sisters shoulder and continues in her place, Vega doesnt trust us at all. Whenever youre not in the room, she puts on that fake smile. And its almost creepy how nice she is when you are there, then she borders on clingy. Well, its not like I can refute that. She might be even more picky with people than I am. Shes reluctant to trust anyone other than me, and she only seems to respect people on the stronger end of the spectrum. Plus, Vega isnt human, so can we even judge her with our normal human thinking? I wave a quick goodbye and head back to my minion, whos sitting in my armchair and poking at the armrest. Minion, lets check on wolfy. Immediately her uninterested expression changes, a smile blooming across her face. Dealing with other people is so much work. The trouble Im having with Tess. Lily and her insecurities. Min-Jae and his delinquent phase. My minion, clinging to me, even as she sees the others as bugs. And right when I thought that most of my troubles were over, new ones popped up almost immediately. Walking outside, I absent-mindedly reach down, ruffle Vegas hair, and prod her tiny, prickly horns. Vega smiles at me, and I cant help but think about how different her response is. Not that long ago, she was willing to stab Tacita just for touching them. Chapter 368: Looking for a fight Chapter 368: Looking for a fight To break the silence, I ask, Have you been leveling your [Concentration], what about your [Mana Manipulation], and [Kinetic Barrier]? Yes! All of them! [Mana Manipulation] the most. I practice every day with the mana stones you gave me. Hardworking as always, minion. I need to get stronger. Vega nods seriously. As we approach the forest, I notice a bunch of kids nearby, standing behind a fence and staring at the giant black wolf. They do seem to be scared though their curiosity has clearly won out. Most of them hail from Easy difficulty. They appear to have been accompanied by a few adults, who honestly don''t seem much better. Even from this distance, I hear one of the kids shout towards the wolf, Nya nya nya! Oliver, I told you to stop saying that! The man, probably the boy''s father, shouts before slapping the back of his head. You got it wrong, Oliver! You should only be adding it to the end of the sentence because... the second boy doesn''t finish because the man slaps the back of his head as well. We dont hear much more as their conversation fades from the range of our hearing. I turn to Vega, Minion, have you given any consideration to saying nya at the end of your sentences? Long ago, it was some... I wont do it! I see. Humanity is doomed. Lynthari and human 0, half demons 1. So how are things going? I ask as we approach Tess and Gareth, who are still conversing with the black wolf, patiently sitting nearby with Biscuit on his head. Hes been surprisingly nice, Gareth says. Weve gotten a few tiny bits of information, Tess adds. Anything fun? I ask. We were right, there are 14 Rulers. One for each Radiance and Blight. Each one is usually much more powerful than a given Absolute, and most of them used to be Absolutes. The number seems to have been limited by the system itself, and there cant be more than one for each Radiance or Blight. We expected that much, didnt we? Yes, but its nice to have it confirmed. What is fun is that in some very rare cases, a powerful Absolute can potentially defeat and even kill a Ruler and take his place. Sometimes the title of a Ruler is hereditary, an Absolute can receive the rulers powers via a ceremony. In some cases you need to kill them or have a better handle on your Radiance or Blight, it differs from Ruler to Ruler. Thats kind of unexpected but not that surprising if you think about it, I say. Yes, it also seems like being called Absolute isnt just for the sake of it, and some Absolutes are much more powerful than others. We tried to get more, but the system censored a lot. Floors, Rulers, Absolutes, information on future tournaments, the System, Pairing, factors outside the scope of the tutorial. (Its still too early for you, human. Just trust in the system, and gradually everything will be revealed.) The black wolf snorts, his breath bending the grass in its path like a strong wind. I dont want to, I tell him. (It matters not what you want or do not want, human.) Well, if this young wolf isnt just as cheeky as his master. Still, I have to wonder why someone as high-leveled as the wolf needed a master. Him becoming a disciple can mean only one thing: he was about to die. Like every other disciple, he was saved from death by being sent to the tutorial, at which point he became a disciple, after being picked by the system due to their similarity to a participant. So how did you become Biscuits disciple? It''s simpler to just ask than stress over it. (Master possesses the same primordial energy I do, and even though master isnt as high-leveled yet, his mastery over it is much greater than mine.) Biscuit, you cool little thing. Sensing my pride, he lets out a gentle woof from atop his disciples head. What kind of energy is it? What do you think? I ask, leaning back to watch as she pets him. Its weird, master. I know he is smarter and stronger than me, but I dont feel like I need to worry about him hurting me. And its not just because I have you here with me. As she speaks, she stops petting Biscuit, until he chuffs at her, leading her to quickly continue. In response I ask, the black wolf, Did you Hear that? Why cant you be more like your master? The black wolf decides to keep his dignity and stays quiet. Maybe you would master your primordial energy as well as Biscuit if you behaved like him. I tease. Silence. I bet that ancient predecessor of yours wasnt so uptight like you. He probably... (Human.) He interrupts me finally, (If you are looking for a fight, lets fight.) As he growls, I feel its deep rumble in my bones and the ground beneath me. It reverberates in my chest as we square off. Lets do it. We face off against each other, having moved to the edge of the common area, relocating to a big clearing surrounded by trees on three sides. Far enough away to avoid causing any damage to the common area at large, not to mention the houses, and camps there. I think. Details... who needs to care about such little things. I just know Im excited. This tournament is fun and all, but at the same time, it feels fake, no real danger has been presented to me. Its almost to the point that I cant wait to return to the floors to experience some real danger, and yet even though this is just as fake, it feels more real. It feels strange to say, but thats the only way I can describe the sensation. Nearby, I see Tess with the rest of group 4 and Vega in between them. Theyve learned from our previous experience and so theyve taken greater precautions, going so far as to set a barrier in advance. Its not like they are close; actually, they are pretty far, but better safe than sorry. The wolf in front of me stretches and shakes, his teeth bared in imitation of a smile. He doesnt say anything, the kind and boyish atmosphere around him is gone. Instead, every one of his movements feels dangerous, like that of a predator, and his golden eyes take on a vicious glow. I can already feel my heart pumping madly, so I better calm down so that I dont hurt him too much. We still dont know if our disciples can die here, and I promised not to hurt him. I know there are even more people than Group 4 watching. Some of them are curious, and others are bored and hoping for an exciting fight. At this point, there is no sense in hiding anything. Of course, I fully intend to hold back, I dont want to hurt him after all, but I dont exactly need to hide my abilities either. The first to attack is the black wolf. One moment he stands there, a towering giant. In the next, his body shrinks to half of his original size. Though its still massive. His maw snaps shut around the space I formerly occupiedwhere I stood and he charges me again, moving so quickly just with the sheer power of his stats. I dodge again, black mana seeping into my body from the orb I created inside, and I match his speed, dodging at first. Both of us poking at each other. He slashes with his paw, a trail of mana left behind. He snaps his maw shut, sending a small shockwave through the air. I shoot a mana projectile at him, and he dodges. He senses a concentrated blast of kinetic energy, dodging it as well. Nimbly moving on his legs, he keeps his golden eyes on me, his speed increasing while his body continues to shrink, and I barely avoid him. Both of us waiting for the other one to use any other skill so the fight starts properly. I see amusement in his eyes as I let [Mana Crown] form over my head so I can flood my body with more black mana from inside. His amusement quickly disappears when armor surrounds my body and becomes denser and bigger, creating a mana mech-like creation. [Redistribution] holds him down for a moment, and the massive arm of my mana mech grabs his now smaller body. There is no childish scream or complaint anymore; instead, he shows me all of his teeth, terrifying fangs showing in their full beauty. Through my Mana Wavelength Iris, I see his mana swirl, and his body starts returning to its original size. But with it, my mana mech grows as well. My crown keeps all the mana Im releasing under my control, as well as thanks to my [Mana Domain] and [Mana Manipulation] helping me control it. The armor surrounding me grows at the same speed the wolf grows, gradually turning into a lighter shade of blue until I use [Redistribution] and [Infusion] to transfer a huge amount of mana to it. The wolf is now the same size he was before and a bit more, and my armor equals his size, dark blue mana surrounding me. Finally, he gets away from my hand and jumps back, the ground exploding under his feet as he lowers his body and then charges at me. From Vortex Core, I take the kinetic energy I was compressing there and use it to help me move the mana armor surrounding me, and we clash against each other. Instead of a clash of wit and attempts to take each other down smartly, it turns into a brawl of two stubborn individuals. Chapter 369: Hide it from others Chapter 369: Hide it from others Moving the huge suit of armor takes time, but it''s fun, and I had already decided that I would need to practice against an opponent like this. The ones I wouldnt be able to damage with ranged attacks and would need to engage at close quarters. The wolf bites into my side, and my arms move, grabbing him around his neck. But theres another factor at play. Theres some kind of weird field around his body that disrupts and absorbs mana anywhere it comes into contact with him. It isnt quick nor is it all that strong; rather, its effects manifest as a gradual and unstoppable pull. It continues even as I tighten my hold on my mana by expanding my domain and adding my crown to the mix. Just like that, it eats my mana. Not unlike Savants penchant for absorbing attacks to store for later use, but the wolf seems to be... eating and transforming it? Its not even like what Noodles been doing and I cant really grasp the difference. My leg moves, and I slam my knee into his head before letting go, causing the giant beast to stumble back and shake his head. I follow through immediately, closing the distance while keeping an eye on my mana reserves. Once again, the wolf fails to dodge and lets me slam into him, his teeth burying into the mana of my mech and tearing out chunks that I have to reform at an exorbitant mana cost. As a reward, I punch him in the head, getting a growl from him before punching him again. He jumps back, mana surrounding his body, preparing to activate some kind of skill. As he does, I turn and tear a few trees from the ground complete with roots, and throw them at the wolf. Each one hits, dirt pouring from the roots. Boosting my armor with what remains in my Vortex Core, I charge him again, each step shaking the earth. Again, he waits for me, but this time, before we clash, his head and mouth become much bigger. A shadowy aura of eerie mana engulfs him, and his expression grows darker. Like a horror existing only to consume everything. The giant maw is about to snap around the entirety of my armor in a single bite when I let go of it, ejecting myself from the wolf while taking as much mana and kinetic energy as possible with me. Reduced to my original size, I crash into the ground and watch as that giant maw gulps down what remains of my armor and the black wolf returns to normal. Almost normal anyway, hes still enveloped in that same eerie mana. A deep growl reverberates through the clearing, almost like a laugh, as the black wolf licks his chops. His eyes narrowed in a cruel expression, full of ill intentions as he takes a step towards me. I float into the air to meet him, my body rising to the height of his head. His maw is open, fangs bared, body lowered into a predatorial crouch, and he keeps his steps soft as if he were stalking unsuspecting prey. The golden eyes are squinted into a dangerous expression. For a moment, we face each other down, and then with a deep growl, he bites at me. Black mana seeps into my body, much more intensely than before, and the crown over my head shines brighter. I use [Redistribution], and the black wolf halts his movement, maw open ready to strike, yet the giant body fails to move. I convert more of my mana into its black variant, making use of [Focus], [Mana Manipulation], and [Redistribution], powering the skill holding the black wolf. There was a time, not so long ago, that the amount of kinetic energy flowing through my body would have been enough to disintegrate me on the spot, and yet now its doable. I make that kinetic energy my own, change its frequency, and release it all in a single powerful blast that sends the wolfs huge body flying. The wolf crashes to the ground, rolls a few times, and bulldozes through the forest, bowling over dozens of trees. Before he can stand up, Im there, floating over him and grasping him once again, holding him in place despite his struggles. Finding himself unable to move anything but his mana, tendrils as black as his fur extends from his body, their length extending multiple times beyond that of the wolf ?s body. They swirl around, destroying the ground and the trees before they thrust towards me. I create a black orb in front of myself, absorbing the mana constructs rushing towards me with ease. It pulls it at the moment they enter its range, devouring the black tendrils, sucking them in, and growing more powerful in the process. (That mana!) His voice rumbles in my head, for the first time since the battle started. Once again, the field around the wolf changes, eating away at the mana Im using to power my [Redistribution], as he attempts to escape my hold. Before he can do that, I reach out to the black orb that absorbed his attacks and touch it, forcing it to elongate into the form of a javelin twice my height. Just as the wolf is about to escape, the javelin made of black mana embeds itself deep within his hind leg. He attempts to turn his head to pull it free, but he freezes mid-movement, and his eyes shift back to me. Off to the side, Izzy is showing Noodle to Vega, the kind pyromaniac girl still trying to make friends. Biscuit floats in the air in front of his disciple and dispenses his wisdom to the giant wolf. Between them and the other members of Group 4, there arent many people around. Theyre all engrossed in cooking meat on the fire, talking, sparring, and practicing their skills. There were some complaints after my light spar with wolfy. A few dozen people from Easy difficulty lost consciousness. Again. At this point, I cant help but be reminded of those fainting goats I once saw on TV. Some people even complained, but it''s not like anyone asked them to watch. At least most of them were smart enough to stay quiet. Channeler said that sooner or later people might start screaming and running away or kneeling in worship at the sight of me. I deeply despise either option. Wanting to change my thoughts, I look at Tess who has taken the opportunity to steal my other can of soda and is now sipping on it, just opposite me. She, more than anyone, seems to be enjoying this, even though all shes doing is sitting to the side and watching everyone have fun. I guess a big part of all of this is thanks to her. I dont think Group 4 would be as close as we are otherwise. Tess Hansen is slightly taller than me. Her blonde hair now ends just below her shoulders, once again shes gotten a new haircut. Her gray eyes are calm, but her face freely displays her emotions. She is only 20 years old, two years younger than me. Yet she did all of this. And it''s not like I can ignore it. Even the duplicate''s last wish was a request for me to let them in and accept them as my friends, not to mention the apology I owe my mother. I do not take these words lightly, so even though I''m not fully feeling it, I am willing to accept the fact that the duplicate, knowing he would die, knew best the kinds of regrets I would have. Im sorry. Tess turns to me, for a moment confused, but she quickly comes to understand. She examines me and I let her by returning her gaze. Apology not accepted, she says with a soft smile. I see. Its the obvious result. If I was in her place, I can only think that my choice would be the same. Was this how you meant to apologize? Tess asks. No. At first, I wanted to give you some items. Maybe make a weapon for you, a few epic javelins. Or I could buy anything you want from the shop with my shards. So why did you change your mind? She asks, propping up her chin with her hands as she stares at me. For a while, I thought that giving you something of value would make it easier. Like Id be paying you back. To show my intentions and willingness to sacrifice my own possessions to make amends. She nods, That sounds like you, but you didnt do it in the end. No. I did not. I thought you would prefer an honest apology to being bought off. You are right, she agrees. But you rejected it. I rejected it because I dont think you fully mean it yet. I can see a hint of true honesty, but youre not quite there yet. She leans back in the chair and takes a sip, enjoying the taste of the sugary soda in her mouth. It''s close, but there''s still a little bit missing. Got it. So just this once Im going to be petty, Nat. Im going to let you apologize to me a few times. I will let you feel the full breadth of these confusing emotions and I will have fun while doing so. Watching you squirm, so close to understanding but not quite there. That sounds like fun. For me, for sure. For you, it will be a bit worse. Her smile shows her teeth. Well, it''s not like I dont understand. Nothing is ever that simple. But I will stay the course my duplicate has set for me until I understand things properly. Chapter 370: Cruelty in you Chapter 370: Cruelty in you Just a few minutes remain until the black wolf returns home. Biscuit''s token only afforded them 12 hours, rather than the 24 granted by mine. However, in that time we did manage to get some information out of him and he got to continue his training with Biscuit. Somehow. Its still an interesting sight to see a burrito-shaped corgi floating in front of a giant wolf who quietly listens and nods along. I bet if he could, he would be taking notes. He has that much reverence for Biscuit. The black wolf was about to die, then he was saved by the system and summoned to be Biscuit''s disciple. Right away, he understood the majesty of the jerky addict Biscuit and his control over the primordial energy that they share. Even though his level is higher, just knowing that he was willing to learn from Biscuit and even revered him as his master shows quite a bit about his personality. At the start of his visit, he complained and growled at us a lot, but towards the end, he closed his eyes as Vega and the other members of Group 4, gathered to pet him. Obviously, he still complained about the wound to his dignity, but its not like it changed anything. There are even a few dozen photos in Izzys smartphone gallery, mixed in with pictures of Vega and our group. The smartphone is being kept charged by solar panels running campsite chargers. That smartphone is now on the table nearby, playing cheerful J-pop. Tesss favorite. It took a while for Vega to get used to our style of sorcery, but now I notice her humming along with the phone when she thinks no ones watching. While others wait in the clearing, Im sitting off to the side, moving mana inside of my body. Compressing and decompressing it, testing the limits of my body when it comes to using black mana to power my skills. Its something Ive been doing almost constantly here in the common area. Im sure I would make better progress training outside, with real danger, even so, it helps to know my limits. How much black mana can I use to strengthen my body and how much will kill me? How long can I keep it under control? If I generate too much too quickly, how much abuse can my body take? What passive is helping the most when it comes to handling it and what happens when I turn off this or that passive? Can my epic healing passive keep up with black mana damaging my body? If so, to what point? And there are always more questions. Testing my eyes, my strengthened mana circuit. [Redistribution - lvl 47 > Redistribution - lvl 48] [Mana Manipulation - lvl 44 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 45] [Mana Domain - lvl 37 > Mana Domain - lvl 38] [Mana Crown - lvl 21 > Mana Crown - lvl 22] The process of leveling my skills has been going pretty well, and from what I''ve seen, Im not the only one from Hell difficulty taking the opportunity to train, Im not even the only person in Group 4. Then there are those from Hard difficulty who seem like they want to move up to Hell. There arent many of them, but I wouldnt be surprised if they use it after the tournament. Samuel is not one of these people, preferring to stay with his group and grow stronger as a unit. Everyone is also using this opportunity to plan, and it might have been part of the intent behind the tournament. even the system told us to take the opportunity to speak with the other attendees, the First Generation of Earth. The black wolf stands up and looks down at Vega, tapping on his front paw. (Master is smart indeed, assholes, all of you,) he seemingly cant help but say. But thats when Biscuit returns from the house, two purple tentacles holding a small bag which he places in front of the young black wolf after wobbling over on his short legs. (Food.) The curious black wolf creates two shadowy tendrils of his own and opens the bag. Inside, there are dozens of pieces of deer jerky. The ones I used to bribe Biscuit into letting me challenge the black wolf, and even more from the ones the corgi was saving up. With his pink tongue lolling from his mouth, Biscuit''s expression has all the charm of a cheeky smile. (Master... I cant,) the wolf sounds moved. (Food!) The corgis tentacles move and slide the bag close to the wolf. his voice is firm. In response, the black wolf lowers his head, dozens of times bigger than Biscuit. Biscuit floats into the air, lifts his front right paw, and boops his disciples nose. (Thank you, master.) Only a few seconds remain. I will see you soon, Wolfy! Next time, I will be stronger and Ill make you my minion just like your master is a minion to my master! Vega is smiling as she says so. So get stronger so that I dont have to be ashamed of you! (Crazed half demon,) the wolf snorts. Thank you for all the help and for enduring it all. It was nice meeting you. Tess says, giving a small bow which the black wolf returns. Take care, wolfy! Lily shouts. I hope you get even bigger! As big as a city! But dont forget us! Im going to brag about meeting you . The twins shout, seizing the opportunity to toss in their two cents, as does the rest of the group. Tess, Nat is continuing to ruin poor Lily, Maya shouts in the direction of the living room loud enough to be heard from the kitchen, where weve set up shop. Lilys already a lost cause, Tess shouts back. You are probably the smartest of masters underlings! The gray smoke you showed me felt really strong. Im sure its a skill some powerful demon created long ago. If you get a powerful heart, you will be strong! Im already pretty strong. But your heart is weak, Vega says, confused. (Nat, can you come here for a moment?) Tess sends through the link. (Sure.) Leaving Lily and the minion to argue, I head to the living room and then follow Tess outside, onto the terrace. I strengthen the field around us that makes it impossible for others to listen, and both of us disconnect from the web. The murderer from Easy difficulty is gone, she says seriously. I quickly check the anchor I placed on him, and find the connection severed. Right after, I check our surroundings and Vega, but I sense nothing. I repeat it a few times to the point that not even Tacita would be able to escape my senses, but there is nothing. Hes not here, Tess shakes her head, he left the tournament. I thought it wasnt possible to leave the tournament. Yes, we thought the same thing. We even paid someone from Easy to try to leave as the tournament started and he couldnt. But you should check the Community numbers, Nat. Something in her tone makes me do just that. Easy difficulty:1319/2000 Normal difficulty: 862/1000 Hard difficulty:241/500 Hell difficulty:39/250 Beyond:7/10 Oh. Thats interesting. Easy difficulty has one less attendee and Hell difficultys gained one. Its possible that he got a reward from the tournament before he left, he did pretty well during previous events. Maybe it allowed him to enter Hell difficulty even though it was only possible to jump on a level higher or lower before. Or he had help from our nosy friend. It sounds like something the Intent would do. Yeah. Thats an option. She says, nodding solemnly. We wasted our opportunity to get rid of that man. Thats not like you to be worried over some weak guy. I know, but you could say that Ive grown paranoid. If the Intent thats been messing with this tutorial was willing to risk angering the Ruler of Greed and did that, he must have had something in mind. And I dont think it was anything good for us. Dont expect it to get any better, I say. What do you mean? The Intent is here because of the guy who started in Beyond. The Intent is probably a fragment of a Ruler, and the Rulers have a bit of sway over the tutorial even though it seems like Ruler of Greed has primary control of our if not all tutorials. I wouldnt be surprised if some of the other Rulers come crawling out of the woodwork to watch the guy and mess with us in the process. Tess sighs, Thats just great. Theres nothing we can do about it. We will deal with it when we come to it. Just make sure the others are training as hard as possible when theyre in the common area. If we can get stronger, we will have more leeway. Theyre already doing so much, Nat. Sophie weakened some of their memories so they can continue to train and die. I know, I know. Dont look at me like that. Not everyone can handle dying here as well as you do. But we will be ready when the 6th Floor comes. But I need to ask you once again to keep your distance so they can face real danger and improve on their own. Sounds good. Gather the others so they can say goodbye to Vega and Ill take her to Miwa and Channeler. After that, Vega is going to leave Ive only got a few more hours with my minion, and after that, its two more days of the tournament. Then it''s back to the Astral Prison. Chapter 371: Sparring Chapter 371: Sparring The first stop is Channeler, who Ive had preparing a few opponents for Vega from the lower difficulties. In part, so that she can gain some experience in a relatively safe space, though I mostly want to see how these guys handle the little half-demon. I locate one of my anchors opting to fly over instead of teleporting. I head over to the anchor until I reach Channeler whos surrounded by almost a hundred people. "Sorry, they were curious and wanted to watch. Most of them have been cooperative," Channeler says by way of greeting. "Thats fine," I tell him before turning to Vega to get one last confirmation. " Are you ready, minion? The plan is for you to fight until we find someone about as strong as you, and then for you to spar with them." "Can I stop holding back? Like with that girl where I couldn''t hear her heart?" "Sure, go all out. Ill interfere if it''s going to be too much." Having her answer, Vega stretches in imitation of me, staring in the direction of the hodgepodge of people from Easy, Normal, and a few curious individuals from Hard difficulty that Channelers managed to round up. "We can start with George and Susan; they are both from Easy difficulty." "Yeah, I don''t think that''s a good idea," I say, examining them. "I know its going to be two versus one, but they won''t hurt your disciple. Theyre quite..." "That''s not what I meant." "Oh," his expression turns serious. "Then give me a moment." While Channeler goes to the group of people, I turn to Vega, "Change of plans, minion. Start slowly, and if they are weak, stop fighting. Find out if they can keep up before putting in too much effort." "Why? If theyre really that weak, they need to know!" "Channeler spent a lot of effort pulling these people together, and I don''t want them to think he did this just so a 6-year-old girl could curb stomp them." "Minion Channeler should just be happy that master keeps him around! Vega says. "I know where you are coming from, minion, but try to think about the future. If I cause too much trouble for him, hell find someone else to work for." "You should let him if hes really that dumb, she says, theres no reason for you to work with people like that!" "Minion, youre being too naive. There are situations where you want something, and you can''t avoid people. Having someone who understands you and deals with them in your place is invaluable." "Is that true?" Vega asks, seeming to suspect me of lying. "Its true, minion," I say, ruffling her hair out of habit. "So respect these people and keep them close. They won''t work for free, so make sure to make it worth their time. Otherwise, they may leave you in the lurch at the first opportunity."Discover new chapters at novelhall.comons wouldn''t do that! They only follow the strong, so I need to become strong enough that they dont leave!" "That may be minion. But I still want you to think about it, okay?" After my minions nod in agreement, the Channeler comes back, just in time. "Weve decided to start with George and Susan from Easy. I already explained everything to them." He says. "Sounds good." I give Vega a push, and she steps forward, even now Im keeping my full suite of senses focused on her. I might really be paranoid. Once the woman and man from Easy difficulty finally square off against her, the fight starts. It''s Vega who attacks first, and 5 seconds later, the man and the woman roll on the ground. Nothing seems to be broken, except maybe their pride. Good minion, she did what I asked her to. "Please, Noname, can you tell your disciple to hold back a bit? I didn''t know she was that strong," Channeler whispers, coming to me after checking the man and woman over for injuries. "She did hold back. A lot." I whisper in response So cool. "Minion, say ''I can do this all day.''" "I can do this all day!" she shouts and charges the man again. They clash shortly multiple times, leaving another small wound each time, barely a nuisance to the man in question, and more burns for Vega. But my minion keeps coming back for more. The man isn''t even holding back, and despite being at a higher level, he seems to be having trouble dealing with the nimble half-demon, whos been using kinetic energy to move erratically and weaken his physical attacks. It goes on for a minute or two, but at some point, the fight starts getting too heated, so I decide to interfere. "That should be enough," I call. Vega refuses to stop, continuing to charge the man who stopped the moment I called. So I use [Redistribution] and grab hold of my silly minion, who freezes mid-air, moving slowly toward her opponent. A wild expression has overtaken her face, and in each hand, she holds a dagger. The daggers at this point are nearly transparent, a clear sign of her depleted mana. I boost myself closer with my kinetic energy and poke her nose a few times, my minion locked in place. "Thanks for helping," I tell the man from Hard difficulty. "My disciple seemed to be having a lot of fun." Unlike Vega, the man has already healed. A result of the healing aura in the common area. Vegas state only serves to confirm my suspicions regarding the protections afforded by this place. "It''s fine." The Hard difficulty attendee says smiling weakly and turning to my minion. "Shes very strong. Your name is Vega, right? Thank you for the duel." Vega still doesn''t move as I hold her in my skill. "She won''t answer. I need to punish her for being so stubborn. Can you thank Channeler for me as well? Ill meet up with him sometime in the other events." "Ill pass it along." I touch Vega and transport us both to one of the more private spots I discovered. It''s a clearing pretty far away from the common area, surrounded by trees and a small stream of clear water passing through. It''s comfortably quiet here. "Do you know what you did wrong?" I ask her. Vega blinks a few times, still bound in the air. She cant defend herself even as I touch and push the tip of her nose, tilting it upwards, "I wouldn''t expect such a dumb way of fighting from someone with [Concentration]. Do you agree?" Silence. "I mean, some aggression is fine, but to go to the point of acting more like an animal than a thinking human? Isn''t that too much? If you want to be aggressive, go into it with some strategy in mind or at least be strong enough to get away with it." I give her some more boops on the nose and move her hair, covering her face until she can barely see me through it. Then I tickle her. "Some opponents are weak against rapid attacks and aggressive opponents. Others are weak against ranged attacks. Another group isn''t good at physical combat. Yet I have noticed that my silly disciple still fights the same. No matter how much I try to change it." I pull a patch of grass from the ground and put it on her head. "I wouldn''t say anything if you were strong and excelled at a single type of combat. In that case, you might be able to make it work. But minion, you aren''t there yet." Lastly, I move her body over the stream of water and release my skill, leaving her to fall into it. Quickly jumps out spitting water and sputtering like an angry kitten, shaking and letting out a series of hissing noises. Then she stands there, angry, wet, and wounded from the duel. "Have you any defense, minion?" When she stands quiet, I move closer and touch her, teleporting us over to Lily, who didn''t expect to see Vega after already saying goodbye. And especially not in such a state. Before we return to Miwa, Vega changes into new clothes and gets fully healed. Then I teleport us back to Miwa. Between my experience using [Tether] and Vegas improved level, I clearly dont have to worry about hurting her anymore. Chapter 372: What were you talking about Chapter 372: What were you talking about "Hello, I''m Miwa," the woman says, introducing herself to Vega with a small bow. "I''m Vega!" Vega replies. "It''s nice to meet you, Vega." My disciple and I look around the small but cozy kitchen of Miwa''s house. Unlike the smithy shes rented out with and shares with several people from Hard and Hell difficulty to use at set times, the house we find her in now is hers alone, and spread out on the table in front of us are the ingredients shes prepared. Vegas already been told what her surprise will be and seems all the more excited for it. After saying goodbye to group 4, she was overcome with joy the moment she heard what we would be making. Meanwhile, group 4 got only a few short words, Biscuit and Noodle being the only exceptions. Though maybe Tess and Lily were exceptions as well, after all, Vega seems to have recognized them as the top dogs of our pack. "We will prepare the dough first. Do you want me to do it, or do you want to do yourselves?" "Well do it. Vega, sleeves up, and let''s wash our hands before we start." "Yes, master!" The little half-demon says, washing her hands as I lift her up to the sink, and then I do the same, waiting for Miwa''s instructions afterward. I''m a terrible cook, it''s not really something I generally enjoy, but here, in this moment it seems like a fun idea. "See the bowl I prepared? Add a bit of sugar and yeast and mix it with warm water. Then we let it sit for anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. The yeast might not be very good anymore, so the dough may not turn out all that well. But there is nothing we can do." "Not a problem, you already warned me. Vega, youre in charge of mixing, okay?" "Yes!" I take the yeast and sugar and put them into the bowl with warm water following Miwas instructions. Vega gets off to a clumsy start, so Miwa steps in and guides her hands in a more stable motion. She then has to stop Vega from eating the raw dough. Once shes done mixing the dough, Vega washes her hands again, making me lift her up to the sink, and Miwa covers the bowl with a towel. "While we wait, you should add flour and salt to a bowl and well blend it with the dough when it''s done." Miwa gives Vega the proportions, though Vega manages to spill some flour on the table. When the dough is ready ten minutes later, I take it and add to the bowl with the flour and salt. Vega sits on a chair, watching nearby, fixated on my every movement as I blend it all together with some oil. The mood between us is still a bit awkward because of what happened during and after her sparring match, but being so young, she quickly shrugs it off and starts enjoying herself in fairly short order. This time its my turn for Miwa to teach me the proper methods, and I knead it on the table which she coats with a dusting of flour to make it less sticky. Somehow I cant help but find it relaxing, I even take a small chunk of dough and fling it at Vega. The little half-demon giggles and shoots a mana projectile at my face which I disrupt. Though playful, her attack is strong enough to kill someone from Easy difficulty. I continue kneading for 5 minutes, and Miwa corrects me multiple times, even asking how it''s possible to make a dough so stiff and ugly. Behind her back, Vega furrows her brows and forms more projectiles, but I disrupt them before she can send them rushing at Miwa. Next, Vega oils the bowl, and we put my kneaded dough inside, cover it with a damp cloth, and put it near the heated oven so it can rise. This will take an hour or so. While we wait, Miwa talks to me about crafting, her expression extremely lively as she speaks. Meanwhile, Vega noms on some kind of snack she found and now that I think about it, probably stole from Miwa. *** An hour or two later, we are done and the pizza is finished, and we have the result we expected: the Perfect Pizza. "Master, should it be so black on the bottom?" "It should not," Miwa says carefully. My minion and I made this pizza. We topped It with cheese, a few pieces of salami, and a tomato sauce base. It was Vega''s idea to use my flames to cook it, so I tried to mimic the temperature of the oven-like thing Miwa set up with a few mana stones inscribed to produce heat. I just surrounded the entire pizza with the heat while keeping it afloat with an arm made of mana. The result is impeccable. "Master, it''s very crunchy." Vega says as she bites into it. "If youre not careful, youre going to break your teeth," Miwa warns. I never made pizza before, but my first attempt turned out much better than I expected. Maybe it is because I had my minion to help, and a tiny bit of assistance from Miwa, yup. "Master, why are you not eating?" "You shouldn''t be eating it either," Miwa says, pointing out useless things. In response, Vega scoots over to me and offers me a bite of her pizza, which I accept. That makes her smile, so I take a piece off my plate and eat it as well. While devouring the crunchy pizza, Vega makes satisfied noises and wears a smile even more radiant than the one she wore when she was eating candy back in our house. It''s the same smile she wore when I invited her to eat with me for the first time. I did invite her to eat with me even now to Miwa''s confusion and Vega''s happiness. Yes. The pizza might be somewhat lacking. Some of the ingredients are a bit stale, especially the cheese. Theres not a lot of tomato sauce, and the salami is too greasy, not really suitable for use a topping. The dough is pretty good, but it didn''t rise enough, so the pizza is dense and now burned as a result of my inexperience. But at the same time, it''s a meal that Vega and I prepared together, and that seems to make the little half-demon happier than if it was a perfect meal. Together we devour it all, and when we are done, we leave, saying goodbye to Miwa. "How long?" I ask, walking side by side with my minion. "Five minutes." "I see. Take this." I say, pressing a small bag of inscribed mana stones into her hands. Most of them are basically a series of cyphered trials; shell only be able to access their contents if she can solve the intricate inscriptions I prepared and fix the parts I blocked. It''s a form of training that will serve to improve her control and open up new lessons to help her on her way as shes ready to master them. Most of the stones are tiny, smaller than my pinkie nail. It''s the stones we got off Nevan''s dead friend in the Veil Ignition Station, and I still have a lot of them. Their size will make it simple for her to smuggle them as needed. Vega freezes on the spot, and I follow her gaze. There at the treeline, Is Savant, casually passing through. His long hair tied into a ponytail, his green eyes fixed in their typical expression. Clinical and sharp as a scalpel. At that moment, he notices my signature and looks towards us. At me and then at Vega. My minion stiffens and moves behind me, her arm reaching out and grabbing the hem of my shirt. I can sense her heart beating wildly out of fear. Savant turns his eyes away and disappears into the trees, and only once shes sure hes gone does Vega relax a bit. An expression of shame marries her face as she realizes what shes done. "Are you fine?" "Yes, master, but that man... he is..." "F-fuck... what..." "I killed you," I say, coming to a stop in front of him. It''s interesting that Hard difficulty attendees endure it so terribly. "What?! But why!" "Well, ''killed'' might be the wrong word since you can''t die here, but you know what I mean." I take a step closer, and he turns into a cloud of shiny particles once again, reappearing a bit further away. I place an anchor through my extended domain and teleport in front of him. Just like he did before, he throws up and falls to the grass, shaking and squirming in pain. "Man, this is pathetic. It''s not even that bad, so man up or something, okay?" "P-please, stop. What did I do!? Tell me!" he coughs. "Nothing terrible, really. Min-Jae kind of deserved it. But something about the way youre trashing him pisses me off. Anyway, I have to go. After I kill you the third time, the systems going to teleport you much further away, and I''m too lazy to look for you. But if you want me to find you again, keep talking shit." I don''t even wait for his answer, and I release another highly concentrated kinetic energy from my Vortex Core tearing his body apart and he explodes into a cloud of shiny particles. Using one of my anchors I teleport away and watch the countdown until the start of the fourth event. The 4th event - Duels will start in 1 hour! Participants will be sorted into 16 groups. 12 containing 148 participants and 4 containing 147 participants. The winner of each group will advance to the final round, and have a chance to be crowned winner of the 4th event. Note: No [Restriction] can be placed during this event. Note: It''s possible to forfeit your duel by giving or focusing on the command "Forfeit." Finally, the duels are starting soon, and I decide to check my stats one last time. Name: Nathaniel Gwyn Difficulty:Hell Floor: 6 - Astral Prison Time left until forced return: 3y 359d 23h 58m 51s Traits (2/3):Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3 Lvl 237 Strength: 113 Dexterity: 110 Constitution: 268 Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1015 + 1015 Primary Class:Focused Channeler (Epic) Sub-class:[Initiate of Pride] Active skills: Focus - Lvl 49 Perception - Lvl 45 Redistribution - Lvl 48 Resonance - Lvl 45 Mana Domain - Lvl 38 Tether - Lvl 36 Infusion - Lvl 29 Mana Crown - Lvl 22 Mana Manipulation - Lvl 45 Constructs: Reinforcement (Construct) Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct) Mana Regulator (Construct) Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct) Vortex Core (Construct) Passive skills: Mana Reservoir (epic) Arcane Resilience (epic) Phoenix Embrace (epic) Mana Overload Absorption (epic) Cognitive Fortress (epic) Titan''s Backbone (epic) 1/3 Shards: 123,129 Chapter 373: Start of the 4th event Chapter 373: Start of the 4th event A new window opens up to me, and in it, I can see all 16 groups. The 2356 tournament participants have been separated into groups of either 147 or 148. I belong to a 148-member group, and after searching, I dont find any of the other members of group 4 in it. There isnt anyone from Beyond in my group either. However, I do find one interesting face In my group: BenDover. That reminds me that I forgot about him again, so its nice to see him here. Then theres Brainiac, Adam from WhiteWing, and Samuel in another group. Miwa is in their group too, along with a few others from Hell difficulty. Otherwise, it seems like a boring group. The more interesting one is the one containing Tess and Lily, the two of them will probably find themselves jostling for a place in the top 16. Tacitas group has both Sophie and Isabella in its ranks. Savant got a few people from WhiteWing, Channeler, and Maya. Biscuits group has Aaron and Ghast, the lightning guy from WhiteWing. Min-Jae meanwhile has found himself in a group with a few people from Hell difficulty I don''t know. I spend my time focusing my attention on the others from Hell difficulty and ignore the rest, it should be fairly obvious whos going to be coming out on top of their respective groups.Rread latest chapters at novelhall.com Instead of returning to the house, I lay on the grass and stare at the sky. Its nice to have some quiet after all these busy days full of people. But overall, it was my decision, so its obvious who I have to blame. Past Nathaniel of course, screw that guy. Even so, Im glad I summoned Vega. Sure, we just said goodbye to each other less than a week ago, and I could have used the token later. But knowing the tutorial, Theres no telling when Id have found a safe enough time to do so? It just seemed like the perfect opportunity. I stretch and yawn. The grass is thick and nicely soft, the ground embracing me in a comfortable chill. Laying there, I feel myself start to calm down. The need to move and fight I felt the moment the duels countdown begins to fade. I wait for the countdown to start ticking down I sit on the ground and watch the window. To win your group, you will need to win 8 duels! Your mana and stamina will be restored after every duel. When there are 8 participants remaining in each group, you will be moved to a common area where you may choose to watch the remaining group matches. Good luck! I feel a pull on my body, and as always, I try to follow along watching how and what the system is doing, and yet I still, I find myself unable to do so. After being moved, I open my eyes and find myself in the middle of a huge clearing. The floor is made out of gray stone, and the weather is clear, without a single cloud to mar the clear blue sky. There is even a soft breeze, and other than the two of us, there is no one to be seen. Fucks sake. Fucks sake. Fucks sake. What the fuck have I done, my opponent curses. Such a beautiful day. Wanna forfeit? I ask BenDover. He doesnt answer, but before he can use any of his skills, I reach through my domain and place an anchor on him. Sensing it, he tries to remove it, but he is too slow, and I send kinetic energy through. Just a little to throw him to the ground. I raise a barrier, deflect his ranged attacks. His wounds arent healing, though I shouldnt be surprised given the state of current events, and I cant think of anything else I would want to examine, so I just send much more energy through, emptying half of my Vortex Core. It explodes a huge chunk of the floor, sending debris flying through the air. Congratulations, you have won your 1st duel! After that, I appear outside and observe my Vortex Core. It seems to have been refilled. So it seems like the system has no problem replenishing the more obscure reserves as well. My second round is against a young woman from Normal difficulty. So thats it, she sighs. I forfeit! Congratulations, you have won your 2nd duel! I appear back outside, and soon after, I get summoned back in. I forfeit! The man, feeling like a member of Hard difficulty, shouts. Congratulations, you have won your 3rd duel! Another match. Fuck, not him! I forfeit! Congratulations, you have won your 4th duel! That makes me snort, Maybe to the women. He attacked me while I was examining the arena. Did you consider that ignoring them and examining the arena during a duel might piss them off? Not really. The screen lights up before Tess can say anything else that makes no sense, and two figures appear on the display: Samuel and Brainiac. The redheaded Brainiac that our boys have befriended and some other military guy from Hard difficulty. The result seems to have already been decided. On the screen, a few sentences are exchanged, the sound enveloping the common area from all sides, making it possible to hear even over the noise of two thousand people. Brainiac teases the man. In much the same way I do, he seems to dislike uptight military men who are good at organizing but to some of the more free-spirited Hell difficulty attendees, it all feels too stuffy. The projectiles Brainiac likes to use shoot from his body, invisible, and Samuel barely manages to deflect the attacks with his giant sword. From below, the sound of the crowds cheering explodes, as people hype each other up in support of their personal favorites. A few groups have started going around and setting up bets. Mana stones, magical items, food, and items from Earth. They take and write down anything. They bet on winners of groups, winners of duels overall, and a few other things, Sophie clarifies, reading is my expression, as she follows the path of my gaze. Damn, they act quick. Yes, and some have started selling snacks too. I think Adams been helping them with quite a lot. Even here, he is trying to make as many shards as possible. But I guess thats why he is in the top 5 of the crafter rankings. Who has the best odds of winning the duels? Sophie falls silent for a bit, a stiff expression taking over her face as she concentrates. There are four people with a few small differences between them. But Tacita comes just slightly ahead. They say that her speed is the biggest advantage when it comes to fighting humans versus humans. You seem to be a bit ahead of Savant, who is third, and theyve placed Tess in 4th. Poor Gareth and Lily didnt even get on the list, I say, being sure Lily is listening. I will beat Tess, and they will see! I bet they only picked her only because she goes around zapping people, the guys from Hard difficulty guys are just more scared of her. If I did that too, they would place me there instead! Lily complains. So whats your plan for fighting Tess? Shes probably going to keep a distance and pick you off from afar, I become a bit curious. I wonder how I would fight Tess if I were Lily. Using [Sacrifice] to get as close as possible in an attempt to end it all in a single [Disintegration] attack. But Tess then again would be expecting that, and unlike Lily, she can fly. Sure, Lily can use some ranged attacks, but they cant compare to Tesss range. As if Id say any of that to her face, Lily snorts much to Tesss amusement. Im already excited for the fight, Lily, Tess smiles at her. With that, the duel between Brainiac and Samuel comes to an end, Samuel loses, unable to get too close even after using his body strengthening and some sort of movement skill that caused his feet to glow and slide across the ground like an ice rink. Brainiac displayed a great sense of positioning and managed such a massive and consistent barrage of attacks that he seems to have been able to launch almost infinitely. The next match takes place between a couple of people from Lilys group, Its a mixed gender pair from Hell difficulty. Their arena turns out the same as mine and Brainiacs. A great floating island where they fight for over 10 minutes, trying to tire each other out. Both of them are extremely careful and swift to dodge. A woman with a bow, using projectiles created out of pale blue mana, that move almost as if they have a mind of their own. The man uses his skill with mana to compress the orb into a disc shape with sharp edges. He then proceeds to move it with the power of his mind alone, the disc easily cutting through trees and stones, and tilting at times to block the arrows. Yet, in the end, the man loses. An arrow that missed him and stuck in the tree moves out of nowhere and takes the man in the back, the ordeal proves just enough to distract him, and causing him to take a hit by a few more attacks. The woman then takes the opportunity to attacks more aggressively, wearing him down quickly and winning the duel. That wasnt that bad, Tess says. Sophie, whats her name? I think it was Alaine from TheGuild. I think she and Swordmaster are married. Swordmaster is a nice guy too. They fit well together. Sophie nods, Yes, TheGuild so far seems to consist of quite the number of decent people. Petting Biscuit, I listen with one ear and nibble on some snacks I stole from Maya. Surprisingly, she doesnt complain too much. Maybe she still harbors the hope that I will sell her my ax one day. This isnt really all that bad. How could a football or hockey match compare to this? Watching people use interesting skills, fighting, and giving their all. Truly, not bad at all. Soon after, Isabella disappears, a thin figure appears alongside her on the screen, facing her down. Sophie, whos been speaking with Tess up until now, grows quiet, and I see her clench her teeth, her eyes becoming much colder. Tacita on the screen tilts her head in surprise and looks at Izzy opposite her. Chapter 374: So that’s why they call you... Chapter 374: So thats why they call you... Blue flames surround the young girl, not as an attack but in an effort to create an area around her thats as hot as possible. I can see Isabella staring at Tacita, seemingly in an attempt to read her emotions, something I don''t think shell be able to do given the effects of Tacitas field. But Tacita seems to appreciate the effort and smiles at the girl. Isabella moves her hand and a dozen thin threads of fire lash out around her, like whips extending to assault Tacita. The mute girl just takes a nimble step and dodges the first, tilting her head to avoid another, and leaping playfully over another. Her movements are smooth and playful while the environment around her burns and cuts to pieces. Thin blue threads of fire cut through stone, trees, and the ground leaving deep gouges in their wake. The fire intensifies, and with it, so too does the heat around Isabella. The air flickers and the surface of the stones start to glow an angry orange color with the heat. Even so, it''s not enough. Tacita disappears, her immense speed removing her from sight, and when she appears again, she is standing in a different spot, dagger in hand, its blade covered in blood. Slowly, Isabella reaches towards her neck finding a long scratch, a whisper of blood flowing from the wound. Tacita waits until Isabella looks at her and gestures at her, the meaning clear, Forfeit. Instead of that, Isabella wipes the blood into her clothes, rolls her sleeves up, and slaps her palms together. The veins in her arms become visible through her skin. Glowing with a blue luminescence that seeps through the muscles and skin. The effect slowly traveling up the length of her arms, past her elbows. In response, the heat radiating from Isabella increases several times over. The blue flames crash into each other, violently lashing at the air as if they were caught in the winds of a storm. The ground continues to absorb the heat until the girl finds herself standing in a pool of magma and fire, her shoes dissolving in the heat and the edges of her clothes beginning to catch fire. Yet the flames leave not a single burn on her body, not a single hair left out of place by that heat. Dozens of threads of fire, like burning ropes, spin, burn, and thrash around as she faces off against Tacita. And in that moment, the smile fades from the mute girl''s face, replaced by a look of simple acknowledgment. The dagger in her hand visibly vibrates, falling under the effect of her skill. Once again, Tacita disappears, and when she comes back into view, she finds herself having to dust off her clothes and put out the fire on her sleeve, and glancing down at the burn left on her forearm. The dagger is gone, stabbed through Isabellas eye who a split second later turns into shiny particles. Im fine, Soph, Isabella says the moment she appears outside. Even so, she lifts her arm and carefully touches her eye. Her hand is shaking and so is her voice. Its obvious she felt a bit of pain before the system bailed her out. Curious, I look over to Sophie who stays quiet, moving to be closer to her sister. Her expression right now tells me that things are going to be interesting if she ever gets to face off against Tacita. Out of everyone from Hell difficulty who isnt already in Beyond, Sophie is the one I think would be the best fit for the other weirdos in its ranks. The only thing holding her back is her little sister. Izzy, were those blue veins of yours a trait? I ask her. Yes, its called Burning Blood. Damn, sounds cool. Is it a boost to your fire-related abilities? Does it buff your heat generation? Or is it your storage capacity? I try to guess. All of the above! Thats even cooler than I thought. Give me. No! But its still cool, right? Though I still want to have floating blue hair like Senecas. Was that a trait your disciple had? She shakes her head and I notice she is getting calmer, It was more like Vegas horns. Maybe you can work something out with Lily, she likes to play around with that kind of stuff. Only for training, Lily corrects. Isabella says something to Lily and they start a conversation, no doubt hashing out details and I turn back to the screen. Though before doing so, I glance over at Sophie who still wears an expression of cold rage, even stronger now that Izzys been distracted. On the screen, Savant faces Pumpkin, a melee attacker from WhiteWing. The fight opens with Savant using his domain and the time starts ticking down. Without a good defense, Pumpkin will quickly find himself poisoned by mana radiation and I''m sure Savant is concentrating on making it worse for him. As the gentle orange light shimmers around them, two men rush together in combat, Savant showing himself to be surprisingly at home with melee combat. Though to watch, I figure that its probably a mix of things he saw back on Earth and the lessons he received on the 2nd and 4th floors. Even so, Savant combines these moves together really well and if he makes a mistake, he quickly realizes it and doesnt repeat it a second time. Even so, Pumpkin is faster and very flexible, hes dual wielding daggers, each moving like it has its own mind. His skin is coated in something like scales that seem to add to his defense without restricting his movement. For a while, he even manages to push Savant back and gradually uses more of his mana as his movements become more and more aggressive. I agree, Tess chimes in. Finally, its Min-Jaes turn to be summoned inside, and he finds himself facing off against someone from Hard difficulty. The huge muscular man with a hammer that is probably heavier than Min-Jae. Surprisingly, the man is calm after finding out who hes been pitted against. Unlike him, Min-Jae smiles brightly. He is looking around as if trying to find the camera that shows it all in the common area. Then he offers the man the first attack, promising to only defend once. That dumbass... Maya sighs. And as expected, the man seizes the opportunity. He lowers his stance and over one minute his body shines slightly, muscles not bulging quite as much, and the interesting amount of mana surrounding the hammer. Even so, Min-Jae doesnt seem to be worried and his left yellow eye shines. The man from Hard difficulty attacks and at that moment the field around Min-Jae activates an immense pull of gravity slowing the man to a crawl after a few quick steps. But that doesnt seem to be his intention and instead of just blindly charging, he throws his hammer. Min-Jae reaches his hand in its direction, mana swirling around him as he uses either [Gravity Well] or [Telekinesis]. He doesnt even put that much effort into it, not expecting much from someone from Hard difficulty. But surprisingly, just once, the hammer flashes, disrupting for a second Min-Jae''s grab and emptying the mana collected inside of it in the process. Unable to react in time, the hammer smashes into Min-Jae''s left side, breaking his bones and throwing him rolling on the ground. From there, the boy lifts his head, groaning in pain, and the skills he was using deactivate. His eyes open up in panic as he sees how close his opponent is, just two steps away. Min-Jae clenches his teeth and his left eye glows, the mans chest caving in, compressed by immense gravity and turning him into shiny particles. When our teammate reappears outside, no one says anything but I look at him with interest, curious to see what reaction Min-Jae will have. He catches my gaze and turns away. Was that shame I saw in his expression? Anger? Annoyance? A few more groups fight and I finally get summoned back inside. Only 4 members remain in each group. After this fight, it will be the group finals. My opponent this time is a guy from Hard difficulty. Fuck man, I thought I would climb higher, he sighs. One of Samuels cronies. I think hes an ex-marine or something like that. I find it interesting. Wouldnt people with that much experience, real combat experience be more fitting for Hell difficulty? Are you going to forfeit? I ask. I mean, probably. Would you mind if I try something? Your special attack or what? Will it hurt? I dont know, but if you agree I will have a bit better opinion of you. I will also remember you agreeing to this. Whats my name? ... Yeah, I thought so. Im Matthew, remember it. And go ahead. If its some kind of torture or other bullshit I will forfeit. I might forget your name so talk to the Channeler or Sset. They are good at peopley stuff. Man... okay, damn it, just do it. I nod and my [Mana Crown] forms over my head. My [Mana Domain] expands and I use black mana to strengthen my body, something Im starting to grow quite proficient at, I can even manage to keep it going for up to ten seconds with barely any aftereffects. Then, having my body strengthened with black mana to endure the strain, I start releasing my mana and filling my domain with it. Like a broken dam, it floods into it, filling the area with more and more of my mana. It floods from my reservoir and my body mana. There is no skill here, just me emptying my reserves. I barely get started when the man stumbles, his face pale. A few seconds later, he falls to his knees, seeming to be having trouble breathing. So thats why they call you a goddamn mana maniac. Even as he says so he clenches his teeth, trying to endure as much as possible. I barely start releasing mana from my Mana Reservoir and even that seems to be too much and the man faints, soon turning into shiny particles. Congratulations, you have won your 7th duel! Chapter 375: Want to spar for a moment? Chapter 375: Want to spar for a moment? After reappearing on the roof I start replaying the events of my last match. I knew that too much mana could make people with high sensitivity faint and that enough could overwhelm even the stronger ones. I''m almost certain that I could create what Ive heard called mana radiation at a high enough level. And I could probably accomplish the same effect with less mana with the right combination of skills, like Savants [Dawn] and my [Mana Domain] if I try to learn it. Ive already seen Savant using it a few times so it shouldn''t be all that hard for me to replicate. With a high enough concentration of mana, mana radiation can be created even without having access to a skill. As for how much it would take, it''s difficult to guess. I''m sure Champions and Absolutes are capable of it, after seeing zones like the Valley on the 5th Floor. As of now, I have yet to fully understand the effects. Does it just overwhelm people killing them once the mana density exceeds their body''s resistance to the pressure? Does it act like some sort of poison? Does it affect animals or monsters? More fun stuff to experiment with. Congratulations on making it to the finals of your group, Maya says. Im not selling you the ax. Douchebag. Another fight starts, flickering into view on the screen. Adam vs Miwa, who got surprisingly far. They face each other. Adam in his clean suit seemingly unarmed and Miwa with her pink tinged silver arm and a katana. She gives Adam a bow which he awkwardly returns. Adams been trying to hire Miwa for a while and he refuses to stop looking for the real identity of Tent Creep. Miwa has to refuse him constantly, decrying him as a fake who cares only for money rather than the art of crafting, Tess informs me as she ties Maya''s hair into a braid. Hehe, Tent Creep, Maya giggles and looks back at Tess who smiles at her. For some unknown reason, the price for the ax just went up by 20 percent, I state, as I turn my attention to the screen. Purple mana surrounds Adam, much as it did in the second event. It moves and looks like waves, surrounding and crashing against him. Opposite him, Miwa tightens her grip on the katana and takes a well-practiced stance. That katana, held in her prosthetic arm, takes on the same pinkish hue as her arm and she charges, swinging her weapon. She cuts an opening in the purple wave of mana with her weapon and tosses a metal cube on the ground in front of her absorbing another attack from Adam. Even so, it''s not enough and the man just releases more. The wave-like mana crushes and grinds away at anything it touches. I thought she would do better, having that arm from the Champion and all, Maya states. Shes from Hard difficulty. The Champions there probably werent as powerful as they were on our floors, Tess points out as she finishes working on Maya''s. She is also a crafter and she spends most of her time on that so it makes sense. The arm is upper epic at most, I say, joining the conversation. Huh, you have plenty of items like that so why do you want her arm so much? Maya asks me. I believe it can be upgraded to arcane. The base of the arm is amazing, everything from the material, to what I saw of the inscriptions. It wouldnt take much work to push it over the line. I would need to examine it a bit more but I''m fairly sure that I''m right. The arm reminds me of the unfinished upper rare items I found in the Veil Ignition Station and upgraded to sell. Even so, Miwa doesnt seem to be that disappointed when she loses. Her movements are smooth and elegant and the weapon, strengthened by her arm, does surprisingly well when faced with someone from Hell difficulty. Still, the fight ends with her loss and a few fights later Lily faces Alaine, the woman archer we saw not that long ago. After exchanging a few words with her opponent, the length of Lilys hair shortens and she dashes. Three arrows rocket towards her, each intercepted by Lilys hand, only to be eaten away by [Disintegration]. Lily boosts her movement further, bulldozing through the stone rather than moving around it. A huge chunk of stone just disappears, eaten away by her skill. Alaine tries to keep her distance and slow Lily down, all to no avail. Lily reaches her and ducks under the last two projectiles. She tanks the last one as it pierces through her neck, only for the wound to immediately close. The arrow in Alaines hand contracts into a palm-length blade, which she thrusts at Lily, who makes her arm disappear with a simple touch, almost as if it had never existed in the first place. Then Lily strikes out again, boring a huge circular hole in Alaines chest before she explodes into particles and both of the women reappear outside. If you dont, I will just attack you. Fucking do it then! Beat me up! I hope you have fun doing so like everyone else. Maybe even mention how easy it would be. I mean, after seeing todays matches I could use 1st Floor [Restriction] and win. It would be easy, even back then my mana orbs were decent and I could sling them fairly quickly. You tend to get impatient and careless against weaker opponents, so I would take advantage of that, taunting you into making a mistake and then Id shoot an orb through your legs. Your defenses tend to be a bit weaker around your feet. I take a step closer and look down at him, My body strengthening was decent too so I could use your arrogance to get in close. Then I would let you hurt me, maybe tear off my arm or a leg, or blind one of my eyes. After that, I would push through and cut your throat. I mean what I''m saying. Even though it might have cost me my life, I can''t imagine failing to kill Min-Jae before dying. Of course, I would probably run away and try to continue the fight in a way that would allow me to survive, but in a fight to the death, Min-Jae would lose to 1st Floor me. Nat, I dont know why youre... I dont let him finish and send a burst of kinetic energy at him, sending him staggering backward and almost falling down. Even through all that, he uses gravity, and the next two orbs I shoot at him crash to the ground at the places he marked. Fuck, what... More of my mana orbs fly in his direction and he redirects each of them and when I jump back he increases gravity under me. Stones shoot up from the ground to fly at my face. In response, I coat my palm in mana and let them crash into it. Min-Jae senses me creating anchors behind and above him. His body becomes lighter and he pulls himself with [Telekinesis] just in time to escape a burst of flames and kinetic energy. A dozen orbs pour from his pockets and proceed to spin around him whistling through the air. He parts the yellow flames I send his way with [Telekinesis] leaving them to flow harmlessly to either side of him. Every time he tries to say anything or stop the fight, I push more. Another orb, a javelin filled with thermal energy, an anchor nearby. My attacks do not give him time to think and I push him deeper and deeper into the forest where he resorts to throwing trees at me and changing the gravity around them so that they find themselves pulled toward me. He levitates into the air but my bombardment continues, yellow glowing orbs and flames exploding all around him, forcing him to land, increasing gravity as I step closer. Even using [Telekinesis] to move his body he barely manages to dodge my attacks. He knows Im far from going all out. But he has no time to do anything about it. I know his skills well. Ive seen him fight many times, and I know where hes lacking, and what I need to target in an attack. So as we clash I fight in a way that allows him to utilize his strengths. I let him use the environment against me, I use skills Im sure he can counter and I poke at his weaknesses, forcing him to react. Like that, the fight becomes faster and faster. Min-Jae knows the attacks Im using and I can read the movement of his mana with my eyes so I allow him to use everything he can. An orb nearly kills him but he redirects it at the last moment, a look of sheer surprise flickers across his face, caused by his own reaction. My flames surround him and I see him debate running away, but I dont give him the opportunity and he uses his skills to redirect them around himself and push them away. And a smile climbs its way onto his face as he succeeds. At close range, he keeps escaping my anchors and the explosions that rock the environment in their wake, hes getting better at sensing them as his mind relaxes. He allows his instincts to take over and guide his reactions, allowing him to respond quicker than standing in place nervously. And as the fight goes on and his reserves drain he smiles more and more. There is no other thought in his mind outside this fight. I don''t allow it. He doesnt think of useless stuff like worrying about losing, people looking, or what others might think. We simply fight for the sake of it. He finally stumbles and falls to his knees and even then its not over. He pushes himself back onto his feet, gathering the last bits of his mana he bombards me with the deadly orbs hes bonded to himself. After I block even that attack, he tries again, but there is nothing left. Min-Jae stands there, breathing heavily, sweat wetting his hair and making it stick to his face. He is looking at me, wanting me to say something. I send a soft burst of kinetic energy at him, just enough to make him fall on his ass. Then, while he is looking up at me, I teleport away, leaving him to reflect on his own. Chapter 376: Tess vs Lily Chapter 376: Tess vs Lily I return just in time to be summoned for my round in the finals. My opponent is Mari from WhiteWing. She uses a dagger and short sword, falling back on her high dexterity and mana. And she tends to use said mana to further enhance her damage output and speed. Being in the top 32 isn''t that bad, she notes. There are only 31 people from Hell difficulty here in the tournament. You sure know how to ruin the mood. Mari lowers her stance and more mana floods into her weapons. At the same time, lights start glowing under her skin in whorls and patterns reminiscent of tattoos. Theres a short burst of mana and a flash of light as she strikes her sword with her dagger. The effect of which serves to blind me and disrupt my senses. [Perception] seems to be confused by that, so I fall back on my primordial energies to track her heat and kinetic energy, while boosting my body with normal mana. She lashes out at me with a thrust, which I avoid with a step to the side, coating my blade in a layer of resonating mana and retaliating with a downward slash, severing her arm. Mari spins on the spot, adjusting her grip on the dagger, and lashing out at me again as she avoids my follow up strike. Her dagger lets off a flash of light and disruptive mana, but this time Im prepared, and move to counter it while dissecting the skills involved. Then I send her flying with a burst of kinetic energy, followed by yellow flames to box her in. She creates a barrier around herself and endures the flames for a while before I infuse them with [Resonance] to break through her defenses. Congratulations, you have won your 8th duel and ranked first in your group! You have qualified for the finals. The finals will take place one hour after all finalists have been declared! Once Ive returned I take the opportunity to find a more secluded place so that I can focus on my training. I still watch the fights since they are interesting enough, but I cant forget that the tournament will be ending soon, so I need to maximize my gains. I keep my crown over my head while feeding it bits of black mana in an attempt to find the tipping point. So far, I have learned that the crown helps me improve my control over black mana. The real problem arises when the crown turns black. Then it just starts absorbing all the mana it can touch. My theory is that the black crown doesnt have any stronger mana-absorbing properties than black mana. The reason why its pull is so strong is because it quickly absorbs so much mana. An amount I never use when compressing my mana to create a black orb. So, for example, if I use 50% of my mana to create a black orb, it will be as strong as feeding the black crown 50% of my mana. The main difference is that the black crown bears a connection to me that allows it to empty my reservoir, making it more difficult to fight its pull. On the other hand, the black crown tends to crumble faster than the orbs. Thankfully, there are advantages even though they are theoretical for now. The crown bears a stronger connection to me than the orb. That means it should be easier to use than a black orb. Of course, that only really applies if I can solve the control issues. Right now, its more difficult to use the black crown than the black orb. At first glance, it doesnt seem to make much sense, but there is a bit of twisted logic behind it. My goal is still to make the black crown into a tool to absorb the ambient mana around me and make it my own. It sounds straight-up broken, too strong, and a project for the far future, but it also sounds like something that should be possible, thats why Im taking the opportunity to train here. When the tournament is over, I will train something else, maybe Ill find a way to better utilize my massive reserves of mana. That sounds like itll be important. Constantly growing my mana is nice, but I need to be able to use it in the first place. I need more skills that increase my damage output. Maybe even a signature move that doesnt require charging or preparation. A single target high damage strike would be nice too, something for the stronger opponents. There I pull myself from my thoughts as one of the more interesting fights starts. Damn, am I starting to turn into a sports fanboy? Do I need a beer and a hotdog to eat during the fights? Tess hasnt even used her [Declaration] and even chose to fight up close, giving a huge advantage to Lily. But now, a barrage of projectiles and spears hits Lily for the last time. The black-haired healer continues to push through, her grey mana devouring the attacks and her limbs regenerating, though more slowly now. Step by step, she moves closer with determination on her face, but to no avail. Lacking mana reserves and running out of things to sacrifice, she hits her limit, which becomes even more noticeable due to her inexperience, impatience, and overreliance on two powerful skills. So, Tess wins. The black-haired girl disappears in a burst of shimmering particles even as she sacrifices more parts of her body in an attempt to heal. Under the dark sky, the lightning crown over Tesss head finally flickers and disappears. Even tired, wounded and with her golden hair plastered to her face Tess looks very regal right now. She then disappears, teleported by the system, returned to the roof with the rest of group 4. Lily and Tess, fully healed, face each other, but before anything can be said, Maya jumps on Lily from behind, hugging her and calling her terminator. Tess also smiles and compliments Lily, while giving out a few pointers. Lily doesn''t seem too happy about it, but she can use it as fuel for her determination to improve. That and she needs more mana, yup. The next fight is Brainiac versus Adam. The tall redheaded boy quite easily beats Adam. Both clearly know each others skills, and Brainiac shows surprising skill not fitting his nosy and extremely cheery personality. He fights cleverly, using ranged attacks that have clearly improved since the second event. As per my advice, they are smaller, sharper, and contain less mana, making them harder for Adam to track. Brainiac fights from a distance, shooting them through the trees even as they pierce easily, leaving finger-thick holes. Gradually, he tires out the older man, emptying his reserves, and takes the win. Biscuit is in the finals against Aaron. The best doggo of the tournament floor shows no mercy from the start, bombarding Aaron with mental attacks and tentacles that extend a great distance. Aaron is quick, often leaving very convincing afterimages of himself that even contain mana, heat, and the feeling of weight. For Biscuit, they are easy to destroy, but it takes some of his reserves while Aaron moves around, blending with his surroundings by using [Sensory Deception] and relying on [Haste] to move quickly. That way of fighting has helped him so far, easily dealing with hard difficulty and even one guy from Hell difficulty. He can also use mental attacks, but they dont really seem to work all that well on Biscuit, who merely responds by shouting louder the moment someone tries to connect to his mind. In a last-ditch effort, Aaron dodges through the tentacles and mana projectiles and reaches Biscuit, only for it to be revealed as a projection, and the real one attacks from the side, a dagger in his hand. Even so, Biscuit reacts in a flash and envelops him in his purple tentacles. The gentle corgi then shakes Aaron until the boy forfeits, Aaron surrenders to escape and to avoid throwing up from all the shaking before appearing outside. There, he curses under his breath while Biscuit leaves my lap, wobbles up to him, and nudges Aaron with his small head until the boy relents and pets him. Gareth faces Dennis in the finals, the second twin sharing a combat style with his brother. I think its great they got so far, only losing against strong opponents. But both of the twins are much stronger when they can fight together. When they fight alone, its like most of their skills cant be used properly. It''s a weakness they need to work on. Gareth, having some knowledge of Dennis, acts gentle but firm and allows some attacks to hit that fail to damage him at all before changing his armor, moving quickly, and defeating the second twin. Then Sophie disappears with Tacita, and the two women face each other on the floating island. The common area becomes eerily quiet for a moment before the conversations resume at a much quicker pace. People bet as quickly as possible, trying to guess the winner of the fight. Sophie has a terrible reputation as a mind manipulator, and Tacita is a crazed girl, barely even a young woman, who kills people if they get too close. Tacitas nonchalant bearing changes one second after the duel starts. Before she even moves, blood seeps out of her eyes and ears, and her arm moves. Tacita stabs at her own neck, only managing to redirect the dagger at the last moment and burying it just over her collarbone. It becomes quiet once again as Sophies green eyes shine coldly and dozens of mana constructs as a swarm surrounds her. Chapter 377: Sophie vs Tacita Chapter 377: Sophie vs Tacita Sophie loses control as Tacita changes her field, and the mute girl disappears. Even while that is happening, Sophie keeps her hands moving as she sets up her web. She works quickly, creating floating constructs the size of bees that roam the battlefield in a chaotic fashion, drawing nearly invisible threads of mana behind them. Sophie detects something and waves her arm, causing the ground to bulge a few steps away from her before bursting into a large spike and piercing high into the air. She spins swiftly causing another three spikes to burst from three more points. Its almost impressive to see how little this distraction seems to trouble her as she continues to build her web and more constructs. For a moment, Tacita appears, dried blood under her nose, ears, and eyes, and the skin over her collarbone bleeding down her shirt. She stands there calmly, dagger coated in her own blood. Did Sophie just force Tacita out of her stealth skill? Changing her grip mute girl takes a step. A dozen or so constructs take off after Tacita, each one its own, self contained trap, ready to trigger their effect the moment its destroyed. The arm holding the dagger turns into a blur and all of the constructs disappear, each of them having been cut to ribbons in the span of a second. When the spikes pierce the ground, Tacita avoids them gracefully, jumping from side to side, avoiding them with ease, even while dancing between the threads of Sophies web. Every second she is moving closer to Sophie, who continues to throw everything she can against her. Her web, constructs, earth spikes, wind slashes, and even the air over Tacita changes, attempting to focus the light and burn Tacita like an ant under a magnifying glass. And every time Sophie tries to use her mind manipulation, Tacita creates a short dagger out of mana and throws it at Sophie in a beautiful straight line. The dagger leaves a trail of blue mana in its wake, forcing Sophie to defend herself as it pierces through multiple barriers with ease. When Tacita gets just a few steps away, Sophie shrinks her web, pulling the constructs into a tighter perimeter, before spinning a number of threads together, and attacking the mute girl.Visitt for the latest updates The web actually seems to affect Tacitas movement now, hampering it, as it pulls oxygen out of the air, restricting her ability to breathe, hell It even seems to be altering the temperature, and density of the air. Seeing all this, Tacita continues to walk slowly, playfully dodging her opponent''s attacks as needed, her arms the only parts seeming to move, her speed causing them to vanish in a blur as she deals with each attack. She looks angry as she does. The angriest Ive seen her yet. One step away from Sophie, she moves her arm and jams her dagger into Sophies neck. Sophie tries to grab Tacita ?s arm, which would improve her manipulations, but Tacita pulls the dagger free, before removing Sophies entire arm and taking a step back. Then they face each other. Sophie, bleeding from her neck and the stump of her arm, and Tacita watching and waiting for her to die. There is an invisible fight we cant see or sense, but Im sure [Manipulation] and Tacitas skill or trait are clashing even now. Gradually, Tacita squeezes her dagger, blood once again flowing from her eyes as her hand moves. Turning the dagger against herself, the tip of the blade pierces the skin over her heart. Then the movement stops, and in a lash-out-like movement, the arm swings, sending Sophies head flying and reducing her into a cloud of shiny particles. Soon after, Tacita also gets teleported outside. The crowd under the screens becomes extremely loud, with different groups of people chanting the names of the girls. Some erupting in celebration, and others complaining as they rush to check their bets. Sophie doesnt seem to be happy but quickly finds herself drawn into a conversation with the others, all the while trying to keep her sister from noticing, though I''m sure can still feel it. As I wait for the next fight to start, I create a black orb over the palm of my hand and, as always, it tries to fight back while I shape it, creating a projectile, dagger, and other constructs. Ive found that Mana Cycling helps here a lot too, though I probably should have expected that from a technique left to me by that cockroach-like Absolute. Not to mention all the progress Ive made with the aid of my duplicate and all the training Ive been doing here. As we approach the end of the tournament, I plan to continue my testing. In particular, involving the combination of black mana and my [Mana Crown] and trying to use it to power my skills in interesting ways. The result will probably be... well... explosive. Excited as I am, I figure Ill need to put it off to work on improving my control, just a bit more before moving on with the attempt. Lately, Ive thrown a lot of effort into trying to master black mana and I cant shake the feeling that my basics are still lacking. It might not be a bad idea to slow down a bit and work on the basics. In the long term, Ill be better off than I would rushing to use powers I barely understand. Then there is also Miwa and her arm and her desire to meet Tent... the first-ranked crafter, damn it. Mayas up against Savant, Izzy pokes me, jolting me back to focusing on the screen once shes done speaking with Sophie who she still calls dumb. Why is Noodle growing so slowly, it seems like he eats a lot of mana, I ask as I turn to the screen. I told him to not grow too quickly so that I can continue to carry him around and pet him! Hes cuter at this size. I see, that makes sense. Poor danger noodle. Meanwhile, back on the screen, dark blue armor starts to surround Maya, and before the helmet can cover her head, I take notice of the cold and focused expression on her face. She must know she doesnt have much of a chance, but that wont stop her from trying. Group 9 - Savant Group 10 - Rook Group 11 - Meridian Group 12 - Sset Group 13 - Tacita Group 14 - Vesper Group 15 - Luminary Group 16 - AnotherOneHere Having seen the groups in their full glory, I cant help but think about just how unlucky Group 4 was. A lot of them met someone from our group or Beyond, preventing them from making the finals. There are even two people from Hard difficulty who were lucky enough to get groups without anyone from Hell in them, Zenith and Meridian. The duels are announced as well, while the participants are split into two groups. Group 1 - Swordmastervs Group 2 - Noname Group 3 - Brainiac vs Group 4 - Bard Group 5 - Gareth vs Group 6 - FoodFood Group 7 - Wanderer vs Group 8 - Zenith Group 9 - Savant vs Group 10 - Rook Group 11 - Meridian vs Group 12 - Sset Group 13 - Tacita vs Group 14 - Vesper Group 15 - Luminary vs Group 16 - AnotherOneHere It looks like I need to win against Swordmaster, followed by either Brainiac or Bard. Then that leaves either Gareth or Biscuit. The winner of this mini-group will go against the winner of the other mini-group. Likely Savant, Tacita, or Tess. Are you happy with your group? I ask Tess as we read from our system windows. Well, I need to win my fight and then Im up against Savant. Its a shame, I wanted to fight Tacita, but theres nothing I can do. Already giving up? Of course, I will throw in my best, but I think out of everyone youre the only one who can reasonably face the guy. He hasnt shown off much. He got an arcane weapon during the first event, and had a high [Restriction] during the second and third. Tess chuckles in response, Thats more than enough for someone like us to make a judgment, right? I guess. I sigh. Then I look at the mana stone Ive been keeping in my pocket. It''s the one Savant gave to Lily in exchange for restoring his arm. The stone contains research on healing made by Hella, a disciple of Champion Tristan. Knowing Savant had it since the second floor, it''s obvious that he saw the research as well. Theres a lot here about body modification, more than there is about healing wounds or regrowing limbs and organs. Things like taking parts from someone else and making them your own by healing them into place, and simply making your body accept them. Every bit of it is nasty, descriptions of taking the corpses of long-dead Champions and trying to use them. Changing limbs, transplanting the hearts and flesh of more powerful humans, even body parts containing traits. It also talks about the risks inherent in such procedures. Rejected traits, the body fighting back against foreign organs. Such procedures are extremely dangerous should the new part be rejected. And I wonder how much of this knowledge that guy has used and how much of that body is still his own. Chapter 378: Terrifying predator Chapter 378: Terrifying predator Min-Jae returns to the rooftop just as the hour-long rest is reaching its end. Hes quiet and theres still an aura of disappointment hanging over him. But who the heck knows, it''s hard to deal with people. Why can''t everyone be as simple as my minion and our future animal overlord? Things would be simpler then. Such a good boy. I rub Biscuit''s belly. The best-looking corgi that ever existed looks back at me, seemingly confused, but like the perfect being he is, he just accepts it and starts wagging his short tail. Emotional Support Corgi sure is a nice competition to ESM. Nat... Min-Jae wants to say something but I interrupt him. You are young and dumb. But it would be nice if you stopped caring about useless stuff. And get yourself together, before the tournament ends, I have questions about your eye. O-okay. I wave and then vanish into the Arena to face Swordmaster. This time the arena has changed once again. We find ourselves in the middle of a huge field covered in grass, tall enough to reach the middle of my shin as it sways in beautiful green waves with the motion of the ever present wind. However, the stone pillars all over the place do serve to break up the scene somewhat. Some of the pillars are as big as buildings, while others are shorter than me. The sky has a slight orange tint to it, like the earth just before sunset. There are no clouds but the sky makes it look like there is a ring around the planet, like those around Saturn. It''s pretty, surely the nicest arena so far. Swordmaster, like me, is looking around, neither of us willing to start the fight quite yet. The man didn''t attack me while I was looking around so that''s a point for him. Wanna bet this place actually exists outside of the tutorial? You might have a chance to visit it if you are lucky. I dont think thats going to be quite so easy. He shakes his head, Even our closest star to us is lightyears away. Not with that attitude it wont. I just swing my sword. Space travel is not for me. As he speaks he pulls out his sword, its beautiful blade formed of ethercrystal. Its not difficult to guess what kind of abilities the weapon will have, or that its surely an epic grade item. My opinion of the man having been thoroughly bolstered, I decide to mirror his approach somewhat. My mana seeps into my hand, extending and creating a sword. I push further, compressing it until it turns dark blue with swirls of light blue and purple inside. My Mana Regulator redirects a big part of my mana into Reinforcement and we face each other. Swordmaster attacks first, silent, the grass around him barely reacting. When I use kinetic energy to dash, a shockwave erupts in my wake, creating a ripple in the green grass. The grass loses some of its color and the wind becomes more distant as I slide deeper into [Focus]. The air reverberates as our weapons slash, just a single exchange making it clear that he is much more skilled when it comes to handling weapons. I, on the other hand, am stronger and faster thanks to the huge amounts of mana coursing through my body. Swordmaster soon starts dodging my attacks, trying to predict and read them instead of barely blocking them. We attack each other, the collisions between our weapons creating small shockwaves, while invisible slashes follow our blades, and sparks of mana explode into the air. We find ourselves constantly repositioning and using the pillars as cover and angles of attack, we fight simply. Without relying much on mana and skills. I find myself enjoying this even caught in the depths of [Focus]. There is something satisfying about moving my body and simply reacting to the movements of my opponents while he does the same. Swordmaster is very talented, also realizing that this could have ended long ago, so at times it feels like a lesson as he focuses on my weaknesses. When I fix them at least a bit, he focuses on another one. Even so, ten minutes later, he jumps back a few times. More mana seeping into his transparent blade as it starts to shine while seeming to ignite the mana around him. More kinetic energy flows out of my Vortex Core, and we dash at each other, the last exchange reducing him to white particles as the system teleports him out, and I follow soon after. It takes me a few minutes to replay our fight and I feel my mood improve slightly. That duel was fun, with all this mana I almost forgot how much fun it is just to move my body. The next duel is Brainiac against Bard, with Brainiac winning, and catapulting himself into the top 8 with me. After that, it''s Biscuit ?s turn. Before he disappears, I wish him luck and promise a lot of jerky if he wins. They wind up in the same arena, as I did, leaving a corgi and Gareth to face each other. The grass bends gently under the wind as Biscuit floats into the air. This is awkward. Im going to feel terrible fighting you, Gareth sighs. Even so, Gareth still covers his body In a suit of silver armor as a crown of the same color forms over his head. Two orbs form over his shoulders. He doesn''t seem to be underestimating his opponent this time around. Dozens of purple tentacles shoot out from Biscuit, surrounding and grabbing Gareth, who tears some of them just with the sheer strength of his body as he cuts through others with weapons of his own creation, setting himself free. But that little time is enough, and the orb Biscuit was preparing is ready. It''s bigger than any Ive seen him create before, the purple color starting to turn bright white. It seems like hes decided to put everything into this single attack. Biscuit falls down from where he was floating, tired. Every ounce of his mana concentrated in the orb making its way towards Gareth, who just got out of the tentacles. Gareth groans in surprise, the crown over his head shining brighter. Gareth ?s two silver orbs form into a single one and shoot towards the bright white orb, surrounding it. As Biscuit ?s orb explodes, Gareth keeps layering barrier over barrier until his crown starts to flicker, but it stays. The silver light of his barrier surrounding the orb extends further. The explosion stretches, making the barrier bigger before it weakens and Gareth compresses it. In the end, the light of the explosion inside the orb dies off, and Gareth launches it far away, where it bursts open, and the intense heat scorches a huge part of the field. Taking a few slow steps, Gareth stops in front of Biscuit, who can barely move, and looks up at the man. That was a very strong attack, I have only a tiny bit of mana left, he says, clearly very tired, as he gently reaches out his hand towards Biscuit, who lets the man pet him. Gareth smiles gently, Can you please forfeit? I don''t want to hurt you. Aaron joins in as well, I mean you could beat him a bit, the guy deserves it for sure, but killing him would be too much. Sure, sure, I say, waving my hand dismissively. These little jerks just love that kind of joke. Or at least I think theyre joking. They dont actually think I would kill the guy, do they? I mean, there is no real reason to, and even though hes annoying at times, Brainiac isnt that bad. Noname vs Brainiac Gareth vs Wanderer Savant vs Sset Tacita vs AnotherOneHere Soon the event will be over, we just have a few more fights. The Arena for the quarter-finals is different once again. This time it takes the form of a lake the size of a tournament city for sure. That lake is perfectly calm and the water at its deepest barely reaches my ankles. The calmness of the lake leaves it almost like a mirror, the surface perfectly reflecting the blue sky. And there, far, far in the distance, stands a giant tree. I cant even guess how tall it is, but it has to be a few miles high at least. Want to go check the tree before we fight? I ask Brainiac, who is already opposite me. I dont know, man, it seems really far off, and how long do you think the system will let us stay here? We can test it out. Youre going to lose anyway, so you can forfeit in the worst case. Ouch... you dont have to be so direct. So? Damn it, fine, let''s check the tree. He sighs. I float into the air and stop near him, grabbing him with one of my mana arms. In front of us, I create a pointy barrier and behind us, I leave an anchor to estimate the distance. Then I start releasing the kinetic energy stored inside my core while replenishing it through my thermokinetic heart. Gradually, I increase the speed of our flight, ignoring the complaining Brainiac at my side. I continue to fly like that for a few minutes, but the tree doesnt seem to be getting closer at all. I even use my eyes to check it, but I cant detect any problem, and when I check my anchor, I land with a sigh. Turning around, the anchor is just a few seconds of flight behind us. See, its the same in the games, you cant leave the area. We could, I correct, disagreeing with him. The system isnt the problem, its this place. The lake seems to be causing this, and I cant disrupt the effect or see through it. If I could, we would be able to reach the tree. So its not the way the arenas been set up? Its just an effect of the place the system picked for our arena? Yup. Whatever, why are you so interested in that tree in the first place? I think it might be alive like The Living Tree on the 4th floor, so I wanted to take a look. But it doesnt matter if we cant reach it. I take a few steps, each sending ripples across the shallow lake and destroying the reflection on its surface, then I stop and face Brainiac. He quickly catches on and takes a few more steps back as well, settling at the distance most comfortable for him. The water around him ripples slightly, and a dozen or so projectiles rocket through the air, directly at me, each one the width of my pinkie and extremely sharp. There are even a few smaller and weaker ones mixed in, in a clear attempt to hide them. All of his attacks seem to be made of wind, or compressed air now that I think about it, I mean its either that or something similar. Maybe vacuum now that I think of it? I tilt my head to dodge two and step to the side to avoid a few more. I let three crash into my forearm without much in the way of strengthening, and blood is drawn, the projectiles nearly piercing through the limb entirely. When I check the projectiles stuck in my forearm, I find that they do have some weight to them after all, and a sense of mass. Still, I cant quite decipher what they are. The projectiles that missed me are now returning behind me, and I send a disrupting wave toward them. Half of them disappear, and the other half ignore it. There is no mana on them anymore, and they fly just by their momentum alone, seemingly made out of solid matter in their own right. I dodge and examine the attack for a bit longer, sometimes letting some hit me to examine them. There are a few more surprise skills Brainiac uses, but these projectiles are what interest me most so I take some time. When I have had enough, I send a strong disrupting wave and then let a huge amount of golden flames seep out of my core. At the last moment, I remember something, increase my control and stop the flames mid-air, the water under them sizzling and evaporating. D-did you just almost kill me? I quickly lower their power, the golden color turning yellow, and reduce the stream to a quarter of its size. Noname! Did you fucking forget we can die now?! I let the flames continue with a much slower speed toward Brainiac, and after cursing, he forfeits. Outside of the arena, no one says anything, but Maya chuckles until Tess gently slaps her in the back of her head. Chapter 379: Before the finale Chapter 379: Before the finale Gareth scores an easy win in his next fight. Even though its possible to die now, neither seems to hold back much. The fight still seems dangerous, but also like friendly sparring. Wanderer is a petite woman using shockwaves. She uses them to attack, reposition, and mimic flying for a second or two. Sometimes she even concentrates them much like I do, but they lack the damage output required to hurt Gareth. When Gareth wins, there is barely any sign of the fight on his body. As I wait for Tess and Savant to enter the field, I try to figure out the systems intent behind allowing us to die within the Arena at this point in time. Even during the start, the system said that it was impossible to die during the tournament. Does it mean the rules changed or was this always the plan? Am I just paranoid, thinking some sliver of intent from the Rulers would bother to mess with us? Either option could be true, though Its not hard for me to imagine the system doing this on its own to shake up the final matches. Whatever it is, it can wait as the two people enter. Tess with a dozen javelins floating behind her back, wearing armor she got on the 3rd Floor from Edwal and had improved and fitted on the 4th. The javelins are a mixture of a few epic ones with the rest being rare. Mostly made out of endurium. Savant is wearing a chestplate Ive seen him wearing on a number of occasions, a light weight and well fitted scale mail cuirass. Other than that, he enters with a bracelet on his wrist, a necklace, and the damaged Sword of Aeons on his waist. This time, Tess takes a more mobile approach and rushes to put more distance between Savant and herself. Her [Storm Crown] is already in place and she even uses [Psychokinesis] to move herself faster. Her opponent doesnt react and stays rooted in his starting position. The orange light is already starting to seep out around him, and he holds the Sword of Aeons in his hand. Once she thinks shes far enough away, Tess makes her [Declaration], the air itself vibrating as she forces the world to obey her will. What she said, I dont know, either I lack the capacity to understand, or shes chosen not to let anyone know, or perhaps the declaration doesnt quite make the transition from the Arena. But the result is obvious. The crown over her head grows in diameter, doubling in size, as the lightning lashes out at the air chaotically. The first javelin to sail through the air is an epic grade artifact. In the blink of an eye, it reaches its target, leaving a trail of red and white lightning behind it. Instead of piercing his chest, it slows as it gets closer, either the pressure from Savants domain or some unseen ability slowing it down and weakening the lightning. In the end, he grabs the javelin depleted of its lightning and, after examining it curiously, he lets it fall. Before that javelin even touches the shallow water of the lake, five more pass through the air, each of them at different speeds and all of them focusing on the same spot. The result is the same, the five weapons devoid of lightning falling from the sky to sink down into the water. Seeing that, Tess sighs and drops all but one of her javelins, and all the lightning from her crown and other weapons flows into it over the next ten seconds. The javelin cracks under the amount of energy stored in and surrounding it and Tess launches it directly into the air. Once again, Savant lets it happen. His eyes watch her like a tiger standing to the side, ready to pounce on its prey. After a while, that javelin starts falling down like a meteor, lightning cracking all around it as it shines like a solitary star. Its falling speed is further increased by Tesss skills. Without even attempting to dodge, Savants posture straightens, and lightning starts flowing from his hand and crackling around the Sword of Aeons. Shining red and white, like the one he absorbed before. It blisters his arm, eats into his flesh, and a few bolts lash their way across his cheek, causing a burning scar. Even so, he somewhat forces it under his control and slashes at the falling javelin.Updated chapters at novelhall.com The water from the bottom of the lake explodes into the air, as the sheer force of the impact causes a large quantity of water to burst into steam t. The displaced water rapidly makes its return to earth, falling like rain and rippling out across the lake. Somewhere within the area of impact, Savant remains, hidden by the cloud of vapor, a bit of red and white lightning continuing to arc through the fog. Tess moves her arm, and the javelins in the water lift into the air again. There is no lightning crackling around them this time. But before she can attack, a javelin flies from the point of impact at a speed nearly equal to that of her last attack. Even though Tess is not expecting to react, she sends a strong push in an attempt to stop the attack. A single thump sounds, and shocked, Tess looks down at her chest. There she finds a huge hole piercing through her body, big enough to see through. Clearly a mortal wound. I forfeit, she says, evacuating as quickly as she can while her body sways from blood loss, her eyes losing focus and becoming more and more distant. When she appears outside, the wound is gone, and her clothes and mana are restored. Tess grasps for the air. If she had hesitated a bit longer, she would be dead. If Savant aimed any higher, she would be dead. That much is obvious. So thats how we play. I filter out the conversation of my group and watch the next duel. Tacita against AnotherOneHere. After the last duel, Tacita seems to share my feelings, and the moment the fight starts, she disappears. Before her opponent can even react, he finds himself staggering back, her dagger piercing deep into his chest, slicing through his armor and ignoring any other defenses he may have had. A mercy Im sure he knows. That dagger couldve easily been placed in his eye and killed him before he could forfeit. Thanks, he mumbles while the blood flows from his wound. He disappears, and a new notification pops up. Congratulations! You have placed in the top 4 of the Arena of the 5th round of the tutorial. The fights will continue immediately with the final duel happening one hour after. Death is still possible within the Arena. Note: The remaining competitors will not be healed by the system after the duel ends, only mana and stamina will be restored. The duels are as follows: Noname vs Gareth Savant vs Tacita Savant barely covers his vitals, and the dagger stabs him three times: striking his arm, his knee, and the right side of his chest. Tacita pays a high price for the exchange though. Blisters form all over her body, and her breaths are quicker and shallower. One of her eyes seems to lose its sight. You will die if you dont forfeit, Savant says as he shifts his weight on a different leg. A bit of mana glows at the tip of Tacita ?s dagger, and she swings it, creating an image in the air just from the afterimage of the glowing mana. U(?) A crazed smile climbs its way onto Tacitas lips, and more mana seeps into the dagger, its surface vibrating visibly, cracks forming across the surface of the weapon. Her feet bury themselves in the ground, and she lowers her body. The mana poisoning reaches further, blinding her other eye as well, and she just closes her eyelids. The orange light of his domain dances across Savants skin, flickering like flames. Tacita reaches him in a blink and nearly severs his arm, the bone serving to stop the slash that was meant to separate his head from his neck. I can see how much it surprises Tacita that his bone stopped her attack. She tries to dash back but finds herself unable to. She falls to the ground, her chest barely moving. Her skin starts shivering, and some of her hair falls out as her limbs thrash as they cramp. Savant watches her. He doesnt attack, but he doesnt take down his domain and Tacita is slowly being poisoned to death. Then she forfeits and disappears. For some reason, I realize that I''m about to stand up, grab Lily, and teleport somewhere. It''s surprising reaction for multiple reasons, but I stop myself and wait. The reaction I expected to happen comes quickly. Nat, we need to help her! Lily shouts, grabbing my shoulder and shaking me. We need to? I ask curiously. Yes, we need to! She is unstable and dangerous. She could kill any one of you at any moment, so I dont think we need to. Nat? Lily cries, shocked. Yes? I thought you were friends, I thought you... Lily, Ive only known her for a few days. Don''t misunderstand, I care about our group only and I will kill anyone who tries to hurt us. As for Tacita, I dont mind being neutral with her, but we arent friends, and she doesnt belong to this group. These words are meant as much for me as they are for Lily. Please... she whimpers. I look at her. Lily is almost crying. Even though you dont know her? I ask with interest. It''s a question I want to ask myself as well. Please. Shes dying. I dont think anyones going to help her. Okay then if thats what you really want. I put my hand on her shoulder and teleport to Tacitas lair. Its deep in the forest, a small hideout built around a fallen tree. There, hidden inside, lies Tacita, curled up, shaking, and clearly dying. I watch as Lily rushes towards her, immediately using [Sacrifice] and sending a burst of healing through the girl. I dont mind helping Lily. Shes a member of my group, someone whos helped me over and over again. Someone I want to call a friend in the future. But Tacita? There are things I like about her, but theres a lot I dont. And I know she wouldnt hesitate to kill me or anyone from group 4 if she thought it was necessary. Why would I want to help such a person? Out of some sense of petty sympathy? Because of pity? I cant help her fully, Savants poisoning is too deep. I cant use [Disintegration]; I would probably kill her. Lily is desperate, and her constant healing is the only thing keeping Tacita alive. The mute girl is on the brink of death because of what [Dawn] did. With a sigh, I concentrate my mana through [Focus] and force it into the shape of a small black nail. I lower my head and pass under the fallen tree. In this tiny hideout, a single large blanket full of holes lies, most likely an item from Earth, judging by the design. A few stolen items are strewn about as well, some of them are even ours, Earth food I bought that disappeared. In the corner of this small place, a few daggers lie, all of them extremely clean and well taken care of. Layed out and organized like treasures. Lowering my hand, I pierce the black nail into Tacitas chest, and for a moment, she opens her eyes that are already healed by Lily. They meet mine, and I can see the stubbornness in her gaze. A strong will clinging to life. "It wasn''t my idea. It was hers." I gesture at Lily. The black nail starts absorbing the mana thats poisoning her and some of Tacita ?s own as well. I try to control it so it absorbs only Savants and I succeed only partially, but its the best I can do. When all of the mana poisoning is gone, I remove the nail and turn it into an orb. I will need to get rid of this somewhere. Lily touches Tacita again and starts healing her. Tacitas breathing steadies, her convulsions subside, and color gradually returns to her face. The entire time Tacita holds a dagger in her shaking hand. Even in the state she is in she is ready to fight back. It''s something I''m sure Lily didn''t notice. Chapter 380: Final duel Chapter 380: Final duel We stay a bit longer and I keep an eye on Tacita and the knife she has hidden behind her back. She is like a wounded animal, growling, and showing teeth, but knowing she is getting help and not biting because of that. I cant help but find it amusing to watch her face while Lily works on healing her, at this point Tacitas probably finding herself feeling even better than she did before the duels. As we leave she doesnt bother to draw anything for our benefit. She just watches us, clearly having us so close is making her nervous. Giving her one last glance, I teleport us away and let Lily deal with any questions our group might have. I, meanwhile, take the opportunity to stretch and return to sitting in the spot I abandoned before. I still have some time before my final duel with Savant, so I may as well work on Flamebearer. I replay the events of the 1st event in my mind, paying special attention to Savants use of the arcane glove he found there. Back then I wasnt taking anything too seriously, but arcane weapons are probably difficult to control. Very difficult. Flamebearer is like that even with my temporary inscriptions. It''s hard to say how much more difficult it is to control a fully powered arcane weapon. To hear Savant tell it, the glove tended to guzzle mana, and yet he made decent use of it, even with his paltry reserves. And the restriction he had in place only makes his feet even more impressive. Hell, he demonstrated his prowess again during his duel with Tess when he managed to force her primordial lightning under his control. I think his skill gives him an edge when he needs to manipulate an ability that hes absorbed. That explains why he couldnt control her lightning before absorbing it. Even so, the fact that he was able to do as much as he did says a lot. Then theres his duel with Tacita. I''m not worried about his domain or poisoning as I can counter it with mine. Actually, he should probably be worried about my domain. No, the interesting thing is that his bones were capable of resisting Tacita''s attacks. Tacita showed a rare expression of surprise when he did that. Connecting it with the mana stone he gave to Lily and the knowledge it contains, it''s possible he made some modifications. The question is if he replaced all of his bones or picked and chose. If I had to guess, I would say he went with the latter. (Would you mind if I asked you something?) Sophie probes, connecting to my mind. (Go ahead.) (While you were playing with your ax, Lily explained what happened with Tacita. She tried to not show it, but she was disappointed and surprised.) (Makes sense. So whats the question?) (I''m surprised by your reaction. I think its out of character,) she says. (Is it?) (Yes, I would have thought you would try to help just to get her on your good side, it wouldnt have even cost you anything. You already seem to have some small connection with her, and she seems to respect you.) (Werent you trying to kill her earlier?) (A bit, but that was just in the duel. I dont think I truly wanted to kill her if you know what I mean. So can I have an answer?) Sophie pushes. (I''m an asshole, simple as that.) (Were you waiting so that Lily could take the blame? Why would you do that? Why...) (Anything else?) I snap, interrupting her. (Just one more. I noticed a weird feeling a few times during our conversation, but did you die?) (Yeah, once or twice.) Sophie cuts off for a long moment and when she continues, her tone cautious, (Nat, others are coming to me to weaken their memories so they can keep dying while training. Yet you died at least two times during our conversation and who knows how many times before. Are you sure...) (Its fine. A bit of training didnt kill anyone... well, you know what I mean.) Having had enough, I just cut off the connection. Two times? It was twice as much. I''m using this opportunity to examine my heart as much as possible, even cutting it apart inside of my chest to examine its pieces. So of course, there are some risks. It would probably be safer if I didnt work on Flamebearer at the same time, but its fine. As for Savant, I''m curious how he will heal. At the start of the tournament, he appeared missing an arm, which Lily restored, but I cant help but wonder if he did it on purpose so he could examine her healing. Maybe he even absorbed some? What an annoying guy. Either way, Im certain that he has some plan to heal the wounds Tacita inflicted. The weird effect produced by that dagger can probably be removed if hes willing to sacrifice a decent chunk of his mana to fuel his domain. As for me, I dont think the duel will last very long. I plan to go all out fairly quickly and I have no qualms about using the last charge of Titan''s Backbone. It already proved itself in my fight against my duplicate. Once again, I feel myself getting giddy. Soon. POV Brainiac I poke Gary and gesture at the screen. The old man finally stops talking and focuses his attention. After he got his ass kicked by Noname, he seems even more interested in this fight. He may be trying to hide it, but I can tell that he is deeply dissatisfied with being subjected to such a one-sided defeat. Well, its not his fault. Nonamethat guy is bonkers, even the twins and Kim cant say any different. The screen displays an image of the final Arena, where the two stand, face to face. The setting appears to be a generic city from Earth. Theyre surrounded by skyscrapers and the sun sits high in the sky. Down on the streets, cars, bicycles, and a myriad of other vehicles stand parked. But not a single human can be seen. Though the setting is familiar, I cant help but find the image of a city without its multitude of bustling inhabitants disturbing. Look and see what you could do to your planet and cities. Buildings crash. Roads get torn apart, cars bowl over. I unleash flames that melt the concrete and kinetic energy reduces large statues and telephone poles into dust. Savant dodges, the orange sword made of his domain flickering under the constant pressure applied by my orbs and mana. Yet he still manages to absorb some of my attacks. Some fire disappears here, and a pulse of kinetic energy doesnt hit him as strongly there, and tricolored orbs fail to explode. His heart beats. At this point, I''m sure its not the original. Neither is his right arm, one of his legs, and one of his eyes. All of these parts came from different beings, all of them more powerful than his own and absorbed into his form. So I''m not surprised when all the attacks he absorbed get released, compressed into a single orb, not dissimilar to my own. His poisonous domain, my fire, and kinetic energy, my tricolored orbs and javelins, all of it merged into a single orb, which he sends my way with perfect timing. Even before it explodes, the orb releases immense heat, setting nearby buildings on fire and collapsing the road under it. I move one of three black javelins and shoot it through the orb, the black weapon sucking in all that mana, leaving only primordial energies behind, which I reabsorb into my Vortex Core. The attack disappears as if it never existed. I move my arm and the three black constructs fly back to me, all of them contained within my domain. In my hand, they connect and reclaim the form of a sword. Moving them now is much more difficult, but they are also so much more effective. Boosting my body, I reach Savant who meets me head on, his orange sword clashing with mine. I watch as his sword tries to poison me, to take over black mana. The domain is extremely concentrated in that weapon. But it cant do anything. The black sword just absorbs it all with ease and it doesnt even seem to have enough to resist. You wont be able to keep it up for much longer so thats why you are pushing me, he says as if its a fact. Yup, soon it will start wrecking my body. How much more mana do you have stored in that sword? I ask, gesturing at the Sword of Aeons. Enough to keep resisting your domain for another ten to twenty. I shoot a pulse of kinetic energy at his head only for it to be absorbed, and returned immediately. He does the same with my fire, javelins, and the tricolored orbs I form over our heads. All of it taxes him, I can see that. In the last attempt, he finally pulls out his trump card. He absorbs his left arm, the one Lily restored at the start of the tournament. His sword made of his domain disappears with it. The wounds on his body heal, the arm most likely containing some of Lilys healing powers and his strength and speed increase likely enhanced by the biomass he absorbed from his arm. The orange light ignites again. A light shines from the broken blade, extending it and giving it the look of a normal sword. his domain taking the place of the missing mana. Savant then powers his sword with the mana remaining in his body and the Sword of Aeons itself. Its scary how much comes through and some of his domain even pushes through the black sword I made, for a moment escaping its reach and affecting my body. The damage reaches my heart even though my domain and all my other defenses. It pierces through my mantle and spreads through my circuits. Even then, its not enough. Its far from enough. My heart thumps and I compress the mana flowing through my body. I throw the black sword far away and I grab hold of Savant ?s hand, holding his sword in place. Then I push further, I compress more and more until all the mana currently flowing through me becomes tricolored before resolving into that mysterious black mana. In a blink, it devours my mana poisoning and threatens to tear me from inside, until I push it out. Ignoring the damage it causes I form a big nail out of it, the same kind I made during the 1st event. I then jam said nail into Savants chest, making sure he understands the message. He tries to absorb it, he tries to work around it, but he cant. Not currently. With his body in tatters from our bouts and the sheer amount of mana we were channeling and our abuse of powerful skills, he looks at me. I''m ready for anything. My mind is sharp, my heart is beating wildly, and the world feels so colorful, so alive. Show me what you can do when pushed to the brink. I forfeit, Savant says simply and disappears. For a moment I just stare into the air and at the destroyed city all around me. What? I appear outside in the common area, to the sound of people shouting my username down below. What just happened? Some members of my group rush to congratulate me but I dont hear them. Did he give up just like that? Just because I had an advantage? I feel myself clench my teeth and my now restored mana starts seeping from my body. Is he messing with me?! I send my senses through the common area in one strong pulse and fail to locate him. I can''t sense him at all. As my mana starts to build up I glance at Lily and Isabella who are smiling. Izzy is even holding my hand and I''m sure she can feel my emotions right now. I once again look at the crowd down in the common area, most of them shouting my nickname, happy and celebrating the end of the event. When I glance at Izzy again, she smiles at me and taps my hand. Feeling extremely frustrated I sigh and seize control of my mana. I start cycling it again before it can start to leak and reach the people down below. This doesn''t feel satisfying at all. Chapter 381: It’s you… Chapter 381: Its you... Congratulations, you have won the 4th event - Arena! Do you want to accept your reward or would you like to forgo receipt to improve your final rewards? Your reward for winning the 4th event is:Geett the latest novels at novelhall.com Passive skill combination token (low epic) I would like to use it to improve my final rewards. The window disappears and I look at the palm of my hand, clenching it into a fist and then opening it. What a cowardly little bitch. Sure, he was about to lose. He gave his all, and I overwhelmed him. But still! What the hell. Fight me, show some pride, and dont just look at me like that! Goddamned Patience, is it his subclass, is that why? Savant my ass. I dont remember the last time I felt so frustrated. Hes more talented than me, he has some amazing skills, he was mentored by a Champion, and declared a Champion candidate. Yet he thinks so logically. It''s as if hes weighing everything, without taking any joy in the fighting. And now hes hiding. I went looking for him. Ive scanned the entire area of the tournament, but I couldnt find him. So I cant even try to punch him to vent. As has become my custom whenever Im annoyed, I pull Biscuit closer to my chest. We are alone in the living room in the huge armchair Ive reserved. Biscuit is quiet, and I have a suspicion he is sleeping off a large quantity of meat he found somewhere. His small body is soft and warm, and I can sense his heart beating calmly and hear his breathing. The fur on top of his head is pleasantly soft as I pet him. I wonder if I should start referring to him as an ESC, emotional support corgi, or ESFA, emotional support future absolute, or ESAO, emotional support animal overlord? It could be something to think about in the future. I pull up my status and check the skills that leveled up after I left the Arena. [Resonance - lvl 45 > Resonance - lvl 46] [Mana Domain - lvl 38 > Mana Domain - lvl 39] [Mana Domain - lvl 39 > Mana Domain - lvl 40] [Mana Crown - lvl 22 > Mana Crown - lvl 23] [Mana Crown - lvl 23 > Mana Crown - lvl 24] [Mana Manipulation - lvl 45 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 46] [Mana Manipulation - lvl 46 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 47] At least the rewards are nice, damn it. Once this tournament is over I need a break. Somewhere with fewer people. Maybe once we get the twins out of that Black Tower I can disappear for a bit and do some hunting on my own. Staying with them all the time could also slow their growth and mine as well if the danger isnt high enough. It sounds like a good plan, I would think. But for now, I have a few hours before the last event, so I may as well visit Miwa and check out her arm. Before that, I can put the items I made into the store. I open the interface, and as I do, I put in twenty mana stones. Each of them qualifies as a rare quality item, and they shouldnt sell for too high a price. But Ive inscribed each one personally, making the same sort of exercises for mana manipulation that I gave Vega and Channeler. Ive already tested them to my satisfaction. Vega and Channeler have certainly made some decent progress. So I set a starting price of 300 shards and time of auction until the end of the tournament. There is no hesitation at all. She only tells me she already read and memorized it all dozens of times over. In her group, there is no one she can talk with about crafting properly, so she is happy. So I tell her about Nevan and his alloys and the things he showed me. I show her the arcane alloy he made, which I keep on me at all times. I even let her see Flamebearer. Miwa seems like shes going to pass out from excitement at any moment, as she jumps from item to item, peppering me with questions. In the end, I show and tell more than I had planned. But she reminds me of Cael, the craftsman from the 4th floor, a bit too much honestly. There is not a single sign of greed in her actions, and I just cant see her selling the items I leave her with for simple profit. All I see in her is a pure love for the act of creation, nothing else. She also shows me the arm, and I examine it and the way it''s connected to her body. I examine the material and inscriptions. I even copy most of them into one of the many mana stones I keep on me. I make Miwa move the hand, send mana through it, and activate the various inscriptions. We even activate some she didnt know about, like one particularly efficient example that serves to make her arm even stronger, and a few more she will have to examine on her own. The arm seems to have been shielded from examination by anyone other than its owner, so it''s difficult to parse even as she allows me all the time I need. Still, I learn a lot and I believe that knowledge will stay with me, add to what I currently have, and allow me to create better things in the future. Unfortunately, she still rejects my offer to buy her arm. She doesn''t care about the possibility of receiving a new arm, courtesy of Lily. I could offer to rent her Biscuit for a few hours, but something tells me she wouldn''t accept, and I have nothing more valuable than that so I give up. Lastly, I inscribe a mana stone for her. Miwa has a skill that allows her to manipulate flames, but the inscriptions I created should allow her to practice and improve that skill. Maybe even evolve it. She is probably happiest about that part. When I finally leave, she thanks me repeatedly and bows profusely, her behavior having done a complete one-eighty over the course of my visit. I wonder if she saw something in me when I was crafting, just like I saw in her when she spoke about her love for the art of creation. I spend some time with Min-Jae and examining his eye. It works very well, and I dont find any problems. When Vega was still here, I also checked her eye. I might have gotten a bit paranoid after reading the contents of the mana stone that cowardly asshole Savant gave to Lily. Thankfully, it seems like everyone did a good job, and Vega''s weakened Mana Wavelength Iris fits her well. I wonder if I might be able to sell my eyes sometime in the future, perhaps I could even give a few away, weakened versions of course. Just pull it out, have Lily or another healer weaken it with my help, and then fit it to another person, and sell it. Logically, it shouldnt affect the trait itself, at least I dont think it should. Ill definitely need to learn more before going through with it. Min-Jae is still acting embarrassed, and it''s fun to see. Just that short spar wont change much, but he is a smart boy, so he should be fine. He will probably get his ass kicked a few times before that, but that''s to be expected. To be honest, if I see him doing it again, I might beat him up. I dealt with a lot of bullying growing up, people called me the brother of a murderer or poked fun at my mother. Of course, Im a hypocrite too and I bully others as well. Bendover is an example, or to a smaller extent, others. But at least Im an asshole who has enough power to be an asshole without getting killed by some vengeful chump. Meanwhile, Min-Jae is weaker, and it could cost him his life later. He can mimic me once he gets stronger. With little more than an hour until the last day of the tournament, we get a new notification. The 5th event - Chronicle of the Past will start in 1 hour! Everyone will have the opportunity to engage in a 1v1 combat challenge with one being from the database of the Earths tutorial. Beings such as natives from the already completed floors. Every participant will be given 1 challenge, so choose wisely! Challenged beings will be of the same quality as an Avatar, possessing no memories other than those required for combat. They do not possess emotions or the ability to talk and have no motivations other than defeating the challenger. Note: There will be no rewards for the 5th event. Your performance will be included in the calculation of your final rewards instead. Chapter 382: Chronicle of the Past Chapter 382: Chronicle of the Past Hey, Tess says, moving closer to me. What is it this time? She chuckles, amused by my reaction, I wanted to confirm something. Lily seems disappointed with you over that thing with Tacita, but I cant help but wonder if thats all there is to it. What do you mean? Im an asshole. It''s simple. Really? Why then, was your first reaction to grab Lily and teleport to Tacita? I saw it, I have good eyes. I sensed you preparing to teleport. You must have seen wrong. Did I? Yup, it was all Lilys idea. Are you worried about Tacita becoming attached to you? Are you crazy, Tess? That girl is bonkers. She isnt attaching herself to anyone. Youre lying. But I wonder why. Would that really be so bad? Does the idea scare you? Having someone like her attached to you? Maybe you just like acting like an ass so people will leave you alone. Totally. Anyway, did you see the last event? What do you think? Tess looks at me for a bit and then lets go of the previous subject, I will be challenging The First One. Lily will probably go against The Fallen Hero. Sophie is also going to pick The First One for obvious reasons. The rest still isnt that sure. Have you made a decision? Yes, but Ive got a few ideas about that. Could you get Channeler and a few people from Easy difficulty? Ill give them some items if they use their challenge the way I want. Sounds intriguing. Ill give him a call. And dont forget to set something aside for Channeler, he was helpful most of the time. Who does she think I am? Im already preparing some nice stuff for my future PR guy. Enough to make him the most powerful Easy difficulty attendee. I spend half a day training with Lily, trying to beat some sense into her and improve her efficiency. She tends to use too much mana and needs to invest more into her reserves, as the result of her duel with Tess demonstrates. Using a lot of her stats for constitution is nice as it means better body parts to [Sacrifice], but even that consumes mana. She also spends a lot of mana regenerating her body, which now costs more because of her high constitution. Her ideal strategy would be avoiding injury and taking advantage of her tough body through [Sacrifice], but Lily seems to like cosplaying a bulldozer during fights. In the future, the power of constitution and some additional traits could make her investments more viable, but thats going to take a while. Then I spend a bit of time with Izzy, demonstrating a few better ways to use her flames. Sophie helped her a lot with that, and Izzy herself is pretty good, so it''s just a nudge towards a different direction. As always, I remind Maya to not be a scaredy-cat and level her [Focus] more. So far, no one from Hell difficulty has chosen to issue their challenge for the 5th event. We have people monitoring the auditorium, once again set up in the common area, with multiple screens displaying each challenge. Some of the people from Hard have chosen to challenge powerful monsters they met on previous floors and couldnt defeat. Others challenge humans they want to learn something from, stretching fights out as long as possible. Challenging to learn is the way to go, I think. Yes, some want to overcome their trauma and near-death experience, but thats not for me. My challenge has already been decided, and I will wait for the end. Not like it is that far, just a few more hours. When people from Hell difficulty start issuing their challenges, I teleport to the common area. I think Biscuit was a 2-year-old corgi when he entered the tutorial with us. On the 1st floor, he awakened for lack of a better term. He still could be considered a kid, a child, even younger than my minion or Izzy. However, I find his naivety extremely endearing. His attempt to pay for stolen meat with pieces of glass he thought were the same as the mana stones they used as currency. Packing up pieces of meat with candy wrappers, thinking it might make us happier because he saw how much we enjoyed them. And more. His worldview is simple, and even most of his abilities were gained just to get more food. Tentacles to reach the places we had hidden food, telepathy so he could ask for more food. You are one cute little thing, arent you? I whisper, making sure no one hears, and boop his nose a few times. (Gone!) We will get you some later, dont worry. And where did you see that deer? Did you face a monster like that on the 5th floor? (Food!) He confirms. Receiving a Notice from Sophie, I look at the screen to see Min-Jae facing down a monster I havent seen yet. It''s bipedal with human-like features and four arms. Its skin looks like it is made of metal. Maybe its something Min-Jae met on the 5th floor? Soon the reason for this challenge becomes obvious as the monster seems to possess a skill similar to [Telekinesis]. Min-Jae, like people before him, uses this to observe the monster and try to learn as much as he can. There also seems to be a hint of fear and hatred directed at the monster. Maybe it caused him trouble before. In the end, the boy wins. It''s still not fully satisfying, but his fighting feels just a little bit less tense. At the end of his challenge, he even seems to enjoy it. The twins go one after another, both of them summoning the same monster. A small blue one with a huge head and a thin body that keeps creating illusions. That monster seems to be much stronger than they are able to handle, and after a while, they both lose. Even so, I can see their excitement as they exchange their wordless conversation. The next member of our group to fight is Maya, and she faces a female lynthari I dont know. The warrior is wearing simple armor and wields a longsword. Its Mayas teacher from the 4th floor. One of the best sword masters of Virelia. The lynthari liked Maya and taught Maya when she asked for lessons. She agreed and In exchange, Maya had to accompany her when she went to the city and shout vulgar stuff at people who tried to talk to her teacher, Tess explains with a giggle. Typical lynthari. I know, right? Still, Maya was rather fond of her and learned a lot. She didnt have time to say goodbye, and I think she wanted to see her one more time. Maybe even learn a thing or two or see how much stronger she has become. To watch the scene play out on screen, I cant doubt what Tess said. Maya is getting pushed back by an extremely skilled lynthari. I recognize parts of her move set that Maya seems to have adopted into her own style. The lynthari also likes to quickly switch between a number of weapons created from mana. She uses a shield, then she switches to a spear, then a dagger, and finally back to a sword. The style looks extremely confusing and very versatile. It requires a lot from its user, but the result seems to be worth it. Maya holds back and focuses on her technique instead of exploiting her higher level. And because of that, she loses, but she doesnt seem sad at all. Instead, she smiles proudly, satisfied with her growth. Can you connect me to Channeler? I ask Dennis, and with a nod he does. (You guys can do it, I will pay as promised if it works.) I say, sending it through the connection. (Sure thing! The guys are excited!) Then I watch the scene down below, as one man separates from his group and heads towards one of the screens. Im too far off to hear what he said, but I know the words. They are the words I told them to say. I want to challenge the winner of the 1st round of Earth''s tutorial''s 1st tournament. The man then disappears, teleported inside the arena to face his challenge. The event is called The Chronicle of the Past after all. Chapter 383: Bloody brawl Chapter 383: Bloody brawl An Avatar appears before the man from Easy difficulty. An Avatar of the man who won the 1st tournament of the 1st round of Earths tutorial. The rumor spreads quickly, and before the countdown ends, signaling the start of the duel, all eyes have been glued to the screen, examining that man. He is very tall and muscular, the build you would see on strongmen. Hes bald, has a bushy black beard, and looks to be in his thirties. He Wears simple clothes and seems to be unarmed. When the duel starts, he takes a few steps and stares down at his challenger. Its just a moment, but even that seems to be enough to unsettle this particular member of Channelers group. Then the Avatar swings his arm, and the upper half of his opponent''s body disappears, and just like that, the challenger reappears outside. Did you see that? That one swing left a massive crater, Aaron says excitedly. High strength? Min-Jae guesses. That dude was massive, and probably as heavy as the two of us and Min-Jae combined, Dennis says, staring at the now blank screen with his eyes wide open. But it seems like you were right, Nat! We really can challenge the winners of the previous tournaments. Its not like its all that useful, but its going to be nice to see some of the other tutorial attendees. We might even find out how many rounds our tutorial has, I inform Min-Jae. The next challenge is beginning, Sophie says, and we turn back to the screen. The 2nd round winner of the tournament is a young redheaded woman with a long scar on her cheek. She is wearing simple, well-made armor, which I recognize as the armor of the Fallen Hero. Her only weapon is a huge ax with two blades. Even so, she doesnt bother using her weapon and nonchalantly kicks a stone off the ground towards her opponent. It speeds off like a bullet and kills the man from Easy difficulty. Hot. To my surprise, its Maya who says that. She gets a few surprised looks, and I can see the twins want to say something, but neither is brave enough to do so. The winner of the 3rd rounds 1st tournament is a child. A boy looking to be even younger than Isabella. He has brown curly hair and deep blue eyes. Very deep blue, likely a result of one of his traits rather than anything approaching his natural color. As ten seconds pass, the boys shadow expands, and two pitch-black wolves rise from its depths, as if they were made of ink. They attack at once, dashing at the challenger who quickly dies at their hands. The two black wolves turn into a liquid-like substance and seep back into the boys shadow which quickly returns to normal. The entire time, his blue eyes seem to shine. Then the time comes for the winner of the 4th rounds tournament. Its a 27-year-old woman. Most people would probably find her attractive. Her eyes are both brown though one of them is slightly lighter in color than the other. Shes wearing simple clothes. Black pants and a gray shirt with long sleeves. The design seems to originate from the 4th floor. Her black hair is pulled back into a simple ponytail, clumsily done, she never was any good at doing it herself. Even as an Avatar, confidence, and grace radiate from her as she stands waiting with perfect posture. Nat... I can hear Tess say quietly. Something happened? Why is your voice like that, Tess? Maya asks, voice full of concern. That woman, she... Tess hesitates, unsure what to say. She is my sister, I answer in her place. I watch the screen as Victoria takes her first steps. Her movements are so familiar. The Avatar moves just like her. Confident and daring. It''s as if she is daring the entire world to throw everything it has at her. And Im sure if that happened, she would endure it all without complaining. That''s how she is. The challenger dies with a single swing of her arm. When she disappears, I can only stare at the place where she stood. (Boss, we tried to challenge the 6th round winner, but it didnt let us. The same goes for higher numbers. It seems like we can challenge only rounds below the 5th for some reason.) Lily, who was looking around at that moment, starts pulling her arm back in shock, but Victoria pulls harder and tears Lilys arm from its socket. That makes Lily stagger back, a short scream of pain escaping her while her arm starts regrowing. Before its restored, Victoria takes a step swinging Lilys severed arm. She lands a blow on Lilys face, striking with great force, sending her staggering with a broken nose. And then she advances with another quick step and swing, making Lily stumble even more. Before the third hit lands, Lily uses [Disintegration], lashing out at Victoria. Victoria swings, deflecting the gray mana with Lilys own arm. As the arm of a person who possesses that skill and uses it often, It only makes sense that it should be able to endure it. The only sign of damage on the arm is the ragged skin at the stump and a few disintegrated pieces of flesh. Lily continues to attack, and every time, Victoria uses her arm to block her gray mana. After a while, all that remains is a jagged bone, and Victoria attacks head-on. She spits, and I can see a bloodied piece of something fly over Lily. Was it her tongue? Did that crazy woman bite off her own tongue and spit it behind Lily?! Maya says in shock. The moment that piece of tongue lands on the ground, another Victoria grows from it just like she did from the finger. A perfect copy of the original. That copy quickly moves and puts her arms around Lily from behind while the original uses the bone jutting from Lilys severed arm to pierce Lily ?s chest, aiming for her heart. A whip-like burst of gray mana is sent from Lily, both versions of Victoria getting hit. One loses both arms, another one its legs under the knees. From these cast-off limbs, three more Victorias quickly regrow. Victoria, missing her arms, knees Lily in the chin, and the one without legs grabs one of Lily ?s arms. The other three Victorias each grab a limb and start pulling. Lily screams as they tear off her limbs, and another burst of gray mana devours everything around it in a wide area, and all the Victorias with it. Still, they had time, and further away, two bloodied fingers make their landing. From each finger, one Victoria regrows. Lily sways a bit but straightens up as they attack her relentlessly. They are much more confident now, better at dodging [Disintegration], and after a while, one of them bites off her finger and spits it out. The finger spawns a third Victoria. After dodging, she swings her arm and punches Lily in the jaw, staggering her and almost causing her to lose consciousness as the powerful blow shakes Lily''s brain. All three of them seize the opportunity and attack Lily. Two start pulling her arms, and the third one grabs Lilys head after punching her again in the same spot. Lillys bursts of bursts of [Disintegration] gradually weaken, still damaging them, eating away at their flesh, and blinding them, but they still continue to pull. In the end, Lily ?s head lets go before the limbs, and they pull it free, dangling her spine behind it. Finally bursting into a cloud of particles Lily reappears on the roof. The result is a total shitshow. She wanted to help, to have a duel so I could see my sister for just a bit longer, and yet it ended like this. A total, absolute shitshow. Instead of fighting with her to allow me a longer glimpse of my sister, it ended with them getting into a bloody brawl. But I do understand. I tend to screw things up when I try to help, making them worse instead. It caused my sister so much trouble back then. There was no ill intention from Lily, none at all. In her own naive way, she just wanted to help, without thinking it through at all. It''s almost silly. What did she imagine would happen? Lily tries to get out of the rooftop, but I move to her and grab her arm. I patiently wait until she lifts her head from the ground and looks at me. Thank you, I say. Chapter 384: The end of the tournament Chapter 384: The end of the tournament The remaining challenges of the 5th event continue, but other than a few of the more powerful members of Hell difficulty, we dont pay them much attention. Also, Channeler is already trying to get some last-minute people to challenge a few individuals and beings we wanted to try to challenge before I made them go against Victoria. So Nat, your sister... Maya starts carefully. Yes? She seems ... nice. Hehe. I see. But damn, why do you both have to fight like that? What kind of combat even was that, regrowing her body and tearing limbs off? She beat Lily down with her own arm. It makes sense if you think about it. Lilys arm should logically endure [Disintegration] at least a bit, so she used it as a shield. Thats the problem with you, Nat. You dont even see anything wrong with that. Tess, you said you met his sister a while back. What kind of person is she? Tess takes her eyes off the screen and turns to Maya, She is very polite. Maya blinks a few times and gestures wildly at Sophie, who also shakes her head. I let them talk and jump down to the common area. Upon reaching one of the terminals to start the challenge, I stop and look at the screen. There are so many options for me to challenge, but at the same time, there is only one. The only person I feel anything like admiration for. I want to challenge Lissandra Hawthorne, Absolute of Eladore. Feeling myself pulled, I do not even examine it and find myself inside the arena. Like everyone elses, mine is unique. It is a clearing with vibrant grass and purple flowers that cover it in its entirety. A few pillars stand in the distance, crumbling under the weight of their age, and off to the side, stands the ruins of a building that must have been glorious once, long, long ago.Th.e? most uptodate novels are published on n(0)velbj)n(.)co/m The Absolute Lissandra stands opposite me, just a few steps away. She is as I remember her. Tall, in a black suit that would be more fitting on a male. looking to be around 60 years old, and her hair is gray. But most importantly, there is that absolute confidence of hers, evident even in the form of an Avatar. A ten-second countdown starts and black mana from an orb I create seeps into my mind, the world starts feeling as if it has slowed down. My Mana Wavelength Iris activates as well, and in this state, I stack layers upon layers of barriers around me, using all of my bodys mana. Once Im done with that, I reach into my reservoir and start using that as well, and a third of my reservoir disappears like that. The second third powers [Redistribution], which Im ready to use at any moment to defend myself. The last third I use to further power my mind and eyes while keeping a single black orb in front of me, one last attempt at defending myself. In these ten seconds, my body gets ruined beyond measure. Ive used too much mana too quickly and recklessly. All my reserves are emptied in mere seconds. But I just need to endure for a moment. Ten seconds pass. Lissandra looks at me and then takes a single step. The step resounds in a seemingly infinite echo, and I feel myself stumble and fall to my knees, barely able to keep myself from fainting. Another step and the echo continues, but I hold on and force myself to keep my eyes and mind in one piece, staring at the most powerful being I have met so far, not counting the Rulers. Lissandra stops holding back her mana, and it radiates from her. It moves like a wind that, without any effort, blows through all of my defenses. Its not even an attack, just the sheer pressure of her unrestrained mana. All of my efforts are nothing in front of this Absolute. Then the black orb absorbs some of her mana, and bursts open like a bubble, unable to contain the overwhelming force. I find myself back outside and for a long moment, I stand there, replaying what happened and trying to decode what my eyes saw. I still have a long way to go, but I dont feel quite as hopeless as before. I have seen her move her mana, and with it came a tiny bit of understanding. This kind of knowledge I value more than any reward, more than any item. In the remaining few hours, we try to challenge the 1st Beyonder, but his Avatar fails to appear. We make multiple attempts, but no combination of words seems to work. Even the Intent or Rulers refuse our summons, but thats only to be expected. I also catch Channeler and force him to accept a few upper rare items, making him by far the strongest and richest member of Easy difficulty. I notice a few members of his group giving him some interesting looks, so I mention that if something happens to Channeler, I will find the one responsible. I make sure this message spreads. We dont want my PR guy to get hurt. Then my mana stones sell, the last few shards trickling into my account from the tournament shop. Congratulations, your items were all sold in the tournament shop! You have gained 10,346 shards. Ten percent will be taken by the system. The bidding still went even higher than I could have expected. There are a lot of goodbyes, many people making friends in the week weve had here, thats far from normal in my book. It takes me months to get used to waking up 30 minutes earlier or later than usual and these people made friends. Humans can be scary indeed. Gareth, Brainiac, Lootenant, and even Samuel come to say goodbye. I also notice Tacita standing in the distance. She stares at Lily for a while, but she does take a moment to glance at me. Then she disappears as she is used to do. We also say goodbye to the twins, who will be separated from us the moment we exit the tournament. They still have wounds on their bodies, something theyve had to endure the entire time theyve been here. As our time approaches its end, I move to the side where, for one last time, I make use of our immortality in this space. I create a big orb of black mana and feed it to my crown. The result is the same as before. Despite all my training, experience, careful thinking, and inscriptions, none of these help me control it. After disconnecting from the crown which still manages to steal almost all of my mana, it crumbles and explodes in a shockwave that washes over the entire common area, giving one last scare to the people around us. A small goodbye from me to them. Congratulations on completing your 1st tournament! The second tournament will take place 2 years after the start of your tutorial. In the second tournament, all rounds of the Earths tutorial will participate. Congratulations, you have placed 1st overall in the 1st tournament of the 5th round of Earths tutorial. Your reward has been improved. Congratulations, you have placed 1st in the overall crafter rankings of the 5th round of Earths tutorial. Your reward has been improved. You have rejected multiple event rewards in order to increase your final reward. Your reward has been improved. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Please pick 2 out of 5 possible rewards before you are transported back to the 6th floor where your Floor Quest will continue. Passive skill combination token (upper epic) Trait strengthening token (2nd stage) Shards:135,369 I guess weve unlocked a bit more of the system. The Item in my hand is no different. Flamebearer (low Arcane, Damaged) - Flamebearer held dominion over fire, with a mere swing capable of igniting the horizon. This axs blaze once burned with immense fury. Despite the damage and its weakened flames, moments of intense heat surge through its blade, offering a glimpse into its fiery past. But before I can really think about it another window pops up. You have been invited to become a disciple. If you decide to accept, you will be summoned to train and study under your master for 2 weeks. If you choose to reject, there will be no consequences. You have 10 minutes to decide. Do you accept? Yes/No Well, this is unexpected. Three minutes later, each member of group 4 present takes a seat in silence, each processing the news of the invitation I got. I think its an additional tournament reward. You said you rejected event rewards multiple times, so I think this is part of it, Tess says. "It could be it. The message seems to be nearly the same as the one my disciple received before she entered the tutorial," I answer. Didnt you want to enter the third Beyond trial? Min-Jae asks. I wanted to go to trial, get Aaron and Dennis out of the Black Tower, and do a lot of other things. This message has ruined all of my plans. Maybe youll get another chance if you reject it now, Sophie muses. Or maybe its a one-time thing. And what does this even mean? Will you be leaving the tutorial, or will your master be one of the tutorials natives? We cant rule out the possibility of interference on the part of the Rulers either, I say, shrugging my shoulders. I think you should accept it. If the tutorial can be trusted, your master may be able to help you a lot. You might even get someone powerful enough to declare you a Champion candidate, whatever that means. Tess seems to be pushing the most. She knows just as well as I that they will face greater challenges if I leave, yet she still does it. She seems to read my mind for a moment, saying, Dont worry about us. We will get the boys out and wait for you to complete the Floor Quest. I wonder, is it worth it to push back the next trial of Beyond anymore than the tournament already has? But I have to agree with Tess. The rewards I picked for the tournament are more than amazing, but it makes sense for this invitation to be part of it. There is a weird twisted logic to it. If I get a capable master, it has the potential to make me more powerful than any other reward I could get. And who knows how much information I could collect? I might even get summoned out of the tutorial. At least I dont need to worry about group 4, well, not much. They have a few monsters in their ranks, and Tess will make sure to keep them all alive. Okay, I guess Ill just have to follow my gut on this one. Im going to accept, I tell them. Then after retrieving a few things from our hidey-hole and leaving the rest with them, I prepare to leave. I do not use the passive skill combination token as I have a great plan for it but I dont have enough time to work out all the potential kinks. As for trait strengthening, its still too soon to strengthen my eyes. Mana Wavelength Iris is just too powerful as it is. So just like that, we find ourselves being separated again. Both sides wishing the other luck and telling a few lame last minute jokes. I accept, I say and once more feel myself pulled away. POV Earth Professor, w-we have a problem. Go on, Liam, dont make me pull it out of you. You young folks are supposed to be direct. Leave the pointless tiptoeing around to oldtimers like me. The young man by the name of Liam gulps, We... we found a spider on the moon. Oh, you did? Maybe its just some kind of contamination left over from the moon landings? No, wait, since when do we have telescopes that powerful? Professor, we didnt use a telescope... Excuse me? Liam, I dont know if this is your idea of a joke, but if so Im deeply disappointed in you. We didnt use any of our telescopes, Professor. It can be seen with the naked eye. Silence ensues, and the old man bursts out in a boisterous fit of laughter, but as a minute passes and he sees the unchanging face of his student, his laughter tapers off. With a serious expression, Liam continues, The spider in question is the size of the entire state of Colorado. POV Nathaniel I immediately recognize the place I find myself in. The poisonous lake nearby, the weird inscriptions covering the sky. I even recognize the forest around me. Ive clearly found myself back on the 5th floor, and by the looks of it, the Veil is in the same state I left it in. It might even be the same instance. But there is one thing that shocks me more than any other. There are three presences beyond the trees on a small clearing near the lake. I cant see their owners yet, but I recognize their signatures. One of them is the murderer from Easy difficulty. The other is a tall lynthari woman and the last... Little pup, are you going to come out or do I have to grab you by the scruff of your neck and drag you out myself? We were wrong. This was never part of my rewards. Chapter 385: Five rules Chapter 385: Five rules Like my minion before, I walk from behind the trees and enter the exact same clearing she entered back then. There, these three people greet me. The murderer from Easy difficulty stands there awkwardly. He is not tied, and there is no mana holding him at all. Yet, he stands there with a terrified expression, not daring to move or say anything. Myrra looks just as I remember her, tall and cheeky. Her white hair easily flows in the wind, and her golden eyes are squinted with a happy smile. The emotion I''m feeling right now is extremely silly. There is just one problem: her tail sways from side to side in the manner she does when there is danger around. Feral one, be very careful, she made a deal with some being to kill you, Myrra warns me. And the third person lets her say it. It''s like it doesn''t matter at all if I know. That absolute confidence tells me she will deal with anything thrown her way. Lissandra sits on the stone nearby. Unlike her version I just met in the 5th event, she is young and beautiful, an ethereal kind of beauty that''s hard to grasp or describe. Her silver hair flows over her shoulder, tied into simple ponytails. She is wearing black clothes, more fitting for a male, but looking easy to move in. As before, her body is flawless. That''s the word I could use. It''s like its made with the single purpose of being as athletic as possible. As she shifts, I can see that in each of her motions. Every movement sends a shiver down my back as if I''m standing in front of a peak predator. It''s a sentiment confirmed by the calm in the area around us. All over the forest, monsters are fighting, veilshriekers crawling, the Veil intensifying this pressure. Yet, the small area around us has not a single monster nearby, as if they do not dare to enter her territory. Lissandra doesnt say anything for a while but continues to observe me very intently. Behind her eyes, I know she is thinking of something. Something very important. I''ve decided. I wont kill you, little pup, Lissandra states, as she makes her decision. She was always quick to do that. She jumps on her feet, picks up the black dagger that was stabbed into the stone, and puts it on her belt. The moment she does so, time around us feels like it slows down, and the pressure increases. A single giant orange eye appears there and grows in size until it covers a third of the sky, which turns pitch-dark. Fake one, we made a deal, the voice of that entity I met multiple times roars through the air, making it vibrate and the world shake. Do not dare to try to... I have a few requirements, of course. If you break any of them, I will kill you, little pup, Lissandra tells me, totally ignoring the thing in the sky. Why? I ask her, also ignoring the intent. I wouldnt take it lying down, but seeing her now, it feels like I wouldnt stand a chance against her. None at all. Its this primitive feeling thats hard to describe, and she is the only person who makes me feel this way. If it comes to it, I will fight till the end, but this... this would be throwing my life away. I hate it. I dislike how weak I feel and the difference in our strengths. This wont do. This cant go on. There is no way I will allow myself to feel this way. Seeing its not getting attention, the intent in the sky disappears, its anger is easy to imagine. The world becomes normal once again, and the sounds come rushing back as the sun appears back in the sky. Good, Envy is now gone. He wont be able to mess around with this tutorial for a year or two. Maybe less if other Rulers share the backlash with him, which could be quite possible. Lissandra turns to Myrra, Little kitten, kill that man but freeze and keep his heart. Myrra does so right away. The murderer from Easy difficulty tries to use his mana and defend himself, but a single hole is pierced through the middle of his forehead, and his body falls on the ground like a puppet without strings. Lissandra takes a few steps towards me and taps with her finger right over my heart. Originally, I agreed to deal with Envy so I could get your heart and status, little pup. The man that just died was supposed to be used so I can transfer his status to this female lynthari you saved in such a silly way. As she talks to me, I examine the black dagger on her belt. That thing is totally the one I made on the 3rd Floor and came back to bite my ass. It currently doesnt even try to absorb any mana. It just sits there. I find it very, very interesting. Something I should try to experiment with. But maybe I should pay attention to Lissandra. She seems to notice me getting distracted, and I know if I push it more, there will be consequences. So I say, You made a deal with that entity. He wanted me dead, and you agreed, asking in exchange to be moved here, this floor was probably kept alive by the entity and maybe because of my and my duplicates attempts to have it kept running after I leave it. Lissandra gestures for me to continue. The plan was to kill me as the entity wanted and for you to take my heart and status, the status of that now-dead man going to Myrra. Then you would either on your own or with some help become Earths tutorial attendee and get out of it when it ends. Simple, isnt it? Lissandra takes a step back and gestures at Myrra to come closer. Are you not worried about breaking the deal you made with Envy? The situation reminds me of the time she threw me into the dark tunnels full of flame imps, imps poisoning me and serpents. All for my training and because she was dissatisfied with my, in her opinion, slow growth. Maybe this is something similar? Such a lovely old lady indeed. The worst will be getting 3 skills to level 50. Active skills: Focus - Lvl 49 Perception - Lvl 46 Redistribution - Lvl 48 Resonance - Lvl 45 Mana Domain - Lvl 40 Tether - Lvl 36 Infusion - Lvl 29 Mana Crown - Lvl 24 Mana Manipulation - Lvl 47 This will be dangerous. The bottleneck from level 49 to 50 seems to be really big, looking at how long my [Focus] is stuck at 49. Lissandra, probably getting the reaction she wanted, takes a step closer, and the thing I expected since the start happens. She hits the side of my head, hand open, with her palm. This powerful attack is... Yes, she bitch-slaps me. I''m sent to the ground even though I kept strengthening my body a lot ever since I saw her. It annoys me that she used the perfect amount of force to make it sting and not hurt me further than that. It doesnt even feel like an attack, more like punishing a kid for doing something stupid she doesnt want me to repeat. This is most likely for the end of the third floor. Or maybe she just likes to slap people. Perhaps it is to show dominance or something. Damned cockroach. Seemingly in a better mood, Lissandra turns around and heads somewhere between the trees. I''m left behind with Myrra and the corpse of the murderer from Easy difficulty. Myrra, let''s run away from her. Its useless, feral one. Myrras tail moves in an annoyed manner. She is even whispering. Did you already try? What happened? Long time no see. How are you doing? Why are you avoiding my question, Myrra? I didnt expect to see you again, feral one. That mana stone you left behind was an extremely cheeky way to try to help me. But it worked, so I have to thank you for that. I decide to give up on getting an answer to my question and instead look at the tail that so often betrays Myrras emotions. It now sways from side to side. She seems to be in a really good mood. You are her disciple now? I wouldnt say a disciple. Maybe a candidate to become her disciple would be more accurate? Lady Lissandra is very picky when it comes to these kinds of things. Of course she does. Old people are like that. How much do you know? Parts of it. The process is gradual for me, unlike Ms. Lissandra. If I get a status, I should be able to finally learn more. About this place, me, her, and about you, feral one. Who would have thought you and your group are even more interesting than I thought. As the conversation goes, I continue to observe myself. So far, not using [Focus] doesnt seem to change that much. I was worried about being unable to use it for emotions, but maybe it wont be that bad after all. Chapter 386: Outburst Chapter 386: Outburst For now, I decide not make any attempts at running away from this crazy woman. At least I should be able to get something useful out of the experience. This version of the 5th floor seems to be a continuation of my instance, so unfortunately I can''t loot the Veil Ignition Station again. But there should be others, so maybe I can raid a few along the way. Of course, Ill have to keep working hard on fulfilling Lissandras demands. I don''t think Im going to have much chance to sleep over the next two weeks, my first goal should be to get myself to level 250 and earn some body strengthening. Hopefully, it will help me endure that. Myrra, why do you guys have that arm with you, I ask, gesturing at the slim, and pale arm that once belonged to a woman. Lady Lissandra brought it with her. She said it belonged to someone who used to share her title. Oh? Did it come from the Absolute Saint of the third floor? I take a few steps closer and squat in front of the arm, which pokes from the bag. Surely it is better than the piece of Champions body I left with Lily, right? Even though she was long dead, it did come from the body of an Absolute. Feral one, I would advise against taking it. Very strongly advise, Myrra says seriously. It feels weird. What did she do to it? We found Thalen''s original body and... Who? Myrra blinks slowly a few times and stares at me. "What? I can''t remember every random guy''s name." "Thalen, the guild master of The Luminous Order? You and I fought Isola and him in the Old Capital, feral one. Lady Lissandra forced him to use his skill and took over. She did it so easily too. She used him to make changes to the arm and create a few single-use emblems. Thalen died in the process. The pressure melted his brain." Eh. Its not like anyones going to miss the guy. I say, poking the arm, which retains a degree of softness and warmth. It radiates a similar aura to the Saint''s body almost as if it were still alive, ready to wake at any moment. Looking at the arm, I whisper, Its nice to see that you made it. What? Myrra asks, and her ears perk up. Im fairly certain that she heard me the first time, so I ignore her question and stand without disturbing the arm. So she didn''t declare you a Champion candidate? I ask her. She didn''t. Unlike the matriarch, she doesnt think Ive earned it yet. Can she even do that? She isnt an Absolute anymore. What even is her current level? You can ask her, feral one. Please let me know what you learn. Maybe you should ask. Im sure Lady Lissandra loves her little kitten enough to answer. Maybe she likes her little pup more. Why dont you bark for me? Woof woof, my little feral pup. Nya. Myrra freezes and blushes, Do not... Nya nya nya. Feral one, do you need another beating? How could you have grown even more annoying in the time since we last saw each other? Nya? You little shit... Grab our things. Were moving out. Lissandra says, appearing out of nowhere. Its like shes taunting me for my poor perception. I didnt sense her at all. I didnt sense her heart, my black dagger, the heat of her body, or the kinetic energy from her movement. She just appears out of nowhere. Myrra reacts quickly and pulls the items from the ground, bundling them away in a number of small bags. Some of them contain food, others contain water, and a few others contain a series of miscellaneous items. Oh, and the human arm and the heart of the man Myrra just killed, of course. When the last one dies, I stop and, for the first time in a long time, I feel breathless. My heart thumps wildly, as even now I stop mana from strengthening my body too much. [Lvl 237 > Lvl 238] Our eyes meet, she points in a direction, saying That way. With just over one percent left out of my five percent allotment, I head off. Its all weird. Especially the emotions I usually block or weaken with [Focus]. Using a mere fraction of the mana Im used to throwing around without any thought. Im sure I even sense a bit of fear. Its one of the few emotions I let through if only to increase my enjoyment of a given fight, but this time it feels more real. More raw. We reach a small clearing, finding a single monster awaiting our approach. [Rootfiend - lvl 210] Another humanoid figure. As tall as me, with long spindly limbs. The moment the monster spots me, it attacks, lashing out in a single smooth motion, mana coating the length of its arms in a field of wildly vibrating energy. I boost my body just in time, holding my arms in a defensive stance, covering my neck with forearms coated in an oscillating mana. Almost by reflex, Im about to place an anchor on it but stop myself because of the mana cost. Instead, as the monster jumps back, I grab its arm, resonating my mana against it to stop it from damaging me. As I take hold of its limb I take the opportunity to pull the beast off balance, the monster hisses in response, baring its teeth in a show of aggression. Revealing rows upon rows of shark-like teeth. In exchange, I open my mouth, launching the orb Ive been hiding from the monsters detection, lodging it in the monsters mouth. I manipulate it, changing its shape, causing it to elongate into a spike and piercing the monsters brain, watching as it sways and falls. But not before it can slash my body a few times, too quick to dodge. Leaving gashes across my waist, and my blood seeping through my clothes. [You have defeated Rootfiend - lvl 210] One percent of my allotted mana remains. My mind feels weirdly blank, and even my heart, despite its wild thumping, begins to pound out a strong rhythmic beat. That way. I hear Lissandra say behind me. It irks me in just the wrong way, and for a moment a strong temptation overtakes me. Just a single order and my mana will move the way I want. I can use all of it. I just need to turn around and face that annoying woman. There is no need to kill her, just show her that Im not here to be toyed with. At this moment I dont care if she is trying to teach me something. Just a...I freeze the moment I turn around. Lissandra towers there. At that moment, I cant even see Myrra cringing nearby. Its as if Lissandra is the only being in existence in this place. Her presence overwhelms everything around her. There is no mana flowing around us. Lissandra doesnt even take a battle stance. She just returns my gaze. Something about it tells me she knows exactly whats going through my mind. She even welcomes it. If I attack her right now, she might kill me. My lips shift, and a big smile forms on my face. The biggest one Ive shown in a long time. Lissandra seems to be taken aback for the faintest moment, but even though her expression doesnt change, a dangerous light begins to dance in her eyes. My mana flows into my body, and a crown forms over my head. I take a step towards her, extending my domain over the area. I do not use black mana, nor do I use [Focus] for my emotions. Instead, I manipulate my trait, activating it, and within my domain, I place anchors. Then I use [Redistribution] and reach out and grab Lissandra. Lissandra reaches and taps on the black dagger on her waist. A single clear ringing sound, and I see the dagger absorb a bit of my mana. Less than the five percent I used against the monsters. Only then does she lower her body and use the skills Hadwin used to have. [Strengthening] activates, and she moves even quicker than Tacita, each of her steps tearing the ground apart. [Disruption] dances around her skin, changing frequency with a speed I cant even imagine, forcing me to deactivate my eyes when I try to examine it. I stack barriers around me. I strengthen my body and shoot projectiles towards her. She ignores it all. None of that mana damages her. Every piece of it bursts into particles when it touches her. I kick out at her, and she increases her speed even further for an instant, slipping under my leg, and lashes out at me with a kick of her own. Under her kick, my knee bends and shatters. I send mana there to support myself, but then she touches me and all of my mana starts running out of control. I empty my Vortex Core, all of my thermal and highly concentrated kinetic energy bursting into the area around me, flames burning everything in their path, and kinetic energy tearing through the area. She connects to one of my anchors and activates it, and I feel myself teleported through it, along with an uninvited hitchhiker. Lissandra and I appearing in a place far away from the explosion. For a fleeting moment, our eyes meet. Then her arm becomes a blur, striking the side of my head, and I black out. Chapter 387: You are free to try it anytime Chapter 387: You are free to try it anytime When I open my eyes, the first thing I see is the Veil weaving its way through the sky. Feeling a presence near me, I turn my head to the side, and Lissandra sits there on the fallen trunk of a tree. Myrra is nowhere to be seen. I sent her to level up, Lissandra says. Got it. Sending thermal energy through my body, my passive activates, and it starts healing my wounds. Lissandra lets it happen, and waits for me to recover a bit before speaking, You are free to challenge me anytime. With my interest piqued, I listen as she speaks. Even after all this, I cant help but feel a lot of admiration for her. Shes the only being to inspire me in quite this way. The strongest being Ive met through the floors, not counting the Ruler of Greed and the Ruler of Envy. I never backed down from a challenge, little pup. I have defeated more than a dozen Absolutes. I have beaten every Champion who had an eye towards taking my title, everyone who thought they were ready to challenge me. Just through my own power, I have brought my planet victory in every Pairing weve experienced. A long silence follows her words. Lissandra takes a moment before continuing, Before these two weeks end, you will know more, and I wont kill you if you follow my rules. So come, challenge me, little pup. Test yourself and see what breaks sooner, you or your pride. I would ask why, but I wont get an answer, will I? I don''t feel like it, but if you use that head of yours, you might figure it out. What did you do to my black mana dagger? Im using it as an external, temporary mana heart. As you have realized, I do not have a mana heart, so I have to rely on external mana. To that end, I modified the dagger you left behind. What is that black mana? I might tell you if you survive. You used Hadwins skills. Yes. Why would you need my status then? You can take over Hadwins? "I told the Ruler of Envy I couldnt. He just happened to be gullible enough to believe me. He used one of the tutorials functions to bring that other man here so that I could transfer his status to our little kitten. In exchange, he wanted me to kill you." It seems like old Liss is making plans of her own. I would like to ask more, but she seems to be at her limit. All-powerful Absolute cockroaches arent going to be accustomed to answering questions for one so lowly as me, so I better stop here. Instead, I go through the list of my skills and the ones I have the best chance of pushing to level 50 in the next two weeks. My best choices are [Focus] which is at 49, [Mana Manipulation] which is at 47, but something tells me that I should have a fairly high chance to make it work. And that leaves me with [Redistribution], my next best option,sitting at 48. Either that or [Resonance] at 45. [Perception] might be an option as well sitting at 46, but I dont think I would be able to level it in the time we have. Its not a skill that I can level up that quickly. I also start right away. Lissandra doesnt seem to want to mess with my training much further, even though Im sure she is watching. Still, for now, I push her presence to the back of my mind. I start working on the closest approximation I can make to the mana shaping exercise she was playing with back on the 2nd floor. A ball of mana constantly growing and shrinking. That alone wouldnt be that great, so obviously I added some challenges I figure she must have thought of herself. I increase the density of mana, I spin it, and I increase the speed. It only takes a few minutes of this before I hear Lissandra stand up and walk towards me. I look up, and she looks at me and then at the mana orb, Ive been using to practice. She flicks her hand and sends it flying far away whereupon it expands between the trees and bursts open. Making sure I watch, she then gestures at me, and I send a chunk of my mana her way. She absorbs the mana into the black dagger and pulls it free. And with that mana, she creates a small mana orb and then another. Then more, In quick succession, dozens, then hundreds, come into existence. I think that man called them Burden Enhancement Inscriptions. The young ones back then always did like coming up with fancy names for everything. Even as she speaks, she continues to inscribe, not even for a second does her concentration slip. Little pup, I wont ask you if you agree nor will I ask what level I should set these to. We both know your answer. That stubbornness of yours is one of the reasons why I find you so interesting. Thats nice to hear from someone who keeps threatening to kill me. I knew people like you. You are the type who does the best when they find themselves at their worst. But dont think, even for a moment, that I didnt mean what I said back then. If you fail, I will kill you. It would be nice if you declared me an Absolute candidate if I succeed. If you succeed, you will prove you are capable enough to be declared a Champion candidate, at least by my standards. That''s it. She finishes and takes her hand away, leaving the delicate inscriptions behind. What are the advantages of being a Champion or Champion candidate? Are there any actual advantages? I ask. The system doesnt like to waste resources on the weak. If you prove yourself talented enough to become a candidate, your body will start changing in preparation for you to become a Champion. Its different for everyone, so you will have to find out on your own. You mean like a body upgrade, but... Enough. I shut up immediately. This is probably as much as Im going to get from her. In fact, I might have pushed too far and asked too many questions. Old people have no patience at all. She takes the last remainder of my mana from the black dagger and sends it towards me. Activating the inscriptions, and I fall to the ground. Its like theres an immense pressure pushing me down. Like Im being forced to labor under increased gravity. The only difference is that theres no external source to apply it. All of it is caused by the inscriptions, my mana, and my body. I cant even twitch my finger, and its difficult to breathe. I have noticed that you possess kinetic energy, little pup. So I have to wonder, why do you keep using mana to strengthen your body? Kinetic energy is extremely rare, not to mention one of the best ways to achieve your goal. I knew knights who would kill for it, yet youre wasting it. Unable to answer, I just lay there. No matter what I try, I cant move at all. The only reasonable way seems to be to get rid of these inscriptions preventing me from using mana to strengthen my body. They also make this bullshit happen. But something tells me Lissandra wouldnt appreciate it. You might try to say that using mana is more efficient than transforming it into kinetic energy with your heart. Maybe you might try to say it doesnt matter given the amount of mana you have, and maybe you could get the same result either way. You are wrong. She takes a few steps back and sits on a stone. With one eye, I can see her pulling the pale white arm from the bag, and she starts painting on it with mana conductive paint. The lines she draws are extremely smooth and thin. From there, she glances at me and declares, You wont be sleeping for the next two weeks. Every morning, you will spend five hours in the state you currently find yourself in. When you show improvement, I will make changes and increase the pressure. I would love to say a few choice words, but I cant even squirm as much as a worm, so I reach into my Vortex Core and let kinetic energy seep through my body. After these five hours, you will spend five more hours hunting and leveling. Then I will let you rest for one hour. After that, you will spend ten hours working on any mana shaping exercises I decide to teach you. The inscriptions she made do not hinder kinetic energy at all, but even though I have some experience with it, its not enough. Not even when I use a crazy amount of it am I able to lift as much as a finger. The remaining three hours will be randomly allocated by me throughout the day. I might have you do maximal bursts of your mana or primordial energies. I might rouse up the entirety of your mana and have you bring it back under control. She stops drawing on the arm. "After these two weeks, you will probably hate me enough to want to kill me." She makes sure Im looking at her. You are free to try it anytime. Chapter 388: This is impossible Chapter 388: This is impossible Five hours later the pressure disappears as if it were on a timer, and Im finally able to move. The whole time I was struggling against the inscriptions I couldnt even twitch my fingers. I could only blink and gasp for each shallow breath. For one beautiful moment, I imagine myself punching her and think of just throwing all my mana against her. Lissandra doesnt even look in my direction, even after 5 hours, still drawing on the Saints arm. Thats also when Myrra returns, with a limp in one leg. Most likely a broken bone. Something that should heal fairly quickly for someone like her. The wound must have been much worse a few minutes ago. Shitty day? I ask her. Myrra nods, Im glad you havent gotten yourself killed yet. Were best friends now. She wouldnt hurt me for anything. For a short moment, her canines peek through her smile, I can see that. Lissandra joins the conversation, Were changing location. Little pup, 10 percent of your mana, this direction.Findd new stories at novelhall.com We head out right away, and once again, its up to me to deal with the monsters under Lissandras watchful eyes. I cheat a bit. I let the monsters wound me when it allows me to save mana or to land a blow here or there. It doesnt matter if they damage me. I just need to endure their assault for 5 hours. After that, I can heal my body with my passive. So I think its quite a good idea. Im not allowed to use Flamebearer either. Myrra carries it for me instead. As I fight my way through the monsters, I think about what possible goal could be served by this. Of course, the first is to level. The other might be to improve my efficiency. Lissandra already pointed out that I tend to rely on my big mana reserves, and someone like her is clearly going to have issues with that. You could even say we come from different schools. Whereas I tend to solve problems by throwing large amounts of mana at them, she tends to do so with lesser quantities of high quality mana. But I can deal with it for now, even though it annoys me. I dont mind all that much, she has a reason for each of her lessons, and its going well so far. Of course, Im pretty sure the difficulty will increase. Just as the Veil becomes more and more visible in the sky, Lissandra will step up her training. Her reason for doing it all is still a bit of a mystery. I dont believe for a moment that shes doing all this out of boredom, or the goodness of her heart. I step to the side, just enough to avoid a nearly invisible attack slicing its way through the trees behind me, and before it can come into contact with the two women, Myrra uses her Aurora glass to divert its path. Infusing my dagger with thermal energy, I stab the monster and jump back, watching as the yellow energy seeps into the monsters body, causing the beast to start screeching. In an effort to save mana, I spin an orb around my body and sling it through the creature''s eye. The wolf-like monster lies twitching on the ground its shark-like maw gaping for a moment before finally dying. A notification rings, and I check my reserves. Ive already expended 80 percent of the mana allotted to me, leaving me with two percent of my max, and I still have three hours to go. For a long moment, I stand there. Continue. She says a single word from behind me. A wave of anger washes over my body, and I find myself surprised by how difficult it is for me to suppress. I always considered myself logical and, on Earth, I was quite good at controlling my emotions. But what was easy back then now requires a bit more effort. I have to wonder if my reliance on [Focus] weakened that part of me. Instead of complaining, I head deeper into the forest. An hour passes. Two hours remain, and with it, another 10 percent of my allotted mana. Another hour passes, and the mana is nearly gone. Just a small amount remains, and with it, one more hour. That amount of mana isnt even enough for me to strengthen my body for ten seconds or to create a dozen mana orbs. This is impossible, I say, coming to a halt. Lissandra doesnt answer, and it irks me. I turn around, and seeing her expression only serves to annoy me more. I know its all because I cant use [Focus], Ive grown too accustomed to relying on the skill after the past year. The other thing is I cant figure out how the hell she makes them spin so quickly. Maybe I could do it with kinetic energy and a little bit of cheating. But moving two mana orbs just with her [Mana Manipulation]? As I set myself to work, I find it much more difficult than I had expected. Maintaining their shape, adjusting their trajectory, adding enough speed, and synchronizing their speed. When Lissandra did it, the orbs moved too quickly to observe, so I wonder, did she change their shape to pierce through the air more easily? Did she do something else? How did she cause the shockwave? Was it the force of the orbs collision, directed by a hastily constructed barrier? Or maybe she changed the shape of the orbs before the end to direct the shockwave the way she wanted. Perhaps she did something else that looked like a shockwave. Was it something to do with the frequency of the mana? Did she need to reach a certain speed to reach that result? The two orbs spin over the surface of my palm, I keep shifting their trajectory bit by bit, I change their shape as well. I also reduce the mana they contain after a bit of testing. There seems to be a reason for her sparing use of mana, well, other than her low reserves. I sense Myrra shifting and Lissandra coming back, but all of it happened somewhere in the back of my mind. This place is safe with them around, so I allow myself to dive deeper into practice. When someone taps on my shoulder, I get annoyed. I just started, so who... The time dedicated to mana shaping has passed, Lissandra says. I make the two orbs over the palm of my hand disappear, and she doesnt say anything. Surprisingly, she doesnt compare me to a toddler or some random animal. Give me twenty percent of your mana, she says. I do so, and when she takes it from the black dagger and reaches toward me, I lower my defenses. Once again, she covers my skin in inscriptions, though this time its just my arm with a few connections to my mana heart. These inscriptions are something I could get rid of if I really wanted to, the same as before. "We''ve been discovered, and too many monsters are coming our way. This time, you''ll take the lead and concentrate on using the most powerful attack you can in a single burst without collecting mana beforehand." Any skill? Yes, just take as much mana as you can handle at once and in a single burst, focused through your skill and channel it through your arm without damaging it. Interesting. So its like trying for your personal best in the gym? A single repetition of the exercise with as much weight as possible? Where are we heading? I ask. North. I dont even bother asking for more. According to the natives, the north is where they placed the bulk of the Veil Ignition Stations. That, as well as bigger bunkers and the most powerful Skyhold Islands. And the ruined continent where the body of Absolute Tassian lies. The man who made Nevans emblems. Last time I was here, that healer Irvin, the soylent guy, spoke of the Absolute Tassian with a great deal of respect. He told me how the man was capable of fighting off the forces of the Veil and the enemy even after they lured him into a trap. So I have to wonder if Lissandras interest lies in one of these places, or if shes after something else? Much like the previous floors, I left the 5th floor without bothering to explore much, so being here once again makes it interesting, especially with so many things to find. After packing our stuff, we head off in a direction indicated by Lissandra, and I start collecting as much mana as I think I can handle. The requirement that I use my arm to direct it is going to hold me back a little but it makes for an interesting exercise. The question is how much mana will I be able to channel through the arm without damaging it? Im supposed to be improving my control after all, with an eye towards moving higher amounts of mana through my body at once. I hate to accept it, but so far it seems like Lissandras totally seen through me. All the things shes requiring from me are tailored to target my weaknesses. When the first monster jumps in our way and I send a burst of mana through my arm, activating [Resonance]. I even reduce the amount of mana to what I think I can handle just to be sure. The monster dies as the oscillating mana tears it apart. Theres no thought of efficiency, just me using as much mana as possible. Trees splinter, the ground cracks, and everything in the path of the attack is vaporized. A chunk of the forest is obliterated along with the monster. Looking at my mangled, bleeding arm, I also realize that Ive severely underestimated how much more difficult Lissandra made it with these inscriptions. Inscriptions that I now realize aim to weaken my already low constitution even more. Chapter 389: Dumb of you Chapter 389: Dumb of you Again, Lissandra says simply. As before, I collect mana and concentrate, sending another burst through my arm. Taking more damage in the process, shredding the limb. This time, I feel my mind waver. Having to concentrate and expel so much mana is difficult. Usually, when I do these kinds of things, I keep my body strengthened, lately even with black mana. My eyes help as well. Often, I dont even need to think about the backlash, letting my passive take care of any injuries I might sustain. With a weakened body, the inscriptions making it even more difficult, its on another level. Little pup, want me to tell you what you did wrong? I''m already collecting mana for another burst and nod. You were and are too impatient. One of the worst things that happened to you was getting access to that black mana of yours. The problem isnt your ability to use it, the problem is that you cheated. You exploited the healing aura of that place and discovered all the things it could do. Another burst of mana I send through damages my hand even further, but I watch as the tears heal under the influence of my passive. [Mana Manipulation - lvl 47 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 48] That was stupid of you, very much so. Instead of honing your basics, you went ahead with your foolish plan to exploit your black mana. You even made sacrifices to do so, and I can see how much work youve put into it along with all the ways youve modified your growth to facilitate its use. The fourth burst takes a bit of mana from my Mana Reservoir. The grove of trees that once stood in front of me is now non-existent, reduced to a clearing devoid of any greenery, and huge chunks of the ground turned to dust. If you continue down that path, you will reach the rank of Champion, little pup. Just the sheer power of that mana will grant you this. You will even gain a degree of mastery over it, and there wont be a single mana user who doesnt fear you. I pause to give my body an opportunity to heal, especially my throbbing skull, which feels as if someone had decided to drill into it with a red-hot metal rod. But? I ask. But thats all you would ever be, little pup. Compared to the other Champions, you would never rise beyond the middle of the pack. Extremely dangerous to some but weak against others. Perhaps some of the weaker Absolutes, those barely deserving the title, those dependent on mana, might even think to avoid fighting you, but that will leave you an easy target for the others. Why have you stopped? Again. With a groan, I reach for more mana drawing it from my Reservoir. This time I even manage to damage bits of my body other than my arm as I move it. I put my mind into it, I grasp that mana, I mold it, I control it. Im currently channeling more mana than is available to most of Hell difficulty. It roars through my arm, tearing through my circuits, before exploding in a burst of oscillating mana, damaging the area even further. I feel tired. It reminds me of a gym workout, like maxing out several times in a row, injuring myself in the process. You said your goal was to become an Absolute, with an eye towards pushing beyond even that. The probability of that is not something I will address again. But to even have a chance, you have to become a powerful Champion. The kind even Absolutes will think twice about messing with. Challenging you needs to be costly enough that the best case scenario is just not worth it. She doesnt order it, but I collect my mana again. Its so difficult; I dont remember the last time I had so much trouble managing it. The inscriptions she made are straight-up evil, requiring an insane amount of control and concentration to work around. Its fun. Honestly, watching you fumble is annoying, so I will do everything in my power to beat these bad habits out of you. She says. Lovely. I reach to grab more of my mana.Ne?ww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com Stop, she orders. But even then, she planned ahead, in an act of revenge and self preservation. Simply, she irritates me, but I clearly admire her and believe that shes someone I could learn from. However, I tried to avoid it for a long time in favor of exploring on my own. Can I ask you a question? I ask. Ask. Catching a breath after the fight and eating a piece of dried meat, I think of it seriously. Are you a member of your planets 1st Generation? No, I was born years later, in the middle of our 1st Pairing. We were losing, and like everyone else, Ive had to fight ever since I could hold a weapon and use mana. Are there differences between the 1st Generation and their descendants? Obviously. The 1st Generation goes through the tutorial. They have access to the system shop and have more control over their growth. They have tokens, they have more options to customize their growth. Theyre not even comparable to those who didn''t. Even saying that she stands here. Not a member of the 1st Generation, but she was the Absolute of her planet for millennia. Honestly, it feels like a waste. Just how powerful would she be now if she was also of that generation? She continues, likely knowing my next question, The 1st Generation becomes protectors and teachers. The first ones to awaken, future Champions, and among them, an Absolute as well. They gain all this power earlier than anyone else to lead their planet through the changes that come with its awakening. I had expected the system to censor some of these words, but this amount of knowledge seems to be allowed to me at the moment. Lissandras basically confirmed our suspicions on the matter. With that, I decide to stop asking questions for now, before she gets annoyed. There is still plenty of time left, surely enough to get more information out of her. I think she had a plan when she said she wouldnt kill me and that requires me to become stronger, and for her to maintain a somewhat neutral relationship with me. She knows my personality and knows that if she does, I wont be as willing to reject her as long as the request is somewhat reasonable. Why else would she be so forthcoming? I dont mind though; honestly, it seems like a win-win situation with little to lose for either side and plenty to gain. What interests me is what she wants from me. Shes probably getting help from at least one other Ruler, so how much can I help her? There is also the option that she really is that bored, perhaps she actually took a bit of a liking to me and decided to teach me. As she said, she is very old and has often implied that beings like her tend to seek new experiences, and I seem to have caught her interest. Well, I have no complaints. Cowardly Savant can screw off with Tristan; Im getting free lessons from an Absolute. In the last hour of my power leveling for the day, we move much faster. Lissandra allows more mana, and we run at a speed that obscures the environment around us in a blur of motion. Even then, she requires me to use projectiles. Its difficult to do, I have to account for my speed as well as that of the monsters straining to match it. I fail a lot, and my projectiles are way off, but towards the end, I start to improve. We eventually come to a mountain, and even at this distance, I can recognize the giant iron door covering the side of that mountain. The road that leads there seems to have been damaged by shelling, riddled with craters and strewn with slag, and debris. Though its still wide enough to admit a number of passenger airplanes side by side. As we begin our approach I start to realize just how huge everything actually is. The path, the door, and the mountain. Yet it all seems to have been abandoned, left unattended for years on end. Leaving what once must have been solid roads to be overgrown with all manner of greenery, from shrubs to trees. Theres a Champion inside. Shes hurt and very weak. Lissandra states, refusing to elaborate as she guides us on our way. Even though her level is currently likely even lower than mine, she proceeds without worry. Chapter 390: The Workshop Chapter 390: The Workshop So far, I have seen multiple places survivors had holed up in. The first was the obsolete bunker where Nina and others lived AKA the Sanctuary. Another one was the Fallen Bastion, the Skyhold Bastion with its running defenses and city-like structure. Then there were the bunkers in the Valley. One of them was abandoned, higher tier than the Sanctuary, but empty just the same. Lastly, The Veil Ignition Station. A Top-notch laboratory with a number of facilities and a core of such high quality that it still held an immense amount of mana even after 100 years. The place we find ourselves now is hard to compare to any of them. It doesn''t look like a bunker, its makeshift at best. I''m also fairly sure it''s not a Veil Ignition Station, given the bare bones accommodations. It used to be a mine and a workshop, Lissandra says. It''s massive, what could they have been making... ah, Skyhold Bastions?CHeCk for new stories on no/v/el/bin(.)c0m Yes. The people of this world seemed to be obsessed with them, this was probably one of the assembly lines for the larger portions.. I cant find any monsters, Myrra notes. Even though they seem to be wounded, this place is still being guarded by a Champion, little kitten. So what are we doing here? I ask. I want to speak to her. I don''t even bother mentioning that that might be a bad idea. Not because everyone is trigger-happy. It has more to do with my fear that this cockroach-like ex-Absolute might just try to deal with that person the same way she does with Myrra and me. That does beg an interesting question though. Who would win? Another thing comes to mind now that I''m thinking about it. Its currently my one hour rest period. Did she time our arrival here on purpose? What a demon, Im sure Vega would like her. We stop near the giant iron door that likely served as an entrance for the larger parts of the Skyhold Bastions and wait for a response. Even I have noticed a web similar to Sophie''s and to the Veil all over the place. Not moving covertly, Lissandra even triggered some parts on purpose. Something akin to sending a message. The reaction doesn''t take long, two men exit a much smaller entrance nearby which opens with an eerie silence. [Frost Reaper - lvl ??] [Solar Ascendant - lvl ??] Just a glance betrays that they come from the generation before the war. An additional piece of information for me. Somewhere between levels 200 and 300, your aging slows on the order of centuries. Its not like they could pass for twenty, but they could easily pass for someone in their forties. The most likely cause I can think of is a combination of stat investment and body upgrades, especially the one at level 250. The more I learn, the more of a mess I expect to find when we return to Earth. The consequences of someone being able to live for hundreds of years wont go over well with some people. It will create a clear division, separating us from normal humans. One of the men, a slim individual with a friendly face, bows quickly. In exchange, Lissandra makes an elegant gesture, acknowledging the greeting. Lady Niall told us about you. Please allow me to offer you a greeting, lady...? Lissandra. He nods, I greet you, Lady Lissandra. I extend an invitation to the Workshop on behalf of Lady Niall. You will be safe as long as you show no aggression. This, we promise. Thank you. Lead the way and please extend my greeting to Lady Niall along with my interest in having a conversation with her. I almost dont recognize Lissandra right now. She is extremely graceful, authority seeping from her words, without seeming arrogant, Theres just enough command in her bearing to make her seem regal. She slips into her role as easily, as a comfortable pair of shoes. When she introduces Myrra and I, I feel like a country bumpkin. Well, it''s not like it matters what two random guys think of me, so I dont even bother trying to imitate Lissandra. At that exact moment, the lights flicker and I could swear I feel the place shake. The tremors gradually stop, but in their place, I feel an immense wave of mana wash over us. The lights flicker again, and somewhere in the distance, I can hear alarms ringing. Just in case, I keep my eyes on the door, and my mana at the ready. I have anchors placed all across the room, going so far as to place a few behind the window, near the waterfall. Myrra''s activated her Aurora Glass as well, the tiny pieces of glass-like material sparking in the light as it hangs in the air. One more burst of mana flows through our surroundings before rippling out into the distance, covering an area I find hard to imagine. Then the mana disappears and the lights stop flickering. There are no guards rushing in and gradually the alarms stop. A minute later, the doors open and Lissandra enters the apartment, closing them behind her. We will be staying here for three days, after that we will head north, she says. I try to examine her but there are no wounds to be seen, no damage to her clothes. She looks like she just came back from a short walk. How was Champion Niall? I ask. Her mana heart is damaged and cant be restored by her own body. Shes failed to find any healer capable of working on a mana heart belonging to someone at her level. She has three years at most before she loses control and kills everyone around her in one of these seizures. That, or the thing lodged inside it, will kill her. You said you intend to make your own heart, are you thinking of helping her? It could be possible with the arm of the Absolute in my possession, but I already have a different idea for that and there is no reason to waste it on a fake who allowed herself to end so pathetically. The contempt she displays now is genuine. She has no mercy for someone so powerful whos allowed herself to fall into such a state. Seeing how far this fake Absolute went, through all her mad schemes, it is evident she has nothing but contempt for Champion Nialls apparent surrender. I will teach her a method of containing these outbursts that should buy her a few more years. In exchange, she will give me the information I want and give you a lesson, little pup. Its for something I cant do currently. Lesson from a Champion? I guess Ill be owing you quite a lot, that is if you dont kill me at the end of these two weeks. You might be having fun now, little pup, but I give you a ten percent chance of succeeding. Her words remind me of the situation I''m currently in. Without [Focus], the hint of fear that washes over me feels more real. Ever since I stopped using it to suppress my emotions its like everything changed. Its not like Im watching things happen from a distance, instead, its like all my emotions have come flooding back. But that much is fine. There is no way I will let a small bump in the path stop me. Part of me even welcomes it. Sounds good, but why dont we add a little extra to the rules? I challenge her. Lissandra turns to me and I can see Myrra gesturing wildly for me to stop. That silly lynthari knows me too well. But I let the emotions take over. Lets raise the stakes and say I need to get 4 skills to level 50 for you to spare me. Just for a short moment, a hint of surprise flashes behind Lissandra''s eyes. She observes me, and seeing I mean it, she gives me that small, almost imperceptible smile. Little pup, think very carefully about what you are saying right now. She underestimates me, and it irritates me. Five skills, I declare. My emotions are wildly swirling inside of me. To be honest, it''s annoying how accustomed I''ve grown to dampening them. Yeah, it wont be that bad being unable to use [Focus] for my emotions, it will be much worse than I expected. But I think, in the end, I will like it more. If I don''t get killed before that. Chapter 391: ???? Chapter 391: ???? Did I just commit suicide by adding two skills to the mix? Well, poor future Nathaniel indeed. Poor guy. Rest in peace. Fuck. I activate my [Mana Crown] and extend [Mana Domain] around me and through my body. Then I use [Focus] to better split my attention between the skills. Myrra is currently working on her lessons with Lissandra, that damned woman. Doesn''t that cockroach have training of her own to do? Why does it always look like she has so much free time? I resolve to stop wasting energy on my petty complaints and shift my focus to concentrating on my training. Two orbs are floating in the palm of my hand. It goes better now with my crown activated, Im using it as a crutch to help with my training. The five skills that have the highest chance to get there are [Focus], [Redistribution], [Mana Manipulation], [Perception], and [Resonance]. I would love to replace the last two with [Mana Crown] and [Mana Domain], but both of these skills are as difficult to level as [Tether] is. For the following ten hours set aside for mana shaping, I continue to just split the two orbs over the palm of my hand while a few of my skills run in the background. Nothing else. As the hours pass, I do not find it boring. Annoying, yes. Frustrating, totally yes. But it''s not boring. Every time I think I''m done improving the process, I come up with another idea. A slight change to the shape of the orb. I find that by tweaking the density of the orb I can pull on it with more force. Denser mana being easier to move. I guess it also shows how much effort Ive put into making black mana usable, setting normal mana aside, as even Lissandra pointed out. That damnedpast Nathaniel is always causing more trouble for future Nathaniel and me with his ridiculous bullshit. Once Ive finished, I check the notifications. [Mana Crown - lvl 24 > Mana Crown - lvl 25] [Mana Crown - lvl 25 > Mana Crown - lvl 26] [Perception - lvl 46 > Perception - lvl 47] Okay, this is bad. Why the heck did my crown level instead of [Mana Manipulation]? I need to fight monsters. The stronger, the better, I tell Lissandra. No. Well, I could fight the woman in front of me instead. She won''t kill me, so she might even work better than the monsters. I stand up, my crown still active brimming with mana, and my skills start activating as well. Lissandra watches calmly. How much do you really want to rely on life-and-death situations to force yourself over the line? Her words hit hard and that causes me to hesitate. She continues with the same calmness, If you only rely on fights to push you through and treat training as an afterthought, you will never grasp the skills properly. Then, one day you will get into a fight, expecting yourself to break through, but there will be nothing. And you will die. Frustrated, I still release a huge chunk of my mana at her. She pulls a bit of mana from the dagger, using it to disrupt the field of mana around her canceling out any effect it may have had. I wont lie, combat has its place. When all your senses are heightened and the rush of battle is all consuming, it can allow for some unique opportunities, but you shouldnt rely on that alone. Taking a few steps, she stops in front of me. Before I react, she presses the tip of the black dagger into my chest, barely piercing my skin. Like a vampire, the black dagger I made so long ago starts pulling the mana from my body. It''s been heavily modified of course, and it feels more solid than simple mana that I could disrupt. Lissandra sure made some big changes when she turned it into her external mana heart. I will be back here in five hours, good luck on your hunt. The door closes, and I''m left alone in the shadow of the giant metal door. I have no weapons, all Ive brought are the clothes on my back, which I will have to replace once again because of all the damage they sustain. I place a series of anchors, using them to leapfrog out of the dead zone surrounding the bunker. Then I boost myself high up and use a nice chunk of my mana to activate [Perception]. When I detect the first one, I head there. Now without the inscriptions Lissandra made, I let kinetic energy flow through my body instead of mana, strengthening it. Vega always has preferred doing things this way; though I would rather use mana instead. Both for the efficiency and the fact that I''m more used to it. I do have to be more careful though, a burst of kinetic energy can easily surpass the damage from a similar burst of mana. The first monsters I face are old friends. [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 230] [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 212] [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 216] [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 222] [Ebonwood Stalker - lvl 199] They do seem to be fairly common in the area. Now that Im not having my mana throttled or trying to test my efficiency, I try to move kinetic energy through my body the same way I do with [Infusion] and armor. I find it clumsy, but the sheer amount I have stored in my Vortex Core does render the monsters attacks useless. Their spikes stop the moment they touch my skin, their kinetic energy being absorbed. The same goes for their other attacks. I redirect that energy and use it in my own attack. The amount of mana I use is limited, rather I force myself to fight with kinetic energy. The fight takes much longer than it should but the goal was only ever experimentation. In the end, I flood my body with kinetic energy and tear them apart. I still remember my fight against that group from before. [Lvl 239 > Lvl 240] Then, using [Perception], I head deeper into the forest. My Mana Wavelength Iris, put on hold as the trait is the main reason I haven''t used [Perception] much lately. Five hours later I return to the iron door feeling much better. I think I might have grasped strengthening my body with kinetic energy just a little bit better. I already have a few cheeky plans for the next time Lissandra activates my new inscriptions. As on cue, the door opens and instead of the Solar Ascendant, I find myself faced with a young woman who smiles at me the moment our eyes meet. It''s a bright, cheeky smile without any hint of ill will. The woman looks a few years older than me. Her blonde hair falls over her shoulders flowing down her form like a waterfall. Her eyes though, are surprisingly normal, their common brown color, providing a pleasent contrast to her hair. Her clothes are simple. Clean and sturdy without being pompous, consisting of a pair of black pants, and a white shirt with long sleeves. She wears no jewelry other than a necklace with a single beautiful mana stone that gleams like somebody trapped a galaxy in its facets. May I have a bit of your time? That bitc... ehm, pardon me, your companion, master, whatever she is, has already been informed. Ive agreed to help with your training. [Mana Juggernaut - lvl ????] That''s a lot of question marks. I take a step back allowing Champion Niall to exit the Workshop. Sure, Ive got a moment, I answer and the door closes, leaving us outside. Chapter 392: Surprisingly human Chapter 392: Surprisingly human Champion Niall looks surprisingly healthy. However, Lissandra did say that she still has a few years until one of her seizures kills everyone around her in a flood of mana. That is the end result of having a damaged mana heart. Yet she shows signs of suffering from such an affliction. Her steps are energetic, her voice is strong, and her mind is sharp. I dont probe her with my senses very much, I still dont know how much that would insult her. Shes still a Champion despite her injuries. What I want to know is how much its affected her. Are her injuries enough to leave her hamstrung or are the effects more subtle? My theory is that her wounds force her to manually control her mana. It seems like that should be trivial for someone at her level, but I don''t really have a frame of reference. It won''t be that simple, I''m sure. Another thing is that my theory about levels is almost confirmed. 450-600 is likely where Champions are made. As for Absolutes, I didn''t see any question marks over Lissandra on the second floor, so I guess it''s impossible to see anything. The question is if there are another 150 levels between Absolutes and Champions or if Absolutes start somewhere between the levels of 600-750. She called you little pup, is that some sort of sexual play you guys have? Niall asks out of nowhere. What? She giggles at the look on my face, That bitc... that woman, she looks like the type. I might get killed if I react to this. Youre no fun, Niall sighs. But I can''t blame you. Even I have trouble when it comes to getting a read on her. I keep feeling like I should be able to splat her against the wall, but something about her makes me think that I would regret the attempt. The last time I felt that way was before Tassian became our Absolute. That little shit was scary even as a Champion. Did you know I used to push him around when he was a kid? Who knew that little jerk would grow into such a powerhouse. Niall seems to be the talkative sort, spewing information about anything that comes to mind. I met someone called Nevan not long ago. I say, interrupting her tirade and hoping she recognizes the name. Fortunately, she takes the bait, latching on to the new subject, Oh, the Alloysmith. So you found Veil Ignition Station no. 4. Did he survive?The? source of this content n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) I didnt know him very long; he died because of mana radiation. Her eyes focus on me for a moment before she continues down the path leaving me to follow. It''s good you are not lying. I kind of liked the guy and if you were the one who killed him, I would get mad. Just for a faint moment, I can sense her mana and its an unsettling experience. It''s not quite end of the world scary, but even as wounded as she is I have no doubt that she could do some major damage. Youve reached the second stage of mana Potency, right? I ask. That makes her pause just for a moment, You cheeky little thing. Do you even know how rude it is to ask something like that? I do not. Didnt that scary bitc... your companion teach you anything? I look around just to be sure and lower my voice, Her definition of teaching is throwing me into a tunnel full of monsters, miles below the surface. You know you don''t have to whisper. Even though I can''t see through her, I''m quite sure I''m stronger than her. Probably. Maybe. Who knows. For real, I fucking miss Tassian, he was always the smart one. How come he... I shut my mouth. The air around us changes, heavy with her mana, which does feel extremely threatening. In response to the movement of my mana, which she must have sensed, her own rises to meet me. Despite being wounded, she still has the mana of a Champion. Let me show you then. Her mana surrounds me, creating a dense sphere, within which her mana takes on an almost tangible quality. Within that area, I can feel the beating of her mana heart. Broken, and no less powerful. With each beat it sends more mana through the sphere, limited to avoid killing me And I can sense the ever-changing frequency and rhythm of her heartbeat. Through her demonstration, I begin to feel just how difficult it is to keep in one piece. Then there is something else, a piece of something I can''t identify. A piece of some metal, a tiny mana stone, or a projectile of a powerful weapon. From which seeps an endless and horrifying strain of mana, a clear attempt to kill the person its lodged inside. The only thing keeping it contained is the heart around it. You used your heart to trap that thing and stop it from killing you. At least you aren''t stupid. Her mana disappears as if it was never here. I don''t know what kind of bullshit they used but the thing is clearly meant to be effective, even against someone at the level of an Absolute. The moment I try to move it out of my heart I will die before I even realize whats happening. Fucking great, isn''t it? Won''t it lose its power? It''s probably been more than a century. It''s already weaker than it was. At this point, it''s about who can last longer, and in another ten to a hundred years it should weaken enough for me to remove it. The question is if I can hold on that long. That creepy woman told me she could show me new ways to fight it. Would you believe that? A bitch with a level even lower than yours called me stupid for being unable to remove it and compared me to some goddamn pet some court lady had. I can totally imagine that. Is this the place? I ask as Niall stops walking. Yes, Niall says, lifting her hand as her mana floods into the air. Then it presses down on me from the sky like the hand of god. The trees, a small hill, and any flowers and boulders in the area. All of it crumples under the mana pushing it into the ground. The sound of trees snapping and boulders shattering fills the air. Niall pushes even further and her mana starts to oscillate until an area the size of a street is cleared of everything that filled it. A perfect circle of empty space, the compressed soil gleaming like polished stone. She doesn''t stop there and her mana oscillates again, carving into the surface, creating a circle with more inscriptions inside. This is something we used to do for our warriors. A rite of passage you might call it. I''m sure it''s something other planets have as well. We did it for those we thought might have to face a Champion or Absolute. Not even for a moment do I look away from her work, and even though I feel the annoying jittering of nerves, I cant help but be fascinated by the process. The way this woman moves her mana is so different from Lissandra, yet shes clearly powerful and skilled in her own right. Did it help them to face Champions or Absolutes? Not really, and if it was up to me, I would have probably replaced it with something more modern. But the traditionalists loved it. You know the types: ''When I was a young lad, we did this and that.'' It''s not horrible, even if it is terribly barbaric. What''s the point? To ensure that you don''t piss your pants the moment you enter an Absolute''s domain, specifically by having you experience something distantly similar. But the one I''m making has been modified, by that womans request. At first, I didn''t understand what she wanted me to do and she had to simplify it. There Niall pauses and shakes her head before she continues, You chose mana Amplification as your upgrade, right? Yes, 1st stage, Vast Mana currently. Your companion and I are Mana Potency. Both have advantages and disadvantages. One of the biggest disadvantages for Amplifiers is that their mana tends to be lower quality if thats how you want to think about it. That means it''s easier for your enemy to seize control or disrupt your attacks, even without the skills. I sense you did something that makes it difficult for people to grasp mana inside your body but it doesn''t affect the mana outside of it. Great, another thing I need to fix. Though I had plans for that anyway, of course, the cockroach had to take notice right away. Well, I better make sure not to let these opportunities go to waste. It''s like she is offering them to me on a golden platter. That makes a lot of sense. So is there a common way to fix it? I ask. Not really. Most of the time Amplifiers brute force a resolution with high level skills or some other bullshit. But you do have a few interesting skills that could help you, at least according to that woman, so Im going to let you experience it for yourself. The rest will be up to you. Not a Chapter. Announcement – Book 2 Live on Amazon! Not a Chapter. Announcement C Book 2 Live on Amazon! It''s here again. Book 2 is live on Amazon, and my F5 key will soon fall off! The ebook is 200k words long, which is 50k words longer than Book 1 and around 730 Amazon pages. Unfortunately, the audiobook isn''t ready yet, but it should be available in a few weeks, once again narrated by the amazing Henry Kramer. As before, I''m here to beg. Yup. I don''t shout that much or annoy you with Patreon plugs too often, just to make you more likely to react nicely to this kind of post. Yup. Did you like Book 2? (Book 2 starts at the 3rd floor and ends in the middle of the 4th floor after Group 4 gets out from under the old capital where they were trapped by the Living Tree.) I also made Reddit posts, so if you have a Reddit account, upvoting them helps as well! r/litrpg: /r/litrpg/comments/1f2hakq/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_2_is_out_today_on/ r/ProgressionFantasy: /r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/1f2h8tb/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_2_is_out_today_on Anyway, as always, thank you very much. Book 1 did AMAZING; for a while, we were the 94th best-selling/most-read book on all of Amazon. Like, what the actual fuck? Thank you all so much for being part of this! Chapter 393: Dome Chapter 393: Dome Niall continues her lecture as she completes the circle, Someone with a Potency upgrade is always going to have an easier time hardening their mana against external influence. You Amplifiers have to work harder for it. Looking at the modifications she told me to make, you seem to have some skill, or trait, allowing you to change the frequency of your mana. So this experience on its own should be of some benefit to your growth. I can already sense more work ahead of me. Each of these techniques alone is going to take years to grasp properly, and I can''t focus on them currently because of the death sentence waiting for me if I do. Damn, Lissandra and her insistence that I raise five skills to level 50. Shes straight up crazy; three alone was too much. Let me guess, as long as Im in the dome, my external mana will grow more difficult to manipulate as time passes, I say. It will, obviously. But past a certain level or when you find yourself faced with certain opponents, it''s just something youre going to have to deal with. There are classes, skills, and traits that will cause you a great deal of pain otherwise. Your first instinct might be to engage in melee at that point, but that''s where theyre going to want you. And I''m sure you already know a few people you wouldnt have a chance against in that scenario. Upon hearing her words, Tacita comes to mind. If I wasn''t able to use my external mana, it could end up being... interesting. Can you declare me a Champion candidate? I ask. That makes Niall falter, and just for the shortest moment, her mana wavers before she continues. Fuck, you are shameless. Are you always like that? You seem to prefer the direct approach, so I may as well take the opportunity. Youre not wrong, but damn. A few decades ago, I would have splattered you against a wall for even asking. As for declaring you a candidate, no. In the future, assuming someone doesnt just kill you for being a pain in the ass, you will learn just how rude these questions are. Then you will finally appreciate the beautiful Champion Niall, who once had the pleasure of being courted by hundreds of the finest young men. Well, I appreciate that even now, I say, and I mean it. I don''t expect any of the Champions I meet in the future to be anything like her. It''s better now, but at times I still find myself wanting to dampen my emotions with [Focus], but thats not on the table right now. Of course, I blame Cockroachsandra. For now, I decide to silence myself. Its been much the same with most of the powerful people Ive met. They don''t tend to mind honest answers; they far prefer it over lying, fake behavior, or ass-kissing. But in the end, they are used to being in control, so asking too many questions or trying to lead the conversation will cause them to push back. It could come in the form of a slap, a burst of mana, or finding oneself splattered against the wall. I''m quite proud of myself for this observation. For an extrovert class tutorial attendee like Tess or Gareth, it might be simple, but I, as with many things, tend to learn through suffering. Niall pauses in her work and turns to me, I can still see that mischievous light in your eyes, and your mouths hanging open like a fish. I won''t answer, but I''m curious, what questions would you ask if I were to allow it? Be honest; I promise not to punish you no matter what questions you mention. I observe her for a moment, and she honestly seems to mean it, so I decide to take her up on the invitation. What level are you? How old are you? How long did it take you to become a Champion? What did you gain by becoming a Champion? What does being a Champion candidate entail? What traits do you have? How did you split your stats? What effect does the second stage of your attribute have? How high level is an Absolute? Why cant there be more than one Absolute? How do you become an Absolute? Being Absolute seems to be special, so what does it have to do with managing the planet? What does it mean for a planet to awaken? Are you from the 1st Generation? What happened during your 1st Pairing and what does it mean to win or lose a Pairing? Who referees the pairings? What happens to the losers of a Pairing? Why do planets have to fight if they''re Pairing? Do they really have to fight? What have you learned about the Veil? Who caused your wound? At what levels do you get body strengthening? At what levels do you get primary class upgrades? What is your subclass? How do subclasses work? What are the differences between subclasses... Enough, enough, enough. I shut my mouth immediately. I know I said I would let it slide, but I really feel like... she gestures, a swing with her arm. Well, anyway, I''m done here. It''s fairly simple; Im going to activate the dome, and it will stay up for five hours. I made it so it constantly disrupts the mana inside just like that woman wanted. It''s not efficient, its more like were abusing the abundance of mana in our surroundings, so it should be easier for you to endure it. Well, now it makes sense that Lissandra couldn''t do it. It uses too much mana on purpose, likely to mimic huge areas of effect, maybe even domains. There are three things the dome will do. First, it disrupts mana like many domains. Second, it imitates the kind of pressure a weak Champion could generate. It''s not concentrated pressure, and I weakened it a bit, but it should be enough to cause you some serious trouble. Lastly, and that''s what that woman wanted, the longer you stay in there, the worse the disruption and pressure will become. Five hours should be your limit after which it might be fatal. It looks like Niall misunderstood Lissandra. It''s clear as day that this is a challenge for me, to stay there as long as possible. The goal isnt to escape within the next five hours like Niall seems to think. How do I get out? You only need to touch the wall of the barrier, and it will disappear. And thats going to be easier to do at the start, before any pressure has a chance to build and its going to become harder the longer I stay in? Yes, the higher the pressure, the harder it is to reach the wall of the barrier. At some point, it becomes quite deadly. Kind of fucked up, but you can guess whose idea it was. [Mana Domain - lvl 40 > Mana Domain - lvl 41] [Mana Domain - lvl 41 > Mana Domain - lvl 42] [Infusion - lvl 29 > Infusion - lvl 30] [Perception - lvl 47 > Perception - lvl 48] Seven hours pass [Mana Domain - lvl 42 > Mana Domain - lvl 43] Eight hours pass. My domain is gone, and I''m unable to activate it at all, I cant even push it a hairs breadth from my skin. Not even with help from [Resonance]. The pressure at this point is strong enough that I''m sure if Niall hadnt prevented it from being able to pass inside my body, it would be causing me quite a bit of trouble. I havent got a single wound to speak of, but I''m sure if I stay just a bit longer, something bad will happen. I stand up and take a step, immediately falling to my knees. When I push myself up, it happens again. Amusingly enough, I catch myself being annoyed by my inability to find a cause. Is it another effect of the dome? Any problem with the simulated domain? The strength of the mana disrupting effect? What? How? Why? Finding myself unable to rise to my feet, I start crawling. Questions and frustrations flashing through my mind. It''s funny. It takes me five minutes of crawling before I''m halfway to the dome''s wall and the pressure increases. The disrupting effect starts seeping through my skin, ignoring my Mantle. Of course, it makes sense that someone at the level of Champion would be able to do that, but it once again reminds me that there are still a lot of people more powerful than me. Its only been a year since I started, so thats no real surprise. I still have a long way to go. But I will get there. Thirty of crawling minutes later, I finally touch the wall, and in a blink, the dome disappears. The sounds of nature around come rushing in, and I feel a soft wind on my skin. The pressure is gone, and I finally grab control of the mana raging inside my body. Im covered in dozens of wounds, small and large. Disrupting my control over the mana inside my body proved to be quite an effective attack. I have to constantly use Mana Cycling to keep it under control because of my stat imbalance. Having it run wild reminded me of the good ol days. Catching my breath, I lay on my back and send thermal energy from my core through my body. I reach my hand towards the sky, and a drop of blood falls from a torn finger, landing on my cheek as I watch the wound close. I hear a voice say, You are one crazy motherfucker, arent you? and recognize it as Niall, watching from her perch nearby. I dozed off in there; the pressure was too weak. Cheeky little shit. She snorts, sitting down on the grass next to me. Did anyone tell you your language is kind of... Many times. They tried to beat it out of me when I was younger. But its hard to do, and I still blame the five older brothers I grew up with. Sounds like a good excuse. Can you give me ten minutes? I should heal enough to walk by then. Take half an hour. Chapter 394: Cooked Chapter 394: Cooked In the end, I healed enough to not have to be carried in a princess carry, something Niall hinted at with a smirk. After opening the door and passing me onto the Solar Ascendant guy, Niall leaves somewhere. Passing through the tunnel full of greenery, we walk slowly. The man probably sees my still far-from-perfect state and walks slower. I notice that he is smiling for some reason and is nice to me. Should I tell him I''m not into men? Its been a long time since I saw Lady Niall smiling that way, he breaks the silence finally. In the past few years, she was always in a gloomy mood, even though she tried to hide it, constantly worried about something. I guess its not easy to defend that many people. It is not. But I think it was her other problem she was worried about. Lady Niall holds no secrets from us, so I know your companion helped her. But she also seemed to have fun with you out there. So I want to thank you for that. She deserves it as she suffers a lot because of us all. On our way back, we even stop to eat some food from something reminiscent of a food stall that is there for all the people working on the fields covering a huge part of the tunnel. Against my will, I learn that he and that Reaper something class guy look at Niall like a daughter, used to be bodyguards in the noble house of Nialls father. Just from the way he talks about her, it is nearly as if he sees her as a child. Someone most likely over 200 years old and a Champion. As much as I complain about this kind of info dump, I come to think it wasnt that bad, as I learned a bit about how others might see Champions and about the world from before the war. Soon after, I enter the apartments again. Lissandra, who has nothing better to do as always, looks at me. The inscriptions I made are all messed up and need to be redone, give me a bit of your mana. I do so, and five minutes later, Im on the floor again, fighting against the pressure on me using only kinetic energy. After five hours pass, Im punished for my success. Being able to move my pinkie finger seems to be enough of a reason, and Lissandra increases difficulty. The next time it will be even more difficult; Im sure of that. Currently, both me and Myrra exit the Workshop for 5 hours of hunting and then 1 hour of rest before more training. You sure I shouldnt carry you? You still seem to have some internal wounds. Silly feral one. You''re supposed to train to not get hurt, not hurt yourself to train. So typical of you. I blame my environment and the people around me affecting me the wrong way. She nods seriously, her tail twitching and showing her amusement, That seems to be the case. Actually, am I not a victim here? I should report it to someone. Physical and psychological abuse or something. Indeed, feral one, its quite serious what''s happening to you. I jump away from her, and she does the same. Where we stood, the earth bulges and dozens of spikes pierce the ground. Through them mana flows, strengthening them. The spikes explode, and hundreds of small projectiles from stone crash against the barrier I make and the similar one made of Aurora glass Myrra creates. More than the attack, I watch Myrras defense. Even now, Im quite fascinated by Aurora glass. The crystalline material with reflective facets that go through multiple colors according to Myrras use of the skill, element, or whatever it is. Its something she gets from a combination of her fire and ice attacks, I think. Aurora glass seeps into the air, dozens of tiny reflective particles she uses similarly to my anchor and teleports through, disappearing to hunt the monster who attacked us, leaving me behind to deal with the other one. [Veil Guardian - lvl ??] Tall, pale, and with voidsteel blades instead of forearms and hands. As many times before, the monster screeches with a voice full of hate, and I cut off the signal it sends to the Veil. Blue veins going through its skin increase in number, and the gravity field envelopes the area, crushing the trees and boulders under the pressure. The monster charges at me. I use [Resonance], and the effect of gravity disappears. Its so easy to do it now, and I try to mimic what Lissandra did when I attacked her before with her [Disruption]. Instead of using a lot of my mana, I reach only for a few percent and create a single projectile. As Veil Guardian reaches me, I send kinetic energy through my body and dodge a few times, avoiding the swings of the voidsteel blade. Kinetic energy is different to use; unlike using mana, even the movements look different. Its not as smooth; instead, it is a burst of speed added to movements. Its as if she declared she is willing to die with me and for some reason, I cant find the right words to react to it. Such a surprising declaration out of nowhere catches me off guard. She notices it and smiles with her fangs showing. Her tail shows she is even more amused than before, and her ears perk up. Am I also cooked now, feral one? Myrra asks with a bright smile. We have to do something about your habit of picking up weird words, the same with nya before. I decide to ignore it for now and push by her, heading deeper into the workshop. Did I use it incorrectly? Should I call myself goat instead? She quickly catches up to me and walks by my side. Please stop, Im sorry for teasing you before. Seeing the lynthari I once considered majestic using these words ruins my image of their entire race even more. Based. ... We are going to get some bussin food? Do you think they have restaurants here? That would be cooked! Thats not even how you use... whatever, why are you so quick to catch these things up? Feral one, I might not be at the level of Lady Lissandra, but my talent is quite good. Out of all the lynthari, I was considered the most talented in millennia. Even though she is still smiling, it makes me remember that her entire world is gone. She might not consider herself fake or doesnt consider it at all, but it doesnt change that fact. Unlike me, who will most likely return to Earth, she has nothing left. Just that crazy woman by her side who pulls her around. The way she always tried to stay by my side ever since we met again now makes sense. We werent best friends or anything like that, but Im someone she knows, and we probably did have a better relationship than she currently has with Lissandra. Not having time to grieve, having to fight to survive, unable to hear a lot of things because of the censor preventing it, the risk of dying at any moment. Maybe your talent is at the level of pets the court ladies from Lissandras planet used to have, I tell her. I start noticing just a bit of clinginess from her. The way she talks quickly and stays nearby. As if an animal looking for someone to share warmth with. Even though she tries hard to not let it show. Maybe in a few months. So far, none of us are a match for them, feral one! But one day! Walking and joking, we pass through the tunnels and a few caves. All of these places are huge. The walls from which they got massive crystals for Skyhold Islands. The giant tools they used to create parts of them. One of the rooms has a pillar in the middle that looks like it could move up and down, imitating hits of a hammer. Just that pillar is as big as buildings, and there are more things like that. Its all fascinating even when they are sitting there and collecting dust. Some even used as meeting spots for kids that run around and play. The inscriptions look fine, so it all could probably work with a lot of effort, but they are not powered, mana too precious to waste like that. Its like a city, Myrra says. Thousands of people. Gardens, fields, waterfalls. Seeing it used this way is nice, but sad at the same time. Do you know what I mean? Yes. It used to be a busy place, full of people working on yet another part of a Skyhold Bastion. Hammering sounds, rails used, materials mined. It all feels a bit post-apocalyptic. As if a once prosperous city was left behind and taken over by nature, the trees piercing through the roads and growing in the middle of the streets. That kind of feeling. All radiates this feeling of nostalgia and the tools created by generations of people, most of whom are already dead. Its something proven even by most of the tools left behind being taken apart, to serve in a better way. In the end, we dont find any stalls offering food and just walk around, and the hour of rest passes like that. When its about to end, we turn around and return to our apartment where Lissandra sits, working on the arm of the Saint. It might be me, but the arm seems to be a bit smaller than before. Lissandra glances up from the arm at the orb that still floats near my shoulder and I train with constantly. Its to the point the entire time while walking with Myrra I also had to keep up my healing passive from the strain and effort I put into that shaping exercise. Continue what you are doing but with no healing for the next 10 hours, she says simply and continues to work on the arm. Chapter 395: I will give it my all Chapter 395: I will give it my all Sset - You didn''t join at the scheduled time yesterday. Noname - I was in the middle of training. Will tell you all when we meet again. Sset - Sure, as for us, we already located the Black Tower. It will take us a few days to get there. Noname - Planning to go in already? Sset - Well see. We need a bit more information. The twins have been fine so far, but they still have to endure a lot of bullshit. If possible, I will get them out. Grumpy -Hello Noname, are you doing ok? Noname -Yes, it''s going pretty well so far. Grumpy -Good! I examined that finger bone you left with me a bit more and got a few ideas. We can try them out when you get back. Noname -Sure. I have to go now. Sset - See you tomorrow at the scheduled time. Grumpy - Later! I turn off the Beyond Community and check my quests, just in case. Though I still have one side quest: Side quest:Reach level 250 Reward:body upgrade As for the floor quest, its the one for the 6th floor. There is no further mention of my training or my two week timer. It really seems as if Ruler of Envy used the function of summoning a disciple here, combined it with the running instance of my 5th floor, and twisted it. And that seems to have caused some kind of backlash, so it looks like the Rulers cant mess with the tutorial as much as they might like. I wonder how the Ruler of Greed feels about that. The murderer from Easy difficulty, likely desperate to escape his imprisonment and our plans to permanently kill him, accepted the first suspicious invitation, only to have his status taken. All of that begs the question; Is the tutorial the creation of a single Ruler, a collaboration, or is it a product of the system with some wiggle room for the Rulers to exploit? Can they mess with the system itself? That seems unlikely; in that case, they would probably be able to mess with the tutorial more. They still seem to be bound by some rules. Somebody comes to a stop in front of me and I pause, shelving my thoughts and looking up. Lisandra stands there. You will speak with the Champion. She said she will only share the information I need after dinner... with you. Uh, what? She took a liking to you, little pup, and she wants to mess with me like some common child. So just go, we will be leaving soon afterward. Weve wasted enough time here. There are no more words from her as she returns to her seat in the corner, continuing to work on the arm, which I note is significantly smaller than before. Are you being courted by the Champion, little pup? Be careful what you drink; she might be trying to take advantage of you, How quick she is to tease me. For some reason, I dont find that funny. Niall is extremely powerful, and it would be a simple matter for her to do whatever she wants, no one here could stop her. This palace could easily be a lawless hellhole if someone as powerful as she wanted it that way. Shes just trying to spite Lissandra. You can imagine how she deals with her. Whatever makes you feel safer, feral one. Well, it doesnt have to be so bad. Shes quite the beauty, as far as human women go, I think. You might even get some gifts from... I shoot a mana orb at Myrra, who returns fire with shards of her Aurora glass. I block with a small barrier and sigh. Not wanting to push things further, I head outside. At least dress yourself up... I hear Myrra shout from behind me. The Frozen Reaper guy greets me as I leave the apartment. Unlike the other one, he doesnt seem to smile much and leads me quietly through the tunnels after greeting me. It takes 5 minutes, but we enter one of the big caves which opens out into a beautiful green patch of forest and a pretty clearing. Crystals as tall as me poke up from the ground, shining with soft blue and yellow lights emanating from their cores. Niall sits on a blanket, spread over the grass, nomming on snacks. Is this a date? I ask as I plop down. Ha! You might be somewhat handsome, but Im sorry to announce you are far from my type. Sounds good. That woman is extremely tiring. Im trying to be nice, but even I have my limits, you know. Wouldnt it be easy for you to deal with her? I cant imagine Lissandra being strong enough to face the Champion directly, even in her weakened state. From what Niall showed me before, I guess she could use a third of her full strength? Maybe a bit more if she decided to risk the backlash. She has been severely weakened, but shes still powerful enough to deal with almost anything that gets thrown her way. Lissandra could probably deal with her through some fuckery, but it wouldnt be clean. Niall lays on her back and looks at the ceiling, which, I find, is full of crystals as well. Probably yes, but that woman is sneaky. If I failed to kill her in one hit, she would pull some bullshit, and a drawn out fight would probably cost the lives of the people around us or attract attention from the Veil. Makes sense, I say, grabbing a snack from a convenient plate and moving it closer to Niall. She smirks, opens her mouth, and I throw it in. I could get used to that. I heard about some noblewomen who had a bunch of bare-chested pretty men to feed them grapes. What do you think? Will you answer a few of my questions if I do? No, I wont. And stop asking so much. You have question after question. You probably have centuries to live, so enjoy the process of learning and growing stronger. It will be lonely and boring once you get to the top. I dont know if I have that luxury, but I wont bother you. Then I will die trying to reach that level. I see. Because thats how I want to live. Any wrong done to me, I will repay tenfold. Any wrong done to those I care about, I will repay a hundredfold. And if I dont feel like it, I wont kill. I dont care if its because Im in a good mood, I dont care if its because I slept well, or if its just because they showed me the slightest bit of goodwill. Congratulations, you have fulfilled the requirements to level up your subclass! [Initiate of Pride] > [Adept of Pride] You have started to build your own pride, a pride unique to you with its own effects and bonuses. You will now also have an easier time detecting those with the same subclass and be able to determine the stage of their subclass. The effects of the previous stage are now strengthened. You may choose one skill that will be affected by your Pride the most! I push these notifications away and face Lissandra. The silver-haired woman smiles softly, Congratulations on reaching the second stage of your subclass, she says. Without any movement from her, the inscriptions for my Burden Enhancement flare into full effect, and I freeze on the spot. Immediately I rush to gather my mana and deactivate the inscriptions, but Lissandra is already standing in front of me. The black dagger pierces my skin, the tip of it just barely touching my heart. A disruptive effect floods my body, putting an end to all my efforts like it''s nothing. Instead, I flood my body with kinetic energy, and the fingers on my right hand flex as I force myself to move. Impressive, little pup. You really do have a tiny bit of talent for kinetic energy, I must admit. The mana she absorbed turns to her, and she quickly makes some changes to the inscriptions, and I find myself unable to move at all. "I understand your Pride better now. It has the potential to make you very powerful, no, it requires you to be very powerful. It will support you, and make you even stronger, but if you fall, it will crumble with you. The moment you give up, it will make your downfall truly terrible. It fits you well." The black dagger continues to absorb my bodys mana, which is already thirty percent gone. If you do anything, little kitten, it will end badly for you. Im not going to hurt him. Lissandra says that single sentence and Myrra stops mid-step. Seventy percent of my bodys mana is gone, and Lissandra returns my gaze easily. "If I had you decide between Myrra and that Champion, I''m sure you would pick Myrra without any hesitation, little pup. It''s just that you are that greedy, and that might be a reason why..." The rest of her words get censored. Lissandra seems amused, noticing it as well. Ninety percent. And all of my mana is gone. I would like the contents of your reservoir, but this should be enough. She says pulling the dagger free, but the inscriptions remain, and with them my inability to move. No matter how much I try, or how much kinetic energy I use. Giving me a last glance, Lissandra exits the room. A minute passes, and my finger twitches again. Two minutes pass, and more fingers move. Three minutes, and I twitch my leg. A single powerful pulse of mana washes through the entire workshop. Just one, and then there is nothing. The lights flicker, and the air filtration starts shutting down. At the same time, alarms start sounding, and screams of surprised people reach me pouring in from outside. Both of my legs move, and I stand only to immediately fall, my face buried in the cold floor. My kinetic energy is nearly gone, and slowly being replaced by my strained mana regeneration. The door opens again, and Lissandra enters the room. Her right arm is hanging uselessly at her side, broken, and twisted, blood dripping from it. A deep wound mars her face, and one of her eyes is injured. Nothing else. Though she does carry a small bag, containing a few spare items and the remains of a certain heart. We are leaving. You will be going first. Lissandra moves her hand and the inscriptions on me lose their effect, making me stumble. Forcing myself to calm down, I look at her. Breathe in. Breathe out. Control your emotions. It''s too late to do anything now. I take a step toward Lissandra and then pass by her, opening the door. Fire fills the hallway heading toward me, and I reach into my reservoir, absorbing the power of these flames until they weaken, revealing a man with an expression of wrath on his face. He doesn''t bother to control himself as the invisible heat fills the tunnel. There are no flames, yet the air flickers and the walls glow red hot, melting like butter. I activate the tiny anchor I left in the hallway the moment we came here, which is behind him. The anchor explodes with kinetic energy, gouging at his back and causing him to stumble. Seizing his moment of distraction, I absorb all of the heat and then release it at once in a thin, laser-like stream. He lifts his hands in front of his head and even manages to block the attack for a moment, dispersing it across his palms, but it''s too concentrated, and it pierces through his hands and head. [You have defeated Solar Ascendant - lvl 266] [Lvl 241 > Lvl 242] Then, as people flee in confusion to the ringing of the alarms and the functions of the Workshop slowly die, we exit the compound and head north. Chapter 396: Cinder Chapter 396: Cinder A day passes, and during that time no one says a word. The training didnt stop even then. I was forced to move under weaker Burden Enhancement Inscriptions. I fought the monsters attacking us on the way, the ever-strengthening Veil in the sky spewing more and more monsters. Veil Guardians are the norm at this point, I even welcome them as I take the opportunity to sell the voidsteel blades. There is no rest for me, and rather than the usual three hours of variety training, I find myself devoting that time to fighting. I manage to raise my level once more in the process, slowly approaching my goal of reaching 250. Lately, Ive been finding myself incorporating mana shaping into my fights as well. Its quite a lot. Only a few days have passed since I began 14 days with my "master", but Im already starting to notice signs of exhaustion from the lack of sleep and the abundance of overtraining. I dont mind much, it helps take my mind off the slew of useless thoughts and gives me time to regain control over my emotions. Its also when I decide to limit my use of [Focus] when it comes to regulating my emotions even after meeting Lissandra ?s conditions. My overuse of the skill was probably preventing my subclass from leveling. Looking at it now, its so obvious. Myrra gives me space to clear my mind, which I appreciate, and when we finally stop for a break, Lissandra steps in front of me. I had expected you to attack me at least a few times, little pup. You know I promised not to kill you unless you failed to follow my rules. Well, you were wrong. She lowers her face, catching my gaze. I return it. Slow breath in. Breath out. Good. Now continue to calmly circulate your mana. Good. Oh, so youre biding your time until you have a better chance, little pup, you are... I open my mouth, just as I had so long ago with her descendant, an orb erupting forth and heading right for her eye. Lissandra tilts her head in an amazing show of her lightning-quick reflexes, and the orb grazes her cheek. Behind her, the orb explodes, releasing a burst of kinetic energy and pushes her towards me. I boost my movement with a lot of kinetic energy, and a blade of mana forms in my hand, while my other hand reaches towards the black dagger at her waist. Then the world turns upside down. I feel a blow to my shoulder and in my belly and find myself lying on my back. An impulse to jump back and attack again is sent through my body, but I force it away and stay down. Lissandra looks down at me, and I watch as she reaches her hand up, touching the wound on her cheek, a bit of blood staining the tips of her fingers. Little pup, your movements are terrible. Stand up and repeat after me. I do as Im told, and she reactivates the inscriptions for Burden Enhancement. Not at their full power, but still enough to make it difficult for me to move. Then, she slowly starts moving her body, slim muscles rippling as she takes a stance and then slowly moves her hand in a punch. Her body twists, feet burrowing into the ground as she does so. The movement is short and thrown at a normal speed, it would be quick. Its the kind of movement that sacrifices a bit of power to land a few quick blows. And its probably been adapted to synergize with a variety of skills. Moving kinetic energy through my body, I mimic that movement. Even before I finish the movement, I stop and start over again. Lissandra steps closer, Widen your feet a bit more. Send more of your kinetic energy to your feet and circulate it through your entire body from there. We see an absolutely massive forest burned to ash, leaving naught but a rocky plain behind. Crushed mountains. Rivers that drain into craters the size of cities. The destruction is all encompassing, and we pass through a number of places filled with mana radiation. Places where Champions must have clashed, even hundreds of years later, signs of their skills and powers remain, like scars upon the land. We also pass by an ancient battleground where an Absolute once fought, something Lissandra points out with keen interest. There, inside one of the lakes, lies the skeleton of a monster. Something I fail to identify, theres only half a skull and a few rib-like bones pointing toward the sky. The remains alone are at least as tall as the tallest skyscrapers back on Earth. The bones are blindingly white, yet no flesh or connective tissue remains. There is no way something like that could decay after a mere 100 years. The flesh of powerful monsters is capable of lasting so much longer. No, it looks like something ate that monster, either during the fight or after, and only left the bones behind. The water in that lake is eerily still and impossibly clear, seemingly transparent. There are no monsters either. We avoid that place as much as we can, making a huge half-circle around it. Lissandra orders us not to touch any water from that area. A day later, we reach our destination, passing over a hill crowned with trees covered in poisonous bark, which proves harmful even to us, despite our high levels. I never want to see that forest again, Myrra hisses. Nice jinx. Screw off, feral one. Looking down the hill, we see a huge cleared area, devoid of trees and stone. And the ground itself has been polished to an extremely smooth surface, almost looking more like metal than dirt. There is a single pyramid, and resting against its side are the skeletal remains of a snake. The problem, as far as my brain is concerned, is that the pyramid is huge, extremely huge, and so are the skeletal remains. Its difficult for me to even grasp the sheer size of these things. This is one of the Veil Ignition Stations. It functioned as a converter, converting the power of a dormant volcano into mana. There was a Champion who made it possible using his trait and skill. He is long since dead, but the station still has a bevy of impressive defense mechanisms. Lissandra takes a step and heads down the hill towards the city. There are people here, I note. Yes, the defenses are set to attack any Veil creature that gets close, so people chose to settle in this place, turning this device into their city. Device. The word alone almost makes me laugh. That thing is way too big to be a simple device. From the information I got from that broken Champion, the city is a lawless place, full of gangs fighting for territory and resources. Even now, they probably have groups devoted to breaking into the more important parts of the station. That piques my interest, and my inner loot goblin awakens. Im quite good with inscriptions, am I not? I should be able to get into some of the more fancy places. Maybe Ill be able to find some more interesting stuff to sell. A Veil Ignition Station reselling arc 2.0 might be on the menu. And what are you looking for here? I ask. Youll see when we get there, little pup. And control your mana more, that orb over your shoulder is a disgrace considering the amount of time youve spent on it. I do as Im told, and our steps continue, resounding in strangely distorted echoes as we cross the metallic surface, which radiates just the slightest bit of heat. As we get closer, the pyramid and the skeleton start to look even bigger, and I have to tilt my head high up to see the top of it. With no one to welcome us, we pause for a moment when we find ourselves standing in front of the pyramid. Veil Ignition Station no. 2, also called Cinder, Lissandra says, and we head in. Chapter 397: Clash with the locals Chapter 397: Clash with the locals The Veil Ignition Station known as Cinder, is a pyramid made of metal. Up close the surface isnt quite as smooth as it looked from a distance, its sheer size serving to smooth out any inconsistencies in its form. The exterior is covered in a combination of silver and gray metals, with orange-ish veins of a different material tracing its way through the surface. The external surface is covered in huge doors, leading to a vast multitude of terraces. Each accounting for an area spanning several city blocks, and higher up the surface, I begin to see a number of stone and wood clinging to the metal exterior, as various humanoid figures bustle about. This is where I leave you for now; you two go on together. I will rejoin you later. With that, Lissandra strides off, entering the pyramid through a long tunnel leading to what appears to be an elevator shaft. Want to go up from the outside? I ask Myrra. "I don''t mind," she answers, and with that, we start scaling the pyramid. Despite her apparent lack of enthusiasm, I can still see her tail swaying from side to side. Myrra is a curious creature, and shes never been able to hide it. And, it''s not like I''m not curious myself. The only thing that could be an issue is the relative strength of the natives. Myrra and I both have inscriptions restraining our bodies, and theyre always active at some level. It''s not terrible, but it''s powerful enough that its forcing me to use kinetic energy just to be able to walk. Plus, Lissandra decided that I was finding things a bit too easy, and added a disrupting effect to interfere with my mana, not unlike the imps from the tunnels she left me in. Most of my focus and attention is being taken up by the process of walking without my mana ruining my body. I might make it seem easygoing, but to be honest, its taking a lot out of me just trying to keep it up. Even more so than it did before, I catch myself wanting to sleep or just to take a rest for a bit. It''s a lot. And Myrra isn''t so different. She must have guessed what I''m thinking about because she jokes, If we get our asses kicked by some level 100 guy, Im leaving you and running away. I don''t know, sometimes I feel like a level 50 would be enough to kick my ass. I use just a bit of kinetic energy and boost myself up onto one of the terraces, which I find to be individual segments of the pyramid. That''s pathetic, feral one. Not even I feel that way. To get me, they would need to be level 51 at least. The way you move your mana is pathetic. Ive never seen such a poor form. I swear... ...I swear I knew noble ladies whose pets had better control over their mana than you, Myrra finishes, clearly annoyed by the comparison. Her canines drawing free of her lips. We jump a few more times, slowly moving toward a group of people, and I continue to examine the pyramid as we go. As I do, I come to find my first impressions vindicated, the metal surface is nearly perfect. Even after who knows how many years, It hasnt taken any significant damage, though there are scratches here and there. However, we are on the opposite side of the structure from the skeletal remains of that giant snake. I''m sure that part is damaged. Another interesting thing is that as the day turns into night, the pyramid is getting warmer while the surrounding area is getting colder. Not uncomfortably so; but enough to create a cozy pocket of warmth that Is slowly rising in temperature. It seems like the pyramid is absorbing heat from the surrounding area and It doesn''t seem like itll be done for a while yet. I''m curious to see how high itll go. Before we can reach the platform and the humans on it, a few of them start heading our way, with weapons drawn and skills at the ready. The men and women approaching us are dressed in mismatched armor, not to mention their weird mix of weapons and wild eyed expressions. Each one is around level 100. What surprises me most though is the way they go about trying to estimate my power. Its not something Ive seen in a long time. It''s terrible like Im being repeatedly slapped with wet spaghetti. We will need you to pay a toll to enter, the woman with the highest level speaks first, stepping forward and gesturing, The ax and the blade should do. She seems to be indicating my Flamebearer and voidsteel blade, which Ive continued to carry despite the fact that I rarely have a use for them. Just kill them. I bet they have some nicer stuff as well. One of the others smirks, already holding his weapon. Maybe we shouldn''t; they must be somewhat strong if theyve managed to make it all the way here. Oh, shut up, Veril. Anyone could do that. There arent many monsters in the area, and just look at them, they look like theyre about to fall apart. Look at them, theyre bleeding. So someones probably found a way to control a few of the minor functions of the Veil Ignition Station, its probably someone from before the war. Champion Zey, he seems to be calling himself, taking advantage of the title to cling to power. Almost like a cult leader. It''s a different style of governance from the Sanctuary, the Workshop, or even the Bastion, but its not really surprising. Of course, there is the slim chance he turns out to be a real Champion, but I have a feeling Lissandra would have told us if that were the case. We finally reach a platform with buildings, I give them a glance. Theyre all wood and stone construction with some weird glue-like material to serve as the mortar. All of these buildings sharply contrast with the smooth metal of the pyramid. It makes for a rickety, ratted out mess, as we saw from the lower platforms. People walk around in old, tattered clothes. There are shops and craftsmen in some of the buildings, but none of them seem any better constructed for it. I guess the higher on the pyramid, the more powerful the people and the nicer the buildings we can expect to see. Fuck, these inscriptions are going to kill me, feral one, Myrra complains, approaching me. Theyre fine. Then why do you look like youre going to pass out? Look, your manas leaking and youre bleeding all over the place! Isn''t this much normal while training? I do not get an answer, and her expression takes on a mix of amusement, pity, worry, and frustration. Her fluffy tail all but confirms it as it flits about in a confused manner. That''s when an item falls between me and Myrra. I sense it heading our way, but Im curious to see what itll do. It turns out to be an orb the size of my fist, and it turns out to contain a decent amount of heat, not to mention that the container seems interesting on its own. The orbs been made from a thin glass-like material engraved with simple inscriptions. I wanna say that its rarity sits somewhere around uncommon? Maybe a step away from rare, but no higher than that. The surface starts to crack as I kneel down and poke it. The cracks grow wider, and one of the inscriptions starts to shine just a touch brighter, serving to release the concentrated heat in a single burst. To be honest, the whole setup is clumsy, nearly to the point I''m surprised that it seems to be working. More heat passes through the crack, and it expands, the inscriptions bursting into full activity as I grab the orb, leaning in close to examine it further. All of the heat contained inside is released at once, rushing to melt my face off along with a small area around me. Its a bit amateurish by my standards, the blast isn''t all that concentrated, and its simple release mechanism only serves to weaken the effect. I absorb the heat of the explosion and start spinning it around my head before absorbing it into my body, using it to fuel my passive and heal some of the wounds caused by my lapses in control. Lissandra''s inscriptions are truly evil. Ill just have to learn how to make and improve on them, maybe. Looking up, I catch a glimpse of Myrra, whos already reached our attacker while avoiding another orb. At this point, she merely breaks his neck and throws him into the distance. It must be nice to have such high natural physical stats. Want to catch some and gather information? she asks as she nimbly lands next to me. Even though she complains about the inscriptions nonstop, she also seems to be doing well. However, she doesnt really have much choice now that Lissandras decided to teach her. I''m sure that cockroach wouldn''t have bothered if Myrra weren''t talented. Let''s just climb higher. If they attack, we kill them. If not, we leave them be. There doesnt seem to be much to learn here, we should probably head higher before trying to ask again. Catching that fake Champion and his disciples are optional. Sounds like a plan, feral one. Let us head higher then. Im eager to find out whats inside and at the top. Chapter 398: Heading inside Chapter 398: Heading inside About a third of the way up the pyramid I signal Myrra to stop. Then, while keeping my mana in check, I send my senses out, probing the area around the Veil Ignition Station. I find my suspicions confirmed, the temperature out there is dropping rapidly. And not just the weather; no, the pyramid is absorbing heat at a scary rate, pulling in energy from a huge area. All that heat is being absorbed by the metal and sent somewhere inside, part of it radiating from the surface. The drop in temperature is so huge Im sure I would die out there without the use of my thermal energy, not just because of my stats either. I dont even think Myrra would have much of a chance. Especially seeing how effectively and hungrily the station devours any heat in the area. Myrra notices it as well. She herself has a taste for fire and ice based attacks, so Im sure she can sense that much. So that means the Ignition Station is at least partially functional, she notes. "Seems like it." What really surprises me though is that we see a group of about 100 people at the bottom of the pyramid putting on something like a space suit with a number of mana stones connected to them. I cant exactly puzzle out what purpose theyre meant to serve from up here, but my best guess is that they serve as insulation against the extreme elements outside. These weirdos are planning to head out. Most of them are carrying a number of big baskets, while others are left to pull even bigger ones, connected to ropes. Myrra and I take a break to watch them work. After a few minutes of preparation, they head out into the darkened field before the pyramid. They walk quickly, and when they get far enough out, they take out tools and start scraping frost from the metallic surface surrounding the pyramid. They then proceed to throw the resulting clumps of frost into the baskets behind them, and once one place is cleared, they move on. That begs the question though, is this where they get their water? As I look around, I keep finding more and more groups like that, spread all around the pyramid, each crew containing at least a hundred people who work quickly to harvest the ice. Once in a while, one of them starts panicking, touching the suit he is wearing. It seems like it must have taken some sort of damage. Maybe a broken mana stone, damaged suit, anything. At which point it only takes a few seconds for that man or woman to die, their bodies ignored by the others. Left behind to be collected the next day, if only to recover a suit that could still be repaired or the items the person in question happened to have on them. They dont drink the water from the area, and there isnt any source in the pyramid, so this is probably the best method they have, Lissandra says, appearing out of nowhere, also looking down at these groups of people. Dont they have people with skills that could help with that? Myrra asks. Its a naive question. People like that tend to be grabbed by the ruling factions and used as a means of control, I explain. Such childish games, Lissandra chuffs, probing Myrra and me with her senses before nodding in an affirmative manner. Were spitting up again. Pup, youre heading into the pyramid. Kitten, youre going to the top. Do whatever you want, and well meet here in 24 hours. For a moment, it almost looks like Im getting some time off. Time I would, of course, use to train. But Lissandra doesnt disappoint as she turns to me and grabs the bits of mana my body is leaking. She forms a small orb out of that mana and makes it float over my shoulder, Keep that orb from breaking down for the next 24 hours. If you use too much mana, it will burst. If you use too little, it will disappear. The amount required to maintain it will change over time. Of course, it will. I dont respond, already turning my attention to the orb. Right away, the orb almost bursts, and then while I lower my mana, it almost disappears as the requirements change. A few seconds later, they change again, and then a minute later it happens again. There is no rhythm or consistency; the changes seem to come at random. Sometimes it happens after half a second, sometimes it takes a full minute. Even then, the constant and unique changes make the experience far from simple. What an evil thing. How do I make one? There are a thing or two I notice but nothing too interesting. The trait also seems to be much weaker than my eyes, so in the end, I just give up and let go. I clean my hands on the mans clothes and stand up, quickly checking their pockets for goodies. And of course, I take a few small mana stones, along with some pieces of metal and bone that I failed to identify, before continuing on my way towards the skeletal remains. I find more on the other side of the pyramid than the skeletal remains of a huge monster. though it wasnt really all that visible from afar there is still some flesh remaining. And I do find it interesting that the bones suck in the heat from the pyramid seem to be allowing that energy to flow through them. After ten minutes of watching people work, I come to the conclusion that thats part of what allows all these people to carve out the flesh and scrape the bones for materials, shaving them into some kind of bony dust. It seems like they also waited for the night. I know I didnt see them during the day. They wait for the pyramid to absorb heat, some of that heat is absorbed by the bones and warms them up, boiling hot in some places. Which, in exchange, allows them to scrape the bones of a very high-level being and separate out some tiny pieces of its flesh. It probably represents the work of generations among these people. So fascinating. Generations of people over hundreds of years. Thousands of people eating the flesh of the same monster. Trying to come up with ways to use the bones and the other parts. Coming up with ways to get more out of it. Its something I would never see if I was on Earth. Something I would never even think of. Yet here it is, thousands of people crawling over that humongous corpse just to dine on the scraps. I could sit and watch this for hours, but I have to remind myself what Im here for. Before entering the pyramid through the hole in the side, I take out my voidsteel blade and use [Resonance] to make it even sharper. Then I carve out a few pieces of bone, which I stash neatly away. Lily can check it out for me later. Our project to make my bones stronger and improve my mana conductivity seems to be going well. Now that I think about it, it might be weird for me to keep giving her pieces of bones, not to mention the human remains, she is a teenage girl after all, but Im sure she doesnt mind. A few people shout at me and others even throw some attacks my way, but I ignore them mostly, only blocking the ones with a chance of connecting. Then I slide through a hole in the wall and into the pyramid. The hallway I find myself in is extremely smooth, and there are no inscriptions anywhere to be seen. There arent even any lights. More than a hallway, it looks like a vent to channel heat through. I even have to lower my head a bit as I enter. In front of me, I create a single thermal orb that lets out soft yellow light. Once again, I pause to concentrate on the mana orb which is in the process of changing its parameters multiple times, each worse than the last. Once it calms down, I continue on, feeling the warmth from the walls now even more than before. Soon enough, I might find myself being forced to fight against that heat; its getting a lot warmer really fast. It takes me five minutes to find a way through, but I do eventually find the entrance to a much bigger one, and I increase the size of the orb. The light falls upon the smooth surfaces of the tunnel. Its hot here and very quiet. My only light comes from the orb, the pyramid has, thus far, proved itself devoid of any other sources of light. As always when I find myself in a place like this, I feel my excitement spike, the experience further enhanced by the fact Im alone. Its been a long time since Ive truly had an opportunity like this. Ive had my Minion, Duplicaniel, and the tournament, with its abundance of people to get in my way. And after that, I wound up with Lissandra and Myrra. I think Ive been handling things well, and if need be, Im perfectly capable of dealing with it. But now, I''m on my own, exploring this place that once served as a channel for the traits and skills of a Champion. I find myself feeling quite pleased with the situation. Yes, I think pleased is just the word for it. As I head deeper into the pyramid, I ignore the fact that not one of the natives tried to follow me in.Vi?Sit no(v)3lb/!n(.)com for new novels Chapter 399: Heat Chapter 399: Heat One hour into my explorations and Im starting to find that the deeper I go the hotter things become. At this point, Ive begun to notice inscriptions buried within the huge plates of metal this place has been made of. They run through the entire structure of the pyramid, absorbing the heat from outside and sending it further inside.N/ne?w n0vel chap/ers are published o/n So of course, I use my thermal energy to track where its heading. Sometimes I have to backtrack when I reach the end of a tunnel, but so far things are going well and my steps continue to echo as I walk through the metal channels. I really wanna know what kind of metal this place is made of. I take the opportunity to touch the walls with my damaged arcane ax to touch the walls just to see what happens. Nothing too amazing, as it turns out, though when I use the ax, I find it easier to absorb the heat. Maybe the composition is similar, maybe it''s an effect of the ax or maybe its a similar alloy. I do eventually finally find tunnels meant for humans to pass through, rather than continuing through the heat pumps. Not knowing how to get there, I focus on the thinnest part of the wall and channel a significant amount of my mana, combined with absorbed thermal energy, into a laser-like stream. This concentrated beam cuts a small hole for me, though it depletes a good chunk of my mana. The new tunnels I enter aren''t much different from the ones I just left. They are just a bit colder and sometimes there are working lights and more inscriptions. And so my journey continues. Im using a bit of kinetic energy to power my body just so I can move, and my [Focus], not to regulate my emotions but to deal with my disrupted mana and that evil orb over my shoulder. I think I have already grasped how the orb works, so I should be able to mimic it in the future and create it on my own. Maybe I can even create a few for increased difficulty. Just the thought of that sends shivers down my back and I once again remind myself that I''m the most normal one. The others in group 4 are worse. Within five hours I start getting bored of the never-changing walls and twisted tunnels and having to retrace my steps, so I''m happy when I finally find a room. The door is obstructed by a dozen or so corpses each one wearing some sort of suit not unlike the ones the natives were using to scrape frost outside. However, these seem tailored to deal with the heat. I can see that from the inscriptions placed on the multitude of mana stones each suit contains. Theres even some kind of weird dust coating the surface of the suit, which I recognize as the powder being painstakingly scraped from the bones of the dead serpent. Each of these people is totally dried up, their skin shriveled, and burned. It''s difficult to even describe properly. They must have been here for quite some time. What seems interesting is that the heat here isn''t that terrible. I dont even need all that much thermal energy to deal with it. Plus, my physical stats couldn''t be much higher than theirs, heck theyre probably lower in some cases assuming they were close to 200. Does that mean that the heat is going to increase at some point, is that what killed them? I note that down for further observation and decide to keep an eye on it. Then I examine the door they tried to open, some tools have been left lying on the ground. Most of them have been scorched if not straight-up melted so not anything useful for me to loot, so I turn to examine the door instead. The surface is smooth like the walls, only differentiated by the slightly darker color of the circular door. inscriptions have been carved Into its center, And I can sense the way they continue under the surface. Well, this is certainly going to be fun. I continue to juggle Lissandras training training while turning part of my mind to the lock itself. In the end, it takes me two hours to figure out how the locking mechanism works. However, after that, it only takes me five minutes to unlock it with a combination of thermal energy and [Resonance]. [Resonance - lvl 48 > Resonance - lvl 49] The circular door moves backward, sliding away from me before slowly rolling to the side, and admitting me to the room. There, I find even more corpses, Men and women in the same suits as the ones outside. All of them are close to the door, and some of them have clearly damaged their hands. Did they get trapped inside? Were the people outside trying to get them out or were they trying to escape the heat? Some of the corpses inside are also clearly damaged, parts of their suits have been burned, often leaving the bodies missing limbs. But soon enough the ones responsible reveal themselves. [Ashen Phantom - lvl 150] [Ashen Phantom - lvl 101] [Ashen Phantom - lvl 123] That''s also when the monster attacks. [Heatseeker - lvl ??] At least level 290 from my estimation. It''s barely as tall as me, but it is much longer. Of all of the animals Ive seen it reminds me most of a centipede, though its face is more humanoid. It moves through the heat as if it were, skittering along with a series of quick, twitchy movements. And when it notices me, it pauses for a second before its movements speed up and it starts absorbing the heat that currently fills the tunnel. Huge concentrations of the captured energy dancing across the monster''s flayed form. The Heatseeker charges me, its humanoid mouth opening and launching gouts of flame at me. Freed from the burden of the formerly blistering heat of the hallway, I grab a chunk of thermal energy from my Vortex Core and concentrate it even further. My golden flames meet those of the monster. It''s not even a fight. My flames pierce through, enveloping the monster and setting ablaze in a wreath of golden flames that spreads across its body in the blink of an eye. The humanoid face of the centipede-like monster twists in pain, its flesh burning and twitching and spasming until it finally expires. [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 291] The heat then starts filling the hallways once again, forcing me to fight its influence once more and it only takes another minute before it recedes once more. As it slowly weakens and the temperature returns to previous levels, I almost feel cold despite the actual temperature. After examining the corpse, I ignore the heat hallways I wanted to head to. Leaving them in favor of the tunnels the heat wave and Heatseeker came from. Why are the monsters here so weak against thermal energy? At some point, I find more and more burns on my body as my concentration begins to fail. Even so, I continue. All the water I had on me has already evaporated and I eat what food I have on me. At times I catch myself wanting to just sleep, but I push these silly thoughts away. It would be easy to return, but I just don''t feel like it. Hours later, and I finally find another door. Its circular as well but the inscriptions cover the entire surface. The heat here is higher than its been anywhere else. Rivaling the heat wave from before. The 24 hours Lissandra gave us to explore the pyramid and meet her passed a few hours ago. Ah well, sucks to be her. I reach into my body and remove the inscriptions she placed on me. With the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions gone, I can move without having to use kinetic energy and my mana feels so tame, it''s crazy. Then I look at the orb over my shoulder. I cant believe Ive managed to keep that evil thing alive for so long. I send a burst of mana through it and in a deep moment of satisfaction, watch it burst open. The heat around me becomes barely a nuisance as I give it that much more attention. I turn to the inscriptions on the door and start working on them. Let''s see what this place is hiding. Chapter 400: Living quarters Chapter 400: Living quarters While I work on the door, the heatwave hits three more times, forcing me to focus on defending myself until it passes. And once it''s gone, the code changes and I have to start over again. With each attempt I make, I am getting quicker at it, so it''s only a matter of time before I unlock it before the next heatwave. What''s nice is that during the heatwave, more Heatseekers start appearing, and the centipede-like creatures with human faces continue to fall to my concentrated thermal energy. I even fight some of them without it to better gauge their strength, and I find that it''s entirely possible to defeat them without thermal energy. My voidsteel blade actually cuts through them quite easily even without support from my skills. The only disadvantage is that it''s getting just a tiny bit damaged. It would probably require me to kill hundreds of Heatseekers to destroy it, but the damage is there. Not like it doesnt make sense; these monsters are all close to 300, but none of them have broken that particular threshold. I level up once during that time, and my crown gains a level as well. The crown is currently active, and filling with my mana. There is also an orb made of thermal energy filling as well. I thought of just either filling the crown or the orb, but in the end, I decided to split my resources between the two of them. I always liked to be versatile. When I finally unlock the door, it slides back and rolls to the side like the one before. After I pass through, it closes behind me, and I watch it happen. I dont even create an anchor outside. Being on my own has a bad influence on me. Maybe present Nathaniel messed up in his own way.DiiSco?ver new stories on I will rely on you, future Nathaniel, to deal with the consequences. It''s all for our Pride, and I appreciate your service. Noname - Seems like I wont be using Community that much. I need to focus on other things. Reliable Tess reacts quickly; she, like most of us, has been constantly checking the chat, for seconds at a time. Sset - Got it. Good luck. Noname -Luck doesnt have anything to do with it. I turn off the Community and then stop and stretch. My body feels so light and warm. I even notice that Ive been subconsciously using bits of kinetic energy to add power to my movements. However messed up Lissandra might be, her training methods do work. Fulfilling my expectations, a few Ashborn Phantoms attack, only for me to kill them one after the other. Dozens of them throw themselves at me while the heat in the room I just entered gradually increases. Soon enough, another heatwave hits, and with it, three more Heatseekers, each one bigger than the last and each one has three question marks but theyre probably no higher than level 299. Thermal energy flows from my Vortex Core, and through my arm, as I use [Infusion] to fill my ax, the damaged blade of the weapon glowing with my golden flames. Kinetic energy flows through my body, giving me a comfortable feeling mana strengthening never did. The first Heatseeker attacks me while the other two start absorbing the heat from the room, channeling it into the flames they use to attack me. And despite their strength, they cant seem to damage the metal the pyramid is made of. So far only my thermal energy seems to be capable of that. I miss my first few shots at the Heatseekers, the monsters are quick and twitchy, but I use the golden orb over my shoulder, and fire a laser thin stream of thermal energy easily cutting into the monster. Newly slowed, the monster fails to avoid me, and a single swing of my ax sends thermal energy coursing through the monster, burning it even surrounded by this crazy heat. [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299] I hold Flamebearer in front of me, absorbing the monsters flames, and though they dance around me they fail to reach my body. The sound of them passing through the air reminds me of a plane starting, and once Ive gathered enough energy, I stop absorbing and swing, adding a bit of my own thermal energy into the mix. A huge wave of flames explodes from me filling the room, bits of golden flames dancing within the monsters yellow, and devouring the Heatseekers, reducing them to ash in the process. [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299] [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299] [Infusion - lvl 30 > Infusion - lvl 31] With the monsters gone, the heatwave disappears as well, the room cooling off, as the residual heat is absorbed by metallic walls. The light dims again, plunging the room into a nearly pitch black darkness. The only source of light is my thermal orb and the walls, though its not much. Even though its made of metal it looks like a flame has somehow been trapped inside it, letting out the faintest orange glow. Tether - Lvl 36 It takes an hour, and I blame it more on my lack of sleep rather than the amazing defenses or difficulty of the task. Connecting to my crown, I redirect a part of my mana to the core, and it floods it with shiny light blue particles of mana. The lights dance inside nicely, and then it takes two more hours for me to take over the controls and light up the place. One after another, the lights in the walls start glowing and after days in the dimly lit tunnels, it feels nearly alien. Cozy, but alien nonetheless. I glance at my left arm which is still missing a hand. It will regrow soon, but its annoying because I cant use a mana prosthesis properly; the hand keeps growing and interfering with it. Well, its not like its anything new to me. I take a huge chunk of my mana and use [Perception] and [Focus] to get as much out of it as possible. I send a pulse through the living quarters like a sonar wave, trying to locate anything interesting. [Perception - lvl 48 > Perception - lvl 49] Huh. I did have to get a few of my skills to level 50, didnt I? The cockroach threatened to kill me if I didnt. Instead of bothering with more useless stuff, I create an orb over my shoulder. Its an imitation of that evil orb Lissandra made for me before. Mines still not perfect, but its good enough to train. Since I dont have to deal with the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions, disrupting mana and heat, I create another evil orb and head to the lowest part of the place while training. I have sensed some nice stuff down there. On my way there, I stop in front of a room with expensive-looking doors. Theyre made out of some weird wood and delicately inscribed. In fact, some of these inscriptions are only there to make them look nicer. With a blast of kinetic energy, I turn them into mere scraps of wood. Their defenses were inert, my mana in the core supporting the most important functions of this place. I enter a room that seems to be really luxurious. One of the huge windows even offers a view of what probably used to be a huge garden. Now it''s dried up, and the trees have been reduced to giant hunks of dry wood. There are layers of dust everywhere, but it''s still been well preserved. There isn''t much humidity in the pyramid, so I guess it makes sense. First, I reach a small stand where drinking glasses sit under a few faucets. I send a bit more mana to the core through my [Tether] I left there and then reactivate the inscriptions directly, bypassing the broken mana stone. A hissing sound pours from the pipes for the next thirty seconds, before being replaced by a quiet bubbling. A stream of dirty water shoots from the pipes, and it takes another thirty seconds for it to clear up and correct the flow. I use it to wash off one of the glasses and then fill it. Without much hesitation, I drink the entire glass in one go. Disgusting. I fill another one and drink it as well. Then a few more. The longer the water flows, the better it tastes. That, or it''s already killing my taste buds. Both options are fine with me. I stop the water and then head to another room, which is entirely made out of white polished stone, with hundreds of holes in the ceiling. The clothes I''m wearing end up on the ground, and for a moment, I look at them. Then I burn them in the golden flame of my thermal energy until nothing remains. The room turns out to be a shower, as I had expected. At first, dirty, disgusting water pours down, again as was expected. It takes a minute of me standing under it before the water flows properly or clearly. There doesn''t seem to be any soap or Old Spice shower gel, so I just stand there for a few minutes until I feel cleaner. All the dirt and sweat Ive collected ever since the start of this little adventure with the little kitten and cockroach are washed away. The experience leaves me feeling much lighter. After that, I spend a good ten minutes choosing new clothes in the small room I find nearby. There are dozens of articles, and most of them are in a good state. Only clothes made of certain materials seem to have been ravaged by the passage of time. Using the mirror I wipe clean with one of the shirts while inspecting my reflection. Black shirt with rolled-up sleeves. I really like the material. The pants are light brown and feel nice as well. The shoes do not fit me at all, so I go barefoot. Ive gotten used to the experience since the tutorial started. Some shoes just can''t handle too much explosive movement, so it makes sense. Maybe I could open a shoe shop for superhumans when I get back to Earth. I bet a lot of people will need them. In the end, I also use [Resonance] to trim my hair and shave the stubble from my face. I loot the place as well, taking interesting mana stones from appliances and a few stones from the walls. I fill a few bottles I found with water and pick up some replacement clothes as well. Only then do I head to the bottom of this place. If I''m right, it''s where the armory is. Chapter 401: I will come to see you Chapter 401: I will come to see you The door into the armory is extremely thick, and the door leads to an unassuming hallway that opens into a wide room. Of course, I was smart enough not to power up this section, so the only defense I need to worry about is the door. While I think of it, I add another evil mana orb so I dont become lazy, and when I feel blood dripping from my nose, I send thermal energy through my body to deal with it. Unsure how to deal with the door, I take thermal energy from my core and concentrate it into a thin laser stream which I focus on the metal surface of the door. Gradually, I increase the quality of that stream as it begins to glow with a brilliant golden light, biting into the metal as the heat spreads through the surface. In an effort to speed the process along I absorb any stray heat and reincorporate it into the main stream, tightening the beams focus as I go. It takes a good minute until I feel it break through and lance into the room as the resistance of the materials gives way, so I start moving it to the side. After a minute, I pause, an interesting thought taking hold of my mind. Is my laser cutting through the items inside? Shouldnt I have thought of that sooner? Could I create another evil orb? Liss is going to be pissed off, isnt she? Whatever. I just raise myself into the air and start shooting at an angle, directing my line of fire toward the ground.Upstodatee from After a few seconds, I stop again and sigh. The thin stream of thermal energy disappears, and I send my mana through the thin cut I made and place an anchor inside, which I use to teleport inside before recreating my evil orbs. The crown and my thermal orb, nicely filled, now teleport with me even at the higher cost of mana. The armory lights up in the golden light of my orb, revealing rows of weapons hanging on the walls. Surprisingly, there aren''t that many of them here, only about ten or so. When I send my senses further, I notice a few dozen more on the other side of the armory, though they tend to be on the lower end of quality. Rare at best, both weapons and armor. The ones surrounding me now are all epic grades. First, I examine the one that seems to be damaged. A shield with a smooth line carved into it. Around which the metal of the shield seems to have been melted. Almost as if someone... Oh. Unlucky. Frostguard Shield (mid Epic, damaged) - A shield imbued with the essence of eternal ice. When activated, it can project a barrier of freezing cold air that slows down incoming attacks and chills enemies upon contact. This shield can also create a field of icy terrain centered around the user. Hehe, its a shame it wasnt activated. Damn it. What catches my interest is the reference to the essence of eternal ice. I think I remember an item that had been imbued with the essence of eternal wind. I wonder if its something I should know about. Maybe Ill find out sometime in the future. One after another, I examine these ten items. Three of them are of upper epic rarity, three of mid rarity, one of which is a mysteriously damaged shield, and four of low epic rarity. One after another, I also sell nine of them for close to 7 thousand shards. None of these items are attractive enough for me to even try learning anything from. Once again Ive found myself in a place I probably shouldnt have reached. The system is really sloppy at times. I spend the next thirty minutes going through the remaining items and examining their effects, searching for new ideas in the variety of weapons Ive claimed. For example, in between the epic items I sold, there was: Basilisk Fang Whip (mid Epic) -A whip crafted from the fang of a basilisk, imbued with its petrifying venom. Strikes from the Basilisk Fang Whip can temporarily turn flesh to stone, immobilizing enemies. It can also be used to create stone barriers by striking the ground. The item sounded cool. Not that it really fits my fighting style, but it was nice to learn that beings like the Basilisk exist, doubly so given that their venom can apparently turn you into stone. Then there was another thing that caught my eye: I can''t sense more in this state, but I already have a suspicion about what awaits me beyond that being. Somewhere deep below the surface. Sending the projection away, I head straight towards the top of the pyramid, moving at the highest speed possible. Let''s see what cockroach is getting up to. She is surprisingly quiet lately. Part of me expected her to pull me out of the pyramid by my ear. As I exit the pyramid, the projection becomes weaker, and the quality of the image begins to suffer, but not much later, I locate the top. The tip of the pyramid is hollow, like a building unto itself. There are even trees planted in the dirt that probably had to be brought here and meticulously watered. Flying in, I find luxurious rooms with vibrant carpets on the floors, paintings on the walls, and a lot of gold. Its so unfitting, its crazy. I also find the man who declared himself a Champion, Zey I believe his name was. Near him lie five more bodies, probably his disciples. All of them are fairly well dead. A bit further, I find Lissandra and Myrra. Both of them are sitting in a small room that seems to be exactly in the middle of the hollow tip of the Veil Ignition Station known as Cinder. On a small stand is the head of a man. It doesnt seem to be from any of the natives killed outside. The heads eyes are wide open, both orange in color, while his hair is red and curly. Its the Champion with whom they built this station. They built it here, right over the biggest active volcano they could find. I dont know the Champion ?s name, but he used to be second in rank after their Absolute. Lady Lissandra? Myrra asks, confused. Im not talking to you, little kitten. The head was what I was after here, a lot of it can be used. I have no need for his body, so play with whatever remains of it. Well, if you can. Lissandra then turns around, looking directly into my eyes, You made your decision, and I will respect it but after I deal with things up here, I will come to see you. The meaning of that message comes through loud and clear. After that, the connection cuts off abruptly, and I find myself back in my body with a throbbing headache. There is a long crack across the entire surface of the amulet, and its description has been appended with a new word, damaged. Do you really want to sell the following item for 390 shards? Astral Projection Amulet (upper epic, damaged) Yes/No I confirm and then stand up. Once Ive gotten the door open again I exit the panic room and start heading for the core, not having to deal with all the heat I subconsciously try to create a fourth evil orb, and finally, a notification rings out. [Mana Manipulation - lvl 49 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 50] Disappointingly, there is no additional notification. No change. No boost, unlock, or addition to the skill. It just levels up. A system giving notice of a threshold crossed. For me, it feels weird for such a breakthrough to happen without the life and death struggle of combat. But in the end, its one of the many things Lissandra has said that I agree with, even though it seems more boring. When I reach the core, I take all of the mana out of it, the lights dying off one after another until the place is dark. The only light coming from my thermal orb as I continue to feed it energy. I use [Tether] and place an anchor that should last me a week at least. Then I grab the ax, the voidsteel blade, and a bag with a bit of food and water, and leave the rest here. I reach the tunnel serving as an exit from the living quarters and unlock it after resting for a moment. Passing by and closing the door, the living quarters disappear from my view, and the harsh heat of the pyramid attacks me once again. Accompanied by the presence of a group of monsters sneaking ever closer. I recall the layout in my memory and then head towards the center of the pyramid. The place with molten metal pool and being just under the surface. There are preparations I need to make to welcome someone very hard to kill. Chapter 402: Follow through Chapter 402: Follow through As I stop to endure another heatwave and wait for more Heatseekers to pop out, I stop to think. The heatwaves have been occurring at regular intervals. Three times in the span of 5 minutes, a five-minute pause, another heatwave, a thirty-minute pause, another heatwave, 15 minutes, heatwave, 10 minutes, heatwave, one minute, heatwave, thirty minutes again, and then another 3 heatwaves in the span of 5 minutes. Thats all Ive grasped so far and I''m currently in the process of confirming and getting more exact timing with the help of the countdown timer in my status. And Im already planning to use it to my advantage. Finally, the Heatseekers appear bringing more heat with them. This time there are five of them. I let a bit of thermal energy flood through the Flamebearer and take a step towards them. I wonder how I should deal with them this time. A day passes and my level goes up once. Other than Heatseekers, weaker monsters are abundant here. These ones move in bigger groups, but nothing I cant handle. [Redistribution] has reached level 49 thanks to my constant use of thermal energy. Overall, it''s not bad. However, I am being presented with a problem, in that the closer I get to the center of the pyramid the slower I seem to be healing. My passive uses heat and thermal energy to heal my body. However, something seems to be getting in the way. Its even managed to bypass my mantle without me noticing and no matter how hard I try I fail to identify the source. I think its probably connected to the Champion who died here. At this point, I''m sure that man, whose head Lissandra stole, once possessed primordial thermal energy. Lissandra said it before but his body, well, what remains of it should be down there. I have a few theories but I wont be able to confirm them until I get there. Overall the slowing of my heat-based healing only adds to the difficulty and once again leaves me frustrated with my inability to learn any other form of healing. As a result, I have only 1 evil orb over my shoulders and find myself forced to act with more caution. Its also taking a lot more effort to deal with the heat which is rising with every moment. It''s frustrating. The current tired me prefers to take a minor blow if it provides an opportunity to deal more damage. It''s tiring to be constantly avoiding them, and to be honest my mind isn''t as fresh as it could be. Still, I force myself to be a bit more careful and see results in the form of fewer and smaller wounds. Well, they could be lethal if It werent for my boosted stats but it''ll probably be fine. I pause again as the next heatwave hits. Right away I check the time and make a mental note. Heatseekers like to come exactly 11 seconds after the heatwave starts. Lately, there tends to be at least five of them. Three of them will engage immediately while the other two will hold back for several seconds. Usually, one of them attacks from the ceiling, and two will strike from the walls. In preparation, I place a few anchors in places I expect them to be and prepare five thermal orbs. Precisely calculating the amount of energy in each one. The three Heatseekers appear right on time. This time two on the ceiling and one on the side wall. Cheeky things, maybe they felt fancy and decided to change their strategy a bit. I send two orbs through the anchor at the ceiling and one to the wall. The orbs explode in golden flames the moment the monsters reach them. [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299] [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299] [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299] Then seven seconds later three more appear instead of the usual two. Two of them die falling victim to the orbs I send through my anchors. [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299] [You have defeated Heatseeker - lvl 299] The third one stops on the spot. Turning his humanoid head towards my anchor and the monster hesitates. I stand up and add another evil orb to the one floating over my shoulders. Huh. Since when were there two of them? Whatever, I add the third one there and head to the hallway leading to the center of the pyramid. As I work on the last set of inscriptions the heatwave hits me and I take note of it. With it, my theory is confirmed and the timing of heatwaves is deciphered. Another one will come in thirty minutes and this time seven Heatseekers should appear. Without pausing my work I place anchors and attack, fully intending to kill all the monsters the moment they appear. I miss a few times and some of their attacks land dangerously close, but I continue with my strategy until they are dead. After the fight, I feel a new wound somewhere on my body but ignore it. What is one more added to the mix at this point? My level doesn''t change but at this point, I''m sure I''m getting close. Then I check the timer. One day and a bit remain until I return back to the 6th floor, my two weeks here coming to their conclusion. The past few days have turned into a blur as I fight, train, and intentionally move slower to reach the center so I can level up. The cockroach is weirdly fair at times so she will wait until the last hour to go after me so I still have plenty of time. Its all been planned out and I just need one more level and four skills to level 50. For a moment I pause my work on the inscriptions and check the doors. Only now do I notice how huge they are, tall as a multi-floor building and about as wide. The metal they are made of is slightly different and they flaunt a number of decorative ornaments. Things like these are one thing Ive started to ignore lately, they dont tend to matter much, but nevertheless, they are pleasing. I bet I would appreciate it a bit more after some sleep. With a sigh, I reach for my bottles and stop. Where is my left arm? Checking closer I notice a clean, healed cut close to my shoulder. The Voidsteel blade on my waist is nearly gone, just a piece as long as a dagger remains. All the water and food are gone too. Only Flamebearer remains, reliable as always, by my side, undamaged. I have plenty of shards, should I buy an arcane weapon instead of saving for a passive? Shaking my head I make an arm of mana to replace my missing one. I concentrate, improving on my design, most of the changes coming about as a result of my examinations of Miwa''s arm back in the tournament and other bits of information I managed to acquire. I even assign part of my [Focus] to keep it up. [Mana Manipulation - lvl 50 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 51] [Focus - lvl 49 > Focus - lvl 50] The arm then flickers and with some annoyance, I check to see whats taking so much of my mental capacity. I identify the source right away, four evil mana orbs floating above me. Each one changing its frequency in an unpredictable manner, forcing my mind to work in overdrive. They also seem to constantly change the amount of mana required to maintain them which only adds to the strain. What kind of dumbass decided to keep so many of these things running. Shaking my head I deactivate all of them and for a short moment, I feel like losing consciousness as a wave of relief hits me. It''s as if an immense pressure has been lifted from me, the constant annoying buzz in the back of my mind gone. The arm made of mana instantly solidifies, turning dark blue with streaks of light blue, moving just like my normal arm would. I lift my mana arm to compare it to the right one and stop in surprise. A second passes as I just stare at my arms. The right arm is also made out of dark blue mana, this one severed just over the elbow. I giggle, my laugh sounding weird even to me as it slips from my parched throat. Not wasting my time on useless stuff I then turn back to the door and continue with my work. Chapter 403: Savi Chapter 403: Savi The doors open and heat washes over me even harder than before. The hallway outside the room starts to melt as its walls absorb the heat from outside. The walls on the other side of the door seem to be made from a material different from what Ive encountered until now. Detecting the doors starting to close I slip inside and look at the view in front of me. It''s a massive room. I don''t even know if it can truly be called a room. Some time ago, back on Earth, I saw a documentary about the Tokyo flood tunnels. Giant structures that served to redirect water to keep it from flooding the surface. This place is similar, though its bigger and taller. Instead of water, I find a lava-like layer of molten metal. The space I find myself in stretches over a huge distance leaving the ceiling to be supported by a number of massive pillars. A quick pulse of detection is all I need to confirm that all the heat being absorbed from the surface is being pulled through the pyramid and absorbed by this massive pool of metal. Perhaps by design, maybe its being caused by the entity swimming around inside of it, or it may be something else entirely that lies deeper within. I know that the being inside the pool has detected me already, yet it''s not attacking for now. It seems to be wary of me. Well, more likely it''s wary of the thermal orb I have with me. I wonder if it ate the body of the Champion. Is it something that came into existence as a result of the Mana Radiation from the champions corpse? Is it some creation of the Champion''s skills? It could honestly be either. But now, standing here, looking through the lens of my [Perception], I confirm that the body of the Champion is still there. Lying at the bottom of the pool of molten metal. The heart continues to pull in the heat, using the pyramid to do so. It even beats with long pauses in between. These pauses are perfectly in sync with the heatwaves that push their way through the pyramid and the appearances of Heatseekers. I give the shy guy in the pool of molten metal an opportunity to attack but it doesn''t take the bait. Annoyed, I create three tricolored orbs and fire them off, targeting what I think is the beings location. The molten metal explodes into the air sending ripples through the surface and pushing me back with the shockwave, almost making me fall even as I activate my defenses. Even then no counterattack seems forthcoming. Annoyed, I boost myself into the air with kinetic energy and repeat a few more times until I land on a ledge projecting out from what I think is the central pillar. Its thicker than the others and much more densely inscribed. Up close I even notice that theres much less heat moving around it, and some of the molten metal seems to have solidified at its base. I land on the surface of that solidified metal and tear out a few huge chunks which I send through my [Tether] to the anchor I left in the living quarters near the core. Being done, I boost myself up and land on the ridge in front of the doors on the pillar''s side. They are extremely smooth, almost feeling painted on. My mana doesn''t even seem to do anything and even my senses can''t feel much. While thinking, I throw another tricolored orb to where I think the being is. Then I take a bit of thermal energy from my orb and send it to the door. The lines light up and it looks like they are melting the surface and it spreads through the entirety of the door until they melt away entirely. I go inside and the door starts reforming behind me and only now do I see how thick the wall of metal is, at least as thick as I''m tall. Infusing my mana arm with thermal energy, I tear off a chunk of the metal and send it through the anchor as well. Then I do it a few more times until the hole closes. Only then I turn to the room I found myself in. Of course, the room is nearly dark, lit only by a few lines that seem to be powered by the bit of thermal energy I used before to light up the place. The control panels near me don''t react to my mana and there dont seem to be any other doors. It''s just a circular room that encloses a space in the shape of the pillar it sets within. Knowing now what the problem is, I let thermal energy seep out of me causing the panels and devices to start lighting up. Even the ceiling changes, the lights taking on the appearance of swirling lava. I don''t think thermal energy powers it all, that would be weird. It''s more like thermal energy serves as the key. That or the room has some means of converting it into mana and using the result as fuel. Anyway, is there anything I could sell? I grab one of the chairs and try to send it through the anchor only to find myself unable to do so.The? source of this conte/nt n/o/v/(el)bi((n)) Cheeky place seems to have engaged some form of shielding after it closed itself off. Hell, my thermal energy may have reactivated the defenses. For some reason, I find the idea funny. I release more of my thermal energy and more devices light up, some of them even projecting a map of the pyramid and an uninteresting series of letters and numbers. So where do I find the last will stating: "If youre reading this I''m long since dead."? It takes a few minutes but I do manage to find a switch and when I activate it the walls of the room become transparent, allowing me to see the pillars and pool of molten metal outside. More than that, it allows me to see the monster coiled around the pillar as one of its huge eyes tries to stare inside. [Volcanic Hydra - lvl ???] My laser-like stream of thermal energy hits the now transparent wall and starts melting through, right over the monster''s eye. The monster doesn''t react in any way and my attack continues to melt through the wall very slowly. It would take minutes for it to pierce through. Annoyed, I throw a tricolored orb against the uselessly thick wall and cancel my thermal attack. As I watch the tricolored orb turn bright white, I come to think that that might not have been such a great idea. My eyes activate for a moment and I quickly move my mana, tearing the orb apart before it fully destabilizes. There is still a small shockwave, but most of the devices survive it just fine. That also makes me realize that the monster can''t see me; the room only allows for a one way view. Most likely even cloaking what''s happening inside. Then the monster roars, sending ripples through the pool of molten metal, and the inscriptions on the pillars light up in response. My body is pushed against the pillar, my crown and thermal orb threatening to destabilize. I activate [Mana Domain] to bring them both back under my control, the blueish light of it clashing with the dark orange color of the heat radiating from the volcanic hydra. The pool of molten metal ripples and from its surface emerges dozens of spear-like spikes the length of my body, all aimed directly at me. [Redistribution] activates, and I absorb all the heat, causing the attacks to visibly lose power and speed until the metal spikes sit frozen, pointing at me as they pierce the surface. A few coming to a stop just an arm''s reach away. These spikes made out of metal fall back into the pool where they melt once more. I boost my body with kinetic energy and fly off to the side, avoiding another wave of spikes piercing through the surface of the huge pool. They follow me as I fly, some crashing into the pillars Im using to avoid them. The amount of heat they contain is impressive and even with my defenses, I can still feel it scorching my skin. Savi looks dried up now and much thinner, his ribs beginning to show. Yet the bony wings are bigger than before. The thinner he is the quicker the attacks are and the more heat they carry. Over time bigger and bigger sections of the pool begin to fall under his control. Sometimes I absorb the heat of entire wave-like attacks, which creates waves of metal, seemingly frozen in time. The spikes coming my way continue to fly even as I absorb the heat, piercing into my shields or causing injury. Then there are Savis attacks; even though hes found himself looking at his deathbed, the hydra continues to move quite nimbly, swimming through the lava and snapping at me with apparent vigor. I form a suit of armor around my body, increasing its size until we find ourselves the same size. It''s so much easier now, my mastery over kinetic energy is much better, allowing me to move the huge armor with less resistance. So we clash, my mana corroding and melting every time it touches the pool and Savi seizing the advantage. His attacks have even changed now, accounting for my ability to absorb the heat. As the fight goes on he becomes stronger and stronger and at the same time, he comes closer to his death. His body is just skin and bones, and his bone wings are beginning to crack and for the first time, he starts taking damage from the lava. However, the Volcanic Hydra continues. I know I should save as much of my mana as I can to use against Lissandra but at this point, there are no such thoughts dwelling in my mind. I just fight, one side trying to kill the other. [Redistribution - lvl 49 > Redistribution - lvl 50] And then when the time finally comes and Volcanic Hydra slows down, I redirect my attacks, barely avoiding its head. The monster is missing three of its legs, its tail is broken from one of my attacks, one of its eyes has been destroyed and its bone wings are nearly gone. Even then it still has that determined gaze in its eyes as he stares me down in challenge as I float over him. The hydra doesn''t try to escape and in the end, we both know he gave it his all. One last hurrah from a monster trapped for over a hundred years, unable to break through its limitations and regain its previous power. You gave it your all, didn''t you? I say, sure he can understand. The Volcanic Hydra doesn''t say anything but its eye seems to confirm the sentiment. I''m no Champion yet but I hope you had fun fighting one last time. The monster''s neck straightens up and its eye stares at me full of expectation. I let golden thermal energy flow through my arm of mana and for the first time during our fight, I use it to attack. The golden flames devour the monster and I let its bones sink back into lava without stopping to take any of them. [You have defeated Volcanic Hydra - lvl 329] [Lvl 249 > Lvl 250] Level 250 status reached. This marks a significant leap in human potential. Your body will undergo a crucial upgrade, designed to enhance your cellular regeneration, bone density, and muscle efficiency. This upgrade will enable your body and mind to endure the strain of higher leveled skills and support more powerful traits and passives. Note: Following the upgrade, your body''s requirements for air will diminish. Well done! Chapter 404: Shall we start? Chapter 404: Shall we start? Well, the body upgrade goes more or less as expected. Nothing extra, but it does entail some nice additions. Much like the previous upgrade, the changes seem to be taking some time to apply, so itll probably take a few days at least. As a test, I let my mana flood my body, but once again, I immediately start taking damage. There might be a tiny difference in the degree of damage, but that''s it. I''m curious if the fully applied upgrade will change that, at least a bit. In the end, it seems like I still have way too much mana for my body to handle. Good. At least I won''t have to breathe as much. Rereading the description, I also don''t think my improved cellular regeneration will be enough to replace my healing skill. The system just isnt going to give out powerful regeneration to everyone over 250. Though It might be for those with high or upgraded constitutions. I also start to wonder what would happen to my body if I didn''t get body upgrades? Going by the notifications, it seems like it wouldn''t be able to handle active skills, traits, and passives. It could be interesting to observe and compare the difference between a body upgrade and a high constitution. The timer continues to tick down so I locate the body of the Champion. It''s easier now without the Volcanic Hydra messing with my senses. Unfortunately, the body seems to be very deep below the surface of molten metal. Deep enough to be surprising. I expected it to be just a few lengths of my body, instead, it''s deep enough to hold a small skyscraper. Feeling that I know I won''t be able to reach it. My senses barely pass through and placing an anchor is impossible. The amount of heat is also too much for me to absorb. My shields would be unable to endure that amount of molten metal and heat. Hell, I''m sure even our resident cockroach would have trouble reaching it with her current capabilities. It also explains why there isn''t that much Mana Radiation. Most of the residual energy generated by the body is being used to send heat through the pyramid, create these annoying monsters, and keep a pool of molten lava the size of a small city liquid. Should I jump in? I mean, I''m sure I would be able to move around for a while just with my chest and head. I can recreate the rest with mana and slowly regenerate it later. Or maybe I could go in with nothing but my heart, spine, and brain? Maybe I could just send my brain and leave my heart behind connected through [Tether] to feed me mana. It could be possible to create a smaller barrier around my brain. Hmm, maybe not that, the molten metal would cut off the connection to my heart. Also, it would be unfortunate if the cockroach found me like that. What about the main pillar with the rooms, I could try cutting it loose and using it as a submarine to get there? Or maybe create a capsule out of the metal for me to dive in? That probably wouldn''t work, my thermal energy will only work against me there and whatever the body below is generating should be more than enough to destroy me. Fish the body out? Am I even capable of creating a thread powerful enough to get there? Not even mentioning how easily its going to melt as it gets closer to the body. Even the Volcanic Hydra wasn''t swimming that deep, keeping itself just below the surface. I shake my head and then scratch my cheek. At least I try to, both of my mana arms are disrupted as I forget to concentrate on them. It leaves me standing there without arms which I cant help but find funny for some reason. Annoyed, I shoot a tricolored orb in the direction of the Champions body and then head to the solid metal around the control pillar. There I sit and nearly fall, losing my balance due to my lack of arms. Even so, I do not recreate them. I dont need them right now and may as well use my [Focus] for other stuff. First, I reach into my crown, and the amount of mana in it makes me both happy and terrified. Slowly I reach for the threads Ive been forming around the crown. My own web heavily based on the Mindblenders. It''s not as good or delicate but it doesn''t need to be. Thread after thread I uncoil it, making a few last-minute changes. These threads start covering the area around me. Starting with the pillar next to me, than moving to the ceiling, the adjacent pillars, and the walls of the room. More and more I continue as the invisible, intangible threads fill almost the entire room. I use [Infusion] and [Mana Domain] to fill them up. Adding my Pride to the skill makes the threads more mine, less susceptible to external influences. It''s almost like expanding my [Mana Domain], but its also more than that. Gradually, I redirect a bit of mana from my crown, creating a dozen pockets of mana all over the room. Each one contains enough mana to compress into a tricolored bomb or a few. I create multiple layers of the web, each with a different frequency. I even make a few smaller webs with less mana running through them. These webs, I keep disconnected from the main one. I fail a few times, and it costs a lot of mana. I just dont have as much experience with it as I would like. But I still continue, using everything I have learned. Three hours and ten minutes remain when I exit the pillar. My [Mana Crown] forms over my head, and [Perception] checks the web one last time, making last-minute changes. A pathway added or removed. A twist changed, mana redirected. I move my thermal orb to the stump of my right arm and then I create a golden arm prosthesis out of its energy. My flesh burns to the point where it touches the golden thermal energy, emitting too much heat for me to redirect. Taking a few steps I grab Flamebearer from its place with the blade half submerged in molten metal, finding it untouched by the heat. I swing the ax to clean the blade, molten metal shooting free in its wake. Then my thermal energy moves through the ax which starts shining with golden light. Parts of the ax sizzle, the metal at Its surface melting slightly as the metal starts to glow, the air around it beginning to shimmer from the heat. Active skills: Focus - Lvl 50 Perception - Lvl 49 Redistribution - Lvl 50 Resonance - Lvl 49 Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 43 Tether - Lvl 37 Infusion - Lvl 33 Mana Crown - Lvl 31 Mana Manipulation - Lvl 51 Two more skills, that''s all I need and I still have a few hours. If I fail I will die. If I die it will be my fault. If I survive Ill only have myself to thank. That''s how it should be. That''s how I want it to be from now until the end. The doors I used to enter this place open, and a single figure steps through them, striding confidently in my direction. Her silver hair moves in the scorching hot air, contrasting starkly with the surrounding colors; it even seems to be glowing in this place. She enters and the doors close behind her without her giving them a second look. On her waist, there are two daggers. One made out of black mana, and another made out of flesh, skin, and bones. Embedded in that fleshy dagger is a single orange eye. So that''s what she did with the Saints arm and the other Ignition Wavelength Eye. Lissandra Hawthorne, Absolute of Eladore, a fake, a shadow of her original self, is just as relaxed as ever. With a single glance, she examines the room and its contents, taking note of the ax, and my preparations. Then she takes a step forward and stands on the pool of molten metal, around her feet a faint amount of blue mana glows. Each of her steps sends a ripple through the otherwise calm surface and she comes to a stop a few steps away from me. Shall we start, little pup? Three hours and two minutes remain when a heatwave generated by the body of the Champion fills the room and I attack. Chapter 405: Candidate Chapter 405: Candidate The ax in my hand radiates thermal energy as I swing it, adding to the heatwave that fills the room. The heat doesn''t bother me anymore, but it surrounds Lissandra, who has to radiate a field of mana to surround her body. Shes likely being limited by the amount she got from Myrra before coming here. The mana around her isn''t anything impressive from a quantitative standpoint, yet it interacts with the heat of the room in such a way that it drastically reduces its effect on Lissandra. It reminds me of a tiny flame refusing to be extinguished by the tornado. When she swings her arm, the heat in front of her disappears as if it were being blown away by an immense pressure wave, and I block the invisible cut with the ax. Even then, I find myself being thrown into the air, nearly colliding with one of the pillars. I activate one of my webs, and it reaches down and surrounds her. Multiple tricolored orbs explode all at once while the rest of the web disappears, consumed to send a powerful disrupting wave of mana at her. Lissandra even now refuses to use her daggers, and the orbs stop mid-explosion. I can see the shape of their mana expanding but its almost like theyve been suspended in time. Surrounded by the explosions, she takes a few more steps, her eyes still on me. Clearly challenging me. More heat crashes into her, a stream of concentrated thermal energy shooting from the ax in my hand. She dodges to the left, breaking into a run as my attack tracks her movements, sending more ripples through the pool of molten metal and gouging the pillars with their heat. Her path takes her past one of the stones I planted, causing it to activate and send multiple frequencies of disruptive mana her way all at once. One of my anchors launches a spike of kinetic energy at her, another web, made out of extremely dense threads meant to entrap her, shrinks and coils around her. Lissandra ignores the jamming field; it doesnt even seem to bother her. She tanks the kinetic energy with her forearm, and something she does makes my threads disappear as if they had been dispersed by the wind. The tricolored orbs I shoot her way freeze in the air, and when she stomps, another wave ripples out from her, blowing away another thermal attack. None of it really seems to be causing her any trouble, but I just continue to press the attack. I never expected to get her with any of these attacks; Im just trying to make her waste as much mana as possible. Even now she is missing some because of the encounters she had on her way here, and now she has to use some more. No matter how efficient she is, at some point, quantity will win out over quality. And while she faces me, I watch her, I read her movements, and I perceive her techniques. I make changes to my web, I switch frequencies. I modify my anchors. The way I''m using thermal energy changes, and even my offensive use of kinetic energy begins to adapt. All to find a way to deal with her. [Perception - lvl 49 > Perception - lvl 50] Finally, that annoying skill levels up, and I activate my Mana Wavelength Iris, the powerful trait taking over and working in tandem with my crown and domain. Immediately, I release half of the thermal energy remaining in my arm and ax, causing it to swirl through the surroundings, melting the pillars and causing them to fall. A wall of golden energy surrounds the woman while tricolored javelins shoot toward her from every part of my web. Others are filled with wildly disruptive mana, some are just dense mana launched through the air at immense speed. All of these attacks bombard her, and for the first time, she touches the black dagger. At that moment, the main web activates and disrupts my own mana, dispersing it into shiny particles before she can absorb any to use against me. The attacks that seemed ready to tear her apart disappear at the cost of a huge backlash to me, and instead, the wall of golden flames shrinks, surrounding her. Lissandra lowers her body, and her eyes land on me. I don''t even have time to blink, and shes there, leaving the flames left behind her. With a wave of my hand, I pull the flames towards me, and kinetic energy fills my body, absorbing some of the energy of her attack and staggering me anyway. Her fist lands on my face, she kicks me in the side, and I release a blast of heat only for it to be blown away by her mana. The golden flames surround us, pressing on the faint glow of mana around her. Lissandra still looks perfectly fine. There isnt a single wound on her body, even her clothes are mostly intact. When I shoot a thermal orb at her, she dodges easily, and the last remains of my web and domain press in on us while she punches me in an attempt to break through my kinetic armor. Its efficiency vs quantity. And I win that matchup. The sheer amount of mana and thermal energy Ive collected is too much for that little amount she took from Myrra. Finally, Lissandra uses her black dagger and stabs it into my side. And for the first time, a look of surprise appears on her face, if only momentarily. I try to catch her hand, but she is quicker, and after breaking my nose and a few ribs, she jumps back to avoid wildly resonating kinetic and thermal energy attacks. There is no mana in my body for her to absorb, and neither is there any in my Mana Reservoir. It''s all somewhere else. I check the timer, and just in time, another heatwave fills the room. The remains of my web also disappear, reduced to a cloud of fine light blue particles, too fine for the imperfect dagger to absorb. Lissandra can''t kill me. Not because it''s impossible for her, but because of the promise she made not to kill me unless I failed the tasks she gave me. And I don''t think shes willing to break that promise, not with me. She wants to defeat me cleanly and decisively, that''s why my head isn''t rolling into a pool of molten metal at the moment. Of course, part of it is that this is just how the two of us communicate. Neither of us is really good at anything else. More and more heat surrounds us both, the golden whips of flame following her, the laser-like streams piercing through the air. There is no mana for her to absorb, and everything I generate immediately becomes more primordial energies. But she reaches her breaking point and stops, "That much should be enough." The Mana thats been softly radiating from her body up till now is gone, and then I feel my body lifting into the air, with Lissandra below me. Another punch throws me to the side, and a third one leaves me staggering backward. The fourth one tears off the arm made out of thermal energy and throws it far away whereupon it explodes into flames that I try to pull to my side, but she hits me a fifth time to break my concentration. This time, I can barely stay conscious. Even so, I did what I wanted, and there is her black dagger held in a hand made of mana. Lissandra tilts her head, and a tiny orb of thermal energy misses her, masking the black dagger behind it as they fly through the air, boosted by most of my remaining kinetic energy. The monster reacts in time and tries to grab it, but [Redistribution] activates for a tenth of a second, pushing on it with all my effort, causing her to miss the timing. She turns her head, watches the trajectory, and dashes to grab the dagger while I attack with everything I have. The thermal orb hits the main pillar, opening the door into it partially, and the black dagger flies through the entrance. The thermal orb in question was just large enough to open the entrance by the slightest margin, allowing it to close before Lissandra can reach it. But there was something else in there. A mana orb hidden in the pillar. An orb containing an amount of mana equal to the contents of my entire reservoir and body placed next to an anchor through which mana seeps back into my body. [Mana Domain] extends further, and the crown over my head grows while my mana surrounds me like a beautiful suit of armor enhanced by my subclass. I use [Focus] to mind my skills, and all of my mana floods into [Resonance], powering it. The high pitch of screaming man fills the air, as bits of mana surrounding Lissandra are torn apart by the sheer amount of mana Im using. She keeps changing the frequencies and even appears in front of me, striking at my armor infused with kinetic energy. The monster of a woman damages me even then, her hits cracking the armor and forcing me to repair it. Her, no, Hadwin''s, [Disruption], and [Strengthening] active and powered by the last bits of mana she got from Myrra. My mana depletes more and more as she endures it all. While defending against the heat. While keeping herself standing above the pool of molten metal. While using someone elses mana. While having been awake for even longer than me. While not even being that serious about this fight. While lacking a mana heart. Slowly, she starts backing off, just a split second of hesitation as she checks her reserves. There is no way she is used to having so little mana after thousands of years of being an Absolute. There is no way it''s easy for her. But it''s not enough for me. I will, little pup, and I will see you during that event in one year. The second tournament will for sure be interesting. I look at her one more time. Her clothes are still scorched in places and torn where I damaged her. And even sitting, as she is, on the floor, she seems so dignified and confident. Cockroach, I mutter quickly and grabbing my stuff, pass through the door. Even then, a mana projectile burrows into my shoulder, but it was well worth it. I''m still not done with her. The next time, I will kick her ass for everything she has done. POV Myrra As she said she would, Lady Lissandra returns without Nathaniel. It might be because I already have traveled with her for quite some time, but as far as I can tell she seems to be in a better mood than she was before. Did it go well? I ask her. It exceeded expectations. And you? What do you think of your Ignition Wavelength Eye? I hesitate, looking at the eyeball in my hand, the eye of a Champion. A being I heard of only in legends. Being declared a Champion candidate by the matriarch so long ago doesnt change anything about the awe I have towards a being that has reached that level of power. I dont know yet... Keep trying then. I will, Lady Lissandra. She sits on the chair nearby, her eyes somewhat absent. Led by curiosity, I finally ask, Why did you treat him that way during these two weeks? When she doesnt respond, I think she might not answer, but in the end, her expression changes just a tiny bit. But before I can decipher it, it''s back to normal. And she doesnt answer my question. You know whats funny, little kitten? He didnt accept me as his master, not fully. That crazy Pride of his wouldnt let him. Even saying that she doesnt seem to be disappointed. Im a fake. My body isnt mine, most of my memories arent mine: Even my original was a fake. Its so dumb its almost laughable. But that stupid man doesnt care. He would treat me just the same as my original self. That sounds like him, I agree. Yes, and there is something even funnier in the way he thinks. My original was an Absolute, aiming for a higher rank. But, little kitten, me being here can mean only one thing. My original has failed. Otherwise, there is no way I would be here. And he, that man, doesnt want to accept such a failure as a master. Hes challenging me to prove to him that I can do better than her. After that, she doesnt say anything else. She just sits there and slowly, orbs appear around her. Each of them is as big as my fingernail. At first, there are dozens of them, then a hundred. These orbs float around her, each one having its own unpredictable frequency and ever-changing mana requirements to keep them from bursting or disappearing. I know these things well. Just a few are terrible to deal with. Lady Lissandra seems to be more motivated than ever before as she trains. For a moment, I think of that man and smile. Things never fail to be interesting with him around. It was a short time we spent together here, but I know it''s not the last time. No, between him and Lady Lissandra, I''m sure our paths will cross again. I will see you soon, Nathaniel. POV The First Disciple of Nathaniel Gwyn, minion Vega Stop hiding! I shout. The presence thats been following me for days still refuses to show itself. It doesnt have a heart so it must be weak, but its good at hiding. Surely its a coward. Maybe its one of those invisible monsters my master hates so much. Or maybe its part of Bambis curse. Even so, it doesnt attack so I continue through the forest. I need to find some monsters to fight. Gray lizards have started running away from me on sight recently, Thats a shame because they were really tasty. I wish I could eat them with master. Hello, I hear a voice say. My barrier surrounds me and I curse at myself. I didnt sense anything. Master would be angry with me. There, to the side, sits a woman on a boulder. She is young and has long red hair. Her eyes are yellow and theyre covered in a weird pattern. There is no heart beating in her chest. Im just a projection, little minion, I do not have a heart, she says with a smile. Im not your minion, I answer while collecting kinetic energy to use in the coming fight. I apologize, he always called you that and I wanted to try it. It sounded fun. She continues to smile as she speaks. You know master? Not personally, but I like to watch him sometimes. He is a very entertaining person. Creep. What do you want from me? I blink and she stands in front of me and then squats, her eyes at a similar height to mine. She smells nice. But how can she have a smell as a projection? What is a projection even? I wont hurt you, dont worry. But there is a very envious guy around who might try to. So I want to make sure you are safe from him and I will watch from a distance. If he tries to do anything, I will beat him up. This doesnt seem like watching from a distance. What a silly human. Indeed, the master is the most reasonable person I have met so far. I got bored, her teeth show in a smile. So you want to protect me against a bad guy. Why? Master always said to ask many questions. Its better to look dumb while asking a lot of them than not to ask and pretend to know. Its complicated, but I promised the man whose eye you have, little half demon. That and Im greedy too. You dont seem greedy. Her smile scares me even though its so pretty. She moves her face closer and I can see the pattern in her yellow eyes, Thats where you are wrong. You could even say that Im the greediest person that ever existed. Her finger pokes my cheek, and I can feel it. Then I blink, and she is gone. I can''t find her no matter how hard I try. In the end, there is nothing I can do now, so I push it away. I can deal with it later. I send my senses through the area and continue to search for monsters to fight. I need to become stronger. All this trouble smells like Bambis curse. Chapter 406: Unique Chapter 406: Unique I appear on the 6th floor with my arms still missing and a few other unhealed wounds. Though theyre slowly being taken care of with the help of my passive. I find myself in the exact place I left from, leaving me separated from the other members of group 4 including our silly healer. It will probably take a few days to get back to them. Too tired to deal with anything at the moment, I send my domain as deep under the surface as possible, and find the hidey hole we made for our items. Inside is some arcane alloy, assorted materials, a few interesting mana stones, water, clothes, food, and more. Mostly my things, as the rest of the group took theirs. I place an anchor and teleport there and light my way with a single orb, which I make to last for a day or two. Before going to sleep, I check my stats for the first time in a long while. And they are beautiful. Name:Nathaniel Gwyn Title: Champion Candidate Difficulty:Hell Floor: 6 - Astral Prison Time left until forced return: 3y 343d 23h 06m 11s Traits (2/3): Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3 Lvl 250 Strength: 121 Dexterity: 115 Constitution: 272 Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1054 + 1054 Primary Class: Focused Channeler (Epic) Sub-class: [Adept of Pride] Active skills: Focus - Lvl 50 Perception - Lvl 50 Redistribution - Lvl 50 Resonance - Lvl 50 Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 43 Tether - Lvl 37 Infusion - Lvl 33 Mana Crown - Lvl 31 Mana Manipulation - Lvl 51 Constructs: Reinforcement (Construct) Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct) Mana Regulator (Construct) Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct) Vortex Core (Construct) Passive skills: Mana Reservoir (upper epic) Arcane Resilience (mid epic) Phoenix Embrace (mid epic) Mana Overload Absorption (low epic) Cognitive Fortress (mid epic) Tokens: Beyond difficulty entrance token Passive skill combination token (upper epic) Trait strengthening token (2nd stage) I mean, the heck? Should I have that? Isn''t it illegal? Isn''t it too good? Of course, I need to get hit for the passive to activate, and the efficiency might be poor. I could find myself wasting a lot of mana to turn kinetic energy into mana to the point where it may not be worth it. I still wouldn''t care though. For the first time, Ive found a way to turn one of my primordial energies into mana. So far, Ive only been able to take my own mana, run it through my Thermokinetic Mana Heart, and convert it into one of my primordial energies with a little help from [Redistribution]. This is huge. I mean, really, really huge. Wasn''t Laten the Champion supposed to have been so strong because he could convert thermal energy into the mana they used to run the ignition station? Of course, I have no expectation that my thing is anywhere near as good, but I know for sure that if Im getting it now, there is a huge chance that its going to influence my future class options, traits, and passives. I may even get something better In the future. I''m only level 250 anyway, so it''s obvious it wouldn''t be Champion-level. But I also have to wonder if attaining the title of Champion candidate really helps all that much? Did having 5 skills at level 50 allow the system to improve what I got? Maybe my subclass affected it. Maybe the cockroach knew that and... well, whatever. Good stuff. If the efficiency is any good I can probably overload my heart a bit, in much the same fashion that almost killed me on the third floor. That way maybe I could force my passive to work constantly and gain another source of mana. Wouldn''t that be perfect? There would be no damage, I could go more wild with that construct and would still get the bonus. For that, I will need to do some testing with efficiency. But first, I check the rest of the notifications from my declaration of Championship. Congratulations, you have been declared Champion candidate by a person judged by the system to be capable of such a declaration! You may now challenge beings with a similar rank to yours, beings such as Candidates, Disciples, Vessels, and more. The both sides can set wagers. The terms of any challenge shall be agreed upon by both parties, and there will be heavy penalties for breaking them. All wagers shall be overseen by the system itself. So I can engage in duels with other Candidates? I wonder if I can bet my stats and passives? Its an interesting thought in any case. But I can also see it being abused. Let''s say some dying Champion wants to pass on some skill or other to a son or daughter who was a Candidate. Would, in such a case, the Champion be able to throw a challenge after wagering his status to pass it along? It''s a very interesting thought and something I should consider more. Noname (Hell, group 4) - Im back on the sixth floor. Knight (Hell, group 4) -wow, so you didn''t die in the end. Noname (Hell, group 4) -werent you trying to become my minion? Be nicer. Knight (Hell, group 4) -I gave up. FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -food! Noname (Hell, group 4) -hello bud! I hope youre eating well. FoodFood (Hell, group 4) -food! Food! Noname (Hell, group 4) -Ill speak with them when we regroup. Grumpy (Hell, group 4) -Hey! I bet you need healing. I check my partially missing hands and some of the slower healing wounds. It doesnt seem all that bad, my passive is helping a lot now that its actually working. Though I still remember Lissandra stabbing me with that dagger made of Saint''s arm and the champions eye. Being the cockroach that she is, she didn''t heal me much, though she said it saved my life, something I strongly disagree with. Such wounds are barely worth mentioning. Noname (Hell, group 4) -no healing needed. Sset, are you here? Sset (Hell, group 4) -yes. Are you at the spot we were when you left? Noname (Hell, group 4) -yes, exact same spot. Sset (Hell, group 4) -that''s perfect. Can you destroy a small fort for me? The highest level there should be close to 300. Noname (Hell, group 4) - Tell me where to go. After finishing my conversation with Tess and others, I check the timer. I have two days to reach the place. The plan is simple. Tess and the others will attack the Black Tower where Dennis and Aaron are still being held. They will deal with the leader there. A combination of Tess, Lily, and Sophie should be able to do so quite easily. Their next step will be to deal with everyone else trying to get in their way. I know it''s not that simple, and Tess, Maya, and Sophie probably prepared some cool, complicated plan to pull it off. Meanwhile, my job will be to take out a place called the Bone Fortress. Its exactly what it sounds like, a fortress built around the rib cage of some giant, long-dead monster. The Bone Fortress and Black Tower tend to cooperate a lot, so Tess is worried they might send help through a portal or something. That''s where I come in, to mess these guys up before they do. I will fly there as it''s in the opposite direction of the Black Tower. While flying, I will practice a bit and get used to some of my new skills. And I will open up some of the gifts Lissandra gave me. Then, when I reach it, I will attack when Tess gives the signal. During my attack, I will test the new passive, the difference in handling my mana, and how much Ive grown. I certainly hope they have a strong guy or two. When it''s all done and the twins are free and group 4 is safe, I will go and do Beyond''s 3rd trial. I can sacrifice a day or two before going. That should also be enough time for my body to finish healing. My crown is already active and being filled with mana. It should be able to collect a decent amount before I reach the Bone Fortress. Chapter 407: Bone Fortress Chapter 407: Bone Fortress I don''t really have all that many items on me, I left most of them back in the hidey hole deep underground, Ive only kept the most valuable ones on my person. For example, the stones I was given by Lissandra. As I fly I study the improvements she made to Mana Cycling. At the same time, I also do the mana exercises she showed me, focusing on the evil orb that I''m currently maintaining. I thought of triggering the mana stone that would give me a Restrictive Training Emblem but knowing the cockroach queen it would immediately activate and nearly kill me. She wouldn''t be so lax as to include an easy way to control it or change the difficulty. So I decide to use it after Beyonds 3rd trial. Going by my conversations with Lissandra, I have a strong suspicion that Beyond is an actual place I go to before returning to Hell difficulty. Its an extremely dangerous place, but its also very rewarding, despite the fact that just being there takes a lot out of you. Well, Ill see very soon. Anyway, my flight passes quite nicely and I find the Bone Fortress right where Tess told me it would be. I come upon dozens of buildings coiling around what seems to be the rib cage of some giant monster. It''s still night and the cold tears through me and in the sky offers the most beautiful starry view I ever saw, particularly with the purple nebula covering a huge part of the sky. Holding to the same pattern as before, the monsters don''t seem to come out during the night so I don''t even meet any on my way to the fortress. As I close in on their fortifications I detect something that reminds me of a mana web enclosing their perimeter. A veritable mesh of weird threads all laced together and marks left hanging in the air. The bulk of it seems to be sensor arrays set to trigger a host of nasty traps. Many of them are sensitive to mana, some are tailored to detect heat or movement, and some seem to work in more peculiar ways. My Mana Wavelength Irises activate and with a bit of help from [Resonance], I pass through the defenses and land on the ground. I have to repeat these steps multiple times, finding it interesting to see how others set their defenses. In the end, theyll turn out to be nothing too special, just a first line of defense, not really meant to stop people from entering, just a measure for detecting large groups and significant spikes of mana. Of course, as I move closer I sense more of them, some are hidden deep underground, and others are embedded in the boulders along the way. Several are connected to a set of rib bones that seem to be covered in thousands of inscriptions, seemingly serving as a jerry rigged core. The bones are just that conductive. Thanks to my efforts, I manage to enter the place fairly easily without anyone seeming to care. At first, it confuses me a bit but soon I notice groups of people and individuals going in and out at all times. There isn''t a huge number of people here, a few hundred at most. Plenty of them are level 200 and higher and I notice a few with level over 250 too. Who are you and where are you from, human? one man says, interrupting my musings with his hand on my arm, and the tips of his fingers burying themselves into my body in a clear attempt to hurt me. I look down at the stunningly short man and notice something strange about his legs, theyre scaled. [Skybreaker - lvl ??] So around 270? And some races I havent met till now. Did he sense me entering and took an interest? I move and he moves as well, desperately trying to react to my movement. Even so, I''m faster, and with my body boosted by kinetic energy, I grab his arm and twist it, dislocating it. I let his punch hit my chest and watch with interest, as the resulting kinetic energy is absorbed and turned into mana in some extremely complicated fashion before flowing into my reservoir. The efficiency is much better than I expected. Though it didn''t absorb the full force of the blow and some percentage of the force still dealt damage, but its still fascinating to watch. Other than giving me free mana, it seems to be really good passive protection against blunt physical attacks. Though I dont know how well it would fare against an edged weapon with a smaller point of impact. My attacker rouses his mana and I pull him closer, still holding his arm. Unable to resist, he staggers towards me and my left hand hits his chin, sending a burst of kinetic energy through his skull and he staggers back. Neither of us is using much mana in an effort to avoid affecting our surroundings. I let him hit me several times, observing my unique epic passive in action. It is fabulous, it is beautiful and I think I''m in love. Its amazing passive defense and it also allows me to gain more mana. If I can make my body stronger to endure physical damage I could manage to continue fighting entirely without mana, the passive restoring my reserves as I absorb blows. So I will try to mimic Potency with black mana, mimic Regeneration with this passive, and have Amplification as my attribute upgrade. The system is indeed fair and beautiful. With another punch, I send the man staggering back with a bloodied face. Yet even so, he smiles. Youre not bad, for a human, he says, bearing his teeth. Soph (Hell, group 4) - as if they could ever escape Sset, she could snipe them from miles away. I will also try to find the Black Towers portal and we destroy it in sync with you Noname. Not one of the fuckers will be escaping. Izzy (Hell, group 4) - language! I ignore the rest of the conversation and turn off the Community. A small group of people has gathered before me, this time theyre all human. All three of them. Their levels are lower than mine, but I sense five more signatures nearby. Most of them feel ready for a fight. I don''t know why but it feels weirdly comfortable. So far no one has shown me even a hint of goodwill and everyone Ive met has been dead set on robbing, killing, or scamming me. For some twisted reason, I cant help but enjoy that. I continue wordlessly on my way, without any concern for the trio blocking that direction. My mana rouses itself within my body along with the energies stored in my core. They just curse, jumping out of my way. Even so, none of them attack me, they even hold their mana secure inside of their bodies, as the ones trying to hide follow suit. Somehow I cant help but feel a bit disappointed but I continue to delve deeper into the Bone Fortress. At the same time, I carefully send my senses into the area. I can''t really attack the place before I find the teleporting array. I don''t think I could quickly get rid of everyone without at least a few of them sensing me preparing to attack. If I were to try they would probably use the array and move to the Black Tower which would only cause trouble for the rest of my group. Sure, there are ways to deal with it. I could just use the array to follow them to the Black Tower but theres also a chance they would destroy it to keep me from doing so. It''s not much trouble so I can wait the 18 hours Sophie requested. And it''s interesting most of the people here don''t seem to mind my active [Mana Crown]. I get a few looks but it''s probably being thought of as a bluff, they probably don''t sense the amount of mana Ive already stored inside. There is also another reason I have it active though. Im hoping to fish out someone who knows what it is so I can ask questions and learn more about it. That would be nice. As I reach one of the taller rib bones, the one with the least buildings around I stop for a moment. A presence thats followed me ever since I entered the fortress is still there, following me while staying out of sight. The bone is white and the surface is extremely smooth, either its always been like this, or every bone has been scraped of imperfections on the surface to be turned into that bone dust. I poke it a few times and send my senses inside, finding, to my surprise, that the bone is even more mana conductive than I expected. Estimating the level of the being it belonged to is difficult but I would say something akin to the remains of the snake resting on the pyramid. Creating a dagger out of my mana I make it very dense and as sharp as possible. The dagger ends up noticeably heavy and not far off from being turned into a tricolored bomb. Even so, I cant even slightly damage the bone. The dagger''s tip just grinds against the surface and there isn''t even a scratch left behind. That might be why it seems to be used as currency here. I wonder what they use it for. I activate my eyes and [Resonance] for a moment and create the sharpest edge I can on my dagger. It takes a decent chunk of my mana and even some kinetic energy but bit by bit I cut into the bone and after a few minutes cut off a piece as long as my finger. Quickly storing it away I rouse my mana again and reach to cut out more. Thats enough, the voice from behind me sounds, my creepy stalker. [Ember Knight - lvl ??] The man is short, barely reaching my chest. Interestingly though his legs aren''t human-like; they resemble those of a lizard, slim, nimble, and covered in black scales. Otherwise, he seems fairly normal. When I do not answer he continues, I have been watching you ever since you came and have a few questions. Where are you from? Who sent you? What is your name, and position? Who are you looking for and how the hell did you manage to remove such a big piece of bone so quickly? Answer." Like the others before him, hes posturing rather aggressively. It''s not that hes underestimating me, instead, like the men before, he just feels wild, ready to attack even an enemy stronger than himself. Even so, I push my annoyance with the man away. Just for a few more hours or until I find the array. I''m searching for it even now. I''m from Ruminous Border. My name is Elydor, I introduce myself. Chapter 408: Should it be so easy? Chapter 408: Should it be so easy? Good, so Elydor, are you going to come with me or do I have to make you? he asks threateningly. He even releases a burst of heat into the air around him. Not unlike Isabella''s blue flames, though his have a hint of white at the center. It''s not bad at all. Laughable after what I just went through, but not bad. He even seems to have a trait or two supporting those flames. Curious to see where it takes me, I answer, Ill come along peacefully. Good, give me the bone you took first, he says with a greedy look in his eyes as he reaches his hand towards me. Should I deal with him right now? What are you waiting for? Want to attack me? he smirks. Do it and well see how you will deal with my flames and defensive enchantments. Now give me that bone and the pouch with the dust. The ax too. His smile grows bigger with each word and I can see how much he hopes I snap and try to attack him. Sure, here, I say as I place an anchor on each of the items as I hand them over. I observe him but the man with lizard legs doesn''t even notice my anchors as he greedily takes it all. I watch as he swings Flamebearer and sends his blue flames through, extremely happy with the weapon. You know what? Ive got an idea. Uros won''t mind if Im a bit slow in bringing you so why don''t you carve out a few more pieces of that bone, Elydor from Ruminous Border? he snorts. Why not? I shrug and get to it while he watches me. We then spend an hour doing just that. After a while, I find a better way to do it and my dagger cuts through much smoother. I don''t even use my eyes so he can''t see them now. The more time passes, the more his bearing changes from arrogant at the start to wary and arrogant at the end. The weirdo even seems to feel a sense of danger but enjoys the experience nonetheless. As he takes a few pieces of bone from me, I see his eye flicker to the crown over my head. Theres a lot of mana collecting under his skin, as his skills prepare for instant activation. I could get a few more, I offer. How do you still have mana, do you even... forget about it. No word about this to Uros or I will fuck you up. And go first. I will point you where to go. If you try anything, I will kill you. Noted, I say and ask a question as I start walking where he pointed. So what are these bones and what do you use them for? Obviously they came from a powerful monster. You''re asking very suspicious questions. I''m new here and we didn''t hear about this place, so I know barely anything. Youre using it as currency though? On our way, I take notice of a few more people of this man''s race. It seems like the only people around are them and the humans. The atmosphere feels cutthroat even though there seems to be some sort of organization, some acting as guards while others bustle about on their way out of the fortress on some errand or other. Often there are smaller fights where blood is drawn, and going by the reactions of the people around us, they seem to be a common thing. Were going to have a lot of questions for you, he laughs cruelly. These bones are from powerful monsters so of course they have many uses. For enchanting, for inscriptions, mana conductive paint, some junkies love to mix them with mana and snort them. Seems like fun. Sure, if you want to mess up your brain. Got it, so whos Uros? The boss around here? Yes, when you meet him, don''t ask questions and stay quiet. Hell probably beat you up a bit but if you play your cards well, hell at least spare your life so you can continue to carve out bone pieces for us. You don''t have enough people of your own? That gets a laugh out of him, Most of the peeps can barely get bone dust out of them even with the items. For others, it would take weeks to get what you got in hours. You must be a crafter, right? We had a guy like you a while back, and he was also able to get a lot of bone quickly. For you it''s a shame you had to get caught by me, but it''s good for me. Youre going to make me fucking rich. I don''t even bother answering and scan further out instead. My senses have improved a lot, and it''s easier to detect mana without being noticed. Even my anchors confirm that given the way, this lizard-legged man didn''t notice them even while holding the items. But the system always likes to increase the difficulty, so Id rather not get too cocky. He kicks me from behind, Faster. You have long legs, so why are you so slow? Does he really think so much of these defenses? Is he just provoking me to see my reaction? Is he dumb? My mind is then taken by something else. A dozen or so guards in front of the nicest-looking building around, its foundations resting against the bone with the largest inscriptions painted on the surface. It seems to be connected to most of the defenses he mentioned, and I wonder if the array is somewhere nearby. I should let them bring me inside, and I might be able to detect the array when I get closer. That''s when we exit the hallway and enter the room, one side of which is entirely made out of bone. In the middle of that room, there is also an array, its design similar to the ones on the 4th floor. Looking at the inscriptions, I would say it''s a two-way array, similar to those Ive already seen. And from what Tess said, it probably leads to the Black Tower. Curious, I watch as Ren and Evvran split from the group and go talk to the man who has lizard-like legs as well and is of a similar height to the others. They wildly gesture something, and Evvran shows him a pouch with bone dust and the few pieces of bone I got. I notice that Evvran only shows part of what I cut off, the rest hidden in his pockets. I find it very amusing. Ren, on the other side, is probably trying to warn him as she gestures to me while handing the man three suppression bones and seeming to explain. The leader then takes Flamebearer from Evvran, greedy excitement creeping across his face, though in a much more controlled manner than his underling. When they are done talking and he moves closer to me, his expression is more careful. Who are you? he asks a simple question. [Blaze Templar - lvl ??] This one feels closer to level 300 than Evvran. My name is Elydor, and I''m a Champion candidate from Ruminous Border, I say, deciding to try a different approach. As I say these words, there is that weird feeling that''s hard to describe. As if the system reacts to my declaration. Fuck, Evvran and others shout as they react, their mana firing up and weapons sliding out of their holsters. I see, it''s nice to meet you, Elydor. So, what the hell are you looking for here, and where are you from? Uros says. I can see that he is nervous, but he is trying to act calm in front of his men. I guess showing weakness could end badly for him in a place like this, but the mood is still very tense. Instead of answering, I ask, Why do you trust my claim of being a Champion candidate? For a moment, he looks confused but then laughs, a relieved laugh coming from a few others as well. You must be a very new candidate. Did your master not teach you anything? Your body also smells weak, he sniffs. Are you maybe an enchanter? Maybe. Well then, Elydor. If you weren''t one, you wouldn''t be able to introduce yourself as a Candidate. Even as he says this, I can feel multiple inscriptions activating all over the place - the defenses they were talking about. All of the guards are also rousing their mana. I met a guy calling himself a Champion when he wasnt, I mention. That gets another laugh out of some of them. As if reacting to something dumb I said. He is so clueless it''s almost cute, Evvran smirks, but as he tries to act tough, I can hear his voice shake, just a little bit To put it simply, there is a huge difference between a declaration as you just did and spreading rumors. But enough of your questions. You will tell me what you are doing in my fortress. his voice gradually becomes louder, and with it, the feeling of pressure on me increases. Sure, but one more question. Should it be so easy to take these things off? I ask showing him my hands, as the bracelets fall from my wrists. Instantly, screams erupt, and something holds me in place - the Fortress''s defenses, activated by the people in the room. Blue flames with a white core surround me, Evvran pressing the attack first, the flames blazing around him with impressive heat. Someone like Isabella would probably have trouble dealing with them. The suppression bones in the leader''s hands crack one after another, each one crumbling into dust, and with each one destroyed, his face becomes paler and his red flames surround him defensively. My mana floods my body and then radiates out of it, encompassing the entire room. A few of the weaker guards start vomiting, and the stronger ones move erratically, the attacks tearing chunks out of the ground as they land all around me and tumble off the barrier I create. I use [Redistribution] and grab a hold of Evvran. My items and Flamebearer fly from his body, as I use [Tether] and my anchors left on the items to pull them. Unable to move at all, Evvran watches me with a horrified expression. His only defense the flames encompassing his body. Thermal energy seeps out of me, golden flames meeting his blue and white ones. They barely clash, and my flames envelop them, pressure them, and dissipate them. My flames then surround him, and while he stands there, they start burning him. I watch as they melt his skin and flesh, and bite into bones while his flames keep firing up, trying to fight back only to be extinguished by my own. In the end, he is unable to do anything, and the golden flames devour him entirely. The annoying feeling I had is now gone, and I turn to the others in the room, my mana flashing in the air as it clashes with the attacks. Chapter 409: Start of the 3rd Trial Chapter 409: Start of the 3rd Trial POV Black Tower Something moves on the edge of our detection web and I quickly send a signal to the headquarters and reposition to another balcony with stronger defenses. Mierus already waiting. What did you see? he asks me quickly. I don''t know yet, but I asked the headquarters to check it. After a while, a signal comes back with a declaration of danger level 5, the lowest one. It seems they think it might be a monster. Did you get scared of a tiny little monster? Did you... Mieru doesn''t finish his words and disappears from my sight. I turn to the right and find his body, head pierced through with a javelin and pinned deep into the reinforced wall. Something like this shouldn''t... Whistling noises pierce the air along with something like a crack of lightning and then the world turns black. POV Black Tower The signal indicates a danger level 2, just a few seconds after it was declared level 5. Very serious, most likely another group attacking us. What the hell! someone shouts pointing with a finger. I follow the direction of his gaze and there, suspended high in the air, are a multitude of huge stones. Each of them is as big as a building but they look as if they weigh nothing. Then they start falling at an ever-increasing speed. Barriers! Someone shoot them! Activate defenses! Multiple orders are given at once, but it''s all for naught, because the sheer inertia and weight of the stones breaks through our hastily constructed defenses, breaking through multiple walls and buildings. Afterward, a rain of blue flames drops from the sky. The only thing they burn is people, causing no damage at all to anything else. Where are the guards? Why are barriers not in place? Why... From the rubble, steps a single woman. Her expression is unnervingly calm even as she strides through the destruction and mayhem. Beautiful blue armor envelops her body as a sword of radiant blue mana materializes in her hand. A few javelins hover just above her shoulders, while a small shield, also made of mana, rests in her other hand. A few guys work together in well practiced formation and a disrupting wave crashes against her to no avail. She just shakes it off. With the same expression on her face, the armor turns darker blue and she disappears from my sight, the floor cracking under her feet. The world around me spins and I watch as my headless body falls to the ground while the woman moves on to someone else. POV Black Tower Whats happening here? Where are the barriers? Why... I freeze and look around. The control room is completely trashed, barely anything remains in one piece. It''s almost like something exploded in here and the bodies of the assholes that were supposed to be defending it have been scattered about in unceremonious heaps. Standing in the middle of the room is a single creature. Its small, barely reaching my knees, and is it wearing clothes? I manipulate my mana, and spikes made from the densest earth I can muster pierce the ground. Behind me, I hear others rushing in, just as surprised as I am. Purple mana surrounds the creature and it turns to us. An astounding amount of mana radiates from it and moves to a single point where it compresses into an orb which quickly turns white. The last thing I hear is someone calling me an asshole. POV Black Tower I would start running if I were you. Yeah dickhead, run away. Shut up, both of you! I scream at the twins. Unlike our other prisoners, they cant seem to stop giggling while this chaos ensues. Oriel, whats happening? asks one of the good-for-nothings Im working with. Fuck if I know, were under attack. Danger level 1. Is it really that fucking bad? Of course it is, you dumb fuck, now shut... A dozen projectiles shoot away from his body and I weave the air around me, making them miss and crash right behind me. I reach for the amulet and break it, as an immense amount of mana I had stored floods the area around my body. I create a hundred invisible arms of mana and reach through the air. Some of them tear chunks from the ground and throw them at him, others attack him directly. The arms are impossible to see with the naked eye and I know how terrifying they are. I aim for the neck, some of the arms turning sharp and thrusting for the jugular, and others go to grab his limbs. They cannot be seen, they cannot be sensed and they cannot be disrupted. Golden circles appear in the mans eyes and in an instant, multiple layers of dark blue barriers surround him, creating a spherical defense. I create disrupting orbs and fire them off as well; they splash against the barrier and stick to it, slowly corroding it. Its only a question of time as I get to him and my arms also pummel against the barrier. Thats surprising, I cant even see or sense your attack. Whats the name of that skill? he asks. Ignoring him, I push further and break another amulet, more mana surrounding me and powering my arms. Good, in terms of mana, I should win. Just a bit longer and... The air shakes and reverberates. The barrier around him crumbles as if under immense pressure and the crown over his head disappears as well, causing even more mana to radiate from him. He lifts his hand and a small orb hovers over it, the amount of mana it contains sending a shiver down my spine. That mana is being quickly compressed with astonishing speed and control. The orb turns pitch black and even from where I am, I feel my mana being pulled away. I find myself unable to move at all, held by some skill of his. My mana arms disappear at shocking speed, the mana they contain sucked into the orb as it hungrily devours everything in its reach. There is no stopping it. The barrier on my skin cracks and gets sucked in as well, the remaining amulets on my person breaking as the mana is torn free and absorbed. With a final surge of effort, I use what remains, trying to disrupt the orb, but its futile. The orb absorbs everything, leaving me utterly depleted. My vision blurs, the edges darkening as the last of my mana leaves me, mere scraps remaining inside my body. He doesnt even look at me, instead observing the black orb he made. I feel a thud in my chest and looking down, half my body is missing. Falling to the ground, my eyes stay on the ceiling until it blacks out. Nathaniels POV After dealing with the dude, I watch the array, but no one comes through, which confirms my suspicion that he blocked it before he came here. He couldnt have been the leader of the Black Tower, could he? He was terribly weak and other than an invisible attack that would have made a nice party trick and the corrosive orbs he stuck to my barriers, he didnt show much. I open the community. Sset (Hell, group 4) - you got him? The leader escaped and he destroyed the array. Noname (Hell, group 4) -I got the guy, no problems here. Your side? Sset (Hell, group 4) -everything here is fine. NotAaron and NotDennis are safe, Knight and Grumpy are mopping up the rest. I had Soph check the array, but she doesnt think she could fix it. Noname (Hell, group 4) -thats fine then. Say hello to the others, Ill be doing the 3rd trial as planned. Sset (Hell, group 4) -will do. Take care. I close the Community and turn my attention to the black orb. I still dont plan to use it for a while, even though Ive come to realize that I was relying on that black mana too much. Even so, I wanted to test it before the 3rd trial to know what to expect in case Im forced to use it. And it exceeded expectations. I used a lot of mana to do it, even by my standards, but it was easier to create and control than before. It also dealt with that weak guys mana in seconds, with no trouble at all, pulling it from a greater distance than before and even from the skin. Lissandra said that if I relied on black mana then any mana user would be at a huge disadvantage compared to me, and it is getting more and more confirmed. When I glance at the corpse of the man, I cant help but feel disappointed. Wouldn''t Tess, Sophie, or Lily be capable of winning a 1v1 fight against someone of his level if they leveled up a bit more? Was he just that weak, or are they just strong? I move over to him and search his body. Finding a few epic items on him, I quickly sell them to the shop and then find a pocket very deep under the ground. There, I store all of my items with the exception of Flamebearer, some supplies, my epic water storage vial, and a few less valuable things. Waiting for a while, I let my mana fully replenish and then I use the token. The world around me spins until the surroundings change leaving me in a jungle-like area. The trees surrounding me towering high into the sky, their trunks as thick as buildings. The gravity around me increases, pressing me against the ground and the air is hot and humid, my body sweating immediately. I catch flashes of flying monsters through the branches as their screeches echo from everywhere around me. Welcome to the last trial, after which you will be able to enter Beyond. I check the quest and reward. Beyonds third trial quest:Hunt the king of the forest Quest Rewards: Beyond Three-Day Stay Token Chapter 410: Dangerous beauty Chapter 410: Dangerous beauty Once again, the systems latest message only brings more questions to mind. The rewards for completing a Beyond trial have always been very generous, so being able to enter Beyond for 3 days as a reward strikes me as odd. What kind of place is Beyond? I let kinetic energy flood my body and boost my movements as I leap from branch to branch, climbing the tallest tree I can find, rising higher and higher until I reach the top. The jungle stretches on seemingly forever, and theres nothing but forest as far as I can see. No mountains, lakes, or seas. Just one big never-ending forest. And high in the sky rests an orange sun that seems almost bigger than the one we have on Earth. I wont lie; the view is kind of alien, but it has a raw, dangerous beauty all its own. Moving a bit lower, I rest against the trunk and think, watching the back and forth sway of a leaf as big as I am tall. The King of the Forest is probably some big baddie here. I would be very surprised if its lower than level 300. Hell, it might be as strong as the Gaiathra. The gravity pressing down on me provides its own complications as well, but Im getting used to strengthening my body with kinetic energy, so it shouldnt be a problem. I even feel like Im being lazy because Im not working on any of the mana shaping exercises Lissandra showed me, but first I need to assess the danger. I can play around later. As if on cue, I feel mana move nearby and the trunk of the tree below me explodes and the skyscraper sized behemoth begins to fall with a deafening crack. I move and the trunk explodes where I was resting, splitting the falling tree in two. Another attack crashes against my barrier and throws me to the side as I absorb my inertia and send another pulse of mana into the surroundings, trying to detect the attacker. Once again, an attack lands nearby and a second tree explodes and begins to fall down. The screeches of the monsters from further away become louder and more presences start moving in. My crown activates and the next barrier I create easily absorbs the attack as I boost my body heading back the way I came. The attacker decides to change its attack pattern and launches a multitude of smaller assaults my way, each one moving at insane speeds. One of which even manages to pierce my barrier before grazing my arm. Each strike is composed of extremely compressed air, and the smaller ones are sharper with a limited area of impact, while the larger ones have an impact zone the size of a small building. I place multiple anchors and teleport, avoiding the attacks while I trace their origin. As I do another monster jumps out of the foliage below me, Its yawning maw wide enough to swallow a car as it tries to snap me up. In response I send out a burst of kinetic energy sending the huge monster flying and crashing into the tree, leaving it scrambling to get its four legs beneath it as the beast howls in preparation to rush me again. Its then that I realize the creature may as well just be an oversized hairless wolf. [Pale Howler - lvl ??] I ignore it, leaving the beast to fade into the distance behind me along with the massive trees crashing down around us as I finally reach the primary attacker. [Galeprowler - lvl ???] Seeing me so close, the monster quickly moves. Its elongated and noble feathered form racing down the tree and coiling around its way down a branch before leaping through the air to land on another. It moves with an unearthly grace as it rushes about on its eight legs and its feathered, snake-like head watches me intently. This time I bombard it with attacks and my mana javelins, boosted with kinetic energy, tear chunks out of passing trees as I boost my body to follow it. A few of my attacks even manage to land, red blood staining the beasts white feathers. I dodge to the side as a burst of compressed air tears into the Pale Howler behind me, whos somehow managed to keep pace, and next destroys the trunk of an adjacent tree. An anchor I place explodes into golden flames and the Galeprowler coils into a ball, allowing itself to be pushed away by the immense burst of wind it creates before uncoiling to land on another tree and continuing to flee. I teleport through multiple anchors and just when Im about to grasp it with [Redistribution], I stop. A barrier surrounds my body and I pump it with as much mana as I can as I find myself unable to teleport. My wildly beating heart begins to slow and I find that Ive burned through a sizable chunk of my mana, proof of my struggle. That and my freshly healing wounds, especially my newly blinded eye. It heals slower than usual, likely an aftereffect of the venom they used. I take a step and then stagger and fall to my knees. Confused, I look around and examine my body once again. It doesnt seem... The world around me spins but I force myself to stop collapsing, radiating as much mana as I can as whips of it tear the area apart. My senses latch onto something touching me and track it, leading me upwards, into the air. Releasing a blast of kinetic energy, I boost my body away and crash into another tree and the place I once stood explodes as the flying monster dives at me from high above. [Mesmerwing- lvl ???] I feel my body sway once more, about to lose consciousness, as the bird two times my size flies at me again. Golden flames surround me but a sweep of its wings disrupts them for a moment. The Mesmerwing reaches me, claws extended, coated in sickly looking yellow mana. A thin cone of kinetic energy reverberates through the air, gouging a hole in the monster''s chest, and tossing it aside. It tries to stun me again with its weird mental attack, but having finally found the right frequency, I disrupt the attempt. As I do so I place an anchor, allowing me to reach the monster as it tries to take off. Another suit of armor surrounds my body, doubling my size as I latch onto the monster''s leg with no concern for the talons trying to tear me to shreds. Boosting my mana mech with kinetic energy, I pull the monster back and swing, smashing it against the side of the tree, bark, and wood exploding into the air. Then I send a burst of thermal energy through my arm enveloping the avian beast in my golden flames as I hold it in place. The creature screeches in agony and tries to escape, breaking one of its wings in the process a constant stream of mental attacks tries to pierce my defenses but I hold steady and swing it again, crushing the monster once more against the tree. When its struggles finally ebb to a weak flailing I put the beast down by stomping on its head. [You have defeated Mesmerwing - lvl 315] More presences appear on my radar, all monsters of similar strength to the ones I just killed. This place is different from any other Ive visited before. The gravity here is much stronger, the air feels different, the flora is huge and the monsters are all high enough level to be considered Calamities on any of the prior floors. I boost my body and move by jumping instead of flying as flying requires more kinetic energy than normal just to fight against gravity. Monitoring the monsters around me I continue to think. How do The Living Tree, The First One, and the Fallen Hero of the 4th floor compare to the monsters I just killed? Theyre all about the same level, but in some ways, the Calamities from the 4th floor just feel stronger. Is it a difference in skill? What is the quality of their traits, passives, and actives compared to normal monsters around that level? Perhaps the system is skewing the levels of the monsters we meet. After all, they could always be much stronger in reality. I let another Pale Howler reach me, the monster in question still reminding me of a hairless wolf, as it pounces on me, activating my passive. The kinetic energy from its attack being absorbed and converted into mana which floods into my reservoir, already perfectly tailored to my needs. Dodging to the side, I avoid one attack and let the other land while observing the effects. The passive is highly situational and it could even be said that it''s mostly useless at the moment. Sure, the insane defense against physical attacks is good but its not really my thing. Im someone who likes to live dangerously. I think Tess called it being dumb. However, I dont mind my weird passive at all, no, in fact, I love the newest addition to my arsenal. It might take a while but I will do as Champion Laten did with thermal energy and the heat of a volcano, I will learn to actively turn my primordial energies into mana. And if I can do one I should be able to do the other, turning my mana into my primordial energies anytime I want without being limited by my heart. Kinetic energy reverberates through the air around me, turning the Pale Howler into a pincushion, and tearing chunks from its flesh as the last attack pierces its head. [You have defeated Pale Howler - lvl 301] The system didnt give me any limit to finish the Trial quest. So, lets see how long I can stay here and turn it into my own private leveling area. Chapter 411: 3rd Trial Chapter 411: 3rd Trial Im constantly being attacked by powerful monsters, and the king of the forest is lurking about somewhere - threatening to be even more dangerous an opponent than the others. Some of their attacks come as a surprise to me even now, and thats not even counting the monsters attacking from the ground. Even so, for me, it may as well be a mere formality. I know the system has probably adapted the trial to my talents as it has with the others, but after all the training I did with Lissandra and the corresponding increase in my strength, I don''t think I will fail. Sure, the system is enough of an asshole to try and pull a fast one. There might even be some Rulers trying to mess with me here and there, but I still think my trial will be somewhat fair. The system won''t give me anything too absurd for my 3rd trial - something around the level of an average Beyonder. Probably. A few wounds here and there are to be expected, but with my new passive I barely get any from physical attacks; instead, they literally make me stronger by replenishing my mana. Mana-based attacks can be handled with by disrupting their structure, and thats before I start teleporting and creating barriers, I can fly, and I can move quickly by flooding my body with kinetic energy. It could be said I''m a goddamn sneaky little jerk whos very hard to kill. Ive also discovered that the kinetic energy I absorb cant turn into mana and overfill my reservoir. If my reservoir is full, it just absorbs the damage and produces no mana. So I solve the issue by saving the mana in my body and relying on my reservoir, and by sending a constant stream of mana into my crown to keep my reservoir depleted by anywhere from 20-30%. In an attempt to deal with some of the more annoying monsters, I also try setting the forest on fire. Inspired by my Avatar from the third event of the tournament, I put in a lot of effort trying to burn the surrounding trees and vegetation. I even try setting them in different places with bombs, flames, and by simply radiating as much heat as I can. In the end, I do manage to start a few small fires, but the extreme humidity quickly douses them once I stop feeding them mana. Currently, I''m surrounded by a massive suit of armor, allowing me to face the huge monster before me. It''s made out of earth covered in vegetation. Its figure is similar to a human''s, but there are no details, no fingers, no eyes, or other visible sensory organs. [Vine Golem - lvl ??] Im trying to expand my passives effects to include the massive mana mech and use the absorbed strikes to generate more mana. If I can pull it off I should be able to keep the armor active almost indefinitely in combat. Of course, that would necessitate taking a constant stream of blows. So as I face the golem, I dont bother to dodge any of its attacks and keep trying even though it doesnt seem to be working. The passives just refuse to expand into the realm of more active skills. It seems like the only real control I have over them is my ability to deactivate them, while any other effects are restricted by the settings of the passive in question. Disappointed, I destroy the golem and take a quick look around. Jungle and forest as far as the eye can see, and standing here on the ground makes me feel so small, even surrounded by massive armor. As I deactivate it and land on the ground, I feel even smaller. It leaves me in awe. Struck by the overwhelming sensation of being surrounded by the scenery of such an alien place. I take a deep breath in and then out. And another one. The trees creak as they sway in the wind, monsters scream somewhere in the distance, and I feel presences all around me. The flowers and plants around me tend to be colorful and taller than me, and a lot of them are poisonous. Some of the trees have a bark that secretes a white liquid that is extremely sticky, enough so to trap monsters from time to time. Some of the leaves currently swaying in the wind are very tough, a lot of attacks cant so much as pierce them. Others, upon taking damage, bleed an extremely potent mana-corrosive liquid. I etch the scene into my memory alongside many of the others Ive witnessed since this started. Then I head towards the next group of monsters. The system didn''t say how much time I have to hunt the king of the forest. So let''s try to sneak in a few extra levels. A day passes, and the crown already has a nice amount of mana in it. The passive is working amazingly well, though at the cost of taking a bit of damage. The bones will grow together, right, so why should I worry? I also learn more about the body upgrade I just went through, which almost seems to be complete. My bones are tougher than they were, its not quite the same as getting free points in Constitution, but I would say the base is better. That also means the moment someone with a high Constitution gets this body upgrade their body will probably get a significant boost. The cellular regeneration part straight up means increased regeneration. It''s not up to the level of average healing skill, but my wounds will continue to regenerate even if I dont use my passive to do it. I wonder if it would be able to regrow my limbs. Probably not, but I could try cutting off a finger just to see. The muscle efficiency turns out to be the weirdest part, but I would say my mind-to-muscle connection is better while all effects of strengthening my body improve. Overall, this upgrade straight up seems to be a massive improvement for anyone who relies on high level physical stats. Tacita comes to mind. Still, there is a thing for me as well; when using my skills to a higher level, it''s easier, especially the ones over level 50 or very close to it. I also manage to confirm that by lacking the proper body upgrade and having a level under 250 I made it much harder to get my skills to level 50. It seems I leveled them up way too quickly, and that they probably shouldnt be quite so high level. But that''s a good thing. [You have defeated Mesmerwing - lvl 306] [Lvl 251 > Lvl 252] It seems like my attack from earlier - with the compressed javelin, really hit that damned bird flying high in the air. Likely wounding it enough to kill it outright or to get it killed by something else. This place can be quite unforgiving. Two more days pass, and I think I''ve located the king of the forest. I know of an area that no monster will enter; they just straight up refuse. There is no other information confirming it, but I think I''m on the right track. So I just turn around and head in the opposite direction. A few times I even allow myself to fall from great heights to see if I can get any mana out of it. I do, but the amount isnt really worth it, unfortunately. Other than that, most of my mana gets funneled into a thermal orb that hovers over my shoulder. Out of boredom, Ive even created a few evil orbs to train with. I can easily go a week or two without sleep, make preparations, and raise my level in the process. It''s similar to the strain I just went through, and I find it quite funny. I think if I had come here before training with Lissandra I would have been a lot more tense and cautious, but getting here stronger has its advantages. I boost my body away, and a stream of water as thin as my finger cleanly cuts through the tree I was standing on and several others as the beam follows me. The trees, as tall as skyscrapers, start falling, and I absorb their kinetic energy, slowing their falls until they seem almost suspended in the air. A lot of my mana disappears at that point, only to be replaced by the absorbed kinetic energy which flows through my body and into my projectile. The king of the forest moves closer. Its not that bigreally, an unassuming monster with three orbs of water trailing behind it. It seems distracted by the fires, trying to put them out even from this distance. I can sense how much effort it takes for the monster. Its an immense feat to weaken multiple massive fires over such a vast distance and without any preparation. Good, that should make it more difficult for the monster to face me, now that Ive managed to divide its attention. [Flood Tyrant - lvl ???] The creature has a streamlined, eel-like body covered in dark, wet scales and a sleek appearance with four nimble-looking legs. All three orbs fire at me at once, thin streams of water cutting through my barriers with ease, and I just manage to block one of the streams with Flamebearer, as the force makes the weapon vibrate in my hands. When another two streams reach me as well, I fight against the pressure trying to stop me and teleport to one of my anchors, my javelin moving with me. I keep dodging and avoiding its strikes as the notifications from the burning forest sound off, but after a few minutes, they slow down. The presences of the many monsters rushing closer. [Lvl 256 > Lvl 257] What a weak king, calling for help before weve even gotten started. But the fight should be over before they can even get through whats left of the fire. The Flood Tyrants three orbs of water fuse together and launch a stream of water at speeds too high to track, boring a hole as thick as a pencil in a damaged section of my ax. Another attack pierces me, streaming through the new hole in my ax and destroying my shoulder in the process. The monster shoots again, this time aiming for my heart, but the stream hits the undamaged part of the axe, and the immense energy contained within the attack throws me back. I return fire with a concentrated stream of thermal energy, lightly scorching the monster without truly damaging it. Instead of taking the brunt of the damage, the monster turns into water and quickly seeps into the ground. My senses shoot into the area to detect the monster, but another attack of concentrated water burrows into my chest and tries to move diagonally to cut me apart. I teleport before it happens and immediately after another attack cuts into my leg, trying to repeat the strategy. I burst into action, blocking the attack with my ax, and teleporting away as I lift the ax once more. As expected, the monster is tracking my anchors, and another attack crashes against my ax, following up with another and cleaving through the dense barriers I put in its way. I create as many anchors as I can, keeping my mind sharp and eyes peeled, looking for any trace of the monster. Its created multiple presences all over the forest, but only one of them is the real body. I receive more and more wounds, the creatures attacks moving at impossible speeds, and hitting too hard for me to deflect them with anything other than the ax. The forest and the giant trees around us fall apart, sliced by three streams of compressed water as if they are nothing. My heart is beating wildly, the forest loses all color and sound, and everything is only black and white as I slide into my skill. Mana alone retaining its beautiful vibrant hues. I fail to detect the original and am punished with another hole in my foot. My use of the anchor is too slow, and I lose a fingerthankfully, only a finger. The ax in my hand moves too slowly, and a jet of water carves a deep wound in my side, nearly cutting me in half. Nothing I do can stop these attacks; they slice through my fires, my mana, and my body. But I detect the original. I block the first attack with my ax. I tilt my head to avoid the second stream and then duck under it when it swings back. The trees behind me fall down as they are cut cleanly in two, and I absorb a bit more kinetic energy, adding to my reserves. Before it can launch a third strike, I''ve readied my aim and release my javelin, boosting it with my heavily inflated pool of kinetic energy in a single powerful push. The javelin disappears with a loud boom, piercing through everything in its way. I dont even see the path of its flight, and neither does the Flood Tyrant. The only visible result is a fist-sized perfectly round hole bored through the length of the monsters body and a similar hole behind it, who knows how deep. A powerful disrupting wave erupts from my body, directed at the monster and preventing it from turning into water like it did before. Looking through my enhanced eyes. I match its wavelength perfectly, nullifying the monster''s attempts at escape. Even so, the monster tries to move, as the flesh around the wound bubbles up and begins to regenerate. In response, I use [Tether] activating the anchor I left on the javelin and pulling it back. It flies back to me from a much deeper point in the ground than I expected, but it dislodges itself nonetheless, burrowing its way through the body of the monster. As it does, I release the stored kinetic energy, causing it to explode. The explosion cuts through the forest, the threads that made the javelin untangling and rapidly slicing through the surrounding trees, while the highly compressed kinetic energy tears through everything in its path as the shockwave expands through the area. [You have defeated Flood Tyrant - lvl 339] Congratulations, you have successfully completed Beyonds 3rd Trial and may now enter Beyond. You can now buy Beyond Stay Tokens from the system shop. They will also be included as rewards for certain floor and side quests. You may also earn Beyond Stay tokens within Beyond itself. After entering Beyond, you will receive more information and be assigned a handler. Well done! Chapter 412: Handler Chapter 412: Handler Okay, I''m getting more and more curious about whats waiting for me in Beyond. Before I can think about turning around and resuming my leveling, the scenery begins to fade, the system recognizing the King of the Forests death and returning me to the sixth floor. Obviously, the system wasnt going to let me get away with it forever. Stepping out into the bleak wastes of the Astral Prison, I sense some weaker monsters nearby and release a bit of my mana, which scares them off. Their level is low anyway and I want some time to think. But before that, I send a message. Noname (Hell, group 4) - 3rd trial completed. Sset (Hell, group 4) - congratulations. I''m curious to hear more when we meet. Savant (Hell, Alone) - took you a while. Noname (Hell, group 4) - I took just the right amount of time. I''m surprised you didn''t forfeit your third trial. Savant (Hell, Alone) - how many limbs did you lose this time? Tacita (Hell, Luce) - ????? Noname (Hell, group 4) - welcome to the 6th floor Tacita (Hell, Luce) - |???)s Sset (Hell, group 4) - we have no idea when she got here before you ask. NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - hell, she could have been here before us. She could have been trolling us during the tournament. NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - are you dumb? There was no restriction during the duels. NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - are YOU dumb? There was no text showing the floor during the duels. Tacita (Hell, Luce) - (? _ ?) Noname (Hell, group 4) - has everything been ok so far? Sset (Hell, group 4) - we took over the place we attacked and started pumping the surviving natives for information. The system will censor most of the things I would like to write here so I will tell you more in person. But I can tell you this right now. This floor won''t be short. Noname (Hell, group 4) - got it. I will continue dealing with my own stuff. Closing the Community, I reach the place where I hid my items. Standing there, I look over all of them and think about what I should take with me. The most valuable things are the mana stones containing the mana shaping exercises, improvements on Mana Cycling, and the Restrictive Training Emblem that I got from Lissandra. Then there are these items: Arcanite Alloy (Low Arcane) - Arcanite Alloy is a meticulously engineered blend of a dozen metals, each chosen for its unique resonance with arcane energies. This alloy was designed to amplify magical powers. Despite the complexity of its creation, items forged from Arcanite Alloy will be durable and capable of channeling immense magical forces. Flamebearer (Low Arcane, Damaged) -Flamebearer held dominion over fire, with a mere swing capable of igniting the horizon. This axs blaze once burned with immense fury. Despite the damage and its weakened flames, moments of intense heat surge through its blade, offering a glimpse into its fiery past. Then there are any number of mana stones filled with information Ive collected from the floors, a big pile of metals I collected for experimenting. Pieces of bones from the bone fortress, pieces of bone from the snake that attacked the Veil ignition station no. 2, also known as the Cinder. Lily still has a finger bone from one of the Champions from the 5th floor. A few voidsteel blades, an epic water bottle, a decent supply of clothes, food, water, and more. It''s a pretty big pile now that I look at it. In the end, I take some time to wash myself and put on clean clothes. I wear a black shirt, rolling up the sleeves, and gray pants. I also put on shoes. Then I take all the things Lissandra gave me, I take Flamebearer and Arcanite Alloy as well, and a few of the smaller pieces of bones. Waiting for my body to fully heal and my mana to fully replenish, I sit and open the system shop and look for new additions. Beyond One-Day Stay Token - 9,999 shards Beyond Three-Day Stay Token - 29,999 shards Beyond Seven-Day Stay Token - 69,999 shards ... Firstly, what the actual hell is with the pricing? Is the system shop really trying to pull some cheap marketing pricing strategy? Second, what the actual hell is with the prices? Just the seven-day stay is worth almost as much as the cheapest arcane item. Actually, wouldn''t a 10-day stay token cost the same as the weakest arcane item? If I used all of my shards, it would give me just 13 days there, and I don''t think there are many people with half as many shards as I do. I want to sell Beyond Three-Day Stay Token, I try. Do you really want to sell the following item for 1 shard? Beyond Three-Day Stay Token She seems to be thinking for a while or checking something and answers, "Five years, but it''s not that simple." Got it. Another question, how many other people like me are you acting as a handler for? Good question, my handler smiles. Average for each handler would be a few dozen. To become a handler, you must have at least that much potential. Either by virtue of your own skills or by being able to use an item created by the Ruler of Diligence. That sounds interesting. Are handlers all Absolutes or Champions? As I open my mouth to ask, I see her looking at me, and hold my tongue instead. Something in her eyes makes me think better of asking. Once were done here you will appear on the surface of Beyond. Leave as quickly as possible and find an entrance to the First Dungeon. If youre unlucky with your spawn location, you will die. The surface is dangerous even to someone on the verge of becoming a Champion, and it''s recommended that you only go there in large groups. Got it? she asks seriously. Yes. Any hints as to where I can find such an entrance? Can''t say. Got it. After you enter the First Dungeon, you will find yourself on the Entrance floor. You only have three days, so just look around for now, maybe do some trading, and collect some information. Check the rankings as well. Try to avoid guilds and do not join any groups or expeditions. Do not enter the dungeon at any cost, and do not go to the surface. Take it slow, and after you get back to your floor, do some side quests to earn more Stay tokens. I would recommend at least a week''s stay so that you can start exploring what Beyond has to offer. Got it? she asks again. Yes. How much more can I ask? Not much, I told you most of the allowed information. The rest would be censored. The system wants you to discover it on your own. Where is the adventure and fun of exploration in having all information spoon fed you? Whats your name? That shouldnt be censored, right? The woman lifts her eyebrow and looks somewhat amused. She then moves and sits back behind the table. I might tell you in the future. Also, I know you Pride guys tend to do things your own way but consider the advice I gave you. She pauses and seems to be listening to something. Well, our time seems to be gone, so good luck. I will see you the next time you enter Beyond. Before that feeling pulls me away, I think of grabbing some paper or mana stones from the table but decide against it. Doing so could end very badly for me. Appearing on what I guess is the surface of Beyond, I rouse the mana under my skin and redirect most of it to my defenses. My crown activates, and I slip into [Focus] to help me with skills and concentration. I do not take the warnings she gave me lightly; she didn''t seem prone to lies or exaggerations. The place Ive appeared is eerily quiet, and there is no wind at all. It''s early morning, looking at it, but I can''t find any sun in the sky. Yet there is light, and the blue of the sky is mixed with the orange colors of dawn. The first difference is a huge increase in gravity pulling on me. Then another one is the constant pressure of something trying to take my mana. Only gradually do I realize it''s the planet doing it, trying to pull my mana and send it somewhere below. I then send my senses into the area around me and almost immediately feel something touch them. Some being senses my use of mana from what feels like miles away and immediately detect me, tracking my exact location. Without any hesitation, I release all the kinetic energy I can and start running, then flying away from the presence. I do not use my mana sense anymore; instead, I concentrate on keeping as much of my mana as I can inside my body while kinetic energy propels me forward. As I run, I hear a sound reminiscent of a series of small, consistent explosions. Just from that short touch of mana as it detected my senses, I know I have no chance at all. Even so, I''m getting ready for the worst option, mana collecting inside my body, as I prepare to activate all my trump cards. A constant wave of detection is being projected over the area, but the being seems to have trouble finding me now that I''ve stopped using my mana externally. Its still a mile or two away, a distant explosion erupting from its location as I run and fly, searching for an entrance to the dungeon. And the presence keeps coming closer, and closer from the sound of it. At this rate, itll find me in a few short moments. Ready for anything, I boost myself high into the air and send my senses as far as I can, immediately feeling that pressure on me again. The rest of my kinetic energy pushes my body towards a cave in the distance, which radiates a constant stream of mana. Already beginning to drain the kinetic energy in my core with my constant use, I start creating more with my heart as I use mana to boost my body and fire projectiles into the space behind me. The view around me disappears in a blur of motion, and the explosions behind me slow down. There are fewer of them now, but theyre stronger, and the air reverberates even at this range. As the cave comes into view, I rush inside, crashing into the walls and scrambling to rush further inside as I fail to slow down in time. Another explosion thunders in my ears, and I feel something hit me. The world spins, and a rush of different sounds fills my ears. There are cobblestones under my body, and I find myself surrounded by a group of surprised people and buildings. All located inside of a huge cave. I look down, and both of my legs are gone, ragged wounds covering what remains of my knees, pieces of bone and torn flesh exposing themselves to open air as I bleed profusely. Generating thermal energy inside my body, I let my passive close the wound and replace my missing limbs with prosthetics made of mana. Ignoring the looks I''m getting, I check my body and items and head somewhere more quiet. Chapter 413: Four Rankings Chapter 413: Four Rankings The Entrance floor of the Beyond dungeon is massive, and crowded with people. So far Ive seen humans, lynthari, demons, and more of those smaller humanoids with scaly legs; I don''t know what to call their race. And many more. The different races seem to come in all shapes and sizes, some are men and women with wings growing from their backs, another one with hair that keeps glowing and floating around their head, I even catch a glimpse of a man twice as tall as me, and too many others to count. Sitting on the ground with my back against the wall of a nearby building well out of the way, I observe each of them as they move about. None of them have text over their head. All of them are just as real as me, as real as Group 4, as real as Vega. Each one a person who managed to complete their Beyond trials to make it here. It makes sense. Our round has seven people in Beyond. Earth should have at least five rounds, and if each round has around, let''s say, an average of five people. That means there should be 25 from Earth alone, probably twice that if we have ten rounds. Even if some of them die, it means a decent number should manage to enter Beyond. Now multiply that by the hundreds, maybe thousands of tutorials running at the same time, and you should get an idea of the number of people here. Well, probably not exactly here; from what I''ve seen, this entrance floor is huge but its probably not the only one. I would expect there to be a few more at least. It''s all so overwhelming and fascinating that I have to force myself to tone down my excitement. Beyond, according to my handler, lies in between the real world and the tutorials. So what exactly does that mean? I want to know. I also want to know about Beyond quests. I want to know about the First Dungeon that Beyond is built on and the whole 1st floor I should enter for now. Guilds, rankings, trading, quests, a small possibility of meeting some Beyonder from Earth. Hell, I might be able to meet our round''s first Beyonder or even Victoria, I''m sure she would have found her way here. Another big question is, are all of these people part of the tutorial, or is it possible to enter from the outside world as well? Hey, my thoughts grind to a halt as a friendly-looking man stops in front of me. Hey, I reply. Everyone here is a Beyonder. The same as me, Tacita, or Savant. None of these people can be underestimated. You are probably new here, so if you want, I can point you to a place where they can restore your legs, he offers. That would be nice, I say, pretending to accept on the off chance he has some decent information. He nods quickly and points in one direction, If you go that way youll find a branch of Serene Circle. For the right price, they can heal you. Is it possible to trade shards? The man laughs, Yes, but only within Beyond, and the system always takes a 20% cut, so they generally prefer that you just buy items for them. Prices in the system shop are 10% higher here in Beyond, but its a bit better than trading. I have to go, good luck, man. He waves, cutting off further comments as he leaves. I watch as he joins a small group of other people, and they disappear together around the corner. So the system takes 20% when you trade shards, and prices are 10% higher in the system shop. Theres so much potential for abuse and every opportunity for someone very rich to make someone much stronger extremely quickly. Shards can be used for better passives, items, and information. But the more I think about it, the less worried I become. In the end, its all about the user, and active skills are the most important. I then make an experimental attempt to open the Community interface, but it seems to be impossible here, the same goes for the Beyond Community. Checking the other notifications, there are no quests or other information. So I decide to check the Rankings as my handler recommended and find myself confronted with a number of categories. Guild Rankings Exploration Leaders Individual Rankings Crafting Rankings The first one seems obvious, and I open it and check the first few guilds. Guild Rankings 1. Bloodline 2. Frontier 3. Primordial Knights 4. Crimson Forge 5. Astral Brotherhood ... The list goes on, showing hundreds of guilds, but these five seem to be the top ranked. There is no information regarding how the rankings are calculated. Then I open another list. Did my looking around give me away? I ask. Yeah, I passed by three times and here you are, standing in the same place, looking around while trying not to stand out. He smiles, My name''s Duncan, I''m one of the locals. Locals? Oh, of course, you don''t know. To say it simply, the earlier generations of tutorial attendees came to Beyond. Some of them had kids and they... Well, they left them here. So a few of the Rulers twisted the rules a bit and since then there have been locals. Would you like to know more? It''s all interesting stuff so I nod. Maybe Ive really found myself a truly informed guy. I nod in answer. One epic item and Ill be glad to answer your questions for an hour or two. Not all of them of course, that would cost a lot more, but some basic information should be fine. Things that everyone should know. I''m not even surprised. No, thank you. Got it! I have to go but this one is free, beware the guilds. They generally like to make a push to reel in newbies with terrible contracts so don''t sign anything yet. See you around. And with that, Duncan leaves. For now, I will follow the advice my handler gave me, at least until my legs regrow. With the amount of concentrated thermal energy Im feeding my passive and my body upgrade, it should only take a day or two. In that time, I should be able to glean a bit more information for free, so there should be no need to waste 4 thousand shards or more. As I walk through the crowd, everyone else seems capable, that''s the word I would use. They often have an abundance of nice equipment and I even recognize a few voidsteel blades, the Housekeepers rapier, some of the items from the 3rd Floor, equipment from the 2nd floor though its higher quality than anything I was able to get. Plenty of these people have stuff I do not recognize. Maybe even from the 6th, 7th, and higher floors of Hell difficulty. It makes me feel like a rookie again, someone who just found themselves somewhere new, and I have to wonder if, in a few years, some new Beyonder will look at me the same way I look at these people. Rather than demoralizing me, it fuels my competitive spirit. There are multiple rankings I can get onto. The surface and the dungeon to explore and all the information I can collect about the system, other planets, and any number of other things. And there is hope the difficulty here is higher. Other than the "bosses" of the floors, I dont really have much to worry about in Hell difficulty - well, maybe only if I decide to make things harder on purpose. Of course, Im certain the higher floors of the tutorial will be much more difficult and dangerous. As I walk into an area that reminds me of a town square surrounding a central fountain, I glance at the ceiling of the cave. There are dozens of crystal-like stones, radiating a light reminiscent of sunlight. There are probably inscriptions on them, but I do not send my senses towards them. Forcing myself not to use them feels like Ive lost half my sight. Hey, youre a Pride subclass, right? I recognize your clothes, they are 5th floor style, right? A woman comes closer to me. She is surprisingly friendly. As an answer, I nod but she doesn''t seem to be bothered. I''m Pride as well, I reached Adept not long ago so I could sense... She blabbers away and I listen with one ear, waiting for a catch. So, me and a few of my friends have this guild. We just started, but our guild master has huge plans. He is on the 8th floor of Hell difficulty you know. 8th already, just three years into the tutorial! He must be really strong, I say. Yes, he is and... Listen, by any chance, do you know more about rankings and would you answer some of my questions? I ask, trying to get some answers before she tries to scam me into anything. With a sigh, her expression goes from cheery to neutral and she turns to leave. Fucking smartass rookies, I hear her mumble under her breath before she disappears into the crowd. Shrugging my shoulders, I continue to walk around, looking for answers. I locate a few buildings with guards in front of them, smithies, places for enchanters, and even a few inns. There are gardens, there is trading and a great number of exchanges. Everyone seems to be energetic and rushed, and remembering the prices of Stay Tokens, it all makes sense. In the end, I get invited to two more guilds. Someone offers to buy my ax. Another person tries to sell me a damaged epic item they say will have the performance of arcane when fixed. A bunch of people as confused as me try to invite me on an expedition into the dungeons. I refuse and watch them leave. And no one answers my questions. Most people just ignore me. It''s something I''m really not used to, it''s like theyve pushed me aside as if I werent worth their time. So when a few hours pass and I see Duncan passing by, I stop him. I don''t even have to say anything as he smiles brightly at me, fixing his huge bag on his back. Then he asks for the payment first, his price for answering my questions increasing from 1 epic item to 1 epic item and 1 rare item. Chapter 414: Duncan Chapter 414: Duncan Duncan puts away the items I bought according to his requirements and turns back to me. We sit opposite each other with a table in between us. It''s a small but cozy-looking restaurant owned by one of the locals. The prices are ridiculously high, so I just order the cheapest drink and take some food from my bag, and nom on it while we wait for Duncan''s order. Damn, I haven''t eaten in over a day, he says in between bites of some mystery meat. Turning to me, he asks, What''s your name? Can you pick a name to register in rankings here? I ask instead. Nope, the system will use the name you picked for the Community. In that case, it''s Noname. By the way, why are there aliases for the Community? Is there a reason to hide your real name? You don''t have to if you don''t want to, but some people prefer to hide it, and the system gives you the option. Your world is already changing, and it will change more after the tutorial, so theres not really much point. Duncan shrugs and takes another bite. As he chews I continue asking questions, You said the world will change, tell me more. I cant say much because of the systems censorship. You know about the First Generation? He watches my reaction and continues before I answer, Good, you seem to have heard about it, and the system didn''t censor it, so I can tell you a bit more than normal. He talks with a full mouth and even calls the waiter to order more. Turning back to me, he explains, There are 10 rounds of the tutorial. Each round gets 2 thousand people in Easy, 1 thousand in Normal, 500 in Hard, and 250 in Hell, and 10 of those can enter Beyond. You guys will be the First Generation of your planet with access to the system. While youre gone, your world is awakening, and there will be changes. The changes are very individual, and I don''t know anything about your planet. When you return and the first person of the First Generation steps back onto the surface of your planet, the system will slowly awaken for the others. I don''t think I can say more than that. Got it. About Beyond... He lifts his finger, This kind of information is even more restricted and expensive, and your handler probably told you most of what I can. I was curious about rankings, guilds, trading, dungeon, surface, and similar stuff. Huh, your handler didn''t tell you? Who did you get? What do they look like? Humanoid, woman. Pale skin, black hair with bits of red mixed in. Pale brown eyes. Gray clothes. I haven''t heard of her. But it''s not like I know every handler there is. I could answer these questions, so what would you like to know first? Guilds. Got it! Guild rankings are one of the live rankings. Before you ask, there are rankings that change over time and some that are static. For example, guild rankings update once a year according to the performance of guilds. Currently, first place is held by Bloodline, theyre one of the oldest guilds, at least a few hundred years old? Some say theyre older than that. They have rules they follow and always find a powerful Beyonder to lead it for the duration of the tutorial, and before they leave, they find a good replacement. Things have been that way for a long time. I lean closer, carefully listening to Duncans words, and when he finishes the sentence, I ask, Is there any sense in joining one of the guilds or keeping them up for so long? There are some advantages to being in a guild. Even more, if theyre one of the higher ranked groups. From what I know, theyre used to cultivate relationships that endure beyond the tutorial. If you want, I can go deeper into this, but I will ask for another epic item. That should be enough for now, I say, quickly refusing his offer. What is this guy? Third stage Greed sub class, Master of Greed? A familiar sight catches my attention, and I glance to the left. There, surrounded by a group of people, is a man with a crown floating above his head. The crown glows yellow, its edges flickering like tongues of flame, lazily licking the air. More than ever before, I want to send my senses to it, to examine it, and to learn more about it. Maybe I could go to the guy and ask, if he refuses and decides to be a huge dick about it, I can beat him up and ask again. There is no need to hurt him too much, just a surface wound or something. Maybe I could even provoke him into attack... I pause my train of thought and force myself to remain seated. I guess this is why Tess had so much more success dealing with Miwa in my stead. Patience, I need a bit more patience, I just have to channel my inner Savant. Not too much, though, I wouldn''t want to start forfeiting. I''m still new here and don''t know the rules. People here can''t be underestimated, and if I end up getting killed by some weakling''s more powerful older brother, it would be truly shameful. So, I watch as the man with the crown leaves. Another person catches my interest as he does, a beautiful woman with blonde hair hanging just over her shoulders. Shes dressed in simple armor and has a sleek bow with a string made of mana. Her eyes are dark green. What catches most of my interest is neither of these things. It is the mantle shes wearing if you could call it that. The mantle is made out of mana or something close to it and moves like it''s alive or caught in an unpredictable gust of wind. The mantle is pale blue with a gradient, darker at the top. It also looks like tiny purple stars shine inside of it. Some are bigger, others smaller, and some are of darker purple while others are of lighter color. Out of everyone I saw here, I''m sure she is the strongest by far. It feels odd that I would even see her here, and the people around her seem to be of much the same opinion. It''s as if a noble knight decided to visit a rural village too small for visitors. But that mantle of hers, is it like a crown? Is there an entire "equipment" class of skill? Are there skills like a fire sword? At this point, I wouldn''t be surprised, and I would even welcome it. I will always prefer my own power over equipment that could be taken away, and my [Mana Crown] and [Regalia] confirm this sentiment. She must have sensed my gaze, as her eyes turn to me as I meet her stare. As quickly as she finds my gaze, she looks away. I''m immediately discounted as anything resembling a threat and Im apparently too boring for her to stay any longer. Just that single interaction irks me to a surprising degree, and with some amusement, I observe my own feelings. Ive found that I can enjoy the process now that Im not using [Focus] to push my feelings away. How bold of me, present Nathaniel is angry he isn''t the top dog in the room, and that also means he isn''t safe - hes at the mercy of more powerful people. Yet, he wants to activate his trait, release his mana and skills, and he wants to fight these people. There will be time for that, no worries. Well see what we can do about the rankings over the next few years. An hour later, Duncan returns totally breathless, sweat beading on his face. "Sorry, Noname! I tried to return as fast as I could. You know how it is, a man has to make his living and I need to save up for something. I hope you werent waiting for too long." "It''s fine." He is here half an hour earlier than he said he would be, and in that time, I haven''t been annoyed by waiting not even once. Just watching passersby made it fun. Observing people here, their equipment, bearings, and the size of their groups, Ive learned from the experience as well. And Duncan, bless him, orders a drink and drinks it all down in one gulp, clearly tired from his hasty return. It almost makes me feel bad for the tiny anchor I left on him so I could track him if he tried to scam me. "I still have a lot of questions, but the most important one is: Do you know about any expeditions into the dungeon in the next 2-3 days?" I ask after he finishes his drink. Theres no way Im wasting a 3-day Stay token to sit around collecting information. Chapter 415: Melee fighter Noname Chapter 415: Melee fighter Noname Duncan, having given me all the information I need, points me in the direction of a popular recruitment center for expeditions. Such places tend to be more popular with the smaller guilds, as the larger ones generally have no shortage of their own members. They also have ways to communicate with each other in case they need help from a member of a more specialized guild, for example, a healer. The information I got from Duncan is a lot to process, and Im still sorting it out in my mind. He told me a lot about everything from the rankings to guilds, trading, Beyonders, and Beyond itself. All in one big info dump. It was certainly costly but it was well worth it. I check my timer, only a few hours have passed, but figure I may as well not waste time heading for the place Duncan mentioned. As I pass between buildings, I watch the people around me. This time, its a demon that catches my interest. He looks almost human, though his eyes are red, and he has horns growing from his forehead curling backward until the tips point at the back of his head. Theyre jet black and probably as long as my forearm. What I find curious is that the demons I saw in the crowd before had different types of horns. Some demons have shorter ones, some have one horn longer than the other. Even the bends and lengths differ without any obvious connection to their relative strength. And the demon I see right now doesnt care. He bears that confident, crazed expression on his face, and lines trace his body like tattoos pulsing in time to his heart as red light flows through them. These lines pulse in sync with his heart. The demons movements are nimble, each step measured, like those of a predator. He wears no armor, but there is a hilt hanging from his hip. Though nothing extends from it. His senses dont touch me, otherwise, he could probably have felt my heart. Demons seem to be good at that even with all my attempts at camouflage. According to Duncan, this is one of the smaller outposts on the Entrance floor. There are dozens of outposts, and its possible to travel between them. Its just that doing so tends to be expensive given the fees charged by the guild charged with keeping up the arrays. Obviously. Some of the biggest outposts have headquarters for the top guilds, granting one the chance to meet with some of the oldest and most powerful locals around, and sometimes, very rarely, you can even run into the handlers that seem to be the one of top dogs in the Beyond. Following Duncans instructions, I reach the building he recommended as a starting point. Its a white building, on the smaller side, made out of stone. It isnt guarded, and the big doors in front are wide open. Entering, I see a group of people seemingly in the same boat as me. Newbies, just entering Beyond. Its funny when I think about it. Each of us represents the top 100 members of the first generation of our planet, yet here we are - no better than common newbs. Theres a hungry look in their eyes, though some of them seem nervous. Nobody came here to stay at the bottom. I find a spot in the corner and sit there. In an attempt to avoid wasting time, I devote more of my attention to focusing on my improved method of Mana Cycling to better hide my mana and keep it from seeping into the area. Gradually, each of the people around me enters one of the small rooms, only to exit the building upon their return. When its my turn, I follow instructions given to me by one of the locals and enter a room. Its a simple room, with a red carpet spread out on the ground and two seats placed opposite each other and separated by a small table. A window offers a view of a small garden at the back of the building. A woman whos clearly been waiting patiently gestures for me to take a seat, and when I do, she launches into a well rehearsed explanation. As you know, you will be able to visit and explore Beyond until the end of your tutorial. Your handler will be there to help, but as always, the results will depend on you and your decisions. There are a lot of dangers and opportunities to match. At this point, I decide to keep quiet and listen to her before asking anything. She seems to take notice, humming in satisfaction, One thing I can tell you though is that the surface is usually much more dangerous than the 1st and 2nd floors of the First Dungeon, so take that into consideration. I nod to acknowledge her, and she continues, Beyond explorers are separated into five ranks, D, C, B, A, and S, with S being the highest. These rankings only serve a purpose here in Beyond and will have no effect on your stats. They serve to ease guild recruitment and the formation of expeditionary parties, and some groups will only accept people of a specific rank. You will be given an identification emblem that will contain information about your Beyond rank. It was created by one of the Rulers, and will update as you improve, your rank will be calculated based solely on your performance in Beyond. Sounds clear so far. Good. You can hide your emblem or display it at will. With a bit of practice, you may learn how to share select information about your status through your emblem. Lying is not possible with this method, so Im sure you can imagine how that might be useful. Thats all for the most part. Any questions? How many people have S rank emblems, and what year of tutorial is usually what rank? Typical, she smiles, most attendees ask about the S rank. For now, dont let it bother you. There are usually only around ten S ranks at a time. Its not a limited ranking, but thats the average. They are the most talented of all attendees, each of them is almost certain to become an Absolute or a very powerful Champion in the future. And its with that that I would like to remind you that these ranks are only relevant in Beyond and arent a clear indication of a persons talent. Plenty of A ranks go on to become Absolutes or Champions. So I cant really answer your other question. Its kinda interesting and cool. It makes me think of the inscriptions I could use to duplicate the effect, and I come to the realization that I should be able to do it. Another thing I find fascinating is that some of the listings are seeking people from specific planets. Aetherion, Grimhold, Orynthia, Pyronix, Eldros... and many more. Likely attempts to find people in other rounds that they cant communicate with through their Community tab. I spend the next 30 minutes going through all the papers, searching for something similar for Earth, but in the end, find nothing. Either no one from Earth has had the idea yet or no one is in this outpost. Its highly possible that others have appeared somewhere else. In the end, I just pick a flier posted by a group seeking additional members for an expedition to the 1st floor of the dungeon in 2 days. Out of all the offers I went through, this one seems to fit best with my timing. The only problem is they need a melee attacker capable of resisting disruption and reaching and disposing of ranged attackers. Well, its not too big of a problem, and I shift Flamebearer on my back. Having this weapon should give me something of an advantage, you can tell just by looking that its a high rarity piece of equipment, even in its damaged state. Then I change some settings and shift my focus to better manage my kinetic energy which I allow to radiate from my body in a small area around me while keeping my thermal energy safely tucked away in my core. None of these people can be trusted, so Ill lie low for now, though Ill need to balance that with being enough of an asset to find a group. Skilled, but not too much. I got plenty of warnings before. Until I become stronger and more confident in my place here, Im Noname, a melee fighter with a damaged arcane ax. No shards in the bank and one of 5 well-known primordial energies, kinetic energy. And an asshole for a handler. And like that, I arrive an hour later, approaching the group I picked out for myself, at the place and time of their choosing. There are a few more people looking to join the group, and they take some and send others on their way. The core of that group seems to be a party of 7 people and an additional 13 to be chosen from the mass of hopefuls before me. When its my turn, they ask a few simple questions by a woman who seems to be their second in command, wearing the armor of the Fallen Hero from the 4th floor. Do you have experience with the 1st floor? No experience. This is my second time in Beyond, and I spent my first token on a 3-day Stay to collect information and learn about the place. The woman nods, Smart. Plenty of rookies are overconfident and die on their first expedition. How much time do you have currently left? Two days and 14 hours. Hmm, thats not a lot but it should be long enough for us to reach a safe zone where we wont need you anymore. Abilities? Primordial kinetic energy and a lot of experience with close-range combat, and this is a damaged arcane ax from the 5th floor. Thats what caught my interest. Flamebearer is extremely rare, barely anyone has managed to get a hold of it. You must have some skill or luck. Okay, go and talk to that man over there; hell have more questions for you. She decisively points at a scrawny man who holds a number of items and talks to other people and calls, Next! Hurry up! I quickly leave and start heading towards him. Well, that was simple. Simpler than I thought and quicker than it should be. Someones in too much of a hurry. This expedition smells, it stinks to high heaven, and everyone here seems to know it. The new recruits, the core seven, both. The newcomers are already making smaller groups and other deals. If it comes to it, Im sure the newbies are going to be ready to fight the core group. Yet no one seems to be backing out, and as dumb as it is, it also makes sense. You wont get into Beyond without being daring and confident in your abilities. And then, while I wait for the scrawny man to deal with a woman with small wings on her back and color changing hair, I think about the name of Beyonds 1st floor dungeon. The floor attendees call The Corpseyard. Chapter 416: Eugan, Shayna, Roculus, and Rat Chapter 416: Eugan, Shayna, Roculus, and Rat I still don''t know how to clear the first floor - the information regarding that is apparently a valued commodity, despite being the kind of thing one could easily learn on their own However, I dont really need to worry about that at the moment. My only goal right now is to experience the floor, just to see how it compares to Hell difficulty. Im also eager to see the other attendees in action. These people should be at least as strong as Tess, Savant, Lily, Tacita, and Gareth. There is a lot I could learn from them too. I fully intend to compare myself to them as well. How do I stack up? Against those whove been here a while and those on the higher floors of Hell? That''s why Im keeping such close tabs on the other 4 members of my unit. Our entire 20-man group is being led by a single man after being split into 4 smaller units, with a squad leader for each. Each of these squad leaders is a member of the core 7 who arranged our little expedition. So to make things easier, we find ourselves seated around a table in a nearby inn, owned by one of the locals. The leader of our small group is a woman called Eugan. Then there are Shayna, Roculus, and Rat. Eugan is on the quieter side and has a sort of confident aura around her. She is a mage and seems to have a decent pool of Mana. She specializes in barriers and wide-range attacks. Out of all of us here, she has the most experience. Of course, she doesn''t share her level, subclass, or the floor shes on. The identification emblem could be used that way, but without trust or a good reason, no one will do that. The next member of our group is Shayna, and she isn''t human. Her hair and eyes change color in sync with each other, and I''m currently in the process of discerning what color is for what emotion. However I suspect that she can hide and manipulate it to her advantage, so I''m trying to be careful about making assumptions. There are small wings on her back too, and her race seems to match the description of Lilys disciple, whose name Ive already forgotten. Shayna can use a mental variation of a stun attack, and even that gets her a few surprised looks when she reveals it. Mental abilities seem to be rare in much the same way as healers. I wonder how these people would look at Sophie. Other than that, the winged woman is good at single-target disruption and doesn''t volunteer anything further. Roculus is a close-range fighter. He wears no armor and relies on his natural durability and regeneration. I even suspect that he might be putting less than 10% of his stats into mana. That makes me wonder how much it would show. Would he still be able to use skills? Are there skills that only need mana for the activation process, drawing on the bodys reserves of energy to maintain their effects? There must be something to it, seeing how far the man had gotten. His preferred weapon is a combination of dagger and mace, both weapons upper epic if I had to guess. Dagger, some kind of poison effect? I couldn''t examine them much after he started giving me annoyed looks. Asshole. Anyway, the last one is Rat. Just Rat. He is an older man who hasn''t said a word other than to introduce himself, and apparently, hes going to be our scout. He isn''t human either; both of his arms are too long, and his skin color is grayish. I bet his figure cuts an intimidating image in a dark alley. Rat can create... well, rats out of some weird substance he produces. Theyre extremely quick, and he can use them to scout. I suspect he can do much more, but much like everyone else here, he doesn''t reveal much. And lastly, there is me, Noname. A kinetic energy bearer, which does get me a few curious look, but nothing more. Primordial energies seem to be rare, but not on the same level as a healer or a mind mage. It should garner just enough attention to make me interesting without inviting more pointed questions. Hows that for a secret identity arc? Future Nathaniel is going to have a blast with the setup I''m making here. Screw that weirdo too. So yeah, kinetic energy, a decent weapon as a cover should I need to use a bit of fire here and there, and a reliance on kinetic energy to strengthen my body. And just to seal the deal I pretend to have most of my points invested in my physical stats instead of revealing the degree to which I use kinetic energy for strengthening. And that''s all, I have no more information to offer this squad of mine. No one seems to want to talk much, Though Eugan tries to learn a bit more about our abilities and create a more cooperative atmosphere. Shayna, I really must insist that you only use your mental attacks on weaker opponents. It''s not worth using on anything on the stronger end of the scale. If we do end up in a situation like that, just go for single-target disruption, Eugan pleads, gesturing impatiently at the stubborn woman. Shayna smiles and her eyes and hair change color to orange, then white and blue. I''m sure I know more about my abilities than you. Shes totally playing with us by changing the color of her eyes and hair. Shed have to be crazy for her mood to swing so quickly. Of course, it could be a bit of both. Indeed, the best way to make people talk is to say something stupid and watch as they jump at the opportunity to correct you. So should we take that to mean youre all brawn and no brain, Noname? Eugan asks, nodding at my ax, Flamebearer, kinetic energy, some kind of regeneration trait or passive more likely than not, looking at how nicely your legs are coming in, and what seems like a decent mastery of mana. Hmm, maybe I did show too much? I find internal manipulation of abilities easiest, so strengthening it is. Are we sharing our abilities now? Can I ask you to tell us more about yours, Eugan? I reply, staring her down. Roculus, Shayna, and even Rat turn to her, curious, at which point the woman smiles and lifts her hands in a placating gesture. I just got curious. Of course, you don''t have to answer if you don''t want to. Got it. I nod and let them get into the conversation again. The same as me, Rat sits there and observes the others. And unlike me, he hasnt said a single word, hes just sitting there watching, unblinking, and sniffing at the air. What a creepy guy. An hour later and everyone goes their own way, our next meeting being scheduled a few hours before the expedition itself. And as I leave they also give me a pamphlet with some useful information. The location of the entrance to the 1st floor of the dungeon, our meeting time, and a list of recommended supplies. Interestingly, one of those recommendations is an item to preserve food and water against the influence of the floor itself. The items in question apparently come in a range of forms, a bag, assorted packing materials, and more besides. Apparently, the floor has an aura that makes food spoil faster while fouling any poorly stored water, rendering both toxic, even for superhumans like us. Of course, these protective items have to be bought. I also get a contract, a piece of paper with a stamp that glows in a pale blue color to check before signing. Contracts, apparently, can be written on nearly any material, while stamps can be bought from a specialized institution for the purpose of confirming said contract. Once applied, the stamp ensures that the contract is recognized by Beyond''s system. That means if one side decides to violate the contract, there will be consequences. And it seems like theres a group of Enforcers for the sole purpose of doling out said consequences. There are also different tiers of stamps and the highest one ensures that the contract is upheld by the System itself or its Handlers, who are the top dogs here. Most of the Handlers themselves are located in outposts deep within the dungeon. Each new piece of information makes my cold heart beat with excitement. My handler mentioned something about adventure and fun, and I agree with her. When I think about it, I realize, This place isn''t really all that different from the floors, but there is one huge difference. Everyone here is real. It''s a new kind of fun for me, and it helps that I can actually enjoy it without walling off my emotions. But I also prepare in the back of my mind. As far as I can tell currently, we newcomers might well find ourselves as pawns to be sacrificed in an effort to preserve the core group. Eugan did strike me as the type, and I did notice her putting some sort of mark on each of us with an item when she thought we werent looking. So far, I havent removed it, opting instead to examine it. It seems to have three functions: something like a locator, a single pulse of disruption directed at me, and a single use pulse of mana into my surroundings. Probably a means of drawing attention to me while they run. It doesnt contain much mana, so each function is restricted to a single use and only one of them can be activated without reapplying. It''s amusing, but Im disappointed that the others didn''t seem to notice. Or maybe they did and decided to stay quiet. Well, in the end, even if they are real, it doesn''t matter. I will treat them the same way they treat me, and if they decide to betray me or use me, I might add some extra. Chapter 417: Important. Consequential. Chapter 417: Important. Consequential. I take full advantage of my remaining time hereby pestering every crafter I meet for as much free information as I can get. My D-rank Obsidian Black identification emblem may not be worthy of note, but having a damaged arcane ax helps. Some of the crafters definitely seem to be intrigued by it. I also have the mana stones with Lissandras three mana exercises, her improvements on mana cycling, and a Restrictive Training Emblem. I''m sure they are worth a lot. Like, a lot a lot. So they stay as hidden as possible. Otherwise, I''m sure I would find an accident coming my way. The same goes for the arcane-grade alloy Nevan left me with. That''s why Im only using the ax, and even that seems to be pushing the bounds of whatever unspoken rules guide this place, at some point I just become a newbie with some cool stuff worth enough to justify the consequences. These unspoken rules seem to be the only reason this place isnt completely lawless. However, I fully expect this to change from outpost to outpost, especially in the dungeon. There, you can find better facilities and stuff, but it''s also more dangerous, and the guilds made most of the rules. Of course, if you were to kill an attendee, youd risk angering their handler. Handlers often saw their person as an investment. A talent they intended to grow. There was apparently a whole field of politics around the relationships between handlers, the forming of contracts, the trading of talent, and more besides. It''s like were football stars and our handlers are playing the role of managers while the guilds act as their personal football teams. Some of the higher-ranked attendees even get contracts from guilds and receive monthly or yearly salaries. The higher ranking guilds can even double the duration of your stay tokens. And if one did well they could even gain access to their facilities, contacts, and information. There is so much, and Im only scratching the surface. Clearing my mind, I turn my attention back to the man whos examining my Flamebearer. I can''t fix it. He says, shaking his head. Yeah, I expected that. Listen here, you brat, it''s not... I quickly interrupt him, Dont misunderstand, I didn''t mean it that way. It''s just that I know how difficult it is to work with these items, and after months of trying, I didn''t expect it to be as simple as finding someone on the entrance floor to help. His eyes squint, but in the end, he accepts my explanation. Damn, dealing with people sure is difficult. Tess, please help. Got it, so what do you want? I got curious if it would be possible to change its shape. I would prefer a sword or maybe a javelin over the current one. That makes him laugh, and he returns the ax, the fires of his smithy burning behind him. What you want would be more work than just fixing the weapon. You would need to redo everything while adapting it to the new shape. In the end, you would only recycle the material the ax is made of, and everything else would be new. I tilt my head in surprise, What if I melted the weapon just enough to change its shape while removing the damaged parts and repositioning the working ones? Do you even realize how crazy something like that would be? With an arcane weapon? You could end up dropping the rarity, you could ruin the inscriptions, you could screw up the weapons balance. Not to mention the level of heat you would need to melt a weapon of this grade while retaining enough raw power to work the inscriptions and the skills to do so. So it would be possible? Did you hear anything I just said? Sounds good. Locals, the descendants of people who got into Beyond. The most talented members of their tutorials - rounds of people chosen from millions, billions of people on the planet. Do their efforts leave a mark on their descendants? Are the locals more talented than normal people? So far, from most of what I''ve seen, they don''t seem all that strong, at least not here. But I know you can hire them for expeditions to the dungeons. As guild attendants mainly, but sometimes they will help you. I don''t think it''s that simple though, and they probably come at a high price. But unlike those of us from the tutorial, the locals could spend tens, hundreds of years in Beyond. The amount of information theyve collected in all that time cannot be underestimated, and neither can their value. That''s what makes me so curious about them. Duncan is a year or two younger than me, at least thats how he looks and feels, and upon reaching his anchor, I hide my presence as much as possible. It''s in the poorer-looking part of the outpost, even though it''s still nice. I train, shaping the mana inside my body, as I watch the timer tick down and observe the locals and attendees rushing about on their business. This time, I''m trying to count each of the different races I see while waiting to see if Duncan will leave the house he just entered. When I count over 20 races, I stop. There seem to be a lot of humans and other races with weird eyes, oddly colored skin, or any number of other small changes. Then there are the lynthari who have a pretty decent representation. There arent many demons, though each one feels more dangerous than the average attendee. Each has red eyes and horns. The time we arranged for our meeting is growing close, and I glance at my feet and I wiggle my toes. Some time ago, I joked that I had probably lost enough limbs for Lily to build a Nathaniel or two. The thought of that is still as amusing as it is scary. The flesh is weak, embrace the sanctity of blessed mana, Is that how it goes? I lift my fingers and touch my lips, noticing the corner of my mouth twitch into the barest hint of a smile. Ive been having a lot of fun lately, havent I? As dangerous and dirty as this all feels sometimes, it also feels so beautifully real. Important. Consequential. I make mistakes, and I have to deal with them. I do not regret making these mistakes. Because every time I correct one, there is that clear feeling of progression. It''s hard to properly explain. At least it is for me. But that''s what makes it fun, the slow process of discovery. The door of the house finally opens, and Duncan steps out, still chewing his food. His huge bag rests on his back, and he smiles brightly, turning back to the people inside the room. There is a boy and a girl, both children about the same age as Isabella and Vega. Each wearing a clean set of hand-me-down clothes. There is a clear resemblance in the cast of their faces which all but confirms their status as siblings. The way they look up to him reminds me of something. Duncan says something, and with a serious nod, the kids close the door, and Duncan checks to make sure it''s locked. Only then does he rush away. I observe that house for a while and then, with a sigh, place an anchor inside, the house bare of protections against it. Inside, the house is clean but mostly empty. Sending my senses through it, I avoid the children who are upstairs and seek out the kitchen. The fridge-like appliance is broken, and there is just enough food for a few days. The water tank is running low as well and getting close to kicking the bucket, as is the stove whose mana stone might explode soon if not handled carefully. It''s so simple to fix, it''s not even a bother. Quickly, within a few seconds, I find each non-working appliance and fix it, putting all of the food I have on me in the fridge and refilling the water tank with water from my vial. I know how expensive the food and water are here in Beyond, and Duncan, even though hes earning some shards, seems to need them for something else. After all, I can''t sense the items I bought for him anywhere in the entire house. Everyone has their problems, I guess, and he said as much, and it''s not like I need food or water. Ill be leaving Beyond soon, and I can last a day or two without it. It would just be too annoying to carry it all with me. Teleporting away, I make my way to our meeting spot. Chapter 418: So that’s how it is Chapter 418: So thats how it is Eugan leads Shayna, Roculus, Rat and I to the side. Most of the expedition has already arrived, weve gathered in a small clearing speckled with trees near the edge of the outpost. A short distance from the path leading to the entrance of the first floor. Have you checked your contracts? she asks. Yes, I have a question." Roculus says. "What the fuck does Loot will be split according to performance mean?. It means what it says. When everythings said and done, well sit down and split everything. If youre worried about the core group taking everything, it shouldnt be possible, given that there are twice as many newcomers. Thats why the language is so open. What if some jackass thinks he did better than he actually did? In that case, well put it to a vote. If that doesnt work, we can elect a mediator. Someone we will all trust. Worst case, we sell it all and split the shards evenly. Roculus still doesnt seem to be satisfied, but he stays quiet. The other contracts Ive seen usually had more details, this ones kinda vague, Shayna mentions. It just says that we split the rewards, were not allowed to attack each other, and that the main objective is to reach the first safe zone on the 1st floor as quickly as possible. Yes, its a simple contract. But plenty of expeditions make do without contracts at all, so this is just a bit of insurance on our part. Yes, thats true. Rat and I remain silent, and I cant help but think. This smells. Well, at least I have plenty of mana stored away and a few surprises I could use. I read over the contract a few times myself, but our only true assurance is the section prohibiting direct attack. With this level of contract, only an enforcer could even try to impose sanctions. But that would mean nothing if no one survived to report the breach of contact. That piece clearly helps the core 7, who know and trust each other. If even one of them survived, they would try to inform the enforcers, which would probably lead to an investigation. If thats even how it works. As far as I can tell such a thing would be almost beneath the attention of the higher-ups and handlers. The system doesnt hold hands, so its unlikely that anyone else would do anything either. They would probably just laugh. My handler would be among the first, I bet. I need to find out if I can get a new handler. The current one seems to be the type to throw people into the lake, just to see if they drown or learn to swim. I observe as Shayna signs her contract, and then do the same. My identification emblem activates for a moment, and I put my thumbprint on the paper when the circle appears. Then, in accordance with the conditions of the contract, enforcement doesnt begin until all twenty people sign it. There is no change or effect on me, but I take it as my introduction to contracts. Such a low-level compact wont do much and could be easily abused, but the higher-level ones will certainly be more interesting. Everyone gets ready, and finally, the leader of our small expedition steps up. And engraved on his right arm is a Ivory White C rank emblem, on prominent display. As we said before, our goal is to reach the safe zone as quickly as possible. My group has been there before, so listen to the instructions of your sub-leader, it will be their job to help you with anything outside the scope of the information weve already given you. We will be staggering our departure to avoid bringing undue attention to the group as a whole. Should anything happen, your subleader will contact me through our communication channel, and we will decide our next step from there. He is looking around. The armor he is wearing looks old, and battered, but it still reeks of quality. Considering the fact that hes held on to it even in that state, it''s probably very good. His weapon is a simple-looking spear made out of a single piece of crystal, with blue mana swirling inside, likely fed by his own reserves. It looks like it may be as much a mana battery as a weapon. Noname, Eugan interrupts my observation. Yes? I ask back. Well be relying on you to keep enemies away so Shaya and I can do our stuff. Not Roculus? Hes fine, but he looks like the type to run after his opponents. You seem more reasonable. Got it. The leader continues with his small speech, making sure everyone sees his rank, so instead of listening, I turn to Eugan. The woman is quietly listening and seems to be talking to someone I cant hear. Probably through the communication channel for the core group. It reminds me of Sophie and the twins, and I know how useful it can be. Just for fun, I try to read the conversation from her lips but give up just as quickly and wait in silence. Finally, the big group splits into four, and we start heading for the entrance. As we discussed, the groups enter 5 minutes apart, with our group going last. The corpse with the staff lights it up, sending a stream of lightning streaming after Roculus and tracking his movements, while he avoids it nonetheless. The other corpse charges the man, sword in hand and coated in resonating mana. The warrior and Roculus clash, and when the mage tries to join, a combined attack from Eugan and Shayna collides with him. A barrage of projectiles and a disrupting wave from Shayna. Attention now turned to us, the mage disappears, flames blazing into existence at our backline, allowing him to step forth from the conflagration. I let kinetic energy burst through my body, and the earth cracks under my feet as I reach the mage before he can even attack. He quickly turns his attention to me, his blazing staff swinging around to meet my ax. Flamebearer starts devouring his flames, as I jump back with a burst of kinetic energy, the warrior striking the place I once stood. Roculus crashes into the wall of an old stone building, having been thrown by the warrior just before it attacked me. It happens too easily, and Roculus should be able to hold on a bit longer. So thats how it is. I dodge the warriors next swing and block a burst of flames with my ax, the flames burning the side of my arm when I refuse to absorb them fully, the ax moving to block another sword strike. Boosting myself a few more times, I dodge another attack. Mana covering the sword changes its length and oscillates. As I dodge, the monster follows its strike with a kick which connects with my chest. Its at this point that the fire mage lifts his staff, waves of heat pouring into the area, scorching the air and igniting the dried wood of his weapon. There are fewer of us facing the corpses than there were a moment ago. Roculus and Eugan are both gone, having used some sort of teleportation, Rat is running somewhere into the distance, and Shayna stands confused, frantically looking around. I see her gaze tick between the corpses and me, as she curses, quickly coming to a decision. A wave of her mental attack disrupts the fire mage''s skill. The warrior charges her immediately, and Shayna flies into the air, her small wings creating an odd effect that supports her weight. Even so, the warrior bends his knees and jumps, shooting up like a bullet. With a sigh, I strengthen my body and throw the ax at the mage, boosting it with kinetic energy. The ax hits him in the chest, sending him flying in a burst of flames. There is no notification about the kill. I activate the anchor I left on Shayna and others just in case and teleport in front of her, right into the attacking warrior. Quickly creating a sword made of mana, I coat it in [Resonance], our blades meeting as my sword cuts through his. A high-pitched sound and a blast of kinetic energy sends the corpse crashing into the ground, his limbs breaking and bending as he collides with the unforgiving stone. I send another weaker burst at Shayna, moving her away, and a blaze of fire attacks crashes through the space she occupied. She reacts quickly, forming a barrier around herself, her attention turning to the fire mage. I lift my hand, and using [Tether], Flamebearer flies back into my hand, pulled by the anchor I placed on it as I boost myself downwards, following the warrior and cleaving into his forearm. His body is already healed, the broken limbs fixed. Most likely a skill he possessed when he was alive. All the mana he was releasing up until now is gone, glowing white tattoos blooming across his shriveled skin, and his dead eyes beginning to glow white. The first attack crashes into my chest, most of it absorbed and turned into mana, but even then its enough to send me staggering. Another one aims to kick my legs out from under me, adding more mana to my reservoir as I stumble. The third one collides with my face, repeating the process. Blunt attacks of this level wont work against me, I guess, and he comes to the same conclusion. As quick and strong as he is, he extends three fingers of his hand into something resembling a blade and tries to stab me. Smart. A blast of kinetic energy sends him staggering before he can reach me, and then I strengthen my body with it and thrust at him with my sword, extending the blade of mana and easily piercing into his chest, Its path eased by the resonating mana coating the surface. With a kick, he breaks my blade to my sheer surprise, and grabbing a piece of it, he tries to jam it into my eyes. Just in time, I make it disappear, dispersing it into a field of particles. His fist hits my head instead. He then grabs my hand and tries to pull me into a stranglehold and take advantage of his strength, but I send a disrupting wave through his body, giving it a big thump. It''s much more difficult than I expected though, given that the people here tend to have good defenses against disruption. But I push through with an overwhelming flood of mana, and by activating my eyes for the slightest of moments. The tattoos deactivate, and before he can do anything else, I pull him closer, and crack the side of his head with a swing of my elbow, sending him to the ground. He tries to stand up and reactivate his mana, but another disrupting wave hits him. A javelin with a flat head pins him to the ground until I step on his head, splattering it, as the corpse finally stops moving. [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 278] Chapter 419: Lurkers Chapter 419: Lurkers Using my anchor once again, I teleport back over to Shayna, whos standing, rooted in place and breathless, feet planted on the ground. She cradles her scorched limb, as her barriers flicker around her. Shes completely focused on warding off her opponent''s flames, precisely timing waves of disruptive mana towards that end. The flames explode lighting up the space around them and turning the battlefield into a scorched hellscape. I stop myself from helping and watch as the reanimated corpse of an attendee pulls all these flames towards him, compressing them into an orb as big as my fingernail, making it float over the staff. Shayna curses, but she doesnt give up. Her hair and eyes taking on a pure white sheen. Just for the shortest moment, the fire mage blanks out, just before he launches his attack, and Shayna pushes through her limits, subjecting the orb to a massive wave of disruption. Though on second thought it may be something a bit different. The orb destabilizes, and the mage, upon recovering his senses, tries to pull it back under his control, as the heat starts to burn his skin and the trees around him begin to crumble into heaps of ash. The hand holding the staff burns, melting until only the bones remain, clinging to the staff in their tenacity, and finally, the orb expands more, clearly about to explode, as the mage casts it aside. Its at that point that the flaming orb explodes, etching a glass crater the size of a house into the hill nearby, the edges glowing red with the heat. Before the mage can repeat his attack, Shayna launches a projectile that buries itself in his head. Even I have trouble sensing this new attack. It''s extremely fast, quiet, and even manages to pierce through the barrier and heat around the fire mage. Finally, Shayna falls to her knees, turning her head to me, Fuck, you could have helped. I wanted to see how you would fight, I reply. Boosting my body, I reach the corpse and quickly go through the pockets, not finding anything useful. So I just grab the staff. Emberflame Staff (Upper Epic): Crafted from volcanic glass, the staff ignites producing a fierce conflagration. By channeling mana through this staff, one may unleash a barrage of flames to devastate the battlefield. The Emberflame Staff also enhances fire abilities, making them more potent and all consuming. Not bad. Blowing off the corpse of the fire mage, I move back to Shayna. Shouldnt that be mine? she asks, her hair and eyes turning black with bits of white. Think of it as payment for saving your life, I say. Fucking hell, just take it. Were dead anyway. Were never going to reach the safe zone by ourselves. Why do you think they did it? I ask, wanting to hear her opinion despite my own theories. Isnt it obvious? Roculus was part of the core group, he was just pretending to be one of us. Theyve probably planted more people like him in the other groups. And Rat? He just ran away, and we should too before more lurkers come. Its probably too late already. Its fine, continue. We should... I said continue. She looks up at me, and a bit more white appears in her hair. Its obvious, they were either after our items or using us as bait to lure away lurkers. The more lurkers you kill, the more others are attracted to you. Im surprised they didnt leave any marks behind. There are frequencies of mana that attract lurkers. Oh, they did. Eugan left a mark on each of us. I just removed yours and blocked mine. I think she activated Rats, so he might be in trouble. I still have a mark on me and I have fun watching Eugans constant attempts to activate it. So they did it to avoid killing lurkers while forcing us to kill them instead... which draws more lurkers to us? While Shayna watches with a blank expression, I coat the tip of my finger with resonating mana and cut into my belly, pulling out the mana orb Ive been feeding all this time. As the wound starts slowly closing, I look at the orb and the amount of mana contained within. It should be enough. Give me a moment, I tell her. I use another of my anchors, this time the one I left on Roculus. The man is not good with detection, so hell be a safer choice than Eugan. Fine, she says, finally giving in. Maybe I should ask for more, but even though she has been in Beyond longer than me, I dont think she would have much more. Incoming transfer of 20,000 shards. Confirm? Yes/No I confirm. Shards: 148,648 Lets go this way, I say, choosing a direction. Rat is to our right, Roculus and the group to our left, so its probably better to avoid them both. With both of them grabbing the attention of lurkers, it might even work better than with the group before. The question is, for how long. Seeing Shayna moving slowly, I walk over and pull her into my arms before continuing down the chosen path, using kinetic energy to boost our speed along the way. At the same time, I create a field around us to camouflage our position. I also keep an eye on Shayna. It would be unfortunate if she tried to attack me and I died just like that. Lurkers may be the true danger of the 1st floor, but they probably arent the original danger. I know that much from the information Ive managed to collect. The first floor is special. If you die here, your body will be revived and controlled by something thats constantly seeking out attendees to kill. If you die as a lurker, it will usually take around 1 year for you to respawn, along with your items. From one point of view, it could be abused as a constant farm of equipment. But someone powerful enough to do so probably wouldnt have a need for these kinds of items. Beginner attendees usually have upper epic items at most, very rarely do they even have a damaged arcane. The danger here is also huge. The problem is the so-called named ones. Lurkers of powerful attendees who died here through some form of fuckery. Either murdered by their guild or party, perhaps even through a mistake on their part. People who reached the deeper floors of the dungeon but decided to return to the 1st floor for some reason. There are a few dozen named ones on the first floor who keep respawning even if they get killed, most of them receiving nicknames like Rookie Killer, Whitey, Specter, Sly Fox, and thats only the beginning. My problem at the moment is all the lurkers moving around at the moment, each one representing a person capable of clearing Beyonds trials. And the fact that their corpses retain most of their abilities. Then there is also our group who never so much as hesitated to kill. Everything they did reeks of desperation, and that makes me wonder what their real objective is. Sure, I nearly killed Roculus, but that was largely through trickery. If we fought one versus one, it would be a much more difficult fight. And if I had to fight Eugan as well, it would have been even worse. Sure, Im still sure I would probably be able to win or run away, but its risky. Even then, I dont put them on the level of Savant, Tacita, Lily, or Tess. So far, Im sure each of them has more potential. Good. Go Earth go. [You have defeated Blood Ravager - lvl 279] It''s surprising Roculus was able to hold on for so long. The presences moving towards him were powerful. He was quite strong after all. Well, rest in peace, Roculus. Its a shame I couldnt get any shards off you. A bit later and much further we find Rat, or what remains of him at least. Only half his head is intact, its dead eye staring at the stone ceiling of this place. Just like that. Killed by who knows what, deep underground in a place so infinitely distant from his home. One of the chosen from his entire population. Someone talented enough to become the top of their First Generation. Nothing but a chunk of skull and flesh with nothing to show for it. No amazing last stand for the world to witness, no great goals. Condemned to a fate of being used and hunted down as he did everything in his power to survive. Theres a strange feeling of melancholy to it. Pushing it to the back of my mind, I boost my body with even more kinetic energy and continue to run with Shayna in my arms. I modify our course and rely on the woman in my arms who apparently memorized our map better than I. And as I do so I check my timer, finding that I still have more than 20 hours remaining on my Stay Token. Chapter 420: We don’t want to go there Chapter 420: We dont want to go there The first floor thus far has failed to present any greater danger than the lurkers. Sure, the gravity here is much stronger than it was on any of the floors in Hell difficulty, requiring the constant expenditure of kinetic energy from me. Higher physical stats could probably deal with it easily enough, but that would mean less mana. We can''t have that. Ive also noticed a sensation that I recognize from the surface, there is also a pull on my mana, trying to drain it away and send it into the ground below me. So far, my Mantles dealt with that quite easily, though it still makes any external use of mana more difficult. It isnt all bad either, if only because it keeps focused and drives me to improve. Shayna and I are currently holed up in what appears to be an old cathedral, hiding our mana signatures, and working to maintain the barrier around us. Three lurkers detected us a while back and immediately started heading our way. Shayna said the more lurkers we kill, the more the others can sense us. Its odd too because I cant figure out how it works, meaning its either directly set by the system, leaving me with no way to deal with it. The second option is that the lurkers and everything about them are just the side effects of the settings on this floor. It makes me curious and excited to explore the options it presents me with. With a good group, this place could become an amazing spot for farming items. Every one of the lurkers is a Beyonder, meaning they have items fitting their status and with a bit of luck, some of them may even be damaged arcane. Could I go out on my own and do it? Not currently; Im just not strong enough. Well, maybe its not that Im not strong, but that the lurkers are powerful in their own right, and the more you kill, the easier you are to find, and more hunt you, which adds an element of difficulty to the process. Both the warrior and mage from before were powerful. Not as much as me, but as the winner of our rounds tournament, I should be above average. But with Tess and Lily, we would bulldoze through groups with more than three members. That is also where the problem lies - bigger groups. The deeper we delve and the closer we get to the safe zone, the more lurkers... well... lurk around. Currently, its limited to groups of 2-5 members, but according to Shayna, there are groups of 10, and as much as I hate having to accept that, it would be too much even for me. Im not even sure I could handle a group of 5. I always look at it from the angle of whether or not I would be able to defeat specific Beyonders. Gareth? Tess? Savant? Lily? For sure. Tacita? Probably yes, but I have a lot of respect for her as my archenemy, plus, after her loss against Savant, there is no way she doesnt go full training arc and power up like crazy. So, could I defeat Lily and Tess attacking me at once? Probably. Savant and Tess? There Im not so sure. Even though our Beyonders seem to be above average, a group of 3 of them would probably be enough for the fight to become dangerous. The difference between success and failure would be my chances of pulling off some sneaky attack. Thats why my crown is active, and Im not trying to my abilities, and why Shaynas not asking about it. In a few more minutes Im going to send out a probe, she whispers. Lets give it five minutes to be sure, I reply. She nods. This time her hair is blue, and her eyes are as well. And theres a bit of white mixed in. Meanwhile, I can sense her heart beating wildly through my use of kinetic energy. Is this a normal reaction? Sure, we are close to a group of 3 lurkers, and killing them would make the process of survival more difficult given our position hours away from the safe zone. Yet, even though I feel the same kind of fear, its not as bad as hers. It makes me feel lightheaded, and my arms and legs are cold, sweat runs down my back. With some curiosity, I lift my hand and look at it. Its trembling, and my fingers are twitching. As I close it into a fist, I take note of the chill and take a deep breath. My mind feels so sharp, and my body is tensed for the attack, ready to respond to the slightest of movements. I even catch myself subconsciously running mana through my body. I love it. I love the feeling of tension and fear washing over my mind. Careful with your mana, Shayna whispers. I check it, and she turns out to be right; theres a bit of leakage, my excitement is getting the better of me. I quickly pull it back under my control and force it into my body and check the barrier around it. As I make these changes, I turn up the power on [Resonance], disrupting any excess mana that leaves our bodies. The skill disperses it into tiny particles that should be more difficult to notice In any scans for mana. Im also using thermal energy and [Redistribution] in an attempt to hide the heat of our bodies. Shayna is lowering the presence of our minds and maintaining a field that nullifies the sound of our movements, and heartbeats. There are so many ways to detect someone. Heat, mana, movement, sound, emotions, sheer presence; there are even monsters that can feel the weight of your gaze. The lynthari happens to be one of these things, the sheer impact nearly evaporating the entirety of her chest. [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 269] I grab Shaynas arm and boost us to the side, dodging a barrage of metal projectiles and the slower feylith bombardier, bringing me into reach of the blue-shirt human. We should run; killing more will only attract others, I hear. Why worry so much? Such useless thoughts? Ill just kill them all. I havent even gotten warmed up yet. Bombardment? Ill show you a bombardment. And that human with [Metal Manipulation]? Lets see how well he deals with my [Mana Manipulation]. As much as this has strained my mind, its far from enough. I will... Then I feel a presence. The single beat of a heart far, far away. Followed by another, and I feel the presence reaching for me, seeking my strongly beating heart and the kinetic energy within. Then the presence disappears. Yeah, lets go. I agree, blocking another barrage of projectiles before shooting off a few of my own to keep the flying feylith busy before flying in the opposite direction. Wrong direction, you should... Trust me, we dont want to go there. The presence appears again with another powerful heartbeat, this time much closer. I change direction and head for the traitorous group that brought us out on this expedition, and I give it everything Ive got, not caring about leaving tracks in our way. What are you doing, we should... Shayna keeps talking, but I ignore her. She doesnt seem to be feeling that presence at the moment, but soon she will, and then shell understand. Once were far enough away from the duo, I land on the ground and stop using kinetic energy, going so far as to stop my heart from generating it. Instead, I change it to thermal and manually bolster my Mantle. Not skipping a beat, I boost my body this time with mana, and though I havent done so in weeks I quickly get back into the rhythm. Shayna runs by my side as quickly as, and probably even faster than, me, passing under the trees, across a huge broken bridge and a destroyed city that must have been glorious once, left as a stone-cold reminder of older times. Are there any powerful named ones with kinetic energy? I ask as we run. I dont know how far away the presence is anymore, and its probably having a more difficult time tracking me right now. Two or three, but none that should be so close to this area; they tend to be a lot further in. So? Metal Bitch, Owl, and Whitey, those are the three I know of. Which ones do we want to avoid? Fucking all of them. Any one of them could kill us both and another 10 like us with ease. Which one do we really, really want to avoid? Is it," she pauses, the gears in her head spinning, "... fuck. Please dont tell me... Probably. Damn it..., she jumps nimbly over a crater and onto the roof of a nearby house which cracks under the force of her feet as she runs. I increase my speed as well, sensing she is using her abilities to find the group as well. She might not be as good as Rat, but shes probably decent over small distances. If its a male demon with long white hair, then we need to start hoping we, by some miracle, meet a freakishly powerful C rank or rogue B rank whos decided to visit this goddamned place. I have nothing to say in response to her blatant jinx and check the timer instead. 18 hours remaining. Chapter 421: That place Chapter 421: That place "Calm your heart and do not move," I whisper to Shayna, both of us are in a hole deep underground where I teleported us. "It''s not that easy." No matter how hard she tries, I can sense it, and if I sense it, there is a chance that presence will sense it as well. "Shayna, you either calm that heart down, or I will give you back your shards and send you back to the surface." I haven''t seen that presence so far, but I felt it. Even from a big distance, it sensed my kinetic energy and was even able to touch on it. A feeling as if it would be able to take over. It must be one of the named ones and probably a powerful one. With clenched teeth, the feylith woman forces her body under her control using some skill, and her heartbeat slows. It''s to the point where it beats only once every few seconds, matching the rhythm of my own. And so we are hiding. Not moving to not send vibrations through the place, not talking, and with our mana suppressed. Slowly like that, we also breathe all the air trapped here, and soon there won''t be any. I wonder, could we suffocate? How long can I hold my breath now after body upgrades? Time passes like that, neither of us moving or talking. Only hours later do we leave, reappearing on the surface where I take a deep breath, my heart starting to beat in its normal calm rhythm. Nice, another asshole to be added to my "to beat later" list. Well, only if we survive until the end of my stay token. I have a feeling that presence is not that far away. We don''t exchange any words and start running towards where the traitorous group is. The idea is simple. If that presence finds us, we will use the group to slow it down while we run. POV Shayna Noname is terrifying. It''s not just his skill that is obvious, an amazing versatility of his abilities even though with clear weak spots. No, it''s his bearing. I have met plenty of people with concentration-type skills, and even though Noname might have one, I know he is not using it. No, even deep underground, hiding from the enemy that could end us anytime, he forced himself to become calm. That much is fine, I can do that even without a concentration type skill. The worst part was that a side of him seemed to hope for us to be found out. And now, running by my side, his face bears a simple neutral expression as his eyes tick all over the place. Not like he was looking for danger to avoid it, but like he is the hunter. He is very careful as well and doesn''t trust me at all. His guard is up and strong. But I think I have seen it. An opportunity and a bit of his real self. POV Nathaniel A group of five lurkers pops out on the edge of our detection, and this time it''s Shayna who finds them through her mental abilities. I''m more than sure she isn''t at the level of Sophie, but her ability seems to be similar to Isabella''s [Empathy], just sensing minds and being able to stun them. She might be able to sense emotions just a little bit but I''m not sure of that. Well, there could be more, and she is just hiding it, so I keep my guard up in case she tries some bullshit. Thankfully, it seems there is no lurker in that group able to sense her gentle mind probing, so we avoid them quite easily as they pass by. We don''t even see them, the group of five being a few stadium lengths away from us. A thought comes to me, at a higher level, you might be able to sense people on the different side of the country or even continents. I don''t know why and for what but I want to know how to do that. While we wait, I look around the cathedral-like building where we are. As with every building on this floor, it''s very old and made mostly of stone. Even in the state it is in now, it''s still very grand. It''s easy to imagine how beautiful the cities and buildings used to be. Did locals build them long ago? Is it some setting of the system? Beyond is a combination of the real world and tutorial, so I wouldn''t say it''s part of the tutorial and instead something more real? Taking a few steps, I touch the stone wall, and it still feels smooth and powerful. There is that sad melancholy to it. A feeling akin to a dying world. It''s sad but also a beautiful feeling. "It''s okay, Waul," Misk says calmly. "We couldn''t have known there would be that many so soon. Roculus paid for that, and we didn''t have to kill any lurker." "Understood," Waul nods. "Should I prepare the sacrifice? We will get to the zone where more lurkers move around soon." Misk nods, "Eugan, help him, and just in case, place one more mark. We don''t want the situation from before to repeat, and while you do so, please try harder to remember." There is no "or" in his words, but the look I get from him is obvious. We must find that place. POV Nathaniel "What is this place?" Shayna says what I have on my mind. Even from as far as we are, I can sense lingering bits of mana in the air. It doesn''t even feel new, just remains of a fight that happened days, weeks, hell, maybe even months ago. From the top of the hill where we are standing and looking down, I can say that it''s the most damaged area I''ve seen so far. A crack in the ground spanning over a large distance, extremely smooth-edged holes the size of houses made all over. Signs of a skill that left a smooth surface over a big patch of the area, reminding of polished stone. There are also spikes piercing through the ground, all of them made of the same material they are piercing through, but at the same time, they are much tougher as if compressed. And much more. A clear sign of a fight that happened here and the usage of powerful skills. I risk it and send my senses into the area, but nothing comes back. At least for now, no lurker is moving around. Shayna also confirmed it just a few seconds before we walked here. "We should avoid it," the scaredy-cat of a feylith says. I ignore her and what she says after that, and instead continue to scan the area. There is something I have sensed down there. Something familiar. "How far do you think we are from the group?" I ask, interrupting Shayna''s monologue. "At this point, I have no idea. We tried to follow their direction and even found their steps, but this isn''t even in the direction of the safe zone, so I have no idea where they are heading." "We might have found that place," I note and, jumping from the hill, head down towards the battlefield. On our way here, we have found a few more members of the group, all of them very dead and with signs of that frequency that seems to attract lurkers. Following them gave us a bit of an advantage, as the large group seems to attract more lurkers, even though we killed some. They are now only throwing sacrifices. It all smells of desperation and hurry. They are not heading towards the safe zone where they would be able to find a portal out of the 1st floor to the entrance floor. So what would make a group of 12-15 people hurry so much? What would make them try to get 8-5 more members to be used as sacrifices so they can delve deep into the area where plenty of lurkers are? Walking through the battlefield, I touch the smooth edges of the house-sized holes, the impressively tough spikes, and I squat and tap with the tip of my finger the smooth area left behind by another attack. There, a bit further, a first corpse lies. From the looks of it, it''s a Beyonder killed by a lurker, as the corpse of a lynthari isn''t shivered nor has that deadly pale color. And a bit further, another one, a corpse of a demon with half of his chest missing, dead eyes staring towards the ceiling. Another lynthari with limbs torn off. A demon with his chest exploded from a powerful attack. A feylith with wings pulled off and head as well, missing somewhere. Two dozen corpses as far as I can see and probably even more out of my sight. It doesn''t even look like they died fighting each other. It more feels as if they were killed one by one by a single powerful opponent. An expedition of Beyonders meeting a very powerful lurker. The reason why I think it''s by a lurker is simple. They still have all of their equipment. The reason why I think it''s by a very powerful lurker is also very simple. Some of these people have damaged arcane items that are still here. Chapter 422: A lot of items Chapter 422: A lot of items Is this the place our precious group of traitors have been trying to reach? Hurrying, desperate to find it. Scared to let someone else find it first or the corpses turn into lurkers, which would probably render the area impossible to scavenge? They might be dead, but going by their equipment, they must have been powerful, a group like Eugan''s would have never been able to take them. Hell, that they might not even know how long the corpses have been lying there since they must have spotted them and been unable to retrieve the equipment. These corpses in front of me could probably turn into lurkers at any moment. The lurkers respawn after a year anyway. Moving from corpse to corpse, I use my senses and quickly collect the items. There is a pile of upper epic ones, armor, some orbs, and more. There are even plenty of materials and mana stones with ciphered information. There are also some interesting clothes in the bags, with threads spun from a range of different materials, allowing them to fit normally while retaining the durability of upper rare armor. Not to mention the variety of metals stowed with them. And these are just the items they had on them while traveling. Theyre not going to be on par with my arcane alloy, but theyre not far off either. I do wonder if they had anything more valuable stashed away somewhere, maybe something they left with their guild? Of course, the most valuable are the three items. Likely the things Eugan and her group were after. Items they were willing to kill for. Three damaged arcane items. Bloodthirst (Arcane, Damaged) - Bloodthirst once thrived on the essence of life, growing stronger with each battle. Its hunger for blood has lessened, but it still sporadically draws strength from fresh wounds, offering glimpses of its once insatiable power. Echo Gauntlet (Arcane, Damaged) - The Echo Gauntlet was once capable of replicating any spell or ability it encountered, up to a certain level. Though its power has waned, it can mimic nearby magical effects with unpredictable precision. Golem Heart (Arcane, Damaged) - The Golem Heart could animate stone and metal, bringing golems to life. Now, its core is cracked, but it sporadically imbues nearby objects with a flicker of life, allowing them to move and respond to commands for short periods of time, echoing its once grand animating power. Bloodthirst is an interesting one, if only because of its description. It Grows stronger with each battle and has a thirst for blood? What does that even mean, what are the effects? As it is now, it is a claymore with a heavily chipped blade and damaged inscriptions. Its blade is made out of a white metal with an eerie blood-red shine to it. The Echo gauntlet, already on my right hand, looks more like a glove and covers everything up to a point slightly above my wrist. It''s made out of smooth and supple light brown leather, and the inside is covered with myriad threads of material woven into inscriptions. The back of the glove is covered with a few damaged strips of black metal etched with inscriptions of their own, protecting the back of the hand. The effect sounds way too powerful, so I''m already curious about its limitations. I expect the effect to be limited by level, amount of uses, or excessive mana costs. It''s interesting anyway. The Golem Heart on the other hand is a piece of clay-like material that seems a lot tougher than it should be while hiding secrets all its own. It''s light brown and smooth. However, it seems to be missing a small piece as well. These items are amazing, even now I could sell the whole lot of them for a nice sum of shards, despite any reduction in payout from the damage. Flamebearer alone has given me an idea just how powerful arcane weapons, even damaged ones, can be. So now I have these three, a staff from the mage lurker we met at the start, a dagger and mace from Roculus, and a pile of upper epic weapons. It''s quite a lot and they come from a group that was probably pushing elite status. The higher end epic items alone would have been a nice addition for any group. Not to mention the materials. Theres so much at this point that Im starting to wonder if there are storage items available. Soon I won''t be able to carry it all. Surprisingly, Shayna isn''t trying anything. Despite my apparent distraction and relentless hoarding of items, she doesn''t attack. There isn''t a single attempt from her, nor is she acting strange. Sure, there is a hint of greed in her eyes, but that''s it, she doesn''t ask for weapons or offer any complaints. "Do you think there might be a good reason for the lurkers to be avoiding this area? Even accounting for the ones the group lured away, we should have more on our trail given the ones we killed. This is too unnerving," Shayna says while looking around. Everyone is on their own here, their life has to take priority, so she doesn''t hesitate much. It''s completely reasonable, and the short time weve survived here together can''t be valued over your own life. It''s as simple as that. I watch as she jumps over a few craters and stops at the top of one of the hills, waving back to me for the last time before putting the ring on. She slowly disappears from my sight, her smile the last thing I see. Then I''m left alone and spend a short time examining the corpses, looking for anything useful. I go through their pockets, and clothes, and find a few more further away. They all seem to have been destroyed in the same way - an explosion of raw force from a very powerful body. It even seems like some of them got stuck in place, unable to move under the force that eventually tore them apart. Well, it seems to be about time, I need to start getting ready. I turn around, take a step, my arm moves swiftly, and I reach into the air to grab an invisible wrist. Oscillating mana coats my free hand, and I slash the air in front of me. Shayna slowly appears, materializing from the air, her severed arm falling to the ground with the ring on her finger as blood sprays from her shoulder. Ive got her other arm now, held by the wrist, in her hand is a dagger made of that transparent, difficult-to-sense mana of hers. Pointed at my eye in an attempt to penetrate my brain. She tries to attack me again, but I bury my hand into her leg and tear off a chunk of flesh, disrupting her concentration with the pain. I add an extra punch to her chest for good measure, breaking a few ribs in the process. Even in this state, her disruption crashes into me along with a barrage of projectiles created from her mana. I block it off easily and then fire off a disruption of my own, causing her to lose control of her skills. Shayna then stands there, missing an arm and bleeding from her leg. "I thought you had finally let your guard down around me," she says simply. Finally, let your guard down, she says. There are no excuses, no lame explanations. She just breathes heavily, staring into my eyes with a determined gaze, constantly trying to retake control of her mana. In the end, These arcane items really seem to be worth that much to some people. Enough to risk their lives for, enough to cloud their thinking. Just a hint of opportunity I given her was enough. If she asked, I would have split the items with her evenly. I feel like that would have been fair after what wed been through. I would have never betrayed her over a few measly items. But she had a different opinion; she wanted it all, even if it meant killing me. As of this moment, all the good feelings she had fostered in me are gone. I let thermal energy coat my hand and touch the stump where I severed her arm, causing the wound to sizzle, her flesh burning as my heat cauterizes the wound and stops the bleeding. Then I do the same for her leg where I tore a piece off. The air fills the disgusting smell of burned flesh, and sweat beads on her forehead, as her hair starts turning gray. I think it''s the first time they are showing real emotion instead of those she wanted to show. Noname, listen, I... she starts, but before she can finish, I coat my finger in oscillating mana and stab it into her side. Then I send thermal energy through. When she opens her mouth to scream, I use [Redistribution] to hold her movement, and only her eyes show the pain. Chapter 423: Named lurker Chapter 423: Named lurker Shayna died. At some point, she tried to use a store of mana she had secreted away in her body. She used it to create a projectile, the same one she used to kill that fire mage lurker. Extremely durable, and nearly invisible. Its clearly a better version of Brainiacs skill. Its nothing short of crazy that she was able to create it without me sensing it under active interrogation. I gained some valuable information about Beyond, the guilds, and the 1st floor, but I wasn''t able to ask as much as I wanted or get any more shards out of her. Shayna acted quickly and decisively. She wasn''t in Beyond for nothing. That projectile of hers tore a hole through her chest, she must have been using the beating of her heart and the mana it generated to mask her work. The projectile pierced through the side of my neck, curving into one of the big veins. It was headed for my brain, but I still managed to tilt my head back and to the side, avoiding a mortal wound. Almost by reflex, I killed her, a hand coated in oscillating mana cleaving into the center of her skull, as the notification rang. Then I forced thermal energy to the injured area while manipulating my mana in an effort to seal off the vein and staunch the flow of blood. So now I''m standing here, a bloodied neck and clothes. Hand on my neck as I watch her projectile explode high in the air, erupting into a wide-range burst of mana. One last spiteful gift, a flare to everyone and everything in the area. Thirty minutes remain, and I only have two options. Either run away or try to make my stand here and try to hold out for the next thirty minutes. Theres a high probability I get ejected from Beyond after that. It''s not quite a sure thing, but I''m willing to bet on it. Now that I dont need to hide, I send my senses as far as I can, searching for the enemy. There are a few options for who I might meet. If I''m unlucky, it will be the named lurker, and in that case, I might die. If I am lucky though, it will be a group of Beyonders followed by lurkers, leading to a bloody melee. I still keep my heart beating slowly and avoid using any kinetic energy; instead, I hold the Emberflame Staff I got from the first lurker we met. Thermal energy trickles out of my core and flows through the weapon, gathering into a golden orb just over the tip of the weapon. I stab the staff into the ground and adjust the arcane glove on my right hand, ready to activate it. I have the damaged arcane ring Shayna took in my pocket; A last ditch option for when everything goes to shit. Sure, I could use it right away, but I cant say I''m thinking too logically right now. In my other pocket, I have the Golem Heart, which should be something I can use as a distraction should I need to run away. In the worst case, I can sacrifice the item to slow my enemies. The problem is I don''t know how to use it yet, and relying on it to slow down enemies could hurt more than it helps, given that it would mean expending a lot of effort trying to activate it rather than focusing on the skills I already have. Lastly, the dagger I took from Roculus is charged and ready to be thrown, at which point it should release a poisonous mist upon impact. Flamebearer is on my back, it can be used as a shield, and the Bloodthirst claymore has been planted in the ground next to the Emberflame Staff. The other items are tied together and stowed in my bag, stashed away in a hole I found deep underground, and placed there through an anchor. They can stay here or be teleported to me should I feel the need to use them. And so I wait, the minutes passing slowly and presences gradually appearing at the edge of my radar. Multiple waves of detection-type skills wash over me, and I take note of a number of fights. As the expedition members move to engage a few lurkers that must have gotten too close. The smaller groups of lurkers quickly disappear, steamrolled by the 12-member group of Beyonders who, upon finding their target, do not hesitate in their rush to secure the site. Once in a while, my eyes glance at the corpse of the feylith on the ground, and each time they do, The pain flares up in my neck. My wound has mostly healed, but the reminder remains. When the first attack lands at my feet, I stop holding my heart back; instead, I start generating as much kinetic energy as it can handle. At the same time, that presence senses it far away and starts rushing here. The feeling alone makes me think it fully intends to crush anyone who would dare use the same energy as it. Pulling the staff into my left hand and the claymore into my right, I lift the blade of the claymore and intercept an arrow aimed at me, absorbing the inertia of its movement. However, the power contained within still pushes me back, and mana seeps out of the ground attempting to disrupt my hold on my mana. Rather than letting it, I counter with a skill of my own and block another attack, and shield my mind against the influence of hostile mental abilities. Spikes shoot up from the ground, so I stomp, releasing a blast of kinetic energy, cracking the ground around me and disarming the attack. Flaming blue projectiles shoot past me, sailing by on either side, before reversing course and targeting my back as I reposition and let Flamebearer absorb the blow while blocking an arrow with a new frequency of disruption. The presence keeps coming closer, and soon the group will be able to feel it as well. Multiple attacks connect high in the air, and bolts of lightning lance out at me, followed by primordial energy I havent had the opportunity to face yet. The lightning crashes against a hastily constructed barrier, and my Mana Wavelength Iris activates as well as I fight off their attacks. I use another of my anchors, and as another trap explodes in front of me, I cover my body with mana, enduring it all, and quickly replacing the damaged parts with mana from my reserves. More mana seeps out of my body and reservoir, creating armor around me that becomes denser and slightly bigger. For the first time, I activate my domain, instantly feeling a range of attempts to destroy it and fight against it, several people joining forces to that end. Their rapid reaction makes me note in the back of my mind that negating domains appears to be a regular aspect of the fight. I grab the claymore with a new left arm made of mana, and using the glove, I touch the blood on my clothes. Then I activate the damaged arcane glove, and projectiles made of my blood, not unlike the leader''s, shoot through the air, targeting the archer. They pierce through barriers, armor, and anything else in their way. A shower of bloody projectiles tearing the archer apart. [You have defeated Nullshot Ranger - lvl 261] Bitch. Then they tear my domain apart, with the three much weaker domains attacking me all at once. My armor cracks under their attacks. Disruptive waves hit my body, making the armor flicker, and more bloody projectiles manage to pierce me. It''s difficult to even stand now, thermal energy working on overdrive, In an effort to power my poor epic healing passive. The leader appears in front of me. I can''t even see his movement, and I''m sent flying, more bloody projectiles piercing my body as I scramble to protect my vitals. And then they finally feel it, that presence with its terrifying mastery over kinetic energy finally coming to their range with incredible speed. A spear made of blood forms in the leader''s hand, and it pierces through my armor, and the arm I place in its way, before continuing halfway into my chest. I hate to accept it, but it''s obvious. I''m not strong enough yet. I release all of the kinetic energy I had stored, but the leader endures it all, though I do break the spear in his hand. Reforming the mana around me, I shape it and compress it into a javelin which I shoot at him. The javelin turns bright white, and I teleport away. Only to find another trap waiting for me as I proceed to be thrown against the wall, even though I block most of the explosion with an orb that I manage to surround the disk with, taking inspiration from Gareth. The orb just bursts open and part of the explosion burns my side. Then there are no further attacks. In the distance, I can see the leader standing where my javelin hit him. There is no damage on his body, but he is looking between me and the new fight. The rest of the group faces the powerful enemy. There are no other lurkers nearby, just the one. A tall male demon with long white hair and short black horns. Even though hes dead, reduced to a lurker, his face is beautiful, his pale red eyes retaining that hint of craziness all demons seem to possess. I''m not using any senses, all of my kinetic energy is gone, Ive even emptied my core. My heart is beating as slowly as I can make it. Even then, I can see the demons mastery of kinetic energy for what it is. His movements are incredibly quick and twitchy, with bursts of kinetic energy propelling him forward and allowing him to move at incredible speeds. He has no weapons, and hes tearing the group apart one after another with nothing but his own two arms. There seems to be a sadistic kind of entertainment to it all, and anyone who tries to run away freezes on the spot, as the kinetic energy of their movement is absorbed. Debris freezes in the air, weapons stop moving, severed limbs and spurting blood, everything floats in place as if the scene had been frozen in time, and the demon alone moves through it all, allowing his targets to move only as he attacks them. The remaining half of the group faces him like that, while more people are already running away, each in a different direction. It takes just a single glance, but the leader starts running as well, and I do the same, putting the damaged arcane ring on my finger. I dont even try to retrieve the equipment I left underground. Instead, I sit quietly on the ground. Gradually, I feel the ring hiding me and my heartbeat slows, I have the thermokinetic construct turned off. I dont even move my fingers, as I focus on slowing my breathing and trying to limit my production of kinetic energy. Closing my eyes to avoid blinking, I sit there and wait. Chapter 424: Need some healing? Chapter 424: Need some healing? I don''t see anything, nor do I send my senses into the area. I just sit on the ground, still down an arm and a leg, as blood seeps from my many wounds. Im not even using thermal energy to power my passive, the only thing I can do is listen to the sounds of the battle nearby and feel the vibrations in the air. The white-haired demon tears through the group, but the point comes where all the sounds and screams stop, while the air fills with the heavy scent of blood. Something explodes nearby, Whitey most likely leaving to hunt the fleeing members, their movements giving them away. It''s a sort of detection that tends to be difficult to trick, even more than using mana. He can just sense your movements, down to the beating of your heart. He passes through the area around me multiple times, and I refuse to move even as he gets further and further away. Just a trickle of my mana seeping into the ring to power its effects. The least amount possible; I''m trying to hide as much as I can, focusing my entire being on said task. It gains me a few notifications as the skills level up, but I wont let them distract me. I don''t even check the timer to see the amount of time remaining. Even my thoughts feel sluggish from the state I''m trying to force myself into. My own heart beats very, very slowly, and I feel cold in my remaining limbs as it fails to supply enough blood. The passage of time is hard to estimate, but after what feels like forever, I hear steps approaching me, the slow, confident steps of someone whos found their prey. It seems like the groups been wiped out already. I can''t stop my heart fully, no matter how much I try. I''m sure Lily could pull it off, but thats not where my talents lie. And even that little is enough for it to detect me, and the presence stops right in front of me. Proving all my efforts useless, as my own heart reveals my location, even in its heavily suppressed state. I use [Tether], teleporting to my final anchor, one that I placed further away than the others. My mana starts radiating from my body, the entirety of my reservoir and body mana seeping out gradually as I use it to stack layer after layer of barriers. The timer shows 10 seconds left till my stay token expires. I direct my thermal energy outwards, using the flames to infuse my barriers rather than trying to heal. I dont want to do it but given no other option, I create an orb of black mana and allow it to seep into my body and mind, strengthening both for the first time in a while. It''s easier than I remember, and I find myself reminded of the addictive power it holds. Another black orb forms nearby ready to be used. Eight seconds remain, and a building explodes nearby. Another the size of a small apartment complex is thrown into the air, before being reduced to a cloud of debris hanging in the air as if frozen in time. The demon moves through it all, his long white hair trailing through the air behind him while his red eyes remain glued on me. Seven seconds remain, and he stands in front of me. I use the arcane glove, blood projectiles erupting forth from my body in an even more powerful copy of the skill the leader used before. They seem laughable, failing to so much as pierce the demons skin. Six seconds remain, and he breaks all of my barriers with a single strike, the whole stack crumbling under the sheer physical force he brings to bear. No mana, no skills, just a powerful body, and kinetic energy. Five seconds remain, and my flames are blown away, with a single wave of his arm. It looks so slim, and even so, his simple application of kinetic energy extinguishes my flames like a child blowing out his birthday candles. I try to move, but I freeze on the spot. My heart stops, my lungs stop, not a single hair on my skin moves, and it becomes so eerily quiet. The demon surrounded by all this debris frozen in time takes a step towards me. Using my mind, I launch the orb of black mana at him, the orb elongating and speeding towards his head. He tries and fails to freeze it in the air much the same way he has with everything else, and the projectile embeds itself in his arm as he raises it to protect his head. Four seconds remain, and I extend my domain as far as possible and place another anchor, teleporting away. Four seconds remain, and he is in front of me once again. The mana impaling his arm is already gone, thrown somewhere far away and he grabs my arm and pulls it, tearing it from my shoulder. At least its just the mana prosthesis. I could heal better on the 1st floor. Show off. So what are you doing here? Just hunting. Tess said this would probably be the place you entered Beyond and that you would probably end up here when you returned, so Ive been hunting in the area from time to time, she says, reaching out and poking my body with her finger, and through that, I feel her warm mana flood my body. I let it happen, and I soak in the feeling as she starts healing me, starting with my internal injuries and the more serious wounds. Any trouble? I ask. Lily shakes her head, Everythings been going well, Tess and Sophie decided to take over the remnants of Black Tower, and Tess has kind of become the new leader. Shes already started threatening the other groups around us. Sophies basically vice captain, and sometimes she takes over so Tess can go out to level. Sounds boring. Well, were all fairly strong, so Tess only ever needs to spend a few hours at a time to manage things. Most of the time, we level and train. Weve even started using the information theyve collected to locate powerful monsters and good hunting spots. Still boring, I say, continuing to lie on the ground and observe my wounds as they heal and my limbs regrow. It still annoys me that I cant replicate it, even after all this time. How was Beyond? Lily asks. Different than I expected but not in a bad way. It''s just another challenge, and I think you, Tess, and I should be able to find each other. Youll need to tell me everything. It shouldnt take long, and Ill be able to do my 3rd trial within the next few months. Don''t worry, Ill tell you. At that, Lily smiles and pokes me again, flooding me with another wave of her healing mana. The atmosphere between us is so much different from what I had with Shayna. With Lily, I notice myself dropping my guard, and there is a realization that if she really wanted, she could kill me with ease. I wouldn''t even know it had happened, just a short burst of that gray mana in place of her healing. It would be enough to destroy my chest and my heart with it. I got four damaged arcane items, I note and watch her reaction. Lily giggles, Mayas going to be all over you when she finds out, and if you mention it in the Community, Tess Is going to be hoping for a javelin. She then looks at the claymore on the ground and reads the description, and I show her the ring, glove, and piece of clay. None of them seems to catch her interest, and she returns them to me. Instead, she pulls a finger bone from her pocket, the one that came from the Champion on the 5th floor. Nevan''s father, who was easily one of the most durable people in that world. I think I came up with a way to make my bones stronger. Im testing it now, and if I succeed, I should be able to do the same with yours. Of course, it hurts terribly, and blocking pain receptors is difficult, but you can do it! The stone we got from Savant and Champion Tristan''s disciple Hella certainly helps. Oh, and I might have come up with a way to put a mark on you. It could store some of my healing mana, and help you out when activated. It might take a few months to make it work, though, and Ill definitely need your help with that. Oh, and... Lily continues to babble on excitedly like she does every time she gets a chance to talk about her experiments, and I listen to her. With another piece of my mind, I check on the notifications I got from that last fight: [Mana Manipulation - lvl 51 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 52] [Focus - lvl 50 > Focus - lvl 51] Not as many as I would like, but at least I got a hold of some items to experiment with. Together with Flamebearer, that makes 5 damaged arcane items. It''s a scary amount, enough to convince a group of more experienced attendees to risk their lives. Even a single damaged arcane item makes you significantly more interesting to the right people. However, I cant bring myself to care too much. Sure, my inner loot goblin would like to have more of them. Arcane, epic, all the items. Mostly so I can use them to improve my abilities. Flamebearer, for example, even now, is a font of inspiration, helping me improve my use of thermal energy. I just don''t want to become reliant on items, so no matter how happy I am when I find one, it can''t compare to learning something new. Pushing these thoughts away, I continue to listen to Lily, who has already started talking about the prospect of growing wings and an extra set of arms. Chapter 425: An Offer Chapter 425: An Offer As we pass through the area, I take a moment to think and begin to suspect that Lily wasn''t so much hunting here as she was lurking around in the hope that she would meet me upon my return. When I come out and ask, she doesn''t even lie, stating, without a hint of shame, that she expected me to return half dead. And, to my slight annoyance, I cant refute her logic. I find it refreshing, especially after experiencing the community in Beyond, where everyone seemed like they were willing to betray their comrades just for an opportunity to betray somebody else harder. Even though I know she probably still has a crush on me, shes not pushing quite as hard as before. Now Lily just feels like a naive young girl looking for any excuse to be around the person she likes. Ive already rejected her though, so I wont mention it again. I''m sure she will get over it soon enough. Or hell, maybe shell stop being like that and, like a normal person, like me, push those emotions to the side. Maybe her subclass really is Lust. My mood has improved since I returned, part of it is the trust Ive found myself having in this girl and the rest of Group 4. It''s a surprisingly warm feeling. Then there is also all the loot and other items I have stowed away in various holes in the ground, set in place before leaving for the Beyond. Mana stones, weapons, materials, weird leathers, shards of bone from powerful monsters, alloys, mana stones dense with information, and more. According to Tess, this floors going to take a while, so I probably have at least a few months to experiment properly. Heck, I still have a mana stone with that Restrictive Training Emblem from LissLiss. Three mana shaping exercises. Arcane items to examine. Materials to work on smelting. Quests to complete in the name of earning Beyond Stay Tokens. Any number of things to learn about this floor. An idea for my first own technique and so much more. The grind never stops, indeed, and I wouldn''t want it any other way. No matter how powerful I am now, I''m still just a speck of nothing in the eyes of the right people. The other rounds of Earth''s tutorial, the other attendees in Beyond, and thats not even getting into everything waiting to happen after we finish the tutorial. Champion rank, Absolute rank, Ruler rank, maybe something beyond that? That reminds me, I need to find another Champion candidate and see if I cant test out that challenge thing. Lily, even after a year in the tutorial, we know shit all. She slows down her run to match mine and tilts her head, We know a little bit. Nah, we know nothing. Why do you sound happy about that? Because I am. Group of five monsters, off to the right, the ones that pop from the ground. Got it! Lily shouts as she changes direction and charges the monsters. Before we regroup with others, we can try to score a few levels. Stopping in place, I watch as she sets our stuff on the ground and charges them. Not even using her skills, just the pure strength of her body, she starts annihilating the monsters. It might be me, but it looks like shes using less mana than before. It seems to stem from her duel with Tess back in the tournament. At the time Her impatience and inexperience led to her being almost toyed with as she was forced to waste her terribly low mana reserves. Now though, faced with these leech-like monsters piercing through the ground, she falls back on the tactic of boosting her body with short bursts of mana instead of relying on [Sacrifice]. Taking the time to truly grasp her strengths will make her more efficient, and ensure that she doesnt have to waste [Sacrifice] on every little thing. Theres probably more to it though, I''m sure Tess and others cooperate with suggestions for their training regimens. Is Sophie still refusing to go to Beyond? I ask as Lily returns. She moves a lock of her hair from her face and looks at me, Izzy keeps telling her to go, and I think Sophie will do it soon. She is probably just waiting for you to tell her whats waiting for her after the Trials. Learning that it''s just another place she can go with Stay Tokens and that she can return to Izzy might finally make her go. I think she would do well there. Yeah, her skill is scary. But its going to take her months to get through her Beyond trials when she goes with that time limit. Have you thought of trying to meet up with Savant, Gareth, or Tacita? I hesitate for a moment before responding to her question. Should I try to contact the others in an attempt to meet up in Beyond when they get there? Should I try to find people from Earth other than Victoria?They would probably be more trustworthy than the others, as most of the attendees seem inclined to stick with others from their planet. It makes sense that in such a new environment, their petty resentments for each other get pushed away. In Beyond, it''s us versus them, the place just seems too dangerous to explore on your own. Well see, later, I answer, deciding to push the decision onto future Nathaniel. It takes another day to reach the rest of Group 4. At this point, Lily''s initial excuse of hunting nearby is thoroughly destroyed. So she just stays quiet, and I decide to ignore it in exchange for her help carrying my stuff. We meet the others at the small outpost that apparently once belonged to Black Tower, a smaller one, but its apparently better than the main base which took too much damage for quick repair. It makes me wonder how exactly they got the twins out and how much damage they caused. Even though they have pathetic mana reserves, Group 4 can be scary at times. Well, not Biscuit, he is perfect as he is. Hes also the first one to welcome me, our future animal Archmage and overlord of Earth and best doggo of the 6th floor floats towards me. Something has changed, and it seems like he cant wait to show me. This time, even Sophie breaks down in a sigh making a wild gesture at Tess. Its just the three of us in the room at the moment, planning our next steps. Tess, more patient than Sophie, just nods, I know what you mean, but I want to learn more about the central region, the monsters in the area, and the other groups. So far, it seems like escaping is going to be a task in and of itself, and collecting more information can only make it much faster. You want to get to the next floor as fast as possible, right? Don''t treat me like a child, waving the next floor in front of me just to get me to cooperate. Sure, it''s working, but don''t do it. Sure, Nat, Tess says, smiling. Don''t worry, it might seem like a lot, but we spend most of our time training and hunting. Between me and Sophie, this barely takes any time. Youd better be if you want to survive in Beyond, I repeat. I have already told her and others all I could about Beyond, and after that, everyone else other than Sophie and Tess left the room. To give us, the adults, the opportunity to talk, apparently. Just give me a bit more time and Ill be ready to join you there and don''t worry, Ill try to set something up with Gareth and the others from Beyond. From the looks of it, we could have a big advantage if we went as a group. Others I met there thought the same. That''s true, but we are different, are we not? We are, I agree. Earth''s Beyonders seem to be above average so far. Tess has her crown over her head, actively storing lightning. Apparently, she is keeping it up almost constantly to fill it up, and it''s still not full yet. It''s an example Ive already chosen to follow with my own crown as it floats over my head. Taking a few steps, Tess puts her hand on Sophie''s shoulder, who seems to be caught deep in thought, before asking What do you think?. I need a day or two to decide if I want to start my Beyond trials. Have you already fulfilled all the requirements? Yes, I did some time ago. Ill speak with Izzy, so later, Tess, Nathaniel. Sophie states, waving as she leaves the room, leaving the two of us by ourselves. So what''s the plan? Do you want to continue on your own or wait for, at least, Lily and I? Tess asks after Sophie leaves. I return Tess'' gaze, I think Ill go back before you and Lily enter. Ill be more careful and only go for a few days, well see if I can make some money with my crafting and get some more information. I might try to look for the others from Earth. Maybe even look into changing my handler. That way when I enter Beyond for the third time Ill be able to save some time, and we can form a party if you make it there by then. That sounds like a nice compromise. One more thing though. There is something I wanted to tell you about the twins... she continues to talk and I listen. Some time later the twins and I go out to hunt, just the three of us. Some of the monsters tend to be strong so I enjoy the fight, but I don''t forget to watch the twins fight and slowly confirm Tess concerns. So when we finally take a break I address them without dancing around the issue, "Tess wants you two to switch difficulty to Hard if you don''t manage to get any stronger than you are now." "I knew it," Aaron sighs, and Dennis just nods solemnly. "So why are you telling us?" Dennis asks. "Oh, Im not finished," I say, lifting a finger. "You two are weaker than even Isabella. Even Min-Jae could take you on. Maya would wipe the floor with you. You would barely be a challenge for Sophie and Biscuit already kicked your ass during the tournament." They stare at me, blinking. "Together you might manage to pull some fuckery given the way your skills make you stronger as a pair, but that''s it. Currently, youre the weakest link in group 4." I can see they dont want to hear it, but I think it needs to be said. "But?" Aaron asks. "But you two have a skill called [Connection] and I''m sure I could make use of it to improve one of my skills, maybe evolve it or make improvements. Its also probably much stronger than your use of it would imply." "Great. Just great." "Of course, I dont expect you to teach me for free, so this is my offer. Were going to work as a group for another 2 weeks and do our stuff. After that, were going to split into two groups. Mine will be Biscuit, Lily, and the two of you," I say. Ive been thinking and I think its going to be worth it. I believe I can make my [Resonance] stronger by observing [Connection]. During that time we can also work on body modifications with Lily. It''s a good plan if I do say so myself. "I will help you train and teach you how to handle your skills. I will also teach you Coordinates so you can improve your [Mana Manipulation] and get some shards. Of course, don''t expect it to be easy. I might even throw in some extra tasks, just to make things more difficult for you." They seem to be getting worried but I can tell theyre interested. They must have noticed it themselves. All the ways theyre lacking compared to the rest of the group. Maybe, on some level, theyve been hoping for this. "There will be some rules of course, but the main one is this: If, over the course of these next few months you fail to meet my expectations, you will use the difficulty change token when I ask." Chapter 426: A lot to do Chapter 426: A lot to do I leave Dennis and Aaron so they can decide. We still have 2 weeks until we need to know, so they have time to think about it. Its not an easy decision, so it will probably take a while. (Yo, we accept,) Dennis says through group 4s connection. (We know the training will be hellish, and well trash-talk you behind your back as a result, but we dont want to be left behind,) Aaron adds. (We have some pride of our own as well and wed be lying if we said we didnt appreciate the opportunity. We also know Tess probably had something to do with it, but still, thank you.) (Yeah, thanks. Well show you we arent as weak as you think.) (Do you think he called us weak on purpose to fire us up? Comparing us to Izzy like that?) (Maybe, we...) (Okay then, no taking back. If you fail, you will switch to Hard Difficulty even if I have to force you.) I say, speaking through the link before disconnecting from the conversation. Weirdos, at least take some time to think about it. But, they are in Hell difficulty, so I probably could have expected that. Its not like theyre actually weak. Sitting in my room, like a true leech, I let extroverts deal with stuff outside and finally get around to crushing the mana stone containing the Restrictive Training Emblem. The one the Cockroach made for me. Back then, she said it was invented by some new Champion with powerful mana so that she could train her body while continuing to invest in her mana stat. A kindred spirit. A genius. I would love to speak with her as a fellow mana enjoyer and shake her hand. The moment I break the stone I received from Cockroach-Sandra a web of inscriptions begins seeping into my body and covering my skin, almost in its entirety. Its extremely dense and delicate. At some points, it may as well be microscopic, difficult to even observe, even with my eye trait activated. It serves as a good reminder that I will always have a long way to go as if I needed one. Then comes the part Ive been waiting for. Immediately after the web covers my body, an emblem etches itself in the skin of my chest reminding me of a tattoo, positioned right over my heart, a dense web of circuits that serve to create some sort of circular and pleasing if functional design. Upon taking a closer look I find an option that should allow me to strengthen and tune its effects. And of course, the results speak for themselves, resulting in an instant backlash that sends spasms through my muscles. Very painful ones. Im glad I didnt use it in Beyond. A decent chunk of my mana gets pulled away, tying up nearly half of my generated mana, seeping into the emblem now covering my heart and flowing into the web behind it, and dispersing throughout my body. The effect is immediate, the immense pressure applying itself evenly across my body. Unlike the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions that rendered me incapable of moving without the use of kinetic energy, this one does multiple things. It makes my body feel heavier while putting a lot of strain on it. Its almost like Active Tempering on a lower level and left run at all times. The strain forcing my body to adapt, as it takes damage and recovers, making me stronger in the process. The extremely delicate and microscopic web of inscriptions connected to the emblem forces my body to fight me, applying constant pressure with my own mana. There is even a switch that I can use to decide how much mana I want to feed the Emblem. As I examine it more, I think about the difference between inscriptions and emblems. As far as I can tell, emblems seem to be more permanent when applied to the body, while inscriptions have always felt like temporary measures. The emblem just seems connected to me on a deeper level. Maybe Im wrong. The emblem might be a higher level of inscriptions, or inscriptions work better for items while emblems work best with the body. I still remember the Emblems Nevan had, the ones that allowed him to create his amazing flames - a gift from his Absolute. I totally want to dabble in the process sometime in the future, and I think that my constructs might be the first step toward an emblem. Or maybe Theyre all just constructs, emblems, and inscriptions. I dont know, and the system wont tell me. And who cares anyway. I wait for a bit, but there are no notifications miraculously offering information. Well, fine, Ill just have to learn on my own. For now, I let it set at a 50% rate of mana consumption, even though I notice my body starting to hurt as Ive just finished a long workout. And Im only a few minutes in. How crazy is that, but I bet its effective so I take note of my current stats to compare them later. Lvl 258 Strength: 123 Dexterity: 116 Constitution: 274 Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1078 + 1078 I lovingly examine the emblem currently torturing me. The Champion who made it was truly a kindred spirit. Side quest:Reach level 275 Reward:Beyond 1 day stay token Side quest:Defeat 1000 monsters over level 200 Reward:Beyond 1 day stay token They go on and on too. I almost ran out of side quests before, but now there are dozens. Some offer food and water, others offer epic passives and items. A number of them offer beyond stay tokens too, but only for a day at a time. None of the quests happen to be anything simple either, except, perhaps killing 1000 monsters over level 200. Kaboom, am I right? It just seems like access to Beyond is purposefully limited, at least currently, almost as if the systems forcing us to keep climbing the floors here in Hell difficulty. Is there more the system wants to show us? While examining the effect my new RTE has been having on me, I stand up and nearly fall, barely managing to catch myself. The inscriptions before didnt allow me to move at all. Its like they turned off my body and kinetic energy was the only thing that would make it move. This emblem feels like Ive been covered in weights, weights that have the sole purpose of damaging my body with a single objective: force it to adapt to the strain and grow stronger in the process. Curious, I use kinetic energy to support my movement, but the moment I do, the emblem stops working. Well, thats straight-up evil. Nice one, Cockroach-Sandra. I stop using kinetic energy and let part of my mind focus on the inscriptions Lissandra used back then. I can mimic them and use them to train my kinetic energy, switching between that and my new RTE. Plus Lissandras mana shaping exercises. Then throw in the stuff Miwa left to help me work on damaged arcane items. Plus the body modifications Ive been planning with Lily. Plus my plans to improve my current constructs. Plus my efforts to level my other skills, and using the twins'' skills to improve my own. Plus... more, just more. But first, I want to see Noodle, and so I start heading for the place I sense his presence, I grab a few of the bone shards Ive acquired. One from the Bone Fortress here on the 6th floor and the other one from the snake skeleton next to the pyramid. I find myself in a smaller room, facing Izzy who has her arms crossed against her chest, I wont let you feed Noodle weird stuff! Noodle is next to her, looking between her, me, and Biscuit, who is currently sitting on my lap, with curiosity in his eyes. Sophie ignores all of us, focusing instead on some weird mana construct floating in front of her as she practices. I notice myself starting to examine it, but I force myself to stop and turn back to Izzy. Look, he kept staring at me and drooling over it. Im just curious. Also, why the hell is he still the same size? I ask. Noodle cant drool! And hes stayed this size because I asked him to; hes just cuter that way. In answer, I lift a piece of bone from the 5th floor and wave it. Noodle follows the bone from side to side as if hypnotized. That doesnt prove anything, Izzy nods seriously. I move it up and down, and Noodle continues to track it perfectly. He keeps it up too, even as I start zig-zagging. At this point, I start to wonder if I can make the pearl-white snake dizzy, so I start moving faster, spinning the fragment in circles. Okay, okay, I get it, Izzy sighs. It might just be me, but Noodle seems to perk up at that, turning to her, ignoring the fragment of bone for the first time since I brought it here. He slithers closer, lovingly coiling around her arm and licking her cheek. What a tricky little creature. Snakes use their tongues to smell as far as I know. They do not, however, lick. It must be something he picked up from Biscuit. Indeed, our future overlord is great to affect others so profoundly. I reach down and pet Biscuit who looks up to me and yawns slightly. Using that opportunity, I put a finger into his open mouth, and when he closes it, he bites my finger gently. His expression is confused, as always when I do it, but he then pulls away and licks my hand before laying back down on my leg, his intelligent eyes focused on the duo in front of us. Chapter 427: Knight Chapter 427: Knight So what can Noodle do? You spend the most time with him, I ask Izzy. Meanwhile, said white snake is coiled around the shard of bone I gave him from Veil Ignition Station no. 2. He straight-up ignores the second one from the Bone Fortress. So far, he hasnt eaten or absorbed it. He just keeps flicking his tongue towards it and touching it with his scaly body. He is emitting a small amount of mana though, and I observe the process, even activating my trait to do so. Izzy watches as well. Noodle can eat mana from the air. He can also perfectly store and digest until he cant be felt at all. That seems somewhat similar to Biscuits primordial energy and a tiny bit to my black mana. The difference is that Biscuit seems to be able to... well, who the hell knows. He just does a bunch of weird stuff that scares some people a lot. My black mana is an extremely dense form of mana that tries to absorb and dominate any mana in reach. Meanwhile, Noodle actively eats it, and then it... it disappears or gets used for something. Can Noodle grow bigger or make use of that mana? I ask. He... Izzy hesitates as if there is something she is hiding. Her eyes glance at me, Biscuit, and Noodle. He can grow bigger if he wants to. And I think he needs a lot of time to slowly digest that mana and use it to become stronger. He can absorb a lot, but then it takes even longer. So he pretty much has his own reservoir where he can store absorbed mana, changing and transforming it into something he can use. From my own testing, I know that using mana youve taken from someone else is extremely difficult. Each person has a slightly different kind of mana. Part of that can be mitigated by changing the frequencies, but its not quite as simple as that. Its very difficult, and the results of using someone elses mana can turn out catastrophic. Of course, thats assuming you arent a monster like Lissandra. Thats one of the reasons I want to improve my [Resonance] and master my eyes more. My skill set and [Mana Manipulation] should help me pull it off. Maybe not now, but sometime in the future. I have a very situational and extremely powerful build in mind. A set of skills I believe should mess up anyone trying to use mana in the presence of my Pride enhanced domain. Oh boy, this is going to be scary in a year or two. Noodle also seems to be registered as Isabellas pet or something, Sophie adds, lifting her head from the construct she is working on. His growth is being influenced by Isabellas, and we think some of his abilities might transfer over to her at some point. Noodle can even resist her flames now, they dont even damage him anymore, and he seems to have a knack for reading people, not unlike Izzy. At that point, the three of us turn to the snake, who continues to ignore us. Im absolutely sure he heard and probably understood what we were talking about. Yet he pretends not to hear and continues to snuggle up to the bone. This ones for free, but youll have to work for the others, I tell the snake, before grabbing Biscuit and standing with him in my arms. Noodle looks at me and then moves his head just a tiny bit, in a tiny imitation of a nod. There are still some things I want to examine about his skill, and a few pieces of bone arent exactly a high price to pay. Lilys already got a few for the purpose of researching new ways to modify our bodies. Later that day, I meet with Maya, as she returns from her hunt with Tess and Lily. She is holding Bloodthirst. Ive decided to let her borrow the weapon and examine its effects while I work on other stuff. She agreed readily, unable to contain her excitement at getting to try out a new weapon. So? I ask. How was it? Not wanting to deal with it now, I dont reject her, but push it into the future, It doesnt sound too unreasonable. Got it, my Lord, she says courteously before bowing gracefully. Then, with a wave of her hand and a cheeky smile that breaks the immersion, leaves, heading for the area she uses for her sparring matches with Lily. I Boost myself to the top of the tower our group has taken for our new headquarters, I stare down at the fort stretched out below me. Its the former secondary base of the Black Tower after their HQ was mostly destroyed, but its still somewhat impressive. I watch mana moving in the air as it powers the web stretching across the area containing our base and its surroundings. Its an improvement on a system the former owners already had in place, courtesy of Sophie. She is getting quite good at it too, shes visibly improving as I watch the changes. As for the prisoners, there are a few dozen of them, mostly using this place as a safe haven against the monsters. There is power in numbers, as they say. They are mostly brutes, not unlike those Ive already met. Its not even like all of them are powerful. In this place and other rural areas, they tend to be weaker than our group. It seems like the closer one gets to the central area, the better the prospects are, with the prisoners there even managing to create something like normal cities if you want to call it that. Or maybe they truly are. This moon seems to have been used as a prison for hundreds of years, maybe even longer. With the way people at higher levels tend to live for centuries, some of them have more than enough time to set something up for themselves. There are rumors about multiple Champion candidates; there are even rumors that most people think of as more of a legend, whispers that an Absolute candidate may have been thrown in here, wounded, and left to die, betrayed by the people of his planet. Information tends to be very sparse and hard to come by, most of these people are fully occupied with their survival, deprived of the luxury of caring about things like this. There have already been a few attempts to kill our members when they went out to hunt. One group tried to kidnap Sophie, another tried to force Min-Jae into betraying us, and more besides. All of these people were dealt with quickly, cleanly, and with prejudice, showing the others that we are not to be messed with, because thats the only thing people in this place seem to understand. Joining me at the top of the tower is Izzy. Shes come alone this time and doesnt bother trying to connect to my emotions, sitting next to me instead and joining me in admiring the view. I still remember the way she was when we appeared on the 3rd floor when she was still under Sophies [Geas]. The current Izzy seems more mature. Shes still only 11 years old, a young girl who''s been forced to spend the next 4 years here in this tutorial. Forced to kill to survive, forced to make hard decisions. She might be childish at times, but sometimes she feels like the most mature of all of us. So I have to wonder if shes not allowing herself to be childish from time to time as a method of coping with everything shes been forced to go through. Sophie decided to go to Beyond, she says, looking at me with her green eyes. Shes strong, so she will do well, but she can be dumb sometimes, so will you help her? For me? In response, I poke her side, Were in the same group, so I will. Why so serious? You can be hard to read sometimes, so I want to be sure. With a sigh, I allow her to connect to my emotions, and she does so very gently. Lately, she seems to be getting nervous whenever she finds herself unable to sense the emotions of those around her as if she had grown overdependent. I wonder if it''s anything like my overreliance on [Focus]. You arent using that skill to block your emotions anymore, she states, sounding happy to say it. It had to happen somehow, I shrug. Maybe you arent as dumb as I thought, she declares. At that, I decide to stay quiet, and Isabella giggles quietly, sensing my emotions. Chapter 428: Another one Chapter 428: Another one I watch as the twins and Min-Jae fight the golem I made with one of my new damaged arcane items. Golem Heart (Arcane, Damaged) - The Golem Heart could once animate stone and metal, bringing golems to life. Now, its core is cracked, but it may sporadically imbue nearby objects with a flicker of life, making them move or respond for short durations, echoing its once grand animating power. I made it entirely out of hardened dirt, and it wasnt even that difficult to make. Its just difficult to control, and the only orders the golem can process are very restrictive. I suspect that with a bit more practice, I should be able to improve my control and maybe even get it to change its shape. But for now, the moment I send mana into it, it moves the earth in front of me, causing it to bulge and lift up, creating a simple humanoid shape. Very simple, as if a child had made it out of clay. On the other hand, it is twice my height and could kill said kid easily. It could easily take down anyone from Normal difficulty, and it would take dozens of people from Hard difficulty to reliably bring the golem down. So we put it through its paces while Min-Jae and the twins fight the result, sweating, rolling on the ground, and screaming at me. Something rude, Im sure, but I filter it out. Maya is nearby, sitting on the ground with Bloodthirst in her hand as she proceeds to clean and oil the weapon. The golem is a rusty shade of light brown. It moves fairly quickly for its size, but the only advantage it has is its durability. Its way too slow to catch up to any of the three boys, and the only reason theyre taking damage is because weve decided to test out the golems damage output, and that they let it happen. Holding the heart in my hand, I send my mana through its circuits, trying to parse the delicate inscriptions within. Activating some switch, the golem falters and falls to the ground. I get a few weird looks, but I quickly alter my approach, and the golem slowly stands up again, packing more dirt around the heart, taking more of my mana as the dirt compresses. The resulting golem winds up even slower than before. Another attempt a bit later, and the golem loses half of its material, moving faster, until I mess something up, breaking its leg in the process and watching it fall. Then I start to think Ive come up with a new idea to change its shape, but instead, the golem stands up without its left arm. For some reason, that makes Maya laugh - a lot. For a moment I want to take my weapon back, though I settle for sending the golem after her instead, in all its clunky glory. She jumps to her feet, excitement in her eyes, as blue armor surrounds her. Then, powering it with a few of her mana batteries and supplementing it with her own mana, the armor grows bigger and bigger until it matches the golems size. Left arm or no, the brown stone figure attacks Maya in her oversized mana armor engaging her in a punching match, neither side bothering to avoid the incoming blows. I start getting into it, and it feels fun, so I start funneling more mana into the heart, making the golem tougher and stronger but unfortunately not faster, which Maya uses to her advantage. The cheating fox of a woman is even using Bloodthirst, the otherwise sizable claymore now looking almost like a dagger in the hand of the blue armor. As much as Im focused on the golem, I also take a moment to observe Maya, and I find myself surprised by what I see. I knew she was quite talented, especially with the skills she got. The mecha-like suit of armor always was her idea and I shamelessly ripped it off. However, she seems to have invested a few more points into mana now. She still has high physical stats, especially dexterity, but mana has clearly been getting a bit more love. [Armament] still works much the same as it did before, and I think my [Regalia] was stronger while I had it, but shes clearly put a few more levels into it, and when she uses it in combination with her [Boost], it truly begins to show some real potential, Incorporating spikes in the speed, strength, and durability of the construct. And she hasnt skimped out on the mana batteries either, filling them to the brim with her mana. However many times she destroys the golems legs, I restore them, and the golem keeps coming back. With amusement, I watch as her reserves dwindle, and she decides to bow out in the name of conserving her mana batteries for something more useful. More mana wins again. As I direct the golem to fight Min-Jae, who alternates between slowing it down with his skill and bombarding it from afar, Maya comes closer. In a real fight, I would go after you as the controller, she states, sulking like a true loser, not seeing the value of the best stat. Sure. I nod. Also can you please recreate that orb for me? It burst again. Its called the evil orb. ... sure. I do as she asks and create another one of the constructs with its ever-changing demands. It truly is an evil orb. Yup. Much like Lissandra did for me, I hand the slightly modified orb to Maya, who immediately shuts up devoting all of her focus to the exercise. She doesnt even bother to move aside, even that little distraction would be too much. Then, with great satisfaction, I watch as the orb bursts open, as Maya uses too much mana. Without another word, I create another one and three more for myself which I display over my head. Maya glances at them and then at me, her eyes seeming to tell me that she knows exactly what Im doing. She then quickly turns all attention to her orb. Try ranged attacks now, I shout to the boys, as we get back to testing. The 6th floor monsters usually appear during the day and rarely do anything during the night. They only ever leave their hidey holes when it''s scorching hot outside and they attack anything that moves when they do, sometimes moving even in groups. We have difficulties finding drinkable water and food. Plenty of monsters cannot be eaten either because they taste too disgusting or turn out to be poisonous. Sure, I bet you could eat an insectoid monster if you had to. Your body should be able to digest it all after all the changes it went through. But would you want to? So, the lack of water and food seems to be a major feature of this floor, and buying them in the system shop turns out to be no more possible than it was on the third floor. That''s the system we know. Ah, good old times when I flipped the system window every few hours. I do it even now and then turn to Min-Jae, who looks at me with surprise in his eyes. So you will be getting bulli... trained by Tess? I ask him. Yes, she said it might be better to separate me and the twins. Have you been acting like a bully again? I have not. Really? Instead of shouting back at me, he seems to deflate, Look, Nat, I know my behavior in the tournament was pathetic. Ive already been shit on by everyone in the group over that. I... it just felt... Three monsters at eleven oclock, I announce, interrupting him. With a practiced motion he moves his hand, sending five pieces of compressed metal flying through the air as they hurtle towards the monsters. They whistle as they pierce the air. Each one the size of a human head, making for an ugly amalgamation of metals squeezed into a lumpy round mass. There is rust covering them in places, and their shapes resemble crumpled paper more than they do true orbs or anything else. But they are effective. The five chunks of metal slam into the monsters at a speed too fast to dodge. The monsters in question remind me of bugs with their wide heads, mandibles, and four long legs. Green blood splashes into the air, but the monsters dont make so much of a sound as they come rushing towards us. [Venomclaw - lvl 202] [Venomclaw - lvl 203] [Venomclaw - lvl 201] Min-Jae moves his hand, and the chunks of metal come flying back, but the monsters are faster. They move very quickly on their long legs, each movement replete with an uncanny twitching, as their hard skeletons clatter against the rocky ground. Mana seeps out of them, reaching towards us as it rises up in a poisonous aura, like a cheap imitation of a domain. Venomclaws like to move in groups, each one having its own knock-off domain with poisonous mana in it. And they like to combine them to put more pressure on their opponents. When there are only a few of them, it isn''t a problem. But when you have dozens of them combining their efforts... Well, it could end up interesting. But much as I had expected, Min-Jae moves the orbs he had made out of mana-conductive metal. These do a better job of accepting the effects of his gravity skill and are easier to manipulate for it. And much, much quicker. A barrage of two hundred or so orbs shoots ahead; more than orbs, they look like bullets. In this moment hes like a minigun spitting out projectiles at immense speed. They pierce through the monsters and then fly back, piercing them again and again until the Venomclaws fall down with their bodies heavily perforated. Before stowing his orbs, Min-Jae spins them around in a quick orbit to remove any remaining blood and pieces of the monsters'' bodies and then returns them to his backpack. Each of these orbs is about half the size of a golf ball, we had them made for him on the 4th floor. And theyre heavy enough that he shouldn''t be able to move them at all, though he can always alter their weight, so it''s not a problem. We should leave; there will be more of them once they smell the blood of the others. Nah, were staying. Min-Jae looks at me only once and gulps. The days just getting started, I wonder how many of these things we can lure here for Min-Jae to kill before they go to sleep for the night. Chapter 429: What do you think it is? Chapter 429: What do you think it is? I''ve been on the 6th floor for a few days already, and even since the start, I have my [Mana Crown] activated and fill it with mana whenever I''m not using my mana to train with RTE or something else. After a few days, its nicely filled, not even mentioning my reservoir, my core with kinetic and thermal energy, and my own body containing its mana. A few creepy horse-sized insects with their knock-off domain cannot compare, right? Try saving your mana a bit and be more accurate; plenty more will come, I throw toward Min-Jae, who keeps shooting his hundreds of orbs at the monsters. Im already trying to! But you are missing a lot. There are too many orbs, he gestures wildly. So use fewer of them. But in that case, I wont deal enough damage to kill them... he says and sends another barrage, this time towards five venomclaws heading at us. How come? Just aim for their vitals. His orbs whistle through the air, and he uses them only as it''s probably the most mana-effective and deadly attack he can use currently. Under the barrage, the heads of the monsters explode, but that makes Min-Jae push more with his [Telekinesis] as the heads are more durable. Im aiming at their heads already. Did you try any other parts? What did you guys even do here on the floor? Did you not dissect at least a few of them to find their weak spots? Just for a moment, he stops looking at the monsters and looks at me instead. What. Then he turns back, another barrage sent at them, this time until they die. In addition to these five, close to two dozen venomclaws now lie all around. Probably a nice amount to get more of them here. The area in front of us is rocky, as is the rest of the 6th floor, a never-ending stretch of gray country with a few spiky mountains in between. Instead of nebulas in the sky and bright stars, now during the day, there is something akin to a dust cloud covering it entirely. That cloud must be really high in the sky. Maybe a storm? Maybe set by the system? Who knows. That dust is letting through a very orange light that colors everything into that hue. The temperature is also much higher now. Something tells me if I were here as a human from before the tutorial, I would die quite quickly just because of the environment. Nat. I thought of it multiple times, but am I considered human? And if I go further, will I stop being one? Someone smarter might have asked What is to be human? Nat! What? Im thinking. There are thirty of them now. I answer even without looking at the monsters, Thirty-two. Just go all out, and if they get too close, I will kill them. Dont worry about their pathetic knock-off domain. Oh, and make sure you dont waste all of your mana. That would be disappointing. Min-Jae mumbles something, and I sit on the ground to let my legs rest. Actually, my entire body hurts like hell because of the emblem. But so far, I refuse to look at my stats to check the improvement. Something tells me this kind of stuff works best over weeks and months, and seeing just two or three stats up will piss me off. Sitting down, I look at the boy in front of me. Min-Jae used to be much scrawnier, but he is now packing a bit more muscle. He still likes to rock that messy haircut and likes to wear nice clothes - as much as the situation offers - and even now, he sports an outfit he got from the 4th floor. Somehow it even survived the 5th floor, the tournament, and the 6th floor so far. His movements also feel a bit more dangerous? I dont know a better way to say it. I know he practices with the others and also physically like everyone else here. He is also using his [Telekinesis] and some trait to be able to move his body better, levitate, and stuff. ... [Lvl 258 > Lvl 259] More mana! [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 107] [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 107] [You have defeated Venomclaw - lvl 101] ... My domain blocks the effects that are just raw mana, and it does so quite easily. It just doesnt allow itself to be overpowered by some remains of a random attack. The heat, shockwave, and pressure are another thing, and they pierce through. At the last moment, I create a dome-shaped barrier around us. As Min-Jae takes a step back, his own barrier surrounding him, I take a step closer to my barrier. Did he really think I would let it hit us? Maybe I waited till the last possible moment, but he is too much. Tsk. As for my barrier, its pale blue, and ripples are sent through as the effects of my explosion crash against it. It cannot even be compared to my early barriers which used to be very rigid. This one is slightly flexible and absorbs some of the attack by allowing itself to be pushed at places. Ripples like stones thrown into calm water are sent through. Its pretty. When all the monsters are all dead, I notice more of them collecting much further and turn to Min-Jae, This time use just two orbs. I think I will always love observing people trying to improve and overcome their weaknesses. I find that during such observations, I tend to come up with a lot of good ideas to apply to my own growth. So, I like to nudge others, just pointing out their weaknesses and throwing ideas at them. In reaction to that, they often come up with solutions I did not think of on my own. POV Beyond, 1st floor What do you think it is? a short man with a shaved head squats and pokes a small black orb on the ground. The woman next to him shrugs her shoulders, I have a suspicion, but Im not sure yet. Both of them are dressed similarly. Simple uniform-like clothes that are a combination of white and pale blue. It doesnt seem too formal, just like clothes members of the same group would wear to show their belonging. Is it a secret I cant be told? the man asks and this time sends a bit of his mana toward the black orb. As he does so, the orb absorbs it even as he tries to stop it from happening. It does seem to fascinate him. More like I dont want to come to premature conclusions. Take it and hurry up. Whitey must be nearby. I could probably take Whitey on. I have long since wanted to test myself against him, the man grumbles but still takes the orb. For a while, he holds it, an expression of deep concentration on his face. Fuck, this thing is scary, he curses in the end. Even with void energy and my defenses, I cannot fully stop it from taking my mana. I see, in such a case we will skip the vice guild master and go straight to Nyssa. She will want to know. Can you hold on until then? For a while, yes. I managed to slow it down, and it will take a while to empty my mana reserves, but Im not sure if we can get it through the arrays and you probably don''t want others to see it. Nyssa might have to come to us instead. We will decide what to do closer to the safe zone, Whitey is coming closer already. Damn, if he wasnt a lurker, I would say he feels pissed off. After that, they leave, both moving at incredible speed. The few lurkers that get in their way die nearly instantly under their attacks. Chapter 430: Mana Desert Chapter 430: Mana Desert Dealing with the venomclaws has gained me another level and a few for Min-Jae, who I had to carry back, thrown over my shoulder. Even though all of my stat investment is in the best stat, my body is quite powerful, so I barely feel his weight. I wonder how much I could bench or deadlift right now. Maybe I should test it one day just for fun. A ton? Half a ton? Probably more? During the tournament, I noticed a number of people from Hard difficulty having trouble getting used to their bodies. They kept hurting the much weaker residents of Easy Difficulty by mistake, for example, by nudging them with an elbow. There were quite a few broken limbs and the like. Some kept constantly destroying things like doors and cars; while some of the people from Easy had to get used to taking a beating. Most of the things we find on the floors are made from tougher materials, or there happened to be ways to make them stronger. Alloys, trees that tend to be tougher when they grow in a world where ambient mana exists. It could be said the worlds we visited probably went through hundreds of years of having mana, so it''s different. Meanwhile, Earth''s stuff is just weak. Another difference is control. I barely noticed anyone from Hell Difficulty having trouble. Maybe a bit here or there because of the surprising situation. Otherwise, people from Hell Difficulty tended to have much better control over their strength. They did not bend spoons like some of the other attendees did, and they didnt usually tend to hurt those weaker than themselves. It''s a difference in talent and maybe in us as well. Its probably just one more reason we ended where we did, our bodies and minds quickly adapting to our new abilities and increased stats. I cant help but find the idea fascinating and worthy of study. That''s why it''s fun when I lift Min-Jae and proceed to carry him like a little kitten. Some might say an Angry Kitten because of our group name... He finally regains consciousness when I throw him onto the couch, which is a stone slab with a few furs and pieces of cloth covering it. Fuck... he mutters, his very first word after awakening. It was fine, I deflect with a wave of my hand. Did you kill all of them after I passed out? There were thousands. Thats such a dumb question. And no, I left a few alive to track with my anchors. Ill check on them later, just in case they have some hidey hole with more of them. He slowly sits up, taking care with every movement, as if he were getting over a hangover. A common side effect of mana depletion and overuse. Before he can speak, I ask, Tell me, has Tess mentioned anything about a difficulty change to you? He freezes at that but shakes his head, She just told me she was going to take a more active role in my training because she thinks she can get more out of me. But I heard about your deal with Dennis and Aaron. Would you really make them change difficulties? Yup. Just like that? Would you prefer them dying here if we were to be separated again? I ask curiously. What? No. Hell no! I like both of them. I just thought there would be a different way. You, Tess, and Lily are all very strong. We could... Probably. Any of the three of us could help a few people survive but then would come to the next floor, maybe the system will split us up again, just like it did this time. What do you think would happen to them if they were left here alone? I know. I just dont like it. Ive noticed the way some people, especially those from the lower difficulties, tend to romanticize the tutorial and the system. It''s not necessarily bad to have fun with it and everyone has to find their own way through it, but they still shouldnt underestimate the system and the sheer level of fuckery that can take place on any of the floors. And they should definitely throw out the rose tinted glasses. We still have several years left, so theyll see when the other tournaments come around. And its on that note that I give Min-Jae my response, Then you need to get stronger so you can do whatever you want. This isnt Earth, you have the option. Silence ensues for a while as I begin my training with the orbs according to my schedule, and he watches me. After half an hour, he asks the question Im sure hes been pondering for a while, Aren''t you worried about your sister? It''s one of the dumbest things hes ever said, Id bet. Me? Worry about Vic? Thats a joke. You saw her fighting Lily, I tell him instead. Ill make sure to look for some. Any preferences for color? Not really, but it should be conducive to lightning and something durable would be nice. Maybe something made from very pure endurium? If you can, try to find a set. Singles arent it. Got it. Pink. Low durability and lightning resistance. I let the small lightning bolt she sends my way crash into my forearm and then replicate the ability using my glove. So what''s the plan for the current items? she asks. "Ill keep Flamebearer and Bloodthirst to either fix or resmelt them into new items. I intend to sell the golem heart to Sophie or exchange it for her assistance in the future. I want to experiment with the glove for a bit before I decide. As for the ring, Im not sure yet. Either I sell it or pass it on to someone in our group in exchange for something. Sounds like a good plan, but Maya will be sad. She quite likes the claymore. I shrug, Ive sparred with her. Shes much more dangerous when she uses her mana weapons and alters their shapes converting them into a wide variety of weapons. Maybe theres some kind of conductive metal that she could use to allow for complex changes in shape. Or maybe she can get a skill to help her with that. I agree with you on that one. Still, you cant blame the girl for liking nice weapons. If youre ever out on a treasure hunt again, please add some shape-changing weapons to your list along with a pair of javelins for me. Low arcane would be nice, but I wont complain about mid arcane. Got it. I let a bit of silence build up then, and Tess doesnt seem to mind, letting it slide for the moment. Out of everyone here, she still knows me the best. Are you worried about whats coming when we split into two groups? She asks after a while. I wouldnt say I was worried. I just know that there are any number of things that could go wrong. Mind explaining? Usually, youre the one dealing with them, and sometimes its Izzy acting like a knockoff psychiatrist. Dennis, Aaron, and Lily all clearly look up to me and they probably think of me as the leader of our group. And you dont like that? You don''t like the responsibility. Preferring to act like an eminence in the shadows, right? Totally. I think you have a bad tendency to overthink some things, Nat. You always were a pessimist. For a good reason. Yes, for good reason, Tess agrees. The idea of you spending the next few months as the leader of a small group sounds scary, to be honest. But? But I think itll work out just fine. She says, smiling. Well, I still have two weeks before I need to worry about it. So whats the next plan? Were leaving in three days and taking everything we can use with us, after getting all the information we can. As we move towards the central region, we intend to awaken a few powerful hibernating monsters for the purpose of gaining some experience, while doing most of our movement in the day to take out some of the weaker ones. What about after that? Theres a place called The Last Rest, the last safe place before we enter the Mana Desert. Huh, whats with the name? Does that mean that theres a desert filled with ambient mana? Quite the opposite. It''s a plain that stretches for days, where you can''t regenerate your mana due to some strange phenomenon caused by an unknown force. The most common theory is that there was a clash between Absolutes before this place was turned into a Prison, or an experiment went awry, or some powerful group was trying to escape this place when something went very wrong, and thats without mentioning the powerful monster thats supposedly keeping people away. My imagination starts going wild right away. I knew it would catch your interest, Tess smiles. So yes, fill your crown. Weve already started filling all the mana batteries we have so we can explore for a bit. A week from now, a caravan is supposed to pass through there, made up of people trying to reach the central region. So be on the lookout for a bunch of dangerous and treacherous people. Chapter 431: Deathtrap Chapter 431: Deathtrap A week passes. A quite nice week full of training and ideas. We also got to fight a few monsters with levels over 300, often ending in a group effort. Of course, I took some of them on my own to not become too rusty. An earthworm that kept burying underground. Letting it swallow me while in my mana armor and burning it from the inside proved to be a good strategy. I''m normal here. Or that huge bug with its extremely durable shell that I couldn''t pierce without using too much mana that I was saving. Letting it swallow me while in my mana armor and burning it from the inside proved to be a good strategy. A great strategy even. Greatest strategy of all time. I''m normal here. Group 4 also got to show off against similar monsters, often trying new formations when attempting to fight strategically. Sometimes they just went after monsters 1v1, with someone else jumping in when it seemed dangerous. Putting people into life-and-death danger is something I think is a must, and Tess agrees. We could fight weaker monsters and level easily. We could do it in groups. But sooner or later, humans tend to become confident, used to that, forgetting where we are. Reminding them is a good thing. Even if you get hurt and bleed. Even if Lily has to literally put your guts back into your belly or regrow your limbs. Even if Izzy then nicely sits next to you and pats your back while you sit there in shock. Even if Biscuit lets you pet him to calm your shaking arm. Tess doesnt want anyone to die. She hates the thought of it the most out of the entire group. If someone said Group 4 is her group, I wouldn''t argue. Tess did more than anyone else to keep all these people together, and the strain it puts on her is something everyone can see. So how can you then go to her and complain? How can you sit down, cry, and refuse to fight when you see her doing the same things? Over and over again, Tess pushes herself to the limit. She bleeds, she suffers but she clenches her teeth and pushes through and grows, her talent tied together with strong determination. She expects a lot, but she offers more, and when she declares she is willing to die for this group, everyone trusts her. People like Tess will be worshipped on Earth. Millions will look up to her and others. Im sure of that. The tall blonde with a crown of lightning floating over her head, forcing her will onto the world. Discovering the road she wants to take and then having enough confidence to think its the correct one. We stop at the palace called the Last Rest. Its an outpost without any walls, just a few dozen simple stone buildings made without a single brick. All the surfaces are smooth, the buildings likely made with a skill or with the help of a skill. That place is overseen by a man called Ottis. Ottis is someone from the central region who stays in the Last Rest to organize caravans heading there. Its something he takes very seriously. There is a rumor he tortured a few guides for over 10 years, keeping them alive just to cause them more pain until they went crazy. He did that because these guides led a caravan the wrong way, causing the death of all the people in it. All in order to get the items and other things from the bodies. Why Ottis did it is still a bit of a mystery. Like everyone else here, he is a criminal thrown onto this moon. That also makes an interesting point. Why are these people ending up here instead of being killed? There is no way this is simpler than a swift death. Rules? Traditions? Something we dont know yet? Its something Im sure we will discover later as we progress through this floor. Passing through the place, we arent annoyed too much, something I think is caused by the crowns over my head and Tesss. Some people notice them; the skills must be rare enough to not make us look like just some random guys. My suspicion is hes over level 300, but not seeing him around, I cant confirm. That would mean he got his Primary class upgrade/change, and who knows what else. (I dont like it,) Sophie mentions, and even now she keeps strengthening the web around our group. Together with me and the twins, we make sure to keep up the link between our group members. There, I find out that if I were a bit better, I should be able to do very, very interesting things through that connection. For example, if set properly, I should be able to use [Tether] and teleport Group 4 around in a similar way Gareth did with his group. That and some more interesting things. But thats what I plan to work out when we split, so I push it to the back to not distract me. (Luck favors the brave or something like that?) I send to Sophie. (Or they are not asking for any payment for joining the caravan because we will go to the central region to become slaves or something worse. A few hundred dumb dickheads crawling over each other just to get there.) (For someone who already passed through the 1st Beyond trial, I would expect you to be more daring.) (I know, I know, just this smells so bad.) (Now you make me feel de?ja? vu.) I shake my head. (Just continue with the plan and save your mana as much as you can. Your mindblender stuff will be good against people if they decide to do some crap. Even in Beyond, not many of them had good defenses against it.) I then listen as she talks about being worried about Isabella, as the true siscon she is. But I ignore it so far and continue to look towards where the Mana Desert is. A never-ending stretch of dunes. The sand is white and not orange, brown, or yellow. It isnt simple sand either. There isnt any other place on this moon from what weve heard. Those dunes are made of something entirely different from simple sand. Ground bones of giant Champion or Absolute rank monsters. Remains of giant cities turned into tiny white particles. Mountains destroyed and turned into this after millennia. Something left behind by one of the Rulers. Remains of a powerful attack by the Absolute. No one knows. And there, a clear line between where the Mana Desert starts and where the Last Rest is. An impossibly straight line as if someone drew it in the air and made it be. Not a single speck of that white sand crosses beyond that line, and the grayish stone surface of the barren world contrasts with it. Theres also a giant vehicle for lack of a better word. Its a combination of a giant ship and a train. Its entirely made of thick metal. There are scratches, there are holes, there is a lot of rust, and some parts are missing. The metal plates are interwoven with inscriptions, offering it more defenses. And it floats, currently just slightly in the air, all of it reminding me of Skyhold Bastions from the 5th floor. Just more rough and insane-looking. I think it has some fancy name, but everyone here, even the guides, calls it simply Deathtrap. There is also a new side quest: Side quest: Reach Central Region Reward: 5000 shards Food and water supplies The system really wants us to go there. Chapter 432: White dunes Chapter 432: White dunes Deathtrap is old, rusty, smells, and lets out constant annoying noises, and I can feel the heat from it as we approach. Even so, I can''t take my eyes off it. It''s beautiful. A giant transportation vehicle floating just a bit in the air, with an intricate set of crystals at its bottom and rough inscriptions. Deathtrap is also tilted slightly to the side, and the damage is obvious. You can feel the history of that thing. The defenses it has are mainly the metal plates that frame it. A defense against monsters that live there, defenses against sand itself that is extremely sharp and pierces through the bodies of even high-level people and mana barriers. So the seemingly only somewhat safe way to cross Mana Desert is in this beautiful rusty thing that seems like it''s about to fall apart. There are barely any windows, just thin visors on the sides, and then there is an upper deck with some railings. At the top of it, there are things needed to fly this thing, some weird pillar, and even more inscriptions protecting the deck. Otherwise, all of the living quarters are inside that iron thing. How crazy it is that I''m about to enter it and head to the godforsaken place where mana can''t regenerate. Moments like this always make me thankful for the abilities I got and awaken that sense like I''m heading on an adventure. It''s something I thought of more after I met with my assholish wannabe handler. I believe ''adventure'' is the correct word. So as we head onto the platform and then inside, I enjoy those feelings. A few hundred people head in as well, all moving in groups big and small. Unlike in Beyond, there aren''t that many races. Mostly human, the tiny ones with scaly legs, and the ones with bluish skin and four arms. We find ourselves a big room near the top of the Deathtrap. It requires just a bit of fighting against a few other groups that try to push us away. Neither side uses too much mana or damages the place, but the clash is short and violent. The insides of the transport are even hotter than the outside. Its thick metal walls absorb the heat and radiate it inside. It combines with a thick smell of something like hot oil, rust, and old house. That and a constant hum of what I guess are engines or devices keeping us afloat. There seem to be ways they tried to mitigate it: a cooling system, dampening, and some other stuff. But it''s all either damaged or pieces of it are gone. I let Isabella take care of the heat for now and observe as she absorbs that heat into her blue flame orb that floats near her. That part of her ability is similar to mine, just in her case she can do it with "natural" heat, and if she wants to do it with skills, it requires much more effort and mana than when I do it. But for natural sources, she might be even more mana-efficient than me. It might be her connection with Noodle causing it, her trait Burning Blood, maybe her skill is good at that? Maybe her other trait? Or maybe I''m only better at manipulating flames and heat that came into existence from mana, unlike her natural source? I could ask her, and I think she would tell me, but I find it interesting to think about it instead of having the answer handed to me. Tess and Lily come back to our "room," opening the rusty door and then closing it, letting Sophie reactivate the defenses we put there. The room is circular without any furniture, just our baggage thrown in the corner and some hides used to sit on the floor. On the side of the room, there are metal plates, one of them with a three-finger-thick gap I use instead of my usual windows for a view. I sit in a simple chair made of mana. To amuse myself, I even made the design exactly like a monobloc plastic chair. The only difference is that mine is made of transparent pale blue mana. The amount I''m using is as little as possible to save it. Tess seems to be taken aback for a moment and keeps glancing between me and my monobloc mana chair. She then shakes her head and looks away. (We will head out soon, apparently. As they said before, there is no payment, and when I tried to dig in, it looks like it''s all organized by powerful groups from the central region. Ottis might be from one of them,) Tess says through our link. It''s the best way to avoid curious listeners. That inscription seems to be of sets that spread power from the core through the Deathtrap and power the inscriptions. So I examine it a bit more, I still have something to learn about moving mana for inscriptions in massive creations like that. At some point, I''m in front of one of the doors and then it opens energetically, nearly slamming against my head. I barely grab it with my hand. Annoyed because of the interruption, I kick it, adding kinetic energy into the mix and slamming it against whoever opened it. Someone screams in pain, and I hear a body crash against the wall inside of the room as I return to what I was doing. The door, held by my [Redistribution], tries to open, but I keep it at bay until I''m done and disrupt the mana that tries to perceive what''s happening. I let it feel a part of my mana pool that I release just for a moment, and all the attempts stop. Kudos to Lissandra. If it wasn''t for her, I would probably be using [Focus] and dealing with it more peacefully. Or maybe not. I was always a bit of an asshole. Just the right amount. Continuing my walk, I head upstairs, walking onto a set of rusty stairs made of metal that creak under me, bits of dust falling off. Even more than on the outside, there are holes all over the place, damages as well. The vibrations can be felt gradually increasing as the engines "heat up and we are slowly lifting. By the time I reach the deck, we are floating higher in the air. Not too high, probably just a few stories high. Just the process of that is somewhat impressive, considering what we stand on. I really want to examine the core and power source, control room, and other interesting rooms of this place, but through sheer will, I hold myself back. Proud of my progress, I look around. Even though we are not that high in the air, the view is quite nice. On one side, rocky plains full of hills with the Last Rest nearby. On the other side, white sand dunes stretching on forever, the air shimmering over them because of the heat. I might risk a bit, but I need some samples of that sand, even though like 20 times the guides told us to never do that or we will all die. Lastly, I still feel that presence from the Last Rest. The man who makes sure things run smoothly and people reach the central region. I''m sure that man has sensed me examining him multiple times, yet he humors me, perhaps out of some sort of cold amusement. Maybe I should really send a few tricolored orbs through the anchor I left in the Last Rest. Reaching the railing, I rest against it and watch people moving all around. There are a few groups present at all times. A schedule was decided, and Group 4 is part of it as well. At all times, there are multiple groups defending the Deathtrap in case of an attack. To not use all the mana, a frequent change of guard is set. When we finally start moving, the inscriptions on the metal plates covering Deathtrap activate. A strange, very specialized field surrounds us. It just seems to be tailored for Mana Desert and it''s white sand and useless for anything else. Then, the moment we pass that line separating the desert from the plains, my mana stops regenerating. It happens immediately as if someone turned off the switch. My heart keeps beating, and it even feels like nothing changed. The only difference is that the mana is gone. I examine it, trying to identify the part of the process where it gets cut off. The moment it leaves my heart? The moment it enters the rest of the body? Maybe it is still here but I can''t use it? Is something taking it away? Is it some kind of specialized disruption? I try and try, but I fail to locate the source. Even so, I delegate part of my mind through [Focus] to continue inspecting while I lean against the railing, studying the white dunes. Chapter 433: Man overboard Chapter 433: Man overboard Everyone on the flying ship/train thing seems to have mana batteries on them. Some just have a few of lower quality, others have dozens of them woven into their clothes. Most of them dont like me looking at them, counting the mana stones, but mostly just a glance at my crown is enough to convince them to leave me alone. I dont think they know its a [Mana Crown], but crowns seem to be rare enough for them to avoid messing with me. Especially now that they cant regenerate their mana the moment they spend it. Ive been saving my mana as well, even though I have plenty. My crown, my reservoir, and my body. I would be very surprised if there is anyone on the flying ship/train thing with more mana than me. Plus, after my training with Liss, Im constantly working to improve my efficiency. It still pisses me off that I havent made any progress during these two weeks, so Ive been training constantly to make up for it. It is a shame how much rarer its gotten for me to use all of my mana, but at the same time, it could be said that increased efficiency means more mana? And more mana is good. So I may as well start taking efficiency more seriously. Just a few hours ago, my efforts gained me a level of [Mana Manipulation], and the crown not long after. When I feel a presence moving closer to me, I let it approach, revealing itself to be a man around my age with a blank expression, long brown wavy hair, and blue eyes. He has two short swords strapped to his waist, and his movements are nimble and well practiced. In particular, the way he leads each step with the tips of his toes before resting on the entire foot. Unlike most of the others, he has a single mana battery, of high quality. A big blue mana stone embedded in the middle of his black chainmail shirt. His movements displaying a complete disregard for the weight. [Mana Crown]? he asks, coming to a rest against the railing, looking out over the Mana Desert we fly over. [Notyourfuckingproblem Crown], I correct. I see, he answers. Unwilling to leave first, especially since I got here first, I continue to look at the desert as well while continuing my attempts to trace the thing that dares to mess with my mana. So far, my Mantle construct doesnt seem to be affecting the process at all, and neither does using my [Mana Domain] and concentrating it in my body. The effect creating the Mana Desert is either that powerful or that tricky. If things go to shit, would your group be willing to work with mine? Ive already been going around to ask a few of the more powerful groups. Theres already four others working with us, and yours would be fifth and last. Because of my [Notyourfuckingproblem Crown]? That and your friends [Lightning Crown]. I examine him again. He seems like hes on the stronger side, taking the rest of the passengers into consideration. (Tess, some guy wants us to join their secret 5 group super secret alliance. To stick together if things go to shit,) I send through the link. (Is he strong?) I glance at the man again. [Dawnslayer - lvl 265] (I like his class name. Its Dawnslayer, and he is level 265, decent equipment as well. A few upper epic pieces.) (I think I saw him already. You can agree for now and tell him to meet me on the deck in around 30 minutes.) (Will do.) Sure, our group leader will be here in thirty minutes so you guys can talk. The blonde with the crown. He looks at me, his blank expression unmoving, and tilts his head to the side a bit as if something surprised him. I will do that, he says. After that, I let him be and leave. Once on the stairs, I slow down and reduce the effects of my Restrictive Training Emblem just a little bit and rest against the wall for a moment. Damn, that thing is evil. Still, I refuse to look at my stats for fear of disappointment, and after a while, I head back down and allow myself to lower my guard a bit as I enter our room. My monobloc mana chair... no, my manabloc chair is still there, with Biscuit laying on it. (Food!) I didnt find any. (Gone?) Something like that. (Sustenance?) Probably a week. The next message doesnt come, Biscuit looking too shocked to say anything. Reaching my manabloc chair, I lift him, sit down, and put him on my lap. As he turns around, I meet his eyes, and they are wide open. It will be fine, I say, petting him and ruffling the top of his head, even giving him some scratches until he calms down slightly. Following this path, history will repeat itself, my constitution rapidly growing less capable of handling my other stats. Its already gotten used to mana, and there are multiple ways I help it along, but strength and dexterity are different things. Body modification seems like the way to go. That and modifying the emblem a bit, but Im still a long way off from being able to do that. Part of me wonders if Sandra the Cockroach did this on purpose. Hah. Who am I kidding? Of course, she did. The emblem is exactly as evil as I thought. POV Dennis Dalton Nathaniel just sits there. Menacingly. For some reason, even that sitting seems to cause him trouble, and once in a while, tears appear on his skin, blood flowing through the cracks. At some point, one of his fingers twitches and then bends with an audible crack. That makes him open his eyes and glance at the wound for barely a second before closing them again. Whatever hes doing, I dont want it. I also dont want four of these orbs floating over my head like they do his. Just one of them is scary enough. Then a few hours later, he stands up, clearly moving with extreme difficulty. He calls it a Burden Enhancement Inscription and says its for his kinetic energy training. Over and over again, he repeats a simple set of movements and mumbles things like, Thats not it, It doesnt feel right, She did it differently, and then proceeds to curse someone called Sandra. (Who the fuck is Sandra?) I can hear Aaron. (I dont want to know. Do you think he will make us do that too?) (Most likely. You heard the way Kim spoke about Nats training.) (Fuck.) (Yea, fuck...) A few hours later, our group is at the deck meeting up with a few of the other groups. According to the schedule, its our shift on defense, but up until now, no ones bothered to attack the creepy ship we find ourselves on. Bored, suicidal, or straight-up dumb, two smaller groups, ten people combined, start trying to antagonize our group. At first, they, sure of their numbers, make fun of Nat, who falls down a few times as a result of the training hes doing even now. His expression is even more empty than usual as he focuses on his training, and he seems straight-up unaware or weak. Even so, he glances at the group, completely unbothered and choosing to return to his training instead. Kim is the first one to push for a fight with these people, to defend Nat, but he is stopped by Tess. Our Korean friend just doesnt seem to understand why Nat just lets it pass. He never does, but he should know by now. Izzy and Tess already told us, plenty of times. Nat tends to be laid back and patient, especially when harm is done to him. He seems to be more at ease when people treat him like that as if he were used to it. Of course, there is a line you pass, and when you do, youre done, but that line is usually very broad. That all changes very quickly when Nat stops being the target of these attacks. The group harassing us, made up of three different races, notices Kim itching for a fight. They start mocking him, even activating some of their skills and drawing weapons. Do we really seem like such easy targets, or is the system deliberately making the natives antagonize us for the sake of the tutorial? Tess sighs, knowing what is to come, and holds back, gesturing for us to do the same. Galvanized by our reaction, which they interpret as fear, they shove Nat away and start poking at Kim, who holds back, following his orders from Tess. Nat opens his eyes and watches, his gaze cold and deeply curious. Often so unfriendly, but with surprising moments of kindness. Unlike us, Nat has a lot of mana, so Tess lets him deal with it. A severed arm flies into the air, and the ex-owner looks down at his shoulder and then at Nat, who already stands at his side. Before the man can even scream, another punch sends him flying across the deck. Nat moves again, in a way that can only be called creepy - with rapid bursts of incredible speed, each one ending in a powerful, fluid attack. (W-wasnt he mostly a ranged, bombardment fighter?) I Aaron shouts in my head. Nat moves from person to person, his movements unpredictable. Sometimes he stops mid-attack as if hes completely unbothered by the inertia of his movements, so even I cant predict where he will move. One after another, he beats the other group in a span of a few seconds, without using a single external skill. Just his body and who knows what else. Not a whiff of mana can be felt from him, and he acts with extreme efficiency. The guy we rarely see engaged in melees is now tearing through a group of 10 people with levels over 200 as if it were nothing. Finally, he grabs the man who appears to be the leader by the neck and throws him over the railing. The rest of the members scattered across the deck, bones broken, limbs missing, holes punched through their bodies, but still alive. Their only casualty, their leader crashing into the white sands below. No one calls for the ship to stop, no one tries to help him. And Nathaniel stands there, watching with the same curiosity as he watches events go by. The man starts screaming and running, trying to catch up to the ship. Bursts of mana erupt under his feet, as he tries to climb a set of his barriers. But its all useless. Each step causes the white sand to fly into the air and pierce through the barriers with ease, and just as easily, it does the same to his legs. It peels away his skin like some kind of nightmare sandpaper, tearing away his flesh, and bones as he runs. Just a few moments later, the only thing left below his knees are scraps of flesh and bone as the man falls to the sand, his blood seeping out around him. Were a lot farther away now, and Nat moves to the back of the ship to watch longer, golden circles enclosing his pupils. The wind outside blows into the white sand which even now moves across the tall dunes, and its waves crash against the dying body. Each pass takes more and more of him until there is barely anything left, and then, even that disappears. Chapter 434: Guides Chapter 434: Guides A day passes, and were still flying. The rusty thing we are trapped in has not fallen. There were some incidents where guides had to rush towards somewhere in the center of the Deathtrap as we started losing altitude. It looks like it''s fixed now as we fly at the height from before. I wonder what would have happened if we had crashed. Just how long would the power source last maintaining the inscriptions on the metal plates and the field around the deck? How long would it take for the white sand to grind us to nothing without it? As pretty as the sand looks now, we also know how deadly it is. A day goes by, and as we make our way deeper into the Mana Desert, the attacks start. Huge swarms of insects. Scarab-like monsters, each one as big as a human head. There are dozens of them, each around level 150. As far as I notice, they never touch the ground, and their chitin armor seems to have no trouble handling the white sand for some reason. They attempt to land on the side of the Deathtrap and bite through the armor or otherwise damage it, but so far theyve failed to do so. All the groups currently on deck start a barrage of attacks, and they even call in a few support groups. Most of the scarab-like monsters die even before fully approaching us, their bodies ground to dust as they fall to the white sands after being hit by our attacks. But what''s surprising is that there are monsters down in the sand, their heads and tails poking out as they shoot projectiles laced with acid and poison, literally launching pieces of their bodies at us. For some reason, these monsters arent affected by the white sand. The mood had been starting to get better but this has thoroughly soured it, and it shows in the eyes of everyone aboard. It''s our turn on the deck, along with a few of the other groups. I approach a tall man with four arms and bluish skin. His clothes have clearly been tailored for his anatomy, and each of his arms is covered in a dense set of white paintings, some of them having been traced out with mana-conductive paint. I wanted to ask, what does your race call themselves? I say as I approach. At first, he seemed to have his guard up, but hearing my question, he smiles, glancing towards his group, who chuckle as well. Crazed human, who walks like a drunk and throws people overboard, why should I answer? I throw him a small pouch which he catches, glancing at me, as he uses his senses to examine it. Only then does he open the pouch to find the mana batteries inside. Crazed human, my race is called thylarin. And the little ones with scaly legs? They are called vyssari. Got it. Anything else? I will need more... Dont push it. His eyes meet mine, and I can see him thinking about it. His group even moves to get ready behind his back. For a long moment, I return his gaze and wait. I dont even bother to move kinetic energy or mana, knowing I can activate it quickly enough to deal with them. I was joking, joking with you, human, he smiles in the end, waving his four arms defensively. I wont tell you much about thylarin, as one of them, I wont share information that could give me a disadvantage. But I can say that vyssari are said to be a result of experimentation by a Ruler that has long since been forgotten and replaced. They have a talent for elemental magic and dont tend to be very smart if I have to say so myself. To that, the group behind him, most of them thylarin, laugh. This group doesnt seem to be very smart either. Got it. One last thing. What is it, crazed human? One of their members is capable of levitating and slowly flies after us, screaming in desperation as the rest of his group gets ground down by the white sand. Even as he flies, small particles of sand pierce his body. A single speck every few seconds, sometimes more. It takes minutes, but gradually he stops and falls into the sand, the damage accumulating until he can no longer maintain his flight. The grains having burrowed through his head, brain, and heart as if they were never there, and that damage accumulated. (What do you think?) I ask Sophie, who is standing next to me, watching this go down over the railing of the deck. (I think you may be right. It really felt just like you said. But I dont know how its going to help. Even you wouldnt be so crazy.) (Anything can happen. Just think about it and tell the others.) (Other than you and me, theres no one even close to being able to do that. It would take them months, probably years to pull it off. Even you would probably fail.) I just shrug my shoulders, and as she leaves, I stay and stare deep into the never-ending desert. Its night again, the nebulas hanging in the sky as the cold air fights the heat rising from the white sands below. The monsters here in the desert attack both day and night, unlike the ones outside. And I can sense another group coming. Theyre stronger than the ones we encountered before. I give them one more look and leave the deck, letting the scheduled group deal with them. The hours stretch into another day. The monsters are getting closer and closer to level 200 and we even see a few stronger than that, and 4 more days remain. This time even our group got to fight during our time on deck. I make the others hang back and save their mana, as I take on the monsters with the other groups on deck. I even do well enough that no one dared to say a thing about the rest of group 4 hanging back to watch. [Mana Manipulation - lvl 53 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 54] [Mana Crown - lvl 35 > Mana Crown - lvl 36] Its almost laughable how much mana there is still stored in my crown. Even with all this fighting, my training, and using it for the emblem, there is so much remaining. The monsters die, killed by mana arrows as long as my finger. Each of the arrows having been boosted by a bit of kinetic energy and infused with a little extra to increase the piercing and impact damage as it hits the monsters. A few hours later, one of the guides dies. There were 7 guides when we started, now were down to 6. Each one is over level 200, wearing thick robes even in this heat, their faces covered by simple white masks. I watch with interest as panic ensues, as people push and shove to stand over the guides corpse. There is no mana hanging around the body, there are no wounds. The only damage we find is his broken mask, revealing the face of a human with a terrified expression even in death. The corpse is unusually pale. Extremely pale, and I dont think its just from the lack of sun. Izzy shares the emotions of the crowd with me, and I let them flow through. Fear, a hint of panic, distrust, anger, opportunity, hunger. Its overwhelming, so I cut it off, and so does the 11-year-old girl. There is no mana anywhere near the body that I could examine. No matter how much I try, I cant detect anything. I glance at the guides who are speaking to each other in frantic whispers. Three of them clustered together, examining the scene, while the remaining three focus on controlling the Deathtrap, and that seems to be the bare minimum. They cover most of their body, and I cant see their faces, so its hard to guess what theyre feeling, and Izzy says theyre protected well enough that she cant either. But they still seem a bit panicked. There shouldnt be anyone on this ship willing to risk their own lives by killing them. Its strange. The proximity of that many people and all the shouting gets the better of me, and I use my anchor, reappearing in our room. I get back to my training and wait for the others to return, which happens a few minutes later. Tess confirms that I dont have to do anything at the moment, so I continue and let them talk it out. Some hours down the line, another guide dies, along with the group of three men assigned to his protection after the first guide died. We still have almost four days until we reach our destination. Chapter 435: Fucked-up situation Chapter 435: Fucked-up situation (We need at least 3 guides to stay afloat. In that number wont be able to change shifts, or for that matter, sleep or rest, but its something they would be able to deal with,) Tess says. (Wouldnt one or two be enough?) Sophie asks. Tess shakes her head and continues to talk through the link, (I spoke with them and some of the others, and they said its impossible to manage over any significant period of time. The protective enchantments seem to be special. They also refuse to let us help control the ship. I think they might have something like your [Geas] on them that wont allow them to share the knowledge involved. Some of the groups said they heard rumors of guides exploding when they tried.) (Arent they getting a little too cocky? We can just have Nat take over the controls after they die. Vega said he and uncle managed to pilot a Skyhold Bastion,) Lily joins in. (I dont think its that simple,) Sophie disagrees. (The alloy that makes up the metal plates, the defensive field, and the inscriptions all seem to be something the people of the central region want to keep to themselves, even at the cost of all the lives aboard.) (Like Sophie said,) I confirm. So far, I havent gotten anything from the metal plates Ive been examining, nor have I deciphered the field. Not even with my Irises and senses. Well, maybe "nothing" isnt the right word for it. "Nothing useful" would be more accurate. I can now guess how it all works and see parts of it, but whoever made all this is operating on a higher level than me. So theres nothing I can do about it. Tess stands up and gestures to Sophie and the twins, who rise as well, (For now, well set up a secondary web for the others to communicate, for everyone who will be protecting the guides. The guides refuse to join, and there is nothing we can do about that, but at least their bodyguards should. Nat has already placed anchors on some of the bodyguards so we can rush in if anything happens.) Group 4 looks up to Tess, who seems to have taken control of the situation. I take notice of the way some of them seem to be relieved at the thought of being told what to do and not being responsible for the result. (Starting now, we try to stay together as much as possible. If we ever split, then we limit ourselves to two groups, one with me and the other with Nat.) (Cant Sophie control the guides?) Maya asks. (I cant. I tried, but they are protected. I could probably breakthrough, but I dont know how much damage it would cause. You know... they could go boom,) the mind manipulator shrugs. (The same goes for my anchors; I cant place any on the guides. Someone from the central region did some interesting stuff to them,) I note. (Food!) I shake my head, (I dont think so.) (What did he say?) Maya asks curiously. (He said someone is killing the guides because theyve been hoarding all the best food for themselves,) I explain. (Oh...) (Food! Food!) (I told you already, thats not it.) (Anyway,) Tess says, jumping back into the conversation, (we have a plan, so lets stick to it.) Another day passes, and everything goes well. There is no trouble, not a single attempt on the life of a guide. There are stronger monsters attacking, and Im forced to use a bit more mana to create bigger projectiles to take out the flying scarab-like monsters. I kill one of them and make sure that his corpse falls to the deck so I can examine it, and Sophie joins in as I start cutting it apart while using my eyes. The Dawnslayer stands nearby, his group having been scheduled alongside us. What? I ask. Ive killed plenty, more than the other two groups combined, so you guys can pick up the slack for a moment while I examine it. He doesnt voice any complaints and returns to his group instead. (What do you think?) I ask Sophie as we drop into a squat over the corpse of the scarab. She sighs, (I think youre right. It also explains why they use poison and physical attacks instead of skills and the like.) (Yes, and all the monsters who attacked us were the same.) (Simplest...) Maya laughs wryly. (Yes. Nat, could you do it quickly, without damaging the ship?) Tess asks as multiple eyes turn to me. (I think so? If I got a bit of help from Sophie to mask my behavior and a bit of healing from Lily, I wouldnt even have to use much mana.) (Thats not what I meant!) Maya slams her hand against the chair I made. (There are close to 300 passengers on the ship. You know I would do it too if I had to. But just going and slaughtering so many people, so many of them so much weaker than us, just feels wrong... so wrong.) As she speaks her voice becomes weaker and weaker. (I know, Maya,) Tess says, smiling gently and taking a moment to squeeze Mayas hand. (But before we think of the others, we have to think of our group first. As this situation has shown, we arent strong or skilled enough to do it the way we would like to.) (They are fakes,) Sophie adds. (I fucking know that,) Maya sighs, leaning back in her chair. Izzy glances rapidly between Maya, Sophie, and Tess, the stress clear on her face. And Noodle coils his way up to her face and rubs his head against her cheek in response. I let go of Biscuit, who proceeds to approach Izzy and nudge her shin until she lifts him into her lap. (What if, while were looking for the murderer, it turns out to be one of the guides?) Min-Jae asks, finally joining in the conversation. (Some people here have nice items, so maybe a guide decided to risk it, kill the other guides. Have the ship fail while everyone dies. All youd have to do is survive somehow and run away with the items. Nat alone has plenty of good ones, they might decide it was worth the risk of punishment by that man from the Last Rest.) Huh, maybe Min-Jae does have a good head on his shoulders. He continues, (Or maybe a powerful monster managed to sneak onto the ship. I think either one would be more plausible than one of the passengers doing it. Though that still doesnt rule out one of the passengers.) Dennis looks at me, (Nat, youre the highest level out of all of us. Are there any passengers here stronger than you?) (Nope.) (So you can see everyones levels?) (Nope, there are a few who show to me as two question marks.) Dennis looks at his brother, probably intending to exchange some rude message, but he doesnt go through with it in the end. He knows I would sense it. Amused, I answer, (There are a few that are more than 20 levels higher than me, so they show as question marks, but none of them are stronger than me.) (How do you...) Dennis pauses mid-sentence as Aaron shoves his rib with his elbow. (There are three. Two thylarin and one vyssari.) I see confusion in their expressions, and continue, (Thylarin are tall, and blue, with four arms. vyssari are the shorties with elemental skills and scaly legs.) (Oh...) (The thylarin are a Manashroud Shaper and a Manabreaker. The vyssari is an Ashenfoot Shaman.) This information starts another round of conversation, and I watch with interest, as they theorize about what each class should be capable of, and what the potential is for said class to cause any degree of significant damage. Some shade gets thrown my way for not sharing this information sooner, a criticism for which I have no answer. The danger might be real, to me and to my group, but I already have my own ideas on how to deal with the current situation. I even have plans in place just in case all the guides die and we find ourselves having to control the ship. I know if I needed to I could do it. I could even power the ship on my own for a while with the amount of mana I have. It might not look like it, but I take the task of keeping the members of group 4 alive very seriously. I also know group 4 isnt going to be easy to kill. Split into two groups, there is no way for someone to kill them before I rush to their aid. They even have a good chance of taking out the killer before I can join them. If the enemy was truly all that powerful, there wouldnt have been any need to be so covert. So the question remains, do I enjoy the mystery and watch things unfold while trying to solve the problem on my own? Or do I just... who am I kidding, of course I do. I enjoy this fucked-up situation way more than I should. Chapter 436: Storm approaching Chapter 436: Storm approaching I observe the guides movements while he works. There are twenty of us inside the room and thirty more outside. The entirety of group 4 is also present, along with one of three passengers ranked at 2 question marks. [Ashenfoot Shaman - lvl ??] Today its the vyssari, and like the rest of his brethren, hes a short scale legged humanoid. Otherwise, there doesn''t seem to be anything special about him. I could probably probe for more information, but he might take offense, or see it as a challenge almost like a slap to the face or drawing a weapon. But he isn''t all that important right now, so I let Sophie keep an eye on him and occasionally check in on him. I continue to work on moving my mana. Currently, I''m working on transferring all the mana from my reservoir into the crown, and When Im done with that, Ill do the same with my bodys reserves. [Mana Crown - lvl 36 > Mana Crown - lvl 37] [Infusion - lvl 34 > Infusion - lvl 35] And on that note, Im working on a new kind of training, I got the idea a while back and I still don''t know much, so it''s slow going, but my intentions are clear in my mind. It will work, I''m sure. You could easily say that I shouldnt be wasting mana like that in this situation, or that I should keep my attention on the surroundings. I am though, Part of my mind is constantly focused on checking the area. And as for the training... it''s more of a variation on something Im already used to. Mana Cycling has started to feel like the kind of thing I can just keep running in the background, almost without thought. After all, Ive been doing it constantly for almost a year and nearly nonstop. Sooner or later my body will get used to it, and at that point, it should be as simple as breathing. At least thats what Im hoping. Who knows how mana affects our bodies? It could easily happen. Bringing myself back to reality, I take a moment to look over at the guide. This one wears the same thick robe as the others, with a deep cowl to cover his head, and a white mask covering his face. There are only 4 of them remaining now, so he seems fairly busy, moving from control panel to control panel while remaining in constant communication with the others. From what I''ve seen, he seems to be in the process of controlling the defensive plates and fields that surround the deck. Another one takes care of the movement, and the third one handles the distribution of power. And yet it seems like any of the three stations could be used to control any of these functions, and that even if the guide in front of me were to die right now, it would still take a few minutes before anything got out of control. Sophie seems to take some joy in our current application of mana, and out of our whole group, her skill at [Manipulation] is second only to me. I might even be able to convince her to put more stats into mana. I have a feeling that even some of the others are starting to open up to the idea after seeing my success. Surely. "Youre watching me. Why?" says a voice next to me. Originating from presence I felt approach before they ever made a sound. Its the vyssari with two question marks over his head, meaning he is between 281 - 299 in level. If he was over 300, he would have three question marks instead. "I''m bored," I answer. "Maybe I''m bored as well, maybe Ill be inspired to gouge out those eyes of yours." "Sure. Why don''t you try?" "Your [Mana Crown] doesn''t scare me." "It''s [Notyourfuckingproblem Crown], and how exactly did you recognize it? Aren''t they supposed to be rare?" "You have one of the 4 attribute crowns and know nothing about it?" "The people around me are jerks who like to withhold information," I shrug. "Human, I don''t know if I should laugh or go through with gouging your eyes out." "I will give you a pair of mana batteries and some upper rare items if youd be willing to answer a question or two." "Screw off." And on that note, my fact finding mission ends. The more time passes, the more I find myself appreciating Tess and the others for being so willing to deal with people and collect information. Some time ago, I even dared to be a bit disappointed that they didn''t find out much about the 6th floor when I was gone. But now? What legends. Absolute gigachads, or at least I think that''s how the twins would say it? Damn, if the twins and Min-Jae ever get to spend some time with Myrra, they will ruin her. A few hours later, our group ends up on the deck, having been sent to deal with the most recent swarm of monsters. And once again, it''s me sniping them down while the rest of group 4 acts like a hoard of slackers. Its beginning to cause noticeable levels of discomfort in the groups tasked with defending alongside us. So far, they haven''t seen anyone from group 4 attack, just me. To their apparent surprise, I fail to show any sign of stopping, and my attacks are just as powerful as before and have in fact gotten stronger at a similar rate to the monsters. [You have defeated Glasswing Moth - lvl 235] These ones are quick and nimble but prefer to move alone, preferring to attack from below. The best way to deal with them seems to be creating a small orb infused with a bit of thermal energy and launching it at the wings. After crashing, with bits of mana from the orb still lingering on them, the white sand takes care of the rest. Storm, Tess says calmly out of nowhere. She doesn''t even bother using our link, speaking out loud while pointing in the relevant direction. I look and see nothing, no matter how I strain my eyes, and it''s way too far to feel anything with my senses. But it''s no surprise Tess might see something with her [Farsight]. Are you sure? Really sure? asks the man in the bejeweled black chainmail from before. The one with whom we made our unreliable 5 way pact. Absolutely sure, Tess answers. If it''s a white dust storm, we might be royally fucked. Will you come with me? We need to talk to the guides in case they havent noticed. Despite his cursing, he manages to speak with a calm expression. Sure. Nat, will you be ok staying here with Kim? Yeah, no problem. Thanks. Let''s go. She takes the lead and followed by the rest of group 4 and a few of the other members of the man ?s group, they head down the ship. Min-Jae, can you keep talking with the twins, Constantly? And let me know immediately if it cuts off? I ask. Sure! This time no attacks seem imminent, but a large number of monsters are assembling rather close to the ship. As if greater numbers would change anything. Min-Jae even seems to enjoy sniping them, and hes actually doing a good job - using tiny orbs that drain as little mana as possible. For now, I clear my mind and prepare to use my skills. A few slow breaths in and out to calm my heart, as I wait for the inevitable fuck-up. Nat! Min-Jae barely finishes saying my name, and I move. I try to teleport to the anchor I left on Izzy, but it''s gone. Immediately I switch the target, trying to pull myself to the anchor closest to where they should be. Mid teleport something feels wrong, very wrong. The space around me twists in a way that it shouldn''t, and I find myself unable to do anything about it as I spin and the unstable attempt at teleportation damages my body. When it finally stops, I find myself outside of the ship. My feet touching the white sand. [Focus - lvl 51 > Focus - lvl 52] The world around me loses most of its color, and everything goes quiet as a range of scenarios filter their way through my mind in a fraction of a second. Even that seems to be too much, and because of the amount of mana In my body, the white sand grinds at me, piercing my body. It gets pulled towards me. There is no resistance from my body at all as my feet grind to nothing and the floating grains pierce through my chest, neck, and hands, drilling holes fine as sand through every part of me. I use my anchor again, sharpening my focus. I bend it to my will, despite the resistance. I grab the remains of it and force it back together and teleport away from the sand at the cost of even more wounds. Then I take damage from the teleport. My body twists and cracks, there are tears. I feel like I''m about to fall apart under the pressure I strain to endure. Even so, I refuse to use the black mana. I do not fail, and I teleport through the ring of skill notifications as they ping in the back of my mind. Back on the ship, I reform my missing feet with mana prostheses, disregarding the rest of the damage. I feel a smile crawl onto my face as I once again use my anchor, the same one that sent me into white dunes. Despite the damage to my body and the pain ringing through my head, I refuse to fail, breaking through successfully even as interference tries to shunt me from the ship. Appearing on the other side, I boost my body with kinetic energy and move quickly through the hallways and rooms until I reach the others. The barrier tries to stop me from getting in, and someone launches a mental attack on me. Activating my eyes and checking the barrier''s fluctuations, I resonate mana across my skin, pass through the barrier, and shake off the mental attack. In the same control room as before, two guides stand along with a powerful monster with three question marks over its head. A few groups are with them, led by the two thylarin with two question marks over their heads. All of these stand arrayed against group 4, who are fighting back, corpses piling up at their feet. Good, I like mysteries, but I much prefer it when things are simple like that. Chapter 437: On the sand Chapter 437: On the sand A burst of mana surges from me and crashes into the barrier. For a moment, they collide like a tidal wave crashing into a jetty. My mana constantly shifts frequency, and in the end, it overwhelms the barrier. The barrier bursts like a bubble, and tiny particles of blue mana fall from the air around us. Sensing the broken barrier, the fight stops for a brief moment, and all eyes turn to me. Blood drips from my body due to the wounds and damage caused by the interrupted teleportation and white sand, while golden flames flicker around, fueling my passive and healing me. Even the monster, from which I can''t sense any mana at all, stops, its piercing eyes turning away from Maya to me. Some sort of mental attack crashes against me but with a burst of mana, I shake it off. [Sandwraith Marauder - lvl ???] The monster even seems as if it repels mana. Not with the help of a skill or trait, but just because of the composition of its body. The Marauder is humanoid and very thin, white plates cover its body like armor covered in spikes. Its currently facing Maya, while the twins provide support nearby. Sophie is helping them too and I can sense the way shes defending the group against some weird attack. Tess is fighting against two thylarin with two question marks, and Lily faces the rest of the people with the help of the rest of Group 4. You should be dead, one of the thylarin calls with surprise. "We made sure of that," the other one adds. If you think you can help the remaining two guides control the ship, deal with these two guides, maybe leave one for Sophie. We will take care of the rest, Tess says calmly, interrupting them. Then rather than using her javelins, she surrounds her body with red and white lightning. She crashes into the thylarin, and the fight starts anew. I dodge a rapid stream of attacks thrown my way and blow the head off one of the random guys trying to block my path. The monster tries to charge me, but Maya grabs its arm and pulls it back, followed by the use of [Boost] to strengthen her armor against the monsters coming attack. The monster tries to use its strange mental attack again, but Sophie counters it, protecting the group. Blue flames burn through the terrain, scorching our enemies around us while group 4 remains untouched by the heat. It looks enjoyable, and I want to join the fight, but it seems like Tess did something to force these people out. Would it really be fair for me to interrupt their fun just like that? I know how annoying it is when someone does that to me. Well, just for once, I''ll let them be. My mana activates around me and deflects multiple attacks heading my way, some of them really nasty. A burst of flames infused with disrupting mana burns through the body barrier of the nearest melee chump, and I boost my body toward the guides. Seeing that I ignore the monster and am about to reach them, the two guides quickly reconsider the situation and disappear, their figures passing through the wall as if it wasnt there. The remaining people panic, and the two thylarin with question marks over their heads start searching for an escape route. The monster, on the other hand, now free of the guides'' control, either as a direct result of Sophies actions or because the guides decided to let it go when they escaped, begins attacking anyone in its path. I let the others deal with it and send my senses through the ship like a wave, before placing a few anchors and teleporting until I catch up to the guides. The defenses of the ship, which seem to have dissipated for the most part, still seem to work in the place I find myself, and a rough set of vibrations starts shaking their way through my wounded body as if they were trying to tear me apart. I strengthen my body and shake off the strangely awkward attempts at disruption thrown my way. And its then, after teleporting one last time, that I reach them. The guide, sensing my anchor behind him, waits for me to appear and tries to stab me, but I just move to the side with a short burst of kinetic energy. Swinging my arm, coated in oscillating mana, I pierce through his defenses, and his head flies away from his body, and a notification rings. The second guide tries to pass through the wall again, but I disrupt his mana, and instead of passing through, he crashes into it. No, no, no, listen, if you kill me here... I burrow my knee into his nether region and then smash the side of his head. Then I do it again, put some mana threads around him, and kick his crotch once again. Sending his location to Sophie, I then cut off his legs just in case and burn the wound closed so he doesn''t bleed out. At that moment, the Deathtrap shakes, and I can feel it start to drop out of the sky. An explosion sounds somewhere nearby, and a burst of powerful mana washes over the ship. An immense amount is released at once, leaving a gaping hole in the side of the ship from what I can sense. Teleporting a few more times, I reach the location of the tear, before quickly being joined by the two remaining guides as they pass through the wall. Each of us stopping to stare at the giant hole in the wall of the ship, and the Mana Desert looming outside. There are tiny particles of white sand already crashing into the field covering the hole, the same as on the deck. The guides are still wearing their signature white masks, so I cant see their expressions, but I would say they seem scared. Backup source won''t be able to handle it for longer than a few hours... ...wall, we need to move the plates to defend it... ...Just two of us... Should we run? But how? ...dont know what happened. There is a conversation going on quickly between them, their movements taking on an increasing sense of panic. He crumples to the ground, sliding down the wall, and finally removes his mask, throwing it away and revealing the unshaven, tired face of an otherwise normal-looking man. Looking at my preparations and the designs Ive painted on the pillar in mana conductive paint and the inscriptions Ive scratched on the surface, he sighs, It could work, but even if you do have enough mana, we are screwed. Can you pass it along to the others? Sophie might be able to get some information. Lily nods energetically, Im doing it already. How long until the storm hits? I ask, turning to the guide. Two to six hours; its hard to estimate, with how unpredictable they tend to be. Is it so dangerous because it has the potential to overwhelm the field and defenses in metal plates? I ask. Yes, plus the wind there is very powerful, it will... Nat, the two blue men escaped. They... they are out in the desert?! Lily has her eyes wide open as she processes the information shes getting over the new link. Deck? I ask. Yes, she nods, and I put my hand on her shoulder and Biscuit, teleporting us to the top. This time there are no interruptions to my teleport, and here I find the rest of group 4. All of them are glaring down at the two thylarin walking through the white sand. There is no damage caused to their bodies. They had some kind of weird teleportation skill that let them get to the deck before they jumped down, Sophie notes. Why are you not killing them? I ask her. We need them, Tess answers for her. The guide you kept, Sophie couldnt get any info out of him. Even as she pierced through his defenses, something the people from the central region put on him killed him. So, you want me to get them? Thats so cruel of you; I might die, you know? I say as I observe the fleeing thylarin. They arent using any skills or mana, and just with the power of their bodies, theyre trying to run away. Right towards the storm, in the same direction as the ship. It would be very simple to kill them, and they seem to realize it, but just that small chance of escape is probably better than if they had stayed on the ship. Yes, thats exactly what Im asking you to do. Can you get them? Tess says without hesitation. Yeah, I can get them, I say, nodding as I do. Then I hand Maya all my weapons and equipment, which she accepts with a dumbfounded expression on her face. After that, I unbutton my shirt and pull it over my head before handing it to her. Yooo, Maya mumbles, and the other members mutter their reactions. Some shamelessly stare; some seem to be a bit embarrassed. Ive been getting ready for this for the past few days. My constructs, my unique passive, and all my other passives have been turned off for a while. All of my mana is also stored in the crown. Currently, there is almost no mana in my body at all. I went through a lot of effort, going through multiple rounds of testing, and checks with Sophie just to be sure of it. The only things inside my body are thermal and kinetic energy along with whatever tiny bits of mana I couldnt get rid of. Then I get to my pants, pull them down, and take a quick glance at Group 4, before turning around to remove my underwear and the rest of my clothes. The only problem is my clothes and gear. I just found myself unable to get rid of all the mana clinging to them. There was always some remaining. And just that little bit would have been enough to doom me. As Ive learned, the white sand only really becomes dangerous when it absorbs or detects mana or whatever it does. Then it grinds you into nothing, no matter your defenses. Thats why the monsters in this desert have no mana at all. Thats why splashing a monster with even the slightest bit of mana lets the white sand finish it off. What do you think, Sophie? I ask her without turning back to group 4. My back is still facing them. WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT DO I THINK!? WHAT DO I THINK OF WHAT!?... oh... your mana. She says, suddenly quiet. I cant feel any mana from you, none at all, just whats in the crown. Even though my natural barrier is weaker from the lack of mana, it still seems to be working. One more thing to look into in the future. Still, I had to lower it so Sophie could scan me. Good. After that, I give the last order to the crown to float there. It consumes quite a bit of mana as it goes against its usual behavior, but it needs to be done. I expunge mana from my body one more time and then jump over the railing. Right into the white sand below the ship. Chapter 438: SDAT Chapter 438: SDAT POV Kim Min-Jae That idiot! We still need more testing! Sophie shouts, and together we rush to the railing to watch what happens next. I''ve seen it before, the other passengers ground to nothing by the same white sand. I still remember the screams and the image of their flesh being torn apart. But that doesnt happen to Nat. Before hitting the sand, he slows down and gently lands on it. He then stands there, butt naked, and watches as the wind blows a large cloud of white sand towards him, washing over the surface of the dunes like waves. I could swear I saw him smile for a moment there. Lily screams and covers her eyes as the sand smashes against Nats body, and I just cant look away even though he could be dead the next second. A part of me cant even imagine him dying. Not him. Not like this. And just like that, he still stands there when the wave of sand is gone. There are wounds on his body, blood flowing down his skin. More than a failure, they seem like a small mistake and lack of efficiency in his efforts. Nat spits bits of sand from his mouth and then charges towards the two blue figures. He moves in that weird twitchy movement of his and uses boosts of kinetic energy to get him over larger distances, quickly catching up to the two thylarin. I dont think Nat cares about your testing, I note. You might not realize it, Kim, but a single fucking mistake would have killed him there. If his body contained even the smallest whiff of the mana you spend to keep one of your orbs floating in the air, that sand would have killed him. He wouldnt fail like that, I shake my head. I just cant imagine it. But whyd he ditch his clothes? Aaron asks. We couldnt come up with a way to reliably expunge mana from external materials. It''s easier to rely on your own body. Is it just me, or does Nat have a nice ass? Maya interrupts her words causing people to stare, and Tess giggles, breaking her stern mask. I cant judge that as a man, but Lily might be able to answer, Dennis blurts, ever eager to seize the opportunity. "She might send Izzy for the smartphone so she can snag a few pics." Shhh, shes too busy staring, Aaron adds. Im not! I... just shut up, both of you! Its fine, Lily! I even saw Sophie and Tess sneaking a peek. Maya chuckles, throwing her arm around the petite girl''s shoulders. Sometimes Maya manages to read the mood just well enough to lighten the tension, and Im not even sure if shes doing it on purpose or if thats just how she is. Everyones anxious. Even I can see that. Just a single mistake will mean Nats death. But at this point, it almost feels like Its the only way we can expect him to behave. That worries me a bit. What would happen if Nat fails to live up to our high expectations? What would I do if the man I admire most fails and breaks? I then watch as Nat reaches the two four armed thylarin. They seem to be as shocked by his apparent nudity as the fact that he followed them and survived. Nat moves in a short burst of immense speed, white sand exploding under his feet, and the three of them rapidly settle into a melee combat. POV Nathaniel I expected it to be an easy fight, but they turned out to be stronger than I expected. The two of them work well together, and they wouldnt be able to do so without a lot of experience. So why the hell are you so good at melee combat? You can teleport, mess with my anchors, and have decent control over your mana, so dont go learning melee tactics like some brute. Not to mention that the extra arms might just be slightly unfair. I dodge another punch and boost my body to the side. I cant even absorb anymore right now, that would require mana. And it''s a good thing I turned off my unique passive too. With the way Im getting pummeled right now, it would generate enough mana that the sand would kill all three of us. Even so, I dont need any of this. Im already getting used to the way they fight. Any good news? I ask the guide. Heryd here can help you with the core. He has some experience with... I see. Theres no need for that. Anything else? The guide looks between me and the scaly legged shorty and then back at me, I still cant stop the SDAT and... Whats an SDAT? I ask, interrupting him. Are you... SDAT means Sand-Defensive Air Transport. Got it, please continue. I still have no idea where were heading but we should find out soon. Though there shouldnt be anything in the Mana Desert so I don''t know how much help it will be or why were heading there. There is no sense in trying to run away even if we could change course; the storm will catch up anyway. What if we bury ourselves in the sand? the short vyssari asks, turning away from the core. That would either force us to keep the field running to ward it off or to turn off the field. In that case, any sand that got into the SDAT would be the end of us. And we dont have enough mana to hold the field against that much sand. Any rest stops around here? the vyssari continues. None, there is nothing here as far as we know. Not a single place free of sand. I listen to the rest of the conversation with one ear and turn back to the mana pillar. Just in case, I check the inscriptions and preparations I made, and it seems like no ones messed with them. So I continue to work on them, I even manage to connect a few more of its functions and even though it still feels half-baked, its better than nothing. When the conversation between the guide and the vyssari starts to drag on too long, I interrupt them. You, I shout, pointing at the guide, shouldnt you be controlling the ship? Its an SDAT, not a ship. It should be fine to leave it for a while. Our course is already set, and Kallus is taking care of the defenses. With how little mana we have, we dont even have to focus on controlling how its being used. Good, go back to the deck. Find the tall blonde, she can tell you what to do. They might already have more information on what happened. I watch him hesitate for a moment, but he does stand up eventually and head towards the deck without another word. As he said before, he was just a rookie following orders. As I work, I can feel Heryds eyes on me, the vyssari, who was supposed to be helping me is one of the only three passengers with a level higher than mine. Much like the two thylarin I just brought back. You can fly; you could run away, he says out of nowhere. As I turn to him, I can see how carefully hes observing me. Sure, I respond, returning to my work, placing an anchor inside the core which I use to feed it power from my crown. There is no way I would just put my mana inside to let just anyone use. No, Id rather just feed the ship more as needed. While doing so, I also think about his question. Could I really just fly away if I felt like it? I think I could. Sure, there could be some specks of sand that high up, and if I had any mana inside my body, I would take significant damage, but I think I could push through. The trip that took this rusty old thing days would take me hours if I used enough kinetic energy. It would be simple, but back when I was considering my options for survival, it never once crossed my mind. And I can think of two reasons for that. The first is that Im so confident in my ability to survive, even this, that the thought of running away never entered my mind. The second is that I didnt want to leave this silly group of mine. Angry Kittens, group 4, Biscuit and Co., whatever the name of the day turns out to be. Ive always liked watching others, and now here I am examining myself and taking stock of my feelings, asking questions. And the one that eventually sticks at the front of my mind is: Would I be willing to risk my life for them, and could I walk away if I truly had to? The swirl of emotions I feel even asking that question absolutely fascinates me. Chapter 439: Thylarin brothers Chapter 439: Thylarin brothers The guides dont seem to tell me how to control Deathtrap or operate the control panel. Even getting access is difficult, and just looking into it, I have to go around, wasting time and mana. It''s clear that they have a vested interest in restricting access to the controls, and all our guides seem to bear some kind of mark that makes it easier for them to control the flying train/ship and while barring them from taking specific actions. Otherwise, they go kaboom. At first, I think it must be the work of someone like Sophie, and yet the guides marks feel more limited in scope. Sophie, on the other hand, should be able to do more given some time. Even so, while guides no. 1 and no. 2 take care of our defenses and mana usage while paying special attention to the engines, fields, navigation, stabilizers, and auxiliary functions, I try to learn as much as possible about the controls. I''ve done more difficult things, this shouldnt be a problem and Ive been studying the wide variety of blueprints recorded on the many mana stones Ive taken from the previous floors every night before bed. It wont be long before the guides can screw off. Im sure if I split my mind with [Focus] I should have no problem controlling this rusty thing on my own. I can just use [Infusion] to get myself in, I can [Resonance] at the right times and then use my eyes and [Mana Manipulation]. Easy as that. Even so, I may as well let them handle it for a while and teleport back into our room, where the rest of group 4 is waiting, along with some of the leaders of the more powerful groups abroad. Tess, Sophie, and Izzy seem to be busy talking to the blue guys so I head towards the corpse of the marauder. Lily stands there as well, poking and probing at it. Was it strong? I ask, my voice taking on a hushed tone. I don''t want to bring attention to myself. It cut me in half, here, she gestures horizontally from one side of her waist to the other. A part of her shirt is missing, allowing a section of her belly to peek through. Even as she talks about being cut in half, Lily continues to smile, It didnt even use mana so its stats must be great and its natural weapons must be very strong to deal that much damage to me. You know, Ive already altered my bones a bit and it still cut through. She states, shaking her head at the thought. Yeah, more typical Group 4 behavior. What about the mental attacks? I ask. We don''t know. Twins think it might have been some sort of hypnosis that didnt rely on mana, Sophie theorizes it was a gas we couldn''t see or smell. Kim thinks its something like primordial energy given that they don''t seem to affect the sand. Though there might be other stuff like that. Do you think one of the guides was keeping it as a pet? I ask, giving the body a prod as well. It feels like glass to the touch but its still slightly warm and very tough. Izzy thinks so, Lily nods. We also got some information from the groups that were colluding with them and each one has a different story. Some were promised positions of power in the central region, others were told stories of great items, while others were told wed be looking for a way to leave the moon. So they were just pawns to be thrown away as needed and our blue friends are the only ones left who might know something. Yes. They know something but theyve been refusing to talk. They want to strike a deal, Sophie says, joining us with a sigh. She seems tired. I couldn''t get much from them, they have good mental defenses and they set traps, if I push any harder they will die. They shouldnt have any mana, I note. No. They shouldnt. And yet they do. I''m almost certain they didn''t have any when you brought them back so maybe they have a passive thats let them in some way recover the little bit of mana they needed to set their mental traps. Maybe it''s just a trait that makes them resistant to mental attacks, one that might not need mana to operate. That sucks. Were going to hit the storm In a few hours and the guides can''t change the trajectory. Even if they could, it''s too late. I poke the marauders corpse one more time and stand up. Yes, they passed me the information. Did you see the new side quest? Huh? I open my notifications in surprise and sure enough, theres a new quest. Side quest:Survive Reward: ??? Beyond 3-day stay token Objective: survive. Oh, how I missed this kind of quest. After that, the room becomes too rowdy as some of the leaders start screaming at the two blue guys who simply laugh in their faces. The Dawnslayer however, is quiet, just going by his expression and behavior it wouldnt take a genius to guess that he has some kind of concentration skill. I watch as Tess kicks a few of the guys out and zaps a few more rendering the room more or less silent. She doesn''t even seem to be all that angry, its more like shed gotten stuck dealing with a particularly annoying set of kids, issued spankings, and left them sobbing quietly in the corner. [Manabreaker - lvl ??] [Manashroud Shaper - lvl ??] Not gonna lie, I liked their class names before and I still do. They certainly seem to be a bit more civilized than the rest of the heretics. Now that all their limbs have been restored they stand there surrounded by others, and yet they don''t seem worried, hell theyre even smiling. On the other hand, Lily has much shorter hair now, and while I can''t see it at the moment, I think she also sacrificed a body part for more mana. She probably used [Sacrifice] to keep her mana topped up, just in case she needs it. I''m Dravos and this is my brother Drekar, what''s your name, crazy human? One of the blue ones says, introducing himself; they look nearly identical to each other. Does it matter? Just tell me what you want. I thought wed show some respect to each other. As fellows who walk the path of mana. Sure. So how did you mess with my anchor? Someone from the people around us mumbles, We do not have time to... but gets interrupted by Biscuit who woofs at him in a warning. That makes the man shut up immediately and his expression as he looks at Biscuit seems to be full of fear. Dravos lifts one hand and flicks his fingers, bringing my attention back to him, Your anchor functions on a fixed resonance within your mana spectrum, directly linked to your signature. A slight adjustmentmodifying the mana field around it to disrupt that resonanceis all it takes. Another hand gestures to his brother, Drekar, who nods. We calibrated the surrounding mana flow to dampen the anchors resonance. Not enough to shatter ityoud detect thatbut just enough to destabilize the connection. A minor phase alignment shift, and... well, we had a pleasant surprise waiting for you. Dravos grins, his eyes glinting with amusement. Of course, its much harder when you''re dealing with someone as skilled as you, crazy human. But we couldnt resist the challenge. So you just disrupted it slightly without breaking it. Crazy human, it''s not that simple. But that''s what you did, right? Yes, but... Got it. So what did you want to say? The two brothers look at each other, just as confident as before. We want to live, obviously, Dravos says. Drekar nods and says, Dying in this shithole wasnt part of the plan, and your group seems to be the one in charge. So we have an offer for you. Smoothly following his brothers words, Dravos joins in. Just say it, I demand, challenging them. So impatient. We were like that once, brother. Not as much as him. No, not as much, but we can understand. Yes, we can, Dravos turns back to me with a big smile, This place is called Mana Desert. Do you know what its purpose is? No, I answer honestly. I have ideas, but nothing I can be sure of. His brother spreads all four of his arms wide and announces theatrically, There are five unique Containment Arenas, also known as Containment Cells, within the Astral Prison. Each one is distinct, designed specifically to restrain a powerful being. Dravos continues, The Mana Desert is also one of these placesa solitary confinement celland were currently approaching the Champion it holds. Chapter 440: Arrival at the destination Chapter 440: Arrival at the destination Looking at the two before me, I take a step and grab one of my manabloc chairs. Lately, I have been testing longer-lasting mana constructs with quite a bit of success. The chairs still holding strong even a few days later. There are a few small pieces missing though, mostly on the legs. Almost as if something had taken a few snake mouth-sized bites out of it. I plop into the chair, cross my legs, and over at the thylarin duo. What should I do with them? I promised to hold Tess to her promise but I could probably beat them up a bit. The way theyre acting is pissing me off. Whos the prisoner? Tess asks instead, and I decide to just lean back and listen. Meanwhile, I connect to the anchor I left in the core and send bits of my mana into it. I was able to connect the anchor with some controls, but it''s an extremely weak connection even after the hours Ive spent on it. Just enough for me to take care of some of the less important functions. It''s a thylarin Champion. We were Candidates to become his disciples, so he should recognize us. You have to realize that it will be better to keep us alive, his brother joins in. They have very similar voices, even their bearing is similar. I can also sense they have a bit of mana. It somehow replenished slightly during the time they were here. Theres no way they should be able to ignore whatevers keeping us from regenerating mana here. If they speak the truth and this whole area is a trap for the Champion, what chance would these two, or I, have to ignore it? I think you overestimate yourselves and the Champion. Hes probably been left here without any mana or a method to restore it and leave for a reason, Tess snaps, refusing to let the matter go. That much is true, but we intend to leave this moon, and people like our Champion might be our only choice. Surely such a person would be thankful if... Whats he here for? Tess interrupts him without a blink. Hes here just because he got just a bit too carried away with experimentation. Dravos waves it off. Seeking knowledge should never be grounds for punishment. But why do you care, lightning human? Youre here for a reason just like the rest of us, the same goes for your group and the crazed human over there. Drekar says, pointing at me. I did nothing wrong, I say defending myself. Sure, none of us did, crazy human, we were all just unlucky. So lets cut to the chase, what do you say lightning human? The Champions prison is hidden but we know the way. Drekar says, pointing at the center of the storm If we enter now we should be able to outlast that storm but we need to get there before it reaches us. That part he says louder, his intentions clear. He just wants to make sure as many passengers hear it as possible, to put more pressure on us. Well, thats kind of pointless. I would rather throw all the passengers one after another into that white sand than let them decide my fate. So what was the plan? In a nutshell. I ask. We befriended a guide. The one you killed, crazy human, he was a nice guy we met in Last Rest. He also had that interesting monster from Mana Desert for a pet. A cute, if deadly thing. You could say it all came together. Him and us meeting... They continue to talk, one filling for the other while they maintain their bearing. The duo certainly seems a bit twisted in the head. The guide, like us, was always intrigued by the secrets of Mana Desert and rumors about the trapped Champion. You could say he was obsessed with it. He was a bit crazy, but he was still a fine guy, he even paid for the drinks once, do you remember brother? Yes, he did. So we found the coordinates. A message in a bottle cast out into the world by our Champion. He was always a smart guy. A terrifying guy. He was indeed. Truly the finest of Champions. Hes been trapped there for a hundred years, enough time to start corroding the locks of his prison. Our guide friends pet was proof. Dravos says, gesturing at the corpse of the monster, Each monster from the area seems to have coordinates hidden in their bodies. "A message in a bottle." And your passive? You know how it works, right? I told you already. Are you really so eager to beat me up? It said something about external force, right? Just in case, I read the description again. Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic) -The user''s body passively channels mana from the reservoir into their kinetic responses, creating a feedback loop that adapts to physical impacts or nearby bursts of kinetic energy. When struck or near a powerful source of it, their body can absorb the kinetic energy and store it as mana. It says that, but I havent gotten it to work yet. If it activates during the thunderstorm, it could end up badly for all of us without the field of Deathtrap. Well, worst case scenario, we just have to beat you up for a few days. Maya smiles. Tsk. I knew she was still holding a grudge for the way I treated her back on the 1st floor. I bet she would love to help out with my passive that way. With the amount of mana we need, you would need to beat me for weeks. Sorry to disappoint. Though, that might not be all that disappointing for them. Could that prisoner really help? If we shared our mana with him? Min-Jae asks, looking at me as he turns away from his examinations of my barrier. Sophie responds with a question of her own, Are we sure we want to be left at his mercy? I can see that Tess, like everyone else, finds herself deep in thought. Shes playing with her hair, coiling it around her finger before letting go and then doing it again. Shes always been like that, right down to her absent-minded expression when she gets caught up in thinking about a problem. In the end, she stands up, having made her decision, We don''t have many options. We will survive the storm first. We can''t avoid it so we may as well let Deathtrap land at the palace we expect to find the Champion. Then we can see if we cant gain a bit more information and think things over before we decide to make contact. Got it. Ill head back over to the backup core. Leaving the rest to them, I reclaim the mana from the barrier and leave the room. Thirty minutes pass as I get deeper into the control systems of Deathtrap, the guide helping me as much as he can without going kaboom. All while the horizon grows darker, as sand continues to pummel the sides of the ship. White grains of sand bouncing off the protective fields and metal plates. Any other time, it would look pretty, but I know just how deadly they can be. We evacuate parts of the ship and I redirect the reserves into the places weve gathered the passengers with the help of the guide who takes more direct control of mana, while I feed the engines fighting to reach our destination before the storm hits us. The other guide in charge of defenses barely has any time, constantly locked in his own control room, struggling to keep the field active. As the edge of the storm hits us and starts shaking the ship, its all I can do to keep the defenses and engines supplied. I even send some of my mana through in addition to the reserves in the core. The guide in charge of defenses sets them to their maximum, muttering that we won''t be able to survive if the storm hits us at full force. Hes speaking through the communication systems in the control panels. A worse version of Sophies constructs. As the ship tilts even more, the rust starts falling off its metal walls. The tilt is noticeable now and the creaking sounds like someone squeezing an empty can. Then the guide in control of our defenses dies. His last scream having been picked up by the control panels connections, his guards likely meeting the same fate. A thought about what must have caused his death immediately comes to mind, and I can''t help but chuckle. This surprises the vyssari who is still in the room with me, along with a few of his men - the same number of guards as the recently-dead guide. Deathtrap then nosedives, people, and furniture flying all over the place. The contraptions creaking increases and the storm raging outside sounds more intense and the sky has gone dark, but at the same time, a light shines through, reflected by trillions of grains of white sand. Like a waterfall, sand washes over Deathtrap, and then even that little light disappears, only to be replaced with pure darkness. Darkness and quiet. The sounds of the storm disappears as if it had never existed and then Deathtrap hits the ground, its metal plates screeching against the rock of the surface until it crashes again slamming into something we cant see and coming to a full stop. Then the engines turn off, the vibrations and sound that were so ever-present wane away, to be replaced with silence while Deathtrap creaks deafeningly and tilts over, collapsing onto its side with a loud thump that shakes through the frame. All movement stops. We have arrived at our destination. Chapter 441: Thats what I want Chapter 441: That''s what I want I send some mana into the defenses to maintain the field, and climb through the hallway on the crashed Deathtrap up to the deck of the tilted ship. (Stay inside,) I tell everyone through the link with the rest of Group 4. Eventually, I reach them, still inside the ship, though theyve positioned themselves further back, watching the others stare into the darkness. Someone uses an item, and it flies through the door and lights up the area, throwing moving shadows on what appears to be a rocky wall. A cave leading down, into a vast, deep tunnel. A few more skills or items follow, illuminating the place further and further with powerful lights in all shades, from yellow, to white, blue, and red. The old and rusty ship has crashed against the rocky surface of the cave, and its stalled engines leave the place eerily quiet with the sound of the storm totally blocked off by the walls around us. I want to examine the entrance we must have passed through to get here, but I can''t see it from where I am. Dravos also watches the other passengers, and I notice the broad smile that takes over his expression when some of them start exiting the ship. There doesn''t seem to be any white sand, and some probably dont even know the truth of its nature. I can understand their sense of security and curiosity, but there is a reason Ive kept the defenses running. As somewhere around two dozen people exit, reaching the rocky ground below they die. The small amount of white sand that landed on Deathtrap, that weve managed to bring with us reacts to their mana. The tiny white grains move and swirl as they step on them. Just the smallest hint of white dust on the wind. Something you could even miss in the low light. As the screams fill the pitch-black darkness of this place, Dravos smiles even wider and turns to me, Isn''t it amusing to watch, crazy human? These people whove been hiding and cowering inside of the SDAT until now, crawling out in a spurt of bravery and curiosity. Feeling safe, newly confident with the change in the environment and the quiet of this place. His brother is the same, and both of them, Im sure, theyve reached the 2nd stage of their subclass: Adept of Pride, much like me. Its something I can feel, the same way they can feel my Pride. The second stage allows us to recognize our fellows. I''ve already met a few people like that, having spoken to them in passing or walking among people Ive seen back in Last Rest. Yet, this duo in front of me seem to stand above the rest. They have the same confidence in their abilities that I often find in myself. The next person to reach our group is the last surviving guide called Kallus, the one who took care of navigation. He seems tired, dead on his feet, and whereas before, when his eyes kept flitting all over the place, anticipating danger, now it seems like hes given up. There is someone else we need to worry about too, the one who killed the second guide, forcing us to seek help from the Champion. Knowing that wed need three guides to properly control the Deathtrap and that we would have to wait for the storm to disappear before attempting to leave without making contact. The mystery continues. Do Dravos and Drekar know who it is? Is the person responsible for cooperating with them even though they tried to run away before and leave them behind? Or maybe they just dont know, and they have their reasons. Itd have to be someone who can avoid my detection and Sophies web. Someone with the capacity to kill the people we had protecting the guide with little to no effort. I already have my suspicions about who may be behind it all, but for now, Ive decided to let it be. To see where this takes us. How did the other guide die? I ask Kallus. Sitting on the ground, his back resting on what used to be the floor, he looks at me, Different from before. They probably used a blunt weapon or unarmed strikes, every person was killed with one strike. Stay near me, I tell him, and he just nods. Even though it''s probably not needed, I share the information through the link and head towards the hatch that once led to the deck. Now that Deathtrap lies on its side, it is almost like a normal door. The field still stretches a bit further, and we have plenty of space to maneuver before we find ourselves in danger. Down below, I can see the bodies of the poor naive fools who decided to leave. I then take another step and make myself float, pushing myself through the air on waves of kinetic energy, proceeding in short, tightly controlled, bursts to make the experience as smooth as possible. Scanning the area for white sand, I pass through the field and look around, sending my senses outward like a wave crashing against the walls. A massively long tunnel winds its way deeper into the ground, leading ever downwards. And I can''t sense its end even with the extended reach of my enhanced senses. The people of the system really seem to like building massive structures, isnt there supposed to be a phobia for that? Megalophobia I think it was? Creating a few thermal orbs and making them as bright as possible, I place them around the ship and the tunnel, the resulting lights golden hue doing its part to illuminate the place. As expected, I find walls, roughly hewn from the stone around us. There are no smooth edges, no inscriptions, no sign that any part could have been the work of a skill. And then theres the fact that theres no white sand, other than what we managed to bring with us, in small piles sliding from the deck to land on the rocky surface below. It isn''t even touching the ship, nor is it anywhere close especially with the angle, It really only accounts for a few small grains. It seems like it should be fairly easy to avoid if we use a different place to exit and check for more sand first. The hole left by the main cores explosion immediately comes to mind. Its patched up, but it should be possible to open it back up. With that checked, I turn off the backup core from my current location, and the mana being supplied to the field dries up, leaving the field to flicker and dissipate, to the sound of a few screams from within the ship. I share my thoughts with Tess through the link, and she likely passes it along. To Dravos, Drekar, to the black chainmail Dawnslayer guy Famir, and to the remaining guide Kallus. I then spend a bit longer flying around the ship, watching carefully for more of the white sand, and when I''m done, I return. Just in time to see the tired guide in the same spot, face buried in his hands. He shakes his head, Still nothing. I nod in acknowledgment, and when the grains of sand stop moving, I lift into the air and lower myself closer. Then I blast a bigger pile of sand with kinetic energy, which makes it fly into the air before returning to the ground. And once again we confirm that the sand doesnt react to primordial energies. I find a few tiny, separated pieces and send a whiff of my mana towards them, causing them to immediately charge and fly towards me. I send a blast of kinetic energy at them, but this time they ignore it and pass through as if I hadnt done much of anything. Three small grains circle around me a few times, piercing my leg, and belly, burrowing tiny tunnels clean through my flesh and bone no matter how I try to defend against them. Body strengthening using mana? Nope. Kinetic strengthening? Nope. Disrupting mana? Nope. Resonating mana? Nope. Having had enough of tiny grains burrowing through me, I fly away from them much faster than they can follow, nearly a few lengths of Deathtrap before they start swirling in a confused fashion. It takes them longer to lose their charge and land this time. It would seem that they can charge themselves with mana from my body when they pierce the skin. I activate my passive to heal myself as I fly back only to meet the others where I left Min-Jae. Some of the passengers are milling around, ready to leave Deathtrap. Far away from the white sand, and I see some of the larger groups, already heading deeper into the tunnel. Group 4 is there with the remaining guide, two thylarin, a few of the other groups weve teamed up with, and Heryd, the vyssari who guarded me with his group while I was working in the room with the backup core. Tess is dealing with some last-minute stuff, but shell be back soon. Weve decided to join up with some of the smaller groups. That way theres no need to take care of a bunch of assholes who just want to hide behind us, Sophie informs me, while I nod and pull my manabloc chair over to have a seat. Its the same one I created a few days ago, still holding strong, with a few more snake-mouth-sized bite marks on the legs. POV Famir Do you want me to kill the other guide as well? I ask the woman standing in front of me. There is no need, she shakes her head. Even though [Suppression] blocks my emotions, I feel a hint of curiosity, so I decide to ask, Why did you want the guide dead? She doesnt even seem to mind, For my group. Thats confusing, Doesnt doing this put them in more danger? She nods. Yes, it will. But it will also allow them to shine more brilliantly. I dont understand. Its fine, you dont have to. Just follow my orders, and we can continue our little alliance when we reach the central region. Understood. I have another question, wont he get angry when he finds out? Nat? Im sure he already knows. At this point, my level of confusion grows even bigger. This woman, that man, their group, these two animals. I fail to grasp them at all. She seems to notice it even through my lack of expression, Arent you happy you didnt decide to help the thylarin twins? If you had or decided to attack us before, he would have killed you by now. Theres that small smile on her face, making me question if I made the right choice in following her. From the moment I first saw her, Ive felt this unshakable pull to stay close, and Im not even sure why. Its not romantic interest or sexual attraction, Im not capable of those anymore. It''s sheer admiration for her decisiveness and strength. I didnt know I could still feel that way, but I have decided to place my bets on her to get me off this moon. Before leaving, she turns to me, glancing over her shoulder. I dont want to simply stay here just to find a way to leave. Adventure is what I want. A desperate, life-threatening adventure where everyone struggles to do their best and overcome their limits. Where my group has to rely on each other, strengthening our bonds through the dangers we face together. So that once its over we can sit side by side, talking to each other around Nats thermal orbs. We might be hurt and scarred from the dangers weve overcome, but well be happy, knowing we went through it together and survived. Maya will make her lame jokes to lift our spirits. Sophie will pat Izzys head. The twins will sit quietly together, sharing their feelings. Nat will pet Biscuit on his lap and will train with his orbs while Kim and Lily try to show off in front of him. Meanwhile, Noodle will keep nibbling on Nats chairs in secret. And I will watch it all, happy to know Im part of it. That''s what I want. And with that, she turns and leaves with a mysterious smile on her face, the lightning of her crown lighting the way. Chapter 442: Something real like that Chapter 442: Something real like that Flashback - Tess Hansen The tall blonde girl patiently listens to her mom, who is yelling. There are a few bruises on her face, but her mom dismisses them as she always does. Too focused on insulting the girl, as her shrieking grows louder and louder. Theres no point in explaining, no point in making justifications, the girl knows. Her mom just wouldnt understand. You will stay locked in your room until I say you may leave. And I swear to God, Tess, if you get in another fight at school, I dont know what I will do! And with these words her mother leaves, slamming the door behind her. She doesnt wonder why her daughter fought. Even before, when Tess tried to explain, her mother wouldnt listen. She didnt seriously believe that her pretty blonde daughter might be the victim of bullying at the hands of other girls in her class. Constantly picked on for her height, which left her towering over her seniors. For her, it was just kids being kids. Blondezilla, Tess whispers and giggles. Her new nickname, a gift from one of the girls abusing her. Already sure it will spread through her class by tomorrow, Tess lies on her bed and touches the bruise on her cheek. Even then, she cant help her satisfied smile; the other girls ended up worse. After checking the clock, Tess sits down on the soft, expensive-looking rug and leans against the floor-to-ceiling window of her apartment, pressing her face against the glass. As she usually does at this time, she notices a group of five young people, gathered in the park below. Two girls are sitting on one of the benches while three boys loiter nearby. The girls are speaking with one of the boys while the others seem to be joking about something or other, gesturing wildly as they do. That small group of 5 meet there after school every day, no matter the weather. Even when the weather sours, they simply hide under the small gazebo nearby. Tess has watched them time and again throughout her many groundings. Shes seen them fight and make peace. She saw one of the boys crying as his friends provided comfort. Shes seen them having fun together time and again as they come and go from this small place theyve made their own. It always fascinated her. Just how might it feel to have people to rely on? How could they stay friends when they were screaming and fighting just a few days ago? What could the girl have said to leave the boys wracked with laughter for minutes at a time, at least until she took offense and started kicking them? Why did they come out despite the heavy storm, drenched to the bone, giggling nonetheless as the weather left them sneezing under the gazebo, only to separate for a few days, likely sick with a cold? She never experienced something like that. The things she read about in books or saw in movies, the kind where groups of people went on adventures together. Fought together, mourned their dead companions, suffering to the point of total exhaustion all to finish some grand quest. Persevering, even when everything seemed lost, as they pushed themselves to accomplish their goal. Theyd meet up afterward, sharing something no one could take away from them. A great adventure no one else could understand, an experience unique to those who had been there. Just once in her life, she wanted to feel something real like that. POV Nathaniel The blue brothers try to run away from us. The dumbasses try to teleport. The assholes forget how easily they messed with my anchor. The douchebags end up in a similar state to me. Using kinetic energy, I get ahead of Group 4, and moments later reach the blue brothers strung out on the ground, their bodies torn, and bleeding as their bones peek through ragged holes in their flesh. Fuck, crazy human, you got us this time. How the hell did you do something so nasty to our skill without us noticing? Even we werent so evil when we messed with yours. There, I interrupt them, You redirected it into the white sand. As if we could! We just made it so your anchor would burst open, its endpoint just happened to leave you there. I watch them squirm for a moment. Nearly starved of the mana theyve managed to collect over the past few hours, likely the work of some passive or other. I''m still curious about that, but they refuse to tell me. One of them, Dravor or Drekar, looks at me, At least say something, crazy human. Something. ... It''s just a theory, but we think it forms a localized energy field that can mask the associated aspect and create phase interference to disrupt an aspect when it makes contact with the surface. So [Mana Mantle] would help with masking your mana and disrupting external mana sources that come into contact with it? Thats just our theory, based on some unreliable rumors we''ve heard. Crazy human, you really love to simplify things. I throw a few more stones at them in response, and then we wait for the rest of the groups to catch up. We move ahead a few minutes later, after taking a moment to plan and for Lily to restore the bodies of our thylarin prisoners. This time though I notice shes missing a finger. The rocky tunnel is still giant, and at this point, I think it might be actively expanding. Even so, its still tilted downward, so we head deeper underground, surrounded by the pitch-black darkness lit only by our skills and items, our steps and voices sounding awkward in this dark, quiet place. Tunnels, why do we always find ourselves in tunnels? The ant tunnels, the tunnels under the old capital, the tunnels on the 3rd floor, and thats without getting into the bunkers. Nearly everything cool so far has been buried underground. And this time, there might even be a good reason. After walking a few miles deeper, I start thinking that this Champion was either trapped here by an Absolute, who spent a few minutes doing this, or by a group of high-level people who had to have spent weeks or months preparing this place. The sand is still a mystery, and Im of the opinion that an Absolute made it, Though I could imagine a highly motivated Champion being capable of the feat. And I already have a few ideas on how to make use of it. Which Im stealing from the others speaking through our link. (Or maybe Nat could melt the white sand with thermal energy. It doesnt seem to trigger the effect, and if he turns that sand into a glass or something else, it could be usable,) Min-Jae blabbers excitedly. Its well along the lines of something I already thought of. Yup. I did. Long ago, even before we learned about the Mana Desert. Min-Jae continues, (I would love to use it for my projectiles. Maybe we could try to use one of the plates on Deathtrap, bend it, and store sand inside of it before sealing it up, air tight. We could come up with ideas to use it later or just use it as bombs against people, opening and throwing it into strong monsters.) Dennis giggles, (Or you could go nude and focus on physical stats while covering your body with armor infused with white sand.) (Wouldnt that hurt you as well?) Aaron asks. (Maybe?) (I want to make a golem out of it with the Golem heart,) Sophie suggests, gesturing at the piece of clay comprising the damaged arcane item she currently holds. (Fuck, that would be scary,) Dennis comments, mirroring my thoughts. (There is still the question of whether or not we even can bring it out of the desert,) Tess muses, throwing a damper on our excitement as she points ahead, continuing out loud, We have a few dozen dead coming up, people from Deathtrap. One of the thylarin brothers laughs out loud, his eyes shining in the light of my orbs. Once again a little bit of mana has managed to collect inside of their bodies. They hoped to find treasures, items belonging to the Champion sealed here with him, perhaps they were seeking an array that would take out of this place, maybe they thought they saw an opportunity to free the Champion and win his favor, Dravos says, his smile never leaving his face. Drekar continues where his brother left off, but he isnt smiling, But they will find nothing. This isnt a normal prison. This place only serves one purpose. To keep the Champion here and kill him should he try to leave. I may not have told you, humans, Dravos says, casually stretching with a glow in his eyes, but if so much as a single speck of white sand touches the Champion, the entire Mana Desert will rush in to kill him. Isn''t that something? This looks like more of a punishment than anything else. To even think of locking the Champion in this place. Leaving him to starve, unable to use his powers. Just how would it feel for someone like a Champion? Anyone who reaches that rank is a powerful person who must have spent years and years developing themselves. Yet there he is. Crippled, stripped of his mana, and surrounded by layers and layers of defenses designed specifically to kill him. So would you stay in and endure, with the futile hope that someone would find a way to help you escape? Or would you try to free yourself at the risk of ending it all? Well, its an interesting thought if nothing else. Its also good that Ive managed to trap a single grain of white sand inside of my body, constantly charged and moving, damaging anything in its path, piercing my flesh while my passive heals me and my kinetic energy moves in a constant struggle to keep it contained. All in an attempt to examine it further. Just that single grain of sand is enough to cause no end of trouble. Even two would be too much to contain, requiring all of my attention. But at the same time, its good to have it here. If the Champion tries anything funny, I can at least make sure he goes down with us. Chapter 443: Welcome Chapter 443: Welcome The passengers Tess [Farsight] spotted were killed by a hoard of monsters that seems to have surrounded us as well. Tiny bug-like things that cling to the walls and spread an invisible poison through the air. It''s powerful enough to slowly kill people approaching level 200 and even over it if you stay longer in it or if it''s more concentrated. At first, you only feel a bit lightheaded; later, you start having trouble breathing, and by the end, you find your lungs have been paralyzed and now you cant breathe. Sure, your enhanced body will allow you to survive a bit longer given its reduced need for air, but between that and your knowledge of whats to come, it only serves to prolong your suffering. Tess and Min-Jae work with the other groups to kill these monsters from a distance, while others hang back and disperse the poisonous clouds with wind based abilities, reducing the potential for harm through dilution. And so we continue. A group of 30 people or so, all making their way deeper underground to meet this shut-in Champion whos apparently been here for the last century. Step by step, we keep finding more and more corpses belonging to the other passengers. We eventually start seeing other groups head back the way we came, rushing to get back to the Deathtrap and the cave we started in, either in an attempt to fix the old and rusty SDAT or to hide while they wait for us to do all the work. They cant move Deathtrap though, not even a bit. There is not a single speck of mana remaining in the core, and all the important rooms are closed off. Heavy metal-plated doors sealing the entrances. Especially after the emergency shutdown the remaining guide and I triggered. Im also dead certain that the monsters will just be waiting there as well. The slope of the tunnel starts increasing at a steady rate as it grows ever wider, despite already being wide enough to accommodate a large building within its walls. Like tiny sparks of light, our orbs and items fly through the air, throwing light on just small pieces of it, unable to light it entirely because of the sheer size. I have a theory, I think the reason its so wide is so that more sand can rush in. The thylarin brothers said a grain of sand could easily trigger the extermination protocols if the Champion were to make contact, but I cant help but think there would have to be another way to trigger it. What if the Champion left his cell? Or figured out a way to use mana somehow? I know thats how I would go about it if I wanted to trap something so powerful. Walking even deeper, we find a group of 20 people, all dead, each one sliced into dozens of pieces. The cuts are extremely smooth and clean, and it looks like it all happened at once. I keep my orb floating over the bodies and create another, moving it a bit further down the corridor before taking a seat. The others follow my lead, observing from a distance and trying to discern the cause of the carnage before us. I sense Izzy and Sophie seeking out any living beings. Tess is scanning with her eyes and Min-Jae uses his eye, seeking out any shifts in the local gravity. He said that everybody should have the tiniest gravitational field, so he should be able to see it with his yellow eye. He hasnt been able to do it yet, but he keeps trying nonetheless. Were all going to die down here. The guide cries plopping down on the ground next to me. His face still bears an expression of exhaustion, tiredness, bags under his eyes, messy hair. Want to try to fly Deathtrap? I ask him curiously. We cant. He says, resolutely shaking his head and burying his face in his hands. The SDAT was made like that on purpose. Yes, for a while, you can control it with two people, maybe one, but then the ship starts its checks, and if there arent three people at the controls, it will stop flying. Could you modify it? Given a few weeks? Probably yes, but actually no. I cant talk about it any more, but if I tried to modify it, I would die. Worst case, Ill take care of it, I shrug my shoulders. That doesnt solve our problem with mana. Yup, you are right. Our conversation ends with that, and I go back to looking for whatever killed the other passengers. Unfortunately, Tess beats me to it. Threads, there are spider-like threads stretched out across the tunnel and more below. By way of demonstration, she reaches out with her [Psychokinesis] and grabs a severed leg. She lifts it up and to the right, at which point it splits in two, cut by an impossibly thin and strong thread, almost without resistance. At least thats what I think is happening. Though that does beg the question, what if someone with a very high constitution or high levels of body strengthening tried to walk through, would they be able to tear these threads apart? Logically, it should be possible. I watch as they find the thread closest to us and test different stuff against it. They try cutting into it with a weapon, and most of the time the weapon loses, the only thing that seems to work without damaging the items are weapons of mid epic and higher rarity. Disruption skills dont work either, of course, the threads clearly werent made with mana. You cant even sense them with mana senses. Fire seems to work well against them, it just needs to be concentrated a bit and the thread will burn. A serious weakness, but understandable. We loot the bodies for anything worthwhile and continue deeper. Nothing changes. Around half of the expedition turns around to leave. Those that stay are the members of group 4, Dravos, Drekar, Kallus, Heryd with some of his group, and Famir along with the bulk of his. Lets continue, Tess says, her calm voice ringing out in the darkness, just before she jumps into the air, leaping over several other members of our expedition. She lands gently in front of everyone, on the narrow bridge that is now invisible. Just a small deviation, and she would be falling down. Silence reigns. I can fly, Tess can fly. There are dozens of ways to survive this. I remind myself of that once more. But something feels off. Everyone here is either approaching level 200 or well over. So why did those people just fall? Why werent their reflexes quick enough to grab the bridge? How could that happen when they can bulldoze through most buildings. Hell, some of them could probably destroy entire cities. And yet they still managed to fall from the bridge? Something touches my feet again, it feels like a wave washing over my feet, like a myriad of snakes crawling over my legs. Everyone seems to be feeling the same sensations too, some swing their weapons at whatever it is. They hit nothing. We continue to walk much slower, everyone takes step after step, feeling for the edge before committing to a step. Our progress slows to a crawl, but we continue all the same. Tess refuses to tell us how far we have to reach the end, so with no other choice, we walk. No one else falls, and we reach the opposite side of the bridge. Having finally reached the other side, we turn to look back the way we came, the darkness has retreated back under the bridge which still stands, just as solid as before. I etch that view into my memory. A narrow stone footbridge lit by my orbs, and the darkness below, the pitch black depths looming as if they were waiting to consume the light. We turn our backs and continue. There are no more monsters, no doors, no traps, and like that, we reach the center of this place and light it as much as possible. Once again we find ourselves on a massive platform, surrounded by the same darkness as before. We throw a few stones into it. They fall for 20 seconds just like they did before, only to be swallowed by the silence. We cross that darkness on another footbridge, this time much shorter. Only a tenth of the one from before. No one dies this time. The platform is extremely big and circular. The surface is made of a dark blue metal leaning towards black. Its extremely smooth, there are no cracks, no imperfections. It almost looks alien. The platform has three bridges branching off into a series of different tunnels, including the one we used. Its likely that there were three entrances we could have taken - and the Deathtrap happened to fly into the closest. In the exact center of the platform is a massive, perfectly round hole cut cleanly into the metallic surface. The edges are unnaturally smooth and precise as if they had been made by something far beyond anything we know. The sides are smooth and polished, plummeting straight down, its depths seeming to rival the height of a fifteen-story building. We can see the bottom, where the light reflects faintly off the same alien material, giving it an unsettling, mirrored look. And there sits a single man, his back resting against the wall. Hes looking up. Not just in an effort to see out of the hole either, hes looking straight at us even before we look over the edge. The man has blue skin, but this thylarin has six arms, instead of the normal 4. Or he would''ve, were 5 of them not reduced to a set of short stumps poking from his white clothes. He smiles at us and waves his remaining hand. Welcome, he says, his voice calm and oddly soothing. Chapter 444: Lord Champion Chapter 444: Lord Champion "If you truly understood what this place was, you wouldnt be standing so close to the edge," the Champion states in warning. Something in his voice that makes all of us instinctively take a half step back. He continues, "Youre not the first to visit. The others... well, lets just say they were less interesting." A wry smile dominates his face as he manages to look casual despite sitting trapped in a hole. Theres something about his voice, about that confidence that makes me nervous, but I seem to be in a better state than the others. Ive met people much more powerful than the man down there. Even so, I must never underestimate him. Not even for a moment. His current state might be similar to Niall''s when I met her, they may have crippled him before throwing him in that hole. But, given the smallest opportunity, he would be more than capable of killing us all. Do you remember us, Lord Champion? We were candidates to be your disciples, Dravos shouts, stepping before me and pulling his brother closer. The Champion''s eyes move over them for a short moment before he smiles gently and continues in the same soothing voice, Dravos and Drekar, right? Your father was a Champion candidate before he died. Yes! It''s an honor you remember someone as low as us! Drekar responds, seeming excited, We have come here to offer our services should you require them. As you can imagine, it was a difficult journey. I appreciate your efforts, young Dravos and Drekar, but who are the people youve with you? We are the ones who got pulled into all of this when these two were trying to reach you, Tess says, interrupting the brothers. The thylarin''s eyes glance at her crown before settling on her face, And what is your plan, young human? We have been stranded by a storm. In the meantime, we have decided to check our options. Am I one of these options? Yes, and I hope you understand. It''s something we need to think about with care, we can''t make any moves before we know the risks. He nods, What if the brothers have decided to help me on their own? I will stop them. Just you? It would be my decision, and in the event you escape anyway, I would like to be the sole bearer of your wrath. As Tess says these words, I know she means them. They carry that peculiar undertone of a [Declaration]. The Champion tilts his head, the faintest flicker of amusement crossing his face, as though Tesss bold statement stirred something in him. Theres a tension in the air, a quiet reminder of the power he holds even in this state. His eyes linger on Tess just a moment longer before he finally speaks, Im curious, young human. What do you see when you look at me? Do you see a prisoner, or something more? Are you not a prisoner? I watch him carefully as Tess asks, looking for any sign of annoyance as she responds with a question of her own rather than answering his. I find none. I am, indeed, he smiles at her. But young human, you are not the first to come here. Some wanted my help, others wanted my knowledge and guidance. Sometimes, out of boredom, I have fulfilled these requests. And yet here I am. So you dont think we can get you out? Im afraid the two brothers, as charming as they are, lack the means to release me. But within your group, there are a few who have a small chance of achieving it - with my guidance, of course. And you wont tell us who they are? I wont. I apologize. Then allow us to talk among ourselves before we decide our next steps. Do as you wish, young human. He says, leaning back, his movements unhurried, as if this conversation were merely a passing amusement. As we walk away from the hole, dragging the thylarin brothers behind us, the Champion calls after us, "Its amusing, really, watching people make the same mistakes over and over, but perhaps you will be different?" He then laughs shortly and quietly. The meaning of these words stays behind with him. Soph (Hell, group 4) - I keep checking just in case, but I don''t think hes using mind manipulation or anything. By the way, Nat, did you notice anything about how weird that hole is? StrongestOne (Hell, group 4) - even I thought it felt weird! Sset (Hell, group 4) - for now, well be using the Community to speak. There is a limit and some information might get censored, but consider our link compromised. I don''t know how he could pull it off, but we shouldn''t underestimate him. Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - thatsounds like a good idea! NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - how do you like the 6th floor so far? NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - hes probably had his ass kicked in a few times by now. NotDennis (Hell, group 4) - surely Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - Gary is doing some scary stuff again, Im just enjoying the view. I might just hire him as a bodyguard once I start building my kingdom. NotAaron (Hell, group 4) - oh? Not building your harem anymore? Brainiac (Hell, WhiteWing) - maybe during the second tournament. I''m kind of a big shot, am I not? I did place well in the tournament duels after all. In an effort to conserve my time, I disconnect from the Community, reconnecting with group 4 with one last boost of kinetic energy. Tess is there already, telling others that they shouldn''t be sleeping right now, and making sure to emphasize the potentially terrifying consequences of doing so. I watch as everyone listens to her, and supported by Famir and Heryd, she doesn''t seem to have much difficulty getting them to step in line. Even the thylarin brothers agree the only problem seems to be our last guide who only seems to want to lie down and sleep, but even he takes it seriously refusing to fall asleep. I, meanwhile, survived 2 weeks without sleep, and it went quite well. Although the exhaustion and constant training towards the end, caused me to forget that I had lost a few limbs along the way, but other than that, it wasn''t so bad. Knowing what needs to be done, I reach Maya and tap her shoulder, distracting her from her conversation with Sophie. Are you still up for giving me a beating? At that, her face lights up with whats probably the biggest smile I''ve ever seen on her face. In the end, I end up calling in the twins to help, thinking they might be eager to get some revenge for their treatment on the first floor. And of course, they were. So with my unique epic, our group moves to the side, and our experiments start, here in this colossal dark tunnel of a prison for the human equivalent of a hydrogen bomb, which is sitting in a hole nearby. I create batons made of mana, manabloc batons if you will, which they use to lash my thighs. I think the thigh bone is supposed to be the strongest one in the human body, so it feels weirdly logical. As I take my beating, I come to realize that it isn''t even all that painful. Sure, the blows do sting, but without access to body strengthening, they can only use the power of their bodies. Maya and Lily probably have the highest physical stats in the group, followed by Tess and the twins, then Sophie and Izzy, and me firmly in last. Maybe I still come out higher with all my free stats from Active Tempering and my use of the Restrictive Training Emblem, which I still refuse to check. There will be plenty of time to process my disappointment later. So its possible that my actual stats are on par with Tess and the twins if not just below? Maybe higher? I could ask them, but given that I refuse to check my stats, it doesn''t really make sense. To be honest, I should have realized it a bit sooner, but this unique passive of mine might be even better than I thought. And thats saying a lot considering I already thought it was pretty broken as the twins would say. It replenishes my mana, allows me to ignore physical damage from blunt force, and weakens blows when they get to be too much for the passive. How crazy is that? The fact that the word Unique appears in the description says a lot. I made this passive by combining two upper grade epics, and it was tailored just for me. A unique passive, as the name says, implies that either no one else has it, or if they do, its extremely rare. Of course, the mana isnt truly free, the source of the kinetic energy flowing through me is the bodies of my group members. Its a resource theyll need to replenish by resting and consuming food and water. But they arent using mana to do it, so in the end, I think it''s going to be worth it. It might feel like a drop in the bucket, but I want to have as much mana available as possible and I need to keep my primordial energies in my vortex core topped off as well. As we go about this, conversations continue around us, but in the end, we still decide to go back to the ship and use its sensors to get an estimate of the storms duration. And then well consider our options when it comes to modifying the ship and leaving. Dravos and Drekar do not like it, but according to the Champion, they are unable to help him get out. He might be lying though so who actually knows, still, there is no way Im going to let them free the guy. The problem is that I''m sure he can still cause a lot of trouble, even in his current state. Chapter 445: Stranded Chapter 445: Stranded Our trek across the bridge goes much the same as before - we get the same uneasy feeling and the same liquid darkness below, with something seeming to reach out and caress our feet. This time, no one dies, having experienced it before seems to have helped. It doesnt change the fact that when we cross, everyone exhales, clothes sticking to their bodies, covered in cold sweat. We reach the SDAT and kill a few monsters along the way. Spiders mostly, as they spin those thin and powerful threads. Most of them are well into the 200s and tend to be the sneaky type, preferring to trap their opponents. Their main strategy tends to revolve around the many types of threads they weave into their webs. There are, of course, the ones that can cut you apart, should you walk into them, though theyre extremely tough they dont hold up well against fire. Then there are the ones coated in a terrible toxin that rots through your skin on contact. And rarely, we encounter a thicker thread, that seems to have the sole purpose of being impossible to get rid of without cutting away any clothes and skin they come into contact with. The sticky ones also are usually the longest and tend to hang freely from surfaces, entangling you further as you struggle. [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 261] [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 269] [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 233] [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 241] [Lvl 260 > Lvl 261] For me, theyre not much trouble, and once Ive managed to locate a few early on, I know what to look for and find it trivial to snipe them down from a safe distance. The webs are a different matter. And everyone, including me, has trouble detecting them given their near transparency, there is no mana in them, and most of them are razor thin. Sophie is working on improvements to her web that should make it easier to find them, and I watch her progress eagerly, ready to steal her ideas and try to implement it into my scans. Along the way, we find a few bodies, either cut apart or rotted to mush, we even a few even tangled in the web, glued to the stone of the walls, still alive and unable to move. The web clings viciously to any and everything, and pulling it down tears flesh; burning it is even worse. The web seems to emit some strange substance when it burns, causing extreme pain. It''s an unusually nasty thing, even with our broad range of experience, we never come up with an easy way to remove it without causing even more harm. The man we free dies on our way back, succumbing to his wounds and shock, and likely whatever toxin was in the thread. We could have let Lily heal him, or she could have use [Disintegration] to destroy the web at a high cost to her mana. It''s possible I could have done something with my [Resonance] or Izzys unique application of flame and subclass could have spared the man his burns while we removed the thread. Yet we didn''t. We leave the body behind for the monsters to eat. But we don''t forget to poison it with a skill from one of Famir''s men with the hope that some of the monsters will be just dumb enough to eat it and weak enough to die from the poison. A few hours later, weve set up for another round of beating from Maya and the twins, even Tess gets a few hits in this time. It might be only me, but they seem to be getting bored of it, well, maybe except Maya, who seems intrigued, trying out a variety of techniques, and asking which ones net me the most mana. I oblige, and she keeps changing her stance, and I notice a slight difference in her attacks. Shes still only using the pure strength of her body. Sometimes she also asks me to stand up and tries to target different areas. Seeing her progress, I think some of these attacks would cause damage if she uses her mana, and if she used her [Boost], she could probably hurt me. Her [Boost] in combination with [Focus] seems to make for a great combo, not just for massive armors. Weve warned people not to fall asleep, but some already had before we got back, and we weren''t able to wake them up. They still seem to be sleeping, but its creepy. They do not shift, they breathe calmly, and they do not react to the pain or Sophie''s mind-blending efforts. The cause of their state is a mystery; we couldnt find a single hint. There aren''t many passengers left either. I think there were around 200 of us in total when we got here, and now it''s closer to 100. Yes, some went to explore underground before our small expedition went after them, but that still doesnt account for all the missing. Theyve just disappeared, no one knows where they went, and no ones brave or curious enough to go and look for them. Deathtrap is their safe haven. The old rusty Sand-Defensive Air Transport even fell on its side with a big hole in it. Its just laying there in this huge cavern that we can''t even light fully and no one can be bothered or seems to have the will to waste mana doing so. Nope, I thought of it first. I... I see. Yup, Ill either make these blue brothers prepare some forms for me and move it, or I get them to teach me how to get mana off my clothes and do it on my own, but that would still cost the mana I would need to use to stabilize my crown and leave it behind. Let me know, I would love to see how they did that. No problem. I nod. With that, Sophie continues to stare at the small piles of white sand while absentmindedly playing with the piece of clay that is Golem Heart. Nat, she calls quietly after a while. Yes? We shouldnt speak to the Champion again. Maybe we could destroy the bridge so no one can. Izzys terrified of him, and she feels like theres something else here with us. I agree with you for the most part. But let''s keep the bridge for now, just ask Tess to have someone guard the path leading to. I will. Thank you. Two days pass and no one goes too far away from Deathtrap, and that might be the only reason no one else dies. Well, other than the ones who fell asleep. The ones with the lowest levels die in their sleep; we never did manage to wake them. The cause of death is unknown. There are also more and more monsters crawling in the darkness around Deathtrap. Dozens and hundreds of monsters, patrolling in groups. Grymlok Spiders place their threads all over the place. The smaller monsters keep releasing their poisonous smoke. Were avoiding using mana as much as we can. Plenty of people with higher physical stats just throw rocks at the monsters, it tends to be enough to kill or seriously wound them. For some reason, I find it funny just how effective the primitive tactic turns out to be. I also keep getting my daily dose of beating. At this point, I think most of the passengers at least suspect what its for, but the mana I''m getting outweighs the risk of them knowing. And now, Sophie, Dravos, Drekar, Izzy, Min-Jae, the twins, Noodle, Biscuit, and I are all grouped, a good distance away from the mold we managed to prepare and fill with white sand. The mold is something Min-Jae and Tess made using their skills. A formed and twisted piece of metal. There are also a few wires of mana-conductive metal placed in between the sand that fills the form. The wires have some basic inscriptions on them, but we don''t know how much of them will survive the heat. The weapon we came up with is a spear, a long inscribed metal rod I made. At the end of that rod, sits a mold filled with sand and inscribed wire, with the purpose of forming the blade of the spear out of the molten sand. It''s the first attempt, so I don''t expect it to end well; and then there are the haters who, if they knew, would be there screaming at us for doing this in the situation we find ourselves in. They can screw off. I let out a concentrated stream of golden energy and point it at the mold. Just like all the times before, the white sand fails to react to the primordial energy, and I gradually, over the next few minutes, narrow the stream and increase the heat. The white sand slowly rises to temperature, glowing a bright, hot, red, but it takes longer than expected but it does eventually melt. It takes quite a bit of thermal energy, but at this point, it''s just too late to stop. So I continue, and over the following minutes, the sand starts melting just as it reaches a white-hot glow. The texture of the sand changes, oozing from its gritty and granular state to a more viscous and glass-like pool. Small bubbles form and pop as trapped air escapes, and more than anything, it begins to remind me of burning hot lava. My golden flames light the area, and the heat can be felt even from this distance. The final result is a pool of molten, glowing, liquid glass that shimmers in shades of yellow and white. Its at this point that I cut off the flames, and the area darkens once more without their illumination, the only light comes from the molten sand and Sophie''s lightbox. The molten white sand solidifies into glass in the form as it cools, its surface rough and irregular. To be honest, it''s ugly as hell. Mana-Reactive Spear (Upper Epic) - This spear ignores mana-based defenses and absorbs mana on impact, sharpening its edge against physical armor and barriers. It becomes progressively more effective with each moment it absorbs mana, but if pushed too far, it will shatter explosively, scattering a mist of fine, cutting particles capable of causing great harm over a wide area. But as I look at the finished weapon, I have to wonder. What would happen if I stabbed the Champion with it? Would the altered sand forming its blade activate the fail safes in this place? Chapter 446: Can you promise? Chapter 446: Can you promise? The question I have is how the spear compares to voidsteel and weapons made of it? Maybe voidsteel is a better option for physical threats and this will turn out to be a better option for mana based threats. I also feel just the tiniest bit cheated. Yes, in the moment of naivety, I had hoped for an arcane item because of the base I used. But damn, that''s kind of dumb, I still have trouble understanding the damaged arcane items I already have so I clearly should have checked my expectations. Just the fact that it''s an upper epic item, even accounting for my rushed preparations and janky methods, should be enough for me. I need to make a few hundred more of them after all of this is over. The system will probably limit me somehow, because of course it will, but I should be able to get a good number of shards out of it. Tess seems to be liking it and as she reads the description I know shes thinking along the same lines as me. This could easily be turned into a weapon of mutual destruction against the Champion. Just overcharging it or break on impact would be enough. That silly blonde doesn''t even ask and does some [Declaration] thingy and after that, she moves the spear around her, testing its weight and feel. Well, I don''t entirely mind anyways, I picked this shape specifically for her. I turn my attention to the remaining forms and charge my thermal energy again. The process goes much the same as before but knowing the melting temperature and process from before speeds the process along and soon enough we have both items completed. It likely cost me most of the mana, converted to thermal energy, that Ive gained from my beatings. Though I do wind up with two more spears. One for Min-Jae and another for me to examine. I still am not fully satisfied with the result because of one glaring mistake. The blades are made of glass that is probably tough but I don''t think it''s indestructible and if it breaks or absorbs too much mana it could end up being a danger to its wielder. Well, we here in group 4 like to live dangerously, but even with such a glaring flaw the items do qualify as upper epic. I really need to take as much as we can later. As I''m examining my weapon Min-Jae moves closer, he glances at the spear, twin to the one in his hand, and then at me. Doesn''t this entire situation remind you of something? he asks me. The tunnels under the old capital on the 4th floor? Yes, exactly that. Maybe a little bit, I agree with him, but with a part of my mind, I start making small changes to inscriptions while repairing the ones that broke during the crafting process. It''s weird to see how differently were handling things now, Min-Jae continues. To me, he sounds a bit proud of the progress. Back then these days in darkness would have been terrible and I remember how scared I was. I''m scared now too, but at the same time, I feel more confident. I pause my work for a moment, How do you think things would have gone if we had gone through the old capital with our current levels? We would have probably burned the tree to the ground. He smirks confidently. I feel amused by his answer and tell him, I think you would die. He stares at me, unblinking and I see how he squeezes the spear in his hand so I explain, You think that just because youre stronger now youd have a much easier time on earlier floors and thats partially true. You could find an easy way to clear the floor quest with your current powers. But on each floor, we went through something fucked up and our decisions made it more difficult than was necessary. Finishing up my adjustments to the spears inscriptions I turn to face him, I know hundreds of people who would have wiped the floor with me on the second floor. From the second floor, The Last King and his warrior supported by that healing aura would cause me trouble even now. The First One, The Matriarch, The Living Tree would be fully capable of killing me if I got unlucky or they got the drop on me. Even on the 5th floor, there are enemies I still know could kill me, that I would need to put my life on the line just to have a chance of defeating them. Min-Jae quietly asks, Don''t you hate it? A little, but more than that I love it. Any time I start to think I''m at the top and there is nowhere to go, someone jumps out from behind a corner to fuck me and climb over me. You may be weird but everything you say seems to have this twisted logic to it. I know, right? Was there something else you wanted? Youve probably noticed but people are starting to act weird, especially Tess and Sophie. Izzys noticed as well, you should talk to her. I... It will be fine. Will it, Nat? Yes, because I''m here. So stop. I can''t, itll get even worse. No, Izzy, I mean it. Stop. I... Just trust me. Tess will... I know. Don''t worry, Ill make sure it works out. Shes... I know, I repeat, reaching down to caress her head. Shes not my ESM but it feels nice so I add a pinch of her nose, Tess deserves some of it anyways, and I think it will help her. I think It''s cute how you try to act all adult-like and responsible, but let us dumb adults deal with things for once. Wordlessly she stares at me and I let her connect to my feelings without any defense. W-will it really be ok, Nat? Can you promise? her hands are still shaking and I can see the desperation in her eyes. Ill tell you what I told you back on the 4th floor. I can''t promise, but I will do my best. Youre still so dumb... she sobs. I hear that a lot. Tess returns an hour later. She comes to the room where group 4 is, smiling brightly all the while. The spear I made, floating behind her along with several endurium javelins. Her crown is dimmer than before and there are a score of wounds criss crossing her body. Shes missing a finger. A piece of flesh is torn away as she removes a bit of sticky web from her body. She breathes heavily, her limbs have been damaged by some attack or other. At first, everyone acts normally as she lets us tell her about everything thats happened. She listens calmly and nods, asking questions of her own and adding her thoughts and adjusts a bunch of organizational stuff. I watch the conversation continue until Sophie asks where shes been. For the first time, Tess seems to be confused and falls into silence. I don''t know, she answers honestly, the answer seeming to surprise her as well. But it doesn''t matter. In a few hours, were going out to explore the other two tunnels leading into the platform where the Champions been trapped. There might be something useful or another exit. Maybe well even find a tunnel long enough to avoid the storm and... What the fuck do you mean, Tess! It''s dangerous, were not going out on some fucked up expedition! Sophie stands up, screaming. Her mental abilities activate almost without her knowing. A feeling of fear washes over us, the barest touch on the mind. An ability capable of making a person do horrible things against their will. Tess seems confused and opens her mouth to say something but I interrupt her. Were going. The blonde''s expression quickly changes and she smiles. Thanks, Nat. she then turns to Sophie, I''m sorry if I did something you dislike. We can talk about it... As she speaks I send a message to Sophie, through her web, (Just follow through for now. I will make sure nothing happens to Izzy.) I notice her clenching her teeth but she still doesn''t complain. Ive already decided to use this situation to my advantage, theres no need to interfere yet. I just need to let things happen and poke them in the direction I want. Still, it''s obvious where Tess was and who she talked to, and sooner or later Im going to need to have another talk with that guy. Chapter 447: Do you wish to kill me? Chapter 447: Do you wish to kill me? Izzy was right, everyones emotions are being amplified and it''s fascinating to watch. Sophie steadily grows more protective of Izzy and much more aggressive toward anyone who tries to put her sister into the least bit of danger. Min-Jae is more prickly and defensive every time he finds himself in a situation that leaves him feeling like somebodys lesser. Aaron and Dennis distance themselves from the others, as they exchange a constant stream of messages. Izzy quietly endures it all while constantly glancing at me as if she needs to confirm that she still has someone to rely on. Sophie doesn''t seem to like it and her behavior towards me becomes colder. Lily looks like a puppy left out in the rain. Moving from person to person searching for warmth and then becoming quieter, her face darker as she finds her expectations crushed by group members who arent acting like themselves. Like me, Maya seems to be handling things better. She just seems a bit lost, tossing around more awkward jokes than usual, I think the [Focus] we share allows us to endure what''s happening a bit more. Famir is also an example of that. An empty expression dominates his face as the man leads his group and takes orders from Tess. As for the last members of group 4, Biscuit becomes quieter, choosing not to speak most of the time and looking around with a dark purple glow in his eyes. He even begins to growl whenever anyone tries to pet him. The cute corgi seems to be distancing himself from us as if to help himself endure and avoid placing us in further danger. A truly merciful future animal overlord. Noodle, on the other hand, does the opposite. He behaves more like Izzy and grows extremely protective of her. His smart green eyes watching anyone that comes near. And so we do what Tess wants. We head onto the platform, avoiding the hole containing the Champion and entering one of two pathways. [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 241] [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 281] [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 263] [You have defeated Grymlok Spider - lvl 231] ... Every time I see a monster over level 200 I try to kill it, my senses seem to be getting better at locating them as time goes on. Sometimes I do it quietly so they don''t blame me for stealing their kills. The twins fight on the front line with Maya and one of them gets their hand cut off by a thread Izzy shouldve burned earlier. There is some shouting as the twins blame the little girl and Sophie defends her in turn. This is a truly unusual situation, everyone seems to be on edge. Sophie even starts shouting at Tess, who stands there calmly and lets her do it. Tess then gently touches Sophies arm and apologizes, taking all the blame on herself as the leader. Tess then checks on the twins arm and asks Lily to restore it. Even Lily, affected by whatever the Champions been doing, hesitates, looking at me for a moment, seemingly reluctant to waste resources. In the end, though she gives in and restores the arm. Aaron and Dennis, noticing her hesitation, quietly leave, and I feel the constant stream of conversation between them intensify. More curious than before I watch it all go down. My sense of fascination grows as I see these people Ive known for a year or more act so out of character. Just a few days ago the relationships were so different. Everyone knows our emotions are being amplified and that seems to hold them back a little. They know the things theyre feeling now shouldnt be this intense. But these emotions aren''t fake either, merely amplified. Their true feelings being dragged to the surface for all to see. This wont end well, Famir says, pausing next to me for a moment. His face bearing that same expression of calm that I see in the mirror. Itll be fine, I respond. He examines me for a while longer, Youre being affected too, but you have a concentration type skill, why don''t you use it? I ignore his question, For now, just listen to Tess. Even if it means my death? I''m not asking that of you. While I''m here no one will die. I will cover for Tess. His eyes stare unblinking, as he searches my gaze for the truth in my words, nodding as he seems to find it, I will continue to do so. With that, he leaves to tend to his group and we push deeper. We dont find any bridges down the new path but in their place, we find a great many more monsters. Scarabs, spiders, little poisonous snakes, and something resembling wasps. Tess, even in her current state, probably realizes what''s going on with her emotions to some degree, and for some twisted reason has decided to lean into it while relying on me to take care of anything that falls through the cracks. And I will, but Ill do it my way. (Sophie,) I call, opening the private channel between myself and the green-eyed young woman. (It was Tess who got the guide killed and got us stuck here.) After that I leave the tunnel and quickly head back to the platform where the Champion awaits, I move quickly, and by the time I reach the edge of the hole hes already looking up at me. [Grimshaper - lvl ????] Hello. Hello Nathaniel, it''s nice to see you again, the thylarin smiles as he says in that same gentle voice from before. So what are you trying to get out of this? I ask, ignoring the fact he knows my name. Any number of things. But you won''t tell me? I apologize. You won''t stop? Let me ask you, Nathaniel. How many people do you think came here to speak with me other than your friend with the [Lightning Crown]? None. He smiles ever so gently, Three. Tell me, do you wish to kill me, Nathaniel? Isn''t that obvious? For laying hands on your group? For laying hand on my group, I confirm. With one smooth movement, he stands up and takes a few steps, an echo bouncing off the edges of the circular hole he is in. I have to say I never fully understood any Adepts or Masters of Pride I met. These feelings they have are so distant to me. Please, don''t take offense but in some ways, I think they tend to be very foolish. You weren''t imprisoned here alone, were you? I ask instead of reacting to his monologue. As if he were a teacher, excited to be presented with a clever question from a student he pauses and nods, They placed me here alongside my... well, you could call her my bond. Over these 100 years, I''ve put in tremendous effort to free her from containment. Im not quite done yet, but she has been partially released. So, do you want to explain your master plan to me? Not yet. Ive always found desperate people to be the most cooperative, as he says this, he speaks almost like hes tasting that last word on his tongue. You will notice your emotions cannot be trusted and eventually you will find that your sense of time cannot be trusted either. The Champion takes a few more steps and gently slides his finger across the surface of his prison. The touch is almost loving. You cannot sleep, you cannot trust the others with you, more monsters will appear, resources will dwindle and that''s when people will start turning against each other. They always do. Tell me, Nathaniel, how will you react when you see your friends kill each other in the spur of the moment? I think the question over for a moment before coming to my answer, I don''t know. The people before you weren''t very... resistant. My bond likes to play and sometimes she takes it too far. Will your little expedition be different? The darkness in the holes segregated by the sparse bridges seems to be getting even deeper as if it were reacting to his words. I can''t sense anything, no movement, no mana, no heat. Yet at the same time, it feels like a thick blanket around me, a touch that cannot be sensed but is there nonetheless. So what are you in for? The question seems to surprise him for a moment and that weird feeling disappears. For the pursuit of knowledge, he answers simply. Now go, Nathaniel. My bond will see you off. With that, the conversation is over and I stand up. As he said, I cant shake the feeling that something is watching me, and somehow the darkness under the bridge seems more alive than before. When I reach the group theyre still seated and resting, but I notice Tess has a fresh blue bruise, shining out around her eye. As if someone had punched her. Chapter 448: A deal Chapter 448: A deal Tess joins me as I take my seat off to the side, she looks back over at the rest of the group and sighs. I might have fucked up, she admits, staring at me with that massive bruise around her eye. Did you? Yes. Tell me, Nat, do you think Im a bad person? Not really, youre just a bit twisted, like everyone here. But I should have better control over myself, I should... I interrupt her then and ask, Tess, you could say Im bad with people, right? She doesnt seem to mind the interruption and after looking me over a bit she smiles, her blonde hair shining in the light on her crown. Yes. Even as bad with people as I am, Ive noticed something. Want to hear it? Its about you. Please tell me, Tess replies, gesturing for me to continue. You always talk like you want us to be a group. Companions bonded through shared danger. But Ive noticed something: You always seem to be putting yourself off to the side, instead of trying to be part of the group. I look into her gray eyes and continue, You took on this bullshit leadership role - on the 4th floor, during the tournament, all the way up til now. You always keep yourself in check, trying to give them something to look up to, so that you can lead them and make the tough decisions on their behalf. I grab a small stone and throw it at Dravos, who seems to be trying to make his way to the platform, and he stops and returns. I dont think thats entirely bad, but you take it way too far. Someone has to, Nat, and Im good at it. Oh Yeah? So killing the guide, throwing everyone in the group into danger, and getting punched by Sophie, was that all part of the plan, or did it happen because you got caught up in your feelings? I will do what I think is the best, Tess declares. So thats it, she wont be honest even now? Its almost cute to see her that way. Even so, I already have a plan in mind. Well, its okay. Do whatever you want, Tess, and dont worry about the consequences. I will take care of everything, just this once. She has held up well so far, but I can already feel that weird pressure closing in around us, and once again our emotions are starting to rise against us. Tess must feel it, but at the same time, I see hesitation. Between following her feelings and worrying about what might happen. I stand to leave, giving her one last piece of advice, I don''t think sitting on the sidelines and watching our group advance is what you want, Tess. You''ll need to give up some control to get what you''re hoping for. I think a day passes, but that turns out not to be the case. The countdown timer clearly shows that weve lost at least a day and a half. For the first time, I see the twins caught up in a fight, with Min-Jae, and punches thrown on both sides. The Korean boy apparently made the mistake of showing concern for them and invited them to join in the conversation, but Aaron and Dennis refused. Min-Jae didnt like that and decided to push the matter. There were hurtful words said, and Maya eventually had to intervene. The entire time Tess watched quietly, and our eyes met for a moment before she pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face, deep in thought. [You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 331] [You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 346] [You have defeated Inkmire Lurker - lvl 311] [Lvl 262 > Lvl 263] [Infusion - lvl 36 > Infusion - lvl 37] I went out to hunt and kill these monsters alone. The same monster that took so much effort from my group before. Im strong to begin with and higher level than anyone else here. The amplified emotions are fun to observe. The feelings I had back on the 1st floor, the emotions I felt back then, strengthened and hauled to the surface. Do I need them? Could I get more out of them if I was more ruthless? My life is being threatened by an extremely dangerous being, and I could easily escape on my own. So why do I stay? Because I can. Every day Im growing stronger and stronger. All towards my goal of keeping fuckers like the guy in the hole from being able to push me around. Before returning to the group, I stop by the hole, only to see the thylarin brothers leaving it behind. Seems like group 4 let them pass again. This is the second time in the past few days. Welcome, Nathaniel, the Champion greets me. Izzy, Min-Jae, and Sophie, they are the members of my group you think have a chance of getting you out, I say. He hesitates, seemingly surprised, but then nods with a smile. I look down at him. Why dont we make a deal? [Tether - lvl 35 > Tether - lvl 36] In the end, I think I hear a light sob, but I probably misheard, given that when Tess finally does look over at me she seems as normal as she can be. I just wanted... Yeah, I know. For a... Yes, I say interrupting again. She quietens and looks away, as if ashamed to even look at me. Do you want to know why I let so many of these things happen as I stood by and watched? I think I do, but please tell me, Nat. I may be extremely socially inept, but this time I think I did better than you, Tess. I say, not forgetting to rub a bit of necessary salt in the still fresh wound, but its no fun taunting Tess in this state, so I decide to give her a break and continue, I dont want you to sit off to the side and smile like some outside observer. It would be more fitting if you just broke down and sat with the rest of us, but in order to do that, you have to fuck up once in a while, like everyone else, you need to open up more. Tess seems to take a moment to think it over before nodding in confirmation. You arent very good at this. Right? The silence this time is a bit different. "What about you, Nat? When will you open up?" That question catches me off guard and I give it a moment of thought. "I have time," I answer and stand up. We will activate the array in a few minutes, so be ready, okay? With these words, I leave her. Stopping by Min-Jae, I gesture at the twins, What a bag of dicks, right? Then, I quietly let slip a few of the things I heard the twins say - things they definitely wouldnt want any of the girls to know. Min-Jae can decide for himself if he wants to drop that nuke. Lastly, I find our petite healer, missing both of her arms, her own body used as fuel for her healing skills. You might be worse than me, I gesture with my both still-present arms. She stares at me, and I think she may have said something rude a few days ago before our emotions calmed down. Nat, no more fucking dark tunnels after this, she says in the end. "Yes, lets try to avoid that." As a reward for enduring so well, I pinch her nose and pull, making her shake her head from side to side. I halfway expect her to growl like Biscuit. Then we collect our small group into the teleportation array. I have three spears, my damaged arcane items, containers full of white sand, and more, everything we can fit even to the point we have to squeeze together. There is no need for more words after a few days of preparations, but I can tell that most of them look nervous, unsure of what is going to happen. But not me. My crown finally flickers and disappears, all of the mana it was holding having been funneled into the core and used to power the array. The inscriptions lighting up as they burst into activity. It takes more and more of my mana as my reserves dwindle, nearly all of it gone, yet I still push and push, sharing the pressure of activation with the materials. The iron creaks, the sides melt, and the core cracks. My Mana Wavelength Iris picks up the slack, and I let part of that mana flow through my body, shaping it until I finally activate the array I wouldnt have been able to make on my own. I then make one last-second change that almost breaks the array, and a wave of mana crashes into me, causing some light damage. Then the bright light flashes, forcing me to squint my eyes. When I open them again, Im still in the cave. All the equipment gone, all my items. The array is now broken, collapsed into a molten heap as it gradually cools, the singed inscriptions letting out a dim light. Other than me only Dravos and Drekar remain, looking around in confusion. Here was a very well-hidden trap in the Champions array, set up so I would stay, but these two were supposed to escape. I collect the tiny bits of mana still floating in the air, coat my arm in it, and slash twice. [You have defeated Manabreaker - lvl 286] [You have defeated Manashroud Shaper - lvl 288] Even before they fall dead, black smoke begins to aggressively bubble free of their dead bodies, surrounding me like a whirlpool in reverse. The pressure on me increases my feelings of fear, and I can feel the anger radiating from that being. From the Champions bond. It crashes against me, dragging me across the ground and smashing me against the wall over and over. Even the feeling of pain is amplified now, as a huge amount of mana flows into my reservoir from my passive. But the bond is tossing me around with a force I can feel, even through my unique passive. Something inside my body breaks, and I taste rust in my mouth, but I still smile. The bond finally stops throwing me around, and the black smoke halts just an inch from my face. How about we go have a chat with your master? I ask. Chapter 449: Something you are addicted to For the first time since Ive met him, the Champion down in the hole seems to be experiencing an emotion other than his usual lazy confidence. Its not anger, its not even surprise. He just seems genuinely curious, his eyes ticking between me and the unsealed portion of his bond. Neither of us moves any closer to the hole. I know for sure that if I enter it, I wont be able to leave; thats just how its made. Its not because of the mana, no, its something else entirely that I cant quite understand yet. Out of all of the things here, Im probably the most curious about that hole. Mind telling me your name, oh Lord Champion? I ask as I take a seat, and the bond lets me. My names Caius. What betrayed the presence of my bond? I thought shed hidden perfectly. Izzy told me, I answer without concern, having already confirmed their status through the Community chat. Thats curious, weve been listening in on your telepathic communication and my bond should have been well hidden, even from her skills. But not the system channels, I want to say, but its not like he would hear me. Shes more talented than you would have expected. So what was the twist? We made a deal that I would come back later to free you, but there you are, sending your bond and trapping me here. He isnt sitting anymore, and his eyes are constantly on me as if hes reading something in my posture, taking each of my movements into consideration. Neither of us truly believed it, Nathaniel. Those were just empty words we said aloud, in a vain attempt to deceive each other. My bond would have killed the members of your group and placed the bodies of the ones with the most interesting skills into storage and come up with a way to fully free me at its leisure. Meanwhile, I would watch you die here and later take your Mana Wavelength Iris. So there was never a chance for us to free you? People tend to be easier to manipulate if they think they have something I want. They barter, they feel safe, and they tend to be easier to push in the direction I want. None of you, Nathaniel, could get me out as you are now. Thats unfortunate. Indeed. Can I ask a few more questions? The darkness that was about to surround me pauses, and followed by the feeling of it looking over at its master, and waiting for his orders. Caius smiles and gestures with his arm, "Please." You said Im already taken, what did you mean by that? Its not complete, but there is a mark left on you by someone very powerful. To put it in more barbaric terms, the message goes something like: This is mine, I found it first. Marks like this are very archaic, a relic of the Absolutes and Champions of old. Nowadays, things work slightly differently. As the presence reaches to me I ask one last question, Do you remember what I said to you before? When you asked if I wanted to kill you. Yes, you told me that you would kill me. Caius smiles, and the pressure around me increases. A feeling that his bond is about to tear me apart. Then I take a step and jump into the hole. There is nothing stopping me. You can enter, but you cannot leave. The sheer surprise on the Champions face as I land next to him is fun to watch. My vortex core is full of primordial energies, and as Caius throws a punch my way, all of the kinetic energy in my body rushes out at once in an attempt to push him away and strengthen my body. Even crippled and despite having never been specced for close combat in the first place, the Champion moves with incredible speed. The arm I use to block his strike evaporates into nothing, even after being bolstered with kinetic energy. Even with my unique passive. But emerging from all that gore is a single shining white speck, almost seeming to float out into the air between us. The small grain of sand seems to be even more visible in this hole that serves as the Champions prison. All the mana I got from my passive explodes from me, and the grain of sand becomes charged, swirling around crazily while Caius rushes to dodge. It also pierces through my body, drilling holes into it as it moves erratically through the confines of the hole. From down here, I hear the Champions bond for the first time. It screeches, and the black smoke throws itself into the hole, rushing to save its master, even knowing that itll be trapped. My body crashes against Caius, and a swing of his arm opens my belly, spilling my intestines into the open air. Its worth it though; just that short moment of imbalance causes him to miss, and the white grain of sand touches him. The tiniest touch on his skin. Barely a split of a second as it passes by. And its over. He stops moving. The bond stops moving. And I push my organs back inside of my belly. The air vibrates and starts shaking, and an eruption of sound pours into the chamber from all sides. Tons upon tons of white sand rushing into the cave around us. Somewhere hidden in the desert, huge reservoirs of mana explode, dozens of them, the explosions of such enormous amounts of mana can be felt even down here. Likely having been set for the sole purpose of serving to charge the sand that now, charged, rushes down there through three huge tunnels. Caius and his bearing change, as if he cant believe what just happened. Anger appears on his face, the anger of a powerful man, as he takes his next step towards me, arm lifted to deliver a finishing blow. He doesn''t say anything about me dying here with him, but I cant help but tell him, I told you I would kill you. These words make him pause for a moment. I use that opportunity and say, Use 1 Day Beyond Stay token. Before his blow lands, I disappear. I feel my body and mind spinning and the area surrounding me changes. It seems to be somewhere around midnight, and I stand on the polished and perfectly smooth black stone that seems to stretch on forever. Theres nothing as far as I can see. No hills, no trees, no mountains, no clouds. Just straight and perfectly polished black stone flooring. The sky is full of beautiful stars and nebulas. My heart generates mana again, and I revel in the sweet sensation as it begins to fill my body. Once again, my handler sits before me, in a chair set behind an old wooden table stacked high with papers, plenty of mana stones, and a number of items I fail to identify. She moves a thread of her red tinged black hair to the side and looks at me with her big brown eyes, Youre in a bit worse state than I left you. I follow her eyes and look at the wound on my belly. Its closing slowly, but at least my organs arent spilling out. Will I still get notifications here? Yes, she confirms, likely knowing what Im waiting for. You know, you might not be nearly as normal as you think. Huh? There is no way thats true. She should take a closer look at the rest of group 4. In the end, I still nod, its better to agree with crazy people so they leave you be. Then I wait. And a moment later, it comes. [You have defeated Grimshaper - lvl 495] [Lvl 263 > Lvl 264] [Lvl 264 > Lvl 265] [Lvl 265 > Lvl 266] [Lvl 266 > Lvl 267] Time left until forced return:3y 308d 16h 06m 11s Traits (2/3):Mana Circuit 2/3, Mana Wavelength Iris 0/3 Lvl 275 Strength: 141 Dexterity: 137 Constitution: 309 Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1131 + 1131 Primary Class:Focused Channeler (Epic) Sub-class:[Adept of Pride] Active skills (9/10): Focus - Lvl 53 Perception - Lvl 50 Redistribution - Lvl 50 Resonance - Lvl 51 Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 45 Tether - Lvl 40 Infusion - Lvl 37 Mana Crown - Lvl 39 Mana Manipulation - lvl 54 Constructs: Reinforcement (Construct) Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct) Mana Regulator (Construct) Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct) Vortex Core (Construct) Passive skills (4/5): Arcane Resilience (Mid Epic) Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic) Cognitive Fortress (Mid Epic) Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic) Tokens: Trait strengthening token (2nd stage) Beyond 1 day stay token Beyond 3 day stay token Active skill combination token Shards:149,748 I could live with that. Yup. Not bad at all. Just wait for me, Whitey. I''m gonna kick your ass very soon, I just need a few months, and you are done. Well, for the second time, considering youve already been killed once. What a loser. In a much better mood, I turn to my handler, I would like a different handler. She tilts her head to the side and smiles, Would you? Yup. Someone more useful and cooperative. How does the thing with handlers even work? Oh, it''s quite simple, she doesnt even seem insulted, rather she answers my question with forthright honesty. When you first enter Beyond, every handler has a chance to pick you up. If only one is available, they will get you. If theres more than one, they either bid on the opportunity to represent you, or the other handlers will back off based on prior deals and coercion. How many handlers were after me? And how much information do they have? Quite a few wanted to get a hold of you, but there were others from your planet who drew a lot of interest, especially that man. Before you ask, I won''t tell you more. As for the information, just the basics like your status, excluding the most powerful skills and traits. Then they get a sample of the records of your performance across each of the floors. As for the full records, only the Rulers can see them... and maybe a dozen others. Then, of course, your handler once theyre assigned. See, thats actually pretty good, why couldnt you be more cooperative before. So I want to ask... She lifts her hand to stop me from talking, Your time here is limited and were nearing the end. In a few seconds, you''ll be sent to the Entrance floor. If you still want to change your handler, you can do that; just say I want to change handlers, and the system will offer you some options. Finally, she stands up and moves around her table, stopping in front of me. She has the look of an adult playing a trick on a dumb kid. Both you and I know you love to gain power and information on your own. You have that insatiable curiosity and weird sense of pride youre building. You complain, you curse, but the feeling it gives you is something you are addicted to. She lifts her finger and waves it from side to side, and I cant help but follow it with my eyes, much to her amusement. But just this once, allow me to give you some information few handlers can give you. Information you cant talk about outside of this place. My handler moves her face closer and whispers, There are 13 floors, each tied to one of the Rulers. This was something Greed wanted. Through her immense power and trickery, she persuaded the other Rulers to agree, and they altered the previous version of the tutorial. Her voice becomes even quieter, and I feel her warm breath on my ear as she whispers, Only one Ruler refused, and no one was crazy enough to try to force him. The next few words reach me, On each of the floors, if you''re lucky, or unlucky enough, you can meet a Ruler from some point in their past. The floors are made from their planets or places important to them. This is my gift - an answer with many more questions. She is smiling as I get pulled away to the Entrance Floor, her brown eyes glowing, Tell me, do you still want to change handlers? Chapter 450: Hiding under blankie Changing my handler? There is no fucking way. Lady Handler is someone I will stick with until the very end, yup. I was fed up with her? When? Who? Thats such bullshit, I would never. Anyway, I take a few steps and rest against the cold wall, having found myself back on the Entrance floor. Its better than being on the 1st floor, especially since I didnt reach the checkpoint though that does mean that Ill have to start over. I slide down to the ground, and much like my 1st visit, I find a wide range of people glancing over at me with interest, but most of them are on a time limit, so they quickly go about their business. Who cares about a bloodied man with a shattered arm? Blood covers my entire front side from my prior evisceration and a few more minor wounds that would certainly have killed a horse and most monsters of equivalent size. At least my mana is coming back, and the feeling is even better than I expected. That desert truly was a godforsaken place. Another reason to work on ways to counter that. I wouldnt want to end up like that blue guy and his bond. With one day remaining, I dont see any point in trying to extend my stay and decide to spend the next hour collecting my mana, assessing damage, and moving my heat across my body to heal the more severe wounds. Im already thinking of the preparations I should make before returning to the 6th floor. There is a very high chance I will end up deep underground, buried in white sand, stone, and the remains of the prison that once held the Champion. Sure, there is a small chance the system will teleport me to the surface, but yeah... who am I even kidding? Ill probably end up caught in a bubble of space of the Systems making just before I get buried. Hell, I might find even more bullshit thrown my way. Especially since the system doesnt seem to mind people using Stay tokens as a get-out-of-jail-free card, I cant help but find it suspicious, its almost too abusable. Just spend 10k to buy yourself a free escape? There has to be a problem with that. I might also have to worry about trouble from the enforcers here. Apparently, theyre the guild that oversees the execution of contracts, and even though the one I signed before going to the 1st floor of Beyond was one of the lower tiers, it could cause some degree of trouble. Probably nothing too serious, given that no ones left to report me, and I can blame it on Whitey. As I recover my mana I convert it into primordial energies and store them in my vortex core. If Im to have any chance of surviving I need to get rid of all my mana before returning and rely on my store of primordial energies. As I stand up and begin to walk through the crowds of people, I let a bit of mana seep into the identification emblem, and the letter D appears on the back of my left hand. The color is the usual black. How did that woman describe things before? Obsidian Black for the D rank, Ivory White for the C rank, Royal Blue for the B rank, Shimmering Silver for the A rank, and Radiant Gold for the S rank. After looking things over a bit longer, I let it disappear and reach the area surrounding the center of the outpost. The place with the bulletin boards. I speak to the merchant nearby and spend a few hundred shards to buy a single sheet of paper and a pen. Its the one with the option to keep the message longer; in this case, it will take a month before the message will disappear and the paper will burn. It cost me almost a thousand shards. I definitely got robbed. Nevertheless, I take a pen and start drawing. Scrawling out a picture of a bear meant to be Cinderbear from the 1st floor. Vic always said that I had no talent for drawing, but it looks just fine to me. Just in case, I write a message below the image reading: Fuck Cinderbear. Seriously, fuck that guy. Then I write some keywords like Earth, a few of the Continent''s names, and similar keywords. I also draw some popular memes to spice things up. Lastly, I mention that Im looking to meet up with anyone else from the Earths tutorial. I mention my intent to return to Beyond in a month for an expedition lasting a few days. I calculate when it should be and the reading on the countdown to forced return so they can time it as well. Then I use the pen to pin it to one of the bulletin boards. Satisfied with my work, I leave. Im not sure if Tess and Lily will be here by then; Ill need to ask, but in the worst case, I can come here on my own and return with them later - they shouldnt have many stay tokens anyway, so I could certainly show them around. Going on my way, I find the blacksmith I spoke to before, hes probably the best smith in this outpost. As I enter his shop, he looks up from the ax hes been tinkering with. Its an annoyed look I know so well. No one likes to be interrupted when theyre having fun. His eyes slide on my torn, bloodied clothes and still visible wounds. I also do not have any equipment at all. Youre that crazy guy with the Flamebearer? Warning! Combining two skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill. Warning! Combining incompatible skills may result in worse skills. Warning! After combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination. List of available skills to combine: Mana Manipulation - Lvl 54 Perception - Lvl 50 Tether - Lvl 40 Infusion - Lvl 37 And here we go again, I got excited for nothing and got some cheap-ass low-tier combination token or something. Once again, some of my skills havent made the list. [Focus], [Redistribution], [Resonance], [Mana Domain], and [Mana Crown]. Sure, [Mana Domain] probably isnt there because I boosted it with the subclass effect of Pride. I already got the crown I got from a prior combination, so that makes sense too, but there is no way [Focus], [Resonance], and [Redistribution] are that high-tier, right? I might really have to start working harder on combining skills on my own or evolving them on my own. Ive never really stopped trying, but Ive had no success so far. I mean, I kind of understand; Im just a newbie here, so it may take a few years, but that wont stop me from complaining about it. Ive already figured out part of what I want to do anyway. One of my options is [Tether], which I got from my Primary class at level 150. Its one skill I want to keep, so the resulting combination should be something that accounts for that. My primary class also gives me [Mana Domain], and Ive strengthened it with Pride, so theres a high chance of that sticking around even after I change class at level 300. If not, I think I can get it back, unlike [Tether], which will be harder to recover. So the question is: [Tether] with [Perception] [Tether] with [Infusion] [Tether] with [Mana Manipulation] Its not a difficult decision. Congratulations, you have successfully combined [Tether] and [Mana Manipulation]! A new skill has been created. You have acquired [Ley Line] [Ley Line - lvl 0 > Ley Line - lvl 9] Oh my, that sounds kind of mysterious. But before we get to testing that out, lets try something else. I let five evil orbs form over my head, focusing on the excellent mana shaping exercise left to me by the amazing Absolute that is Lady Lissandra. Now, lets see how long it takes to... Congratulations, you have acquired a new skill! [Mana Manipulation] [Mana Manipulation - lvl 0 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 49] Well, that was easier than expected. Warning, after combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination? The system can screw off. Chapter 451: White Whale Five hours of testing later and I feel like I have a pretty good idea of whats changed with my new skill. I can still place anchors, and I need to place them either very close to my body or within my active domain. Exactly the same as before, it doesnt change even with the crown active. These anchors though, are much more durable, and I think that if I use just the right amount of mana, they should easily last weeks, likely even months without crumbling. Sure, they will still be somewhat vulnerable to external interference, but even that should require a higher degree of expertise, given that these new anchors seem to be much less noticeable, more durable, and tend to require less mana overall. From what I saw, most people tend to have some basic ability to manipulate mana even without any skills. Nearly anyone can learn to create mana barriers or simple projectiles with the right amount of effort, and the same goes for the disruption of things like anchors and the ability to sense mana. Everyone can do it, but the difference in proficiency is huge. I mean really huge. Someone with low-level abilities wouldnt have a chance in hell to make a barrier capable of defending against even my weakest attacks, much less disrupt one of my anchors assuming they could even sense them. Still, its kind of fun to consider that things like this should be so common. It almost reminds me of the way so many people on Earth know how to ride a bicycle or how to throw a rock. Hmm, theres probably a better example, so what... I pause there. Im getting off track again. I tend to do that a lot when Im excited or happy, my mind just wanders, jumping from one interesting thing to another. Who can blame me with so much to discover! Anyway, Ill probably need a better name for these things than anchors. Maybe I can just call them marks or something like that. Its something to think about anyway. Other than vastly improved anchors, [Ley Line] improves the connection between them. I can send much more mana through without having to worry about breaking them or finding ways to strengthen the anchors. It feels like theres a line connecting me to my anchors and my anchors to one another, invisible and strong. It can easily handle an impressive amount of mana, especially with how thin it is. I have a suspicion that it should allow me to place my anchors, marks, whatever, much, much further away. Probably not on the opposite side of the planet, but a small country away should be highly possible and I can probably push it even further with a bit of effort. The efficiency, speed, and losses involved with sending mana across such a vast distance are things I still need to test. What interests me the most about the skill is these Ley Lines, as Ive cleverly dubbed them. It seems like I should be able to do even more with them, almost like Sophies web. Theres a chance they might remain stable even without anchors between them, but thats another aspect I still need to test as I level the skill. Overall, very good stuff. Plus, I got my [Mana Manipulation] back just like I did before, even though it doesnt seem like it should be that easy. Its obvious that mana and I just go together that well, even the system cant split us apart. Jumping off the bed, I head over to the mirror and examine my face. Still the same asshole. I breathe on the mirror, coating it in the fog from my breath, and draw two cat ears at the top of my head. Nya, I whisper, and my reflection does the same. What a dumbass. I then pick up my clothes, something I let the seller pick for me. A while back, Maya said that I dressed like a homeless man, so I decided to let the shopkeep pick something out for me. I also remember that when Maya said that, I complimented her shirt, and told her that it was fitting for an older woman like her. Surprisingly, she wasnt very happy with that. Anyway, the seller spent a surprisingly long amount of time picking these out for me. She even made me try on several different outfits. We picked the pants out fairly quickly, settling on a simple, sleek black pair that turned out to be very comfortable. The shirt took a bit longer while she tried to match it to my eyes. We tried gray, we tried brown, but she wasnt the least bit satisfied with either option. In the end, she decided on a pale shade of green, which I approved because it felt nice to move my arms in. Happy with it, I asked her for multiple pairs of the same pants and shirts, and she looked at me like I was some kind of barbarian. Isnt that normal? If you find fitting clothes, just pick as many of the same shorts or pants as you can before they stop selling them a year later when you might want to buy them again. Even as a customer, I found myself forced to buy a range of different colors, so I ended up with gray pants, another pair of black pants, and three shirts: pale blue, burgundy, and gray. I liked the feel of the material though, so I didnt complain much, even as she demanded an outrageous sum in exchange. At least the bag was free. With an hour remaining on the clock, I finally stop by the blacksmith. With the number of particles in the air, it''s difficult, but still doable. As I start thinking about what direction the central region might be, the air reverberates with a hum I can feel in my chest. Down below, a geyser of sand explodes high into the air, and a massive monster emerges, leaping into the air, just one of its eyes turning out to be several times my size. [Dustveil Whale - lvl ???] It has three eyes on each side, each of these eyes yellow with a red pupil in the middle. The whale is massive, even bigger than the Gaiathra I met back on the fifth floor, and its color is pure white, more so even than the sand it leapt from. The air reverberates again, though this time it''s an attack directed at me. My body shakes wildly, and my mind blinks on the verge of passing out. As the attack proceeds the Dustveil Whale moves its huge tail, flinging a massive amount of sand my way, sending a stream of the particles right at me. Okay, let''s keep a distance and then shoot it with some huge attacks. Redirecting more kinetic energy, I fly away at high speed, even at the cost of some of the sand piercing my domain and burrowing its way through my body. I start creating a javelin next to me, quickly condensing it into a bar of tricolored mana, ready to destabilize at a moments notice as I continue to feed it mana. By the time I turn around to shoot, the whale is nearly below me. The monster, the size of a skyscraper, moving at a speed comparable to mine. I don''t think Ive been so surprised in a long while. Still, I launch my javelin at the beast, and it breaks the sound barrier, the boom echoing through the area as it disappears from my sight. The whale twists out of the way in a moment, opens its mouth, and eats my javelin. Its six eyes watch me as I count down to the explosion, and when it finally explodes, there is no sign of it. No mana escapes the monster''s mouth, nothing seeps through the skin. Instead, the whale buries itself deep under the white sand, swimming and then leaping into the air once more, its massive body twisting in the air like a dolphin. Another attack slams into me, and my altitude drops for a moment before I fly higher again. FINE then. I change tactics, instead of focusing on a single powerful attack, I start forming dozens of mana projectiles, each one shaped like a nail with a flat end, to keep them from piercing too deep. I shoot them at the whale, running through dozens of them every few seconds, and I speed up, adding more until hundreds of them are flying through the air like bullets from a machine gun. They embed themselves in the skin of the whale in large numbers, while it follows me nonetheless as I continue to fly at high speed. The mana on the projectiles charges the white sand, which immediately starts attacking the whale, the grains moving wildly through the air. Burrowing under the sand, the monster appears on the surface soon again. Wounds scarring its massive body, Though its still not enough to take it down. When I repeat, the whale burrows under the surface and jumps back up, only to unleash that acoustic mental attack once more before burrowing again. The monster follows me for hours, quickly being joined by two more whales, and another three after that. Six giant monsters, two of which are slightly smaller and faster, constantly following me and attacking relentlessly, draining what little mana I have, even after a day in Beyond. But the desert is getting smaller and shallower at the edges. I dont think they were lying when they said the entire mana desert would attack the Champion if even a single grain of sand touched him. All the sand, charged by the mana batteries scattered across the desert, kept attacking until the Champion died, only stopping once he was gone. Meanwhile, a huge pile of sand has built up in the center, but the desert is slowly returning to its former state. It isnt long before the sand isnt deep enough for the moby dicks to follow, and they stop, their sad cries sounding like music to my ears. Though Im clearly still in the desert, since my mana isnt recovering, so I guess the edges arent defined by the sand after all. With the promise of revenge against the white whales guiding me, I continue to fly, and when my mana finally starts to recover, I land safely on the rocky ground, and as is typical of the 6th floor. Its night, and a purple nebula shines in the sky. My next steps are simple. Find out where the hell I amwhether Im in the central region or back where we came from. Figure out a way to go back, grab as much sand as possible, and make a ton of items to sell in the system shop. Lastly, resume training with the RTE and orbs, and regroup with Group 4or at least with the twins, Lily and Biscuit, as we planned before. Chapter 452: A lot of shards [Ley Line - lvl 9 > Ley Line - lvl 10] [Ley Line - lvl 10 > Ley Line - lvl 11] [Ley Line - lvl 11 > Ley Line - lvl 12] [Ley Line - lvl 12 > Ley Line - lvl 13] [Ley Line - lvl 13 > Ley Line - lvl 14] After doing a bit more testing I finally figure out the difference between [Tether] and [Ley Line]. Where the main idea behind [Tether] was to create a tether, anchor it in space, and connect two disparate locations, the point of [Ley Line] is to create a line between them, not the anchor itself. I''m starting to suspect that as I reach higher levels, I might not even need the anchors. In theory, I could just create lines. However, I still have no idea how that would work. Its hard to explain since I mostly go by feel. Yes, anchors, marks, whatever you call them, are important, even with my new skill, but they seem to be more of a side benefit than the main focus. As for the lines, Im still not very sure what their advantages are, but it does bring to mind an image of the world spanning Veil of the 5th floor. I have a suspicion that my new skill, at a really, really high level, could have the same potential. Perhaps allowing me to cover the entire earth in invisible lines of mana and do... something. Im sure Ill come up with something amazing eventually. Maybe a personal transportation net. Or a system to detect monsters with invisibility and kill them on sight. I know I still dont have a proper understanding of the skill, these are just the questions I have at the moment. Whats the advantage of using lines over anchors? Lines have a larger surface area and more points where they can be damaged, while anchors are vulnerable to the anchors themselves. Yes, lines cover more spacethe entire breadth of the linewhereas anchors just connect two points. It needs more testing, but its not like I mind. After all, its a shiny new toy I can work on, and I already did over the past few days. Ive also figured out that Im somewhere in the central region, though I havent seen much difference so far, but then again I havent actually delved any deeper than the border of the Mana Desert. I still havent given up on my goal of using the sand to acquire mass quantities of shards, Im also waiting for Aaron, Dennis, Lily, and Biscuit, the group I was supposed to guide, before delving back into the Mana Desert. Tess and the others decided to go forward with the plan, so well be splitting group 4 to cover more area, train, and level up for the next few months. Something tells me things arent going to be quite the same with the group after the days of amplified emotions in the Champions prison, but I dont ask. Im sure Lily and the boys will tell me more when they get here. That is if we can even detect each other. Currently, the plan is for them to reach the edge of the desert and move across it until we meet. Of course, with help from my constant signals and the twins attempting to use [Connection]. Theres also a crown over my head. For the next few months, I plan to find out how much mana I can store in the thing. I also want to move my mana to it for when I inevitably go to collect white sand for crafting. At least I managed to get the blue brothers to teach me how to purge the mana from my clothes, so I dont have to go naked anymore. An interesting question comes to mind. If I were to leave my things and crown here and go to collect some white sand, would it be possible for someone to steal my crown? I mean, it would probably explode eventually, but it would still be interesting to see how the skill would react if someone else were to touch the crown. A day later, I shoot off a couple of flares made of thermal energy, launching them high into the air, while storing my mana in the crown. Then I do a few rounds of expunging and purge the mana clinging to my clothes and body. As I pass the border and my mana stops regenerating, I repeat the process again. Only then do I use kinetic energy and make my way over to the white dunes. Upon reaching them, I immediately start checking for more of those annoying whales and push as much of the white sand as I can into the bags I brought with me. In the end, it probably comes out to somewhere around half of my weight, before running back satisfied with the resultwithout any whales attacking me this time. I stop just before passing through the border so that my mana doesnt regenerate. There, I already have a few molds prepared, granted theyre mostly just holes in the ground made with my mana and purged. At this pointI grab the white sand and start pouring it into one of the forms before me. A single big dagger with a handle made from the horn of a monster I killed not long ago. I repeat the process from before, using a stream of golden thermal energy to melt the sand until it begins to bubble, releasing trapped air and starting to glow. I take a moment to let the gasses finish venting and let the blade cool. Then I do the same with the other 4 forms, ending up with five daggers. Taking the bags of white sand, I put them in a hole on the side where mana doesnt regenerate and push a rock over them. Then I take the daggers and walk across the border with them, returning the crown to its place over my head. Like the spears I made before, the daggers begin to tremble, reacting to having a source of mana so close, despite being trapped in the form of glass where the individual particles cant pierce me. Mana-Reactive Dagger (Upper Epic):This dagger ignores mana-based defenses and absorbs mana on impact, sharpening its edge against physical armor and barriers. It becomes progressively more effective the more mana it absorbs, but if pushed too far, it can shatter explosively, scattering a mist of fine, cutting particles that may cause a significant degree of harm to anything in the area. Not bad. Lets sell it. Do you really want to sell the following item for 1,830 shards? Mana-Reactive Dagger (Upper Epic) Yes/No Yes, yes, yes. Some items are failures, like the boomerang, club, and warhammer. Some wind up going for much cheaper, many of them set somewhere around 1 thousand shards. I think there are requirements for the usefulness of the weapon. You cant just create a shape and expect it to be declared a weapon by the system. Other items take more attempts to get right. For example, the scythe took a lot of time, and some things like armor, gloves, and chest plates just didnt work at all. But I dont mind it too much. I have scores of weapons, and Im visiting multiple Communities, offering some nice stuff to people who come up with items I didnt think of. Most of the things that work turn out to be weapons, as things like brooches and pendants dont seem to do much, turning out rare at best. It takes multiple visits to the desert and another two attacks from those goddamned good for nothing whales. Monsters begin appearing as well, as they always do during the day. Theyre stronger than those I find in the outer region, but how could they cause trouble for me? I mean, even with the quantity of mana Im turning into thermal energy and the amount of time I spend training with RTE and orbs, I still have plenty left over to fill my crown. These are beautiful times. A week or two passes like that. It''s hard to say with all the training and crafting I do. Finally, I detect Lily, the best doggo of the 6th floor, and Aaron and Dennis. They reach my campsite, and the expressions on their faces as they do just look plain weird. Lily rushes in first, hugging me with a big, bright smile, and Im in a good mood, so I return, tapping her on the shoulder after a moment, signaling her to let go. She doesnt. As I start thinking about whether I should strengthen my body and how much kinetic energy I would need to dislodge this musclehead, she finally lets go. You sure made a mess of this place, she notes, still smiling. I look around and realize shes right. There are dozens of holes in the rocky ground, the newer ones growing smoother as I experimented with my skills to make the edges of the forms better. Beyond the border to the Mana Desert, next to the forms, there are a multitude of bags, full to bursting with white sand. On the opposite side, in the central region, there are several monster corpses that I tried cutting apart to use for weapon materials or as anatomical guides for the more annoying ones. I even dug several holes in search of metals to use for weapons. This place really is a huge mess. But it feels cozy. Though maybe thats just because Im getting richer by the minute. I grab one of the daggers from the pile and throw it to Lily. How much can you sell it for? It says just over 600 shards. Hmm, I see. I could sell it for around 1,800 shards. So if I make the weapon myself, I can sell it for 50% of the system estimated value, but if I hand that weapon to someone else, it acts like they found the weapon on the floor itself, so the sale price gets reduced to somewhere between 10-20%? Im starting to wonder if the system isnt just fucking with me. Its probably a combination of both. Good, I say, taking a few steps to lift Biscuit into my arms and turning him to make sure he can hear what I have to say. I hold the best doggo in my outstretched arms, with his hind legs hanging free as I shake him from side to side. Which he seems to enjoy. There are 4 piles of about 70 items each. Go and sell them to the system shop. Each of you should get, I try to do a quick calculation but give up. I hate math, 30-40k shards. Half is mine, which you will use to buy whatever I want. The fuck? Dennis says, staring like hes never seen me before. Aaron pokes him, Shut up before he changes his mind. Well do it! They rush away, and Lily follows after a quick moment of persuasion. Then I whisper to Biscuit, And you, buddy, if you can sell them, you can keep all the shards and buy whatever you want. Depending on the floor, you can even buy food. (Food!) Yup. I put him on the ground, and he wobbles to his pile before stopping and turning back to me. He stops in front of me and bumps my shin with the top of his head, before returning to his pile. I open my status and check my shards. Shards: 268,614 It''s time to treat myself to something nice. Chapter 453: One of us Passive Skill: Mana Pulse Circulation (Low Arcane) The user''s mana pathways are not only enhanced but supercharged with pulsating mana, passively optimizing all their physiological functions. This results in vastly increased stamina, increased energy reserves, and near instantaneous healing of minor to moderate injuries. The effects increase with more mana, and the constant high-speed circulation of mana through the brain grants enhanced cognitive clarity. Passive Skill: Mana Veil (Low Arcane) The user becomes nearly imperceptible to all forms of magical and physical detection, making them almost impossible to locate by normal or supernatural means. The veil not only blurs their outline but also distorts light and sound to the point of making the user appear invisible to the naked eye. Incoming attacks are not only distorted but are also partially redirected or nullified, and disrupting their mana flow becomes an almost futile effort. Passive Skill: Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) The user''s mind becomes an impenetrable fortress, fortified by impossibly complex mana weaves. This passive grants immense resistance to all forms of mental attacks, including illusions, mind control, and psychic attacks. Additionally, the passive allows the user''s mind to endure the immense strain of using powerful skills and traits. Passive Skill: Thermal Rebirth Matrix (Low Arcane) The Thermal Rebirth Matrix allows one to absorb and convert ambient and internal heat at an exceptional rate. The user can regenerate from grievous injuries, including regrowing entire limbs and organs, almost within moments. This process also cleanses the body of any poisons or harmful substances. The user now possesses high resistance to all but the most extreme flame and heat-based attacks, making them virtually impervious to most forms of thermal damage. Passive Skill: Mana Sculptor (Low Arcane) The user becomes a Mana Sculptor capable of shaping mana into intricate and versatile constructs. These constructs maintain exceptional durability and adaptability while gaining enhanced precision and refinement. The user can now create more complex forms to serve a wider variety of purposes. These constructs often possess special properties like self-repair and operate with improved efficiency and stability, allowing for longer-lasting creations without additional mana expenditure. These are the passives Im seriously considering. One that grants minor mana-based healing, body strengthening, and a bit of overall improvement. Another that grants mana-based mind protection and likely slight improvement to cognitive abilities. And then theres the healing passive based on thermal energy and the Mana Sculptor thingy that I really liked the look of. The dark horse here is mana veil, honestly, the part about distorting the trajectory of incoming attacks interests me, and then theres the part where it promises to help me hide my mana, which I can only think will become more and more important as I grow stronger. Overall, any of these passives could give me a huge boost. Though the descriptions are about as simple as ever. With a few changes, one might even cause one to mistake them for epic passives, but the term ''arcane'' in their name speaks volumes. You could easily have a passive with ''rare'' in the name and damn near the same description, yet the difference would be immense. Even so, I can only ever bring myself to think of them as learning tools offered by the system. Sure, its a goddamn arcane passive, and Im quite sure that means there cant be many people that have one. Getting it before level 300 could also improve my selection of Primary classes when I get my next upgrade. And given a few months or years, I may even learn to emulate the passives effects on my own. Perhaps I could even turn it into a more active healing skill, right? Right? Theyre all low arcane, so I could always just wait until I can afford something in the range of mid arcane, but I bet if I did and got to mid arcane, I would just convince myself to wait for something in the range of upper arcane. These are tough times indeed. I truly have the mother of all first world problems: too many good passives to pick from. Biscuit, Im frustrated and I cant decide, I groan, laying back against the rocky ground. The cute corgi leaves the pile of items that he was selling. Its interesting to note that its the first time Ive seen him interact with the system this way. Well, he has been able to use the Community from the beginning, so its not too big of a surprise, but some functions still seem to be locked on his end, I think. His cold nose boops its way into my ear, and I hear him sniffling for a moment before he moves a bit and licks my temple. He lays down next to me, resting his chin against my neck while I lift my hand, mindlessly stroking his back. I can feel his warm breath against the bottom of my chin, and it tickles, and I let it be. And for a while, I rest, just like that. So, how is the group? I ask, finally broaching the topic with the others. Not well after the Mana Desert, Dennis replies, his tone solemn, while his brother remains silent. Though I can imagine him silently nodding along. Sophie took Izzy and left the group after getting into a fight with Tess, Aaron eventually confirms. I see. You dont seem surprised at all, Dennis says, though he looks surprised himself. This time I decide to ignore it and shrug, but gently, to avoid interrupting Biscuits rest. Believe it or not I think about these things, little twerp. And if youre worried about it, dont be. You may not have noticed, but Tess can be a bit naive at times and sometimes she pushes things too far. She''s still a good person though, and Sophie knows that. They could always just solve it with a bikini clad mud fight, Aaron suggests, sighing alongside me. Then we turn to Lily, hearing a soft sobbing coming from her corner, as she wipes her eyes with her sleeves. "I didnt know," she mumbles. "I didnt know any of that." Its not like we go around telling people, Dennis says, a gentle smirk on his lips, his blue eyes glinting in the light from my cube. We mostly kept it to ourselves, Aaron adds. Its not exactly easy to talk about. Dennis looks at his brother. But we always had each other, no matter what happened. I hate that creep sometimes, but hey, were still in this together. Dennis is a dick, but hey, at least I can do some evil things and blame it on him. Aaron nods seriously and turns to Lily. So what about you? Everyone here seems at least a little messed up. Particularly Tess with everything shes done, Kim mentioned something in his own past, poor Biscuitand I bet Nat also has a thing or two, at least looking at the way he and his sister fight. With curiosity, I watch as Lily hesitates, but the twins wait together with me. She starts softly, It wasnt until I got older that I realized my father and I were poor. He was hardly ever home, there was never much in the way of food, and our apartment was either freezing cold or unbearably hot. I couldnt leave because it wasnt safe outside. For years, my only friend was Grumpy, my cat. I increase the warmth from my cube, and we sit quietly, soaking it in for a moment. They eventually took me from my father and placed me with a new family, they even let me keep Grumpy, I havent seen my dad in years. The people Im with now are kind enough sure, theres always food, and Im not cold anymore. But over time, the way they treat me has changed. I wasnt behaving the way they wanted. Theyd always ask, Why dont you smile more, Lily?. Why are you so quiet, Lily? Why doesnt your father ever visit, Lily? Why, why, why, why, why. She swallows hard, her voice catching, but then she smiles as she looks from the twins to me. When I get back to Earth, I hope Grumpy is still alive. Hell be old, but cats like him can live for 20 years. I know it! Ill make him immortal, Ill make him young again, and then well be together just like before. For the last time, she wipes her eyes, I know its childish, but its something to hope for. So tell me, Aaron, am I messed up too? Youre totally messed up, Lily. A fitting member of group 4, Aaron confirms with a nod. Slowly, the conversation shifts to other topics, and I notice they deliberately avoid asking about my past. Its more comfortable that way, and I feel a quiet sense of relief, so I let it slide. Then something cold pokes my left hand, the pale one. I look down and my eyes meet Biscuits. He doesnt say anything, but he keeps poking me. Firmly. Gently. My conversation with Tess back in the caves under the Mana Desert comes to my mind. The silence stretches on, but no one pushes me to speak. My father was a drunkard who beat my mother and sister, who always protected me, despite the fact that it only ever got her extra beatings. All conversation stops, but I dont look up, fixing my gaze on Biscuit. And he stares back at me. A gentle little soul with a terrible past, just like the rest of us. I tried to kill him one day, but I couldnt go through with it. I still remembered how he was when I was younger. Our visit to the zoo, when he bought us the tastiest ice cream I ever had. All the times he carried me on his shoulders when my legs hurt from walking. A perfect sunny day in the park. That time he and Mom danced in the kitchen when we moved into a new homethey were both so beautiful then. I still remember all the times he put Vic and me to bed and gently kissed our foreheads. Another cold-feeling prods my hand. My sister killed him in the end. Because I couldnt and because he wouldve killed our mom eventually. Ever since then, shes been in prison, and I was decried as the brother of a murderer. Biscuit licks my arm, and I ruffle his head, lifting my head up. Tell me am I as messed up as the rest of you? You are truly messed up indeed, Dennis confirms, nodding along with me. Terribly messed up, Lily whispers quietly, her big eyes on me. Just like the rest of us, Aaron says. Another fitting member of group 4. (Food!) I look down at him and feel myself smile, "You as well, Biscuit. Youre one of us too." Chapter 454: Shaping the Invisible In the end, I decide to go with Passive Skill: Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) - The user''s mind becomes an impenetrable fortress, fortified by impossibly complex mana weaves. This passive grants immense resistance to all forms of mental attacks, including illusions, mind control, and psychic attacks. Additionally, the passive allows the user''s mind to endure the immense strain of using powerful skills and traits. It''s shameful to admit, but as of late, I''ve been having trouble focusing my mind when I need to use my skills on a really big scale. At this point managing some of the larger constructs, inscriptions, and splitting my mind into the necessary parts with [Focus] has begun to prove difficult. And I find myself wanting to act on ever larger-scales. Not to mention all the ways it should improve my capacity to use [Ley Line], and a lot of other skills now that I think about it, even my domain, I should be able to expand it further now without a lot of extra strain. And I can''t forget my eyes. With this passive, I should be able to strengthen my trait even further. I just need to get the token for 1st stage, after all, I don''t want to waste my 2nd stage token. I know its main effect is to defend my mind, not to make it strongerthat would require a different passive. Still, even that small additional effect is a nice bonus. Mana Sculptor was tempting too, but I think I should be able to recreate it on my own. Though Ill probably find myself regretting not choosing something with a healing effect. No, I know Ill regret it, but I''m kind of used to bleeding and losing limbs for the sake of progress. I''ve always preferred to be a glass cannon. Hopefully, my epic healing passive will hold on for a bit longer. Im still working on those new body modifications with Lily, and then there are those healing marks shes been working on. I seriously considered taking Mana Pulse Circulation and I came close to choosing that. But there are reasons I didnt, and I need to think those over a bit more to know if I should be smacking myself in the back of the head. Mana Cycling is especially something I need to look deeper into. My main priority will always be protecting my mind and its freedom. It''s something Ive been forced to worry about ever since the 1st floor when Sophie got her hooks in me and used that to manipulate my actions. I fully intend to learn how this passive works for future abuse. And just as an added bonus, its due to come with a boost to my concentration and insight when it comes to researching new skills. As just over 230 thousand shards disappear, the passive appears in my status, leaving me with just under 40 thousand shards. My new passive doesnt flare into immediate action, as pain floods through me. And I mean, a lot of pain. My entire head feels like it''s about to melt, and I feel like some vast and unknowable thing has decided to skewer my brain with a red-hot iron. Note to self: having a high-tier passive applied hurts like hell. I begin doing mana shaping exercises in an effort to ignore the pain, resuming my work with the evil orbs. I glance at them now and again, curious to see if the passive has made any difference, and it''s clearly noticeable even in this incomplete state. There were levels in mana shaping I could delve into, but the pressure on my mind wouldnt allow for much probing when I first started, so, of course, that means Ive gained a new avenue for training! Right away, I add two more evil orbs, totaling seven before I get slowed by my inadequate mastery over mana rather than a weakness of my flesh. Over the last few days, Ive been planning to set up a large-scale web, similar to Sophies using [Ley Line], I should be able to put this new passive through its paces then. After that, the next test will be to focus on compressing my mana and delving deeper into the kind of things Mana Sculptor passive described. I will improve my mana armor, weapons, projectiles, and manabloc chairs. Actually, the more I think about it the more manabloc makes sense as a name for the compressed mana I use." So by that token, I would be using manabloc swords and armor. And damn if I dont know my share of people who would absolutely hate it. Anyway, my big mecha armor requires testing. With my new passive, I should be able to make it bigger and stronger, and the self-repair function would certainly be nice to learn. Ill definitely need to make the longest lasting creation possible. Ive even got a head start with the chairs I made a few nights back. The events of that night are still awkward to think about, and Im going to need to kick somethings ass just to feel manly again. Bullying the twins could work, but theyve been suspiciously not annoying, and something in me thinks it has something to do with their adaptability as if theyve figured out my patterns and made an effort to avoid giving me an excuse. Tsk. Hows your training going? I ask, stopping by to check on them, and finding the lazy asses sitting in the chairs I made with modified evil orbs floating over them. Youre a frigging monster, Dennis groans. Why not? It ended perfectly well last time. Suuureee. I increase the difficulty of the orb and then create a few more which I set to hovering nearby. That way the twins can grab new ones if the ones theyre training with burst. Im quite happy with the new orbs. Theyll only activate their ever changing frequency and mana level requirements when one of the twins takes them. Until then, theyll remain inactive. Sandra would be proud. Well, if I were being honest she would probably just compare me to a pet or something. Walking towards Lily, I spin the evil orbs around me and examine each one. I could probably manage a few more, and that annoys me as much as it makes me happy. It shouldnt be this easy. I should be straining as blood seeps from my ears and nose just to handle the one. Just like the good old times back in the pyramid. Tonight, I will have to sit down and check the mana stones Lady Lissandra gave me and ramp up the difficulty. Im sure she modified the orbs for me, just as I did for the twins, surely I can modify them again. The thought of me being to her what the twins are to me prickles at my competitive spirit. If I dont come up with a way to make this significantly more difficult, Ill check out the other shaping exercises, even though Lissandra recommended starting with this one. I check on Lily to find that shes currently resting with her back against a boulder with her eyes closed, her hands clasping the finger bone of the champion from the 5th floor and some of the others Ive collected. Careful not to interrupt her, I connect to my Ley Lines, and they appear, flaring in my sight. A dozen invisible pale blue threads stretching in all directions. Theyre part of a new test I thought up. Each one is tied to a different item. And though its something I could easily do with normal mana, these are something people can pass through and still have trouble sensing. They dont have any effect on the physical world yet, but Im sure I can come up with something clever once I have a few more levels in the skill. I touch one line, and for a moment it shines, and I give the anchor a strong pull, yanking it towards me. A chair gets pulled to me through the open area, and I grab it by the leg, setting it upright so I can take a seat. As I do, I think about this new skill of mine. These threads that make up my Ley Lineswhat can I make with them? They are of a material I have yet to meet, and I know the intention is to make them hidden, but during previous testing, I was able to make part of one line show in the physical world. That single short thread was stronger than anything else Im currently capable of creating. It took a lot out of me. It scared Biscuit, and the twins said they felt like they were about to pass out as I strained my skills, pushed my limits, and burned through a metric ton of mana to make it happen. I can usually estimate how much strain something will take, and honestly, I don''t think I can push it any further at this pointat least not without seriously hurting myself. Fortunately, I just got a new arcane passive and that should allow for more testing. The materialized Ley Line is impossible to disrupt, and impossible to cut, at least with my current level of skill, even running [Resonance] at full power didnt do anything, I couldnt burn it either nor could I affect it kinetically. It took a lot of effort just to materialize this weird, finger-length, thread. But at that moment, I decided it was something I wanted to exploit. Together with the intended use of the skill, I will try to materialize it as much as possible. I have the skillset for that. I can do it. And once Ive mastered it Ill weave things from the thread. Weapons, armor, barriers. Ill learn to make the threads, the Ley Lines, as thin as possible, if I can make them fine enough they have the potential to make my creations infinitely more delicate. I will learn as much as I can from this skill and add its properties to everything I create with [Mana Manipulation]. One day Ill even weave it through my mana mech, making it that much tougher as I use the lines for muscles and tendons. The sheer amount of processing it will require to materialize that many Ley Lines makes my head spin, but my arcane passive will help. And its not like I dont have options: I can level my [Focus], allowing it to handle more of the strain of that, and split my mind into multiple parts to process everything I need to control. I could also make an item, something to handle part of the strain. The Ley Line thread is already gone, I couldnt keep it materialized longer than a few moments, but its image is still fresh in my mind. A delicate, pale blue shimmering thread, a color so similar yet distinct from the pale blue of normal mana. Chapter 455: Seventh variation Ive already modified my arm, I mostly used the Champions bone as inspiration. Its the toughest body part Ive seen so far! Of course, I wasnt able to modify my own arm to the same extent, but look! Lily then takes one of the daggers I made out of the white sand, one she hasnt sold yet. She sends a bit of her mana through, activating it, and slashes into her forearm, the blade only stopping once it hits bone. She doesnt even bother to heal it right away, and as her blood drips down, she looks up at me with a big smile on her small face. I tried it before, and though it took some effort, I still managed to cut all the way through. But this time, the blade stopped the moment it touched the bone! Look! Lily pulls the dagger free, and the wound closes almost instantly. She grabs the dagger in her other hand this time and slashes the other one with great force. This time, the blade slides cleanly through flesh and bone and severs her arm at the elbow. I told you! Happily, she grabs the cut-off arm and holds it to the wound, as her muscles stretch, reconnecting the limb to her body, as new skin spans the gap, and the limb shifts position as it audibly snaps back into place, leaving her cooling blood as the only sign that she had ever been injured Im jealous. I wish I had a skill like that. I wish there was a way to make it happen, maybe a passive or something. Tell me, are you watching, Lady Handler? Do you read my records? Do you still think Im not normal? Just LOOK AT THIS GIRL! So when can we start working on modifying my body? I ask. Im not sure, Nat, sorry. I just started with the bones in my forearm, and I still need to go through the rest of my body before Ill feel comfortable modifying yours. Makes sense. She immediately perks up as if she were worried I would be disappointed for some reason. Give me your left hand, she gestures quickly. Curious, I lift my hand, and she grabs it with a smile. Ive been working on my healing marks and I still havent come up with a cool name yet. As she speaks she reaches out to me with the tip of her finger and presses against the inside of my forearm, and I feel her mana make contact. I allow it to pass through my natural barrier, and a burning itch spreads through my skin at the point of contact. Huh, its surprisingly easy to work on your left arm. I think you were right back on the 4th floor. I restored it, so I have a stronger connection to it. Thats why I can sacrifice it and not your other limbs. But isnt that weird? I healed your other limbs too but I still cant sacrifice them. I think it has something to do with our subconscious perceptions. Back then, when I said it, you accepted it as fact and believed it. And I still believe in it, quite strongly. After all, you made a strong impact on me back when you first restored it. So in theory it could work with your other limbs too, and it doesnt right now because we just dont believe it? Something like that, I agree. To sacrifice something, you must have power over it; it must belong to you. And the more precious it is, the better it will be as a sacrifice. Lily hums in agreement and touches my forearm again, a bit higher this time, and a mark starts spreading across the surface of my skin, tracing its form in a pale shade of white. Its barely visible against the pale skin of my arm, almost like a faded scar. What do you think would be the best sacrifice, Nat? Ive actually thought about it a lot. Her skill fascinates me even now, so I actually have an answer ready. I think your own life or memories. She stops for a moment, surprised by the answer, and her eyes meet mine. Not people? Do you think you could even own a person on a level fundamental enough to sacrifice them like that? I don''t think it would work. No, I think sacrificing parts of yourself would work the best. Just imagine permanently sacrificing your being, what makes you you, just to power your skills. It would be worse than killing yourself, youd be forgetting everything that makes you, you. Its a terrifying thought, I answer with complete honesty. Ill remind you that you said you didnt mind if I destroyed the crown. The crown kind of broke when I was examining it. I had to cut it apart, but it helped me create the mark, so it was well worth it! I cant even argue with that. What shes saying is true, and I would have probably done exactly the same thing in her place. But it could have easily sold for hundreds of shards. The thought just makes me sad. Relieved, Lily brushes her hair from her face. You may not have realized, but each of these items held some part of the Saint. The crown had a piece of bone, and the sword had a piece of a finger. I started examining them as well, but I don''t think they''ll be as useful as the Champions fingerbone. For some reason, they feel like theyve changed too much even without the damage.. Thats kind of creepy, isnt it? She used parts of her own body as a medium to make it easier to send healing energy to a given target didnt she? I ask. I think it was something like that, but they didnt feel as effective as they should have been. I think she made them before she even became a Champion, I just cant imagine her needing something like that at her level. Then the Last King and his warriors probably kept them out of pure sentiment. Could it have been a failsafe too? Say, if someone had evaporated her body, could she have restored herself from the remains she left in the items? Like Vic did in her duel with you? It felt different. I dont think your sister is actually a healer. She wasnt good at healing her body either, at best she was abusing her passives and traits, she certainly wasnt using anything resembling an active skill. I think shes something else entirely, maybe she had something like an [Avatar]. You told us there was a Champion with a skill like that back on the second floor, and the Avatar system we used back in the tournament felt a lot like what she was doing. Good catch. I thought of it as well, and Im of the same opinion. Vic can probably create her own Avatars or Duplicates with free reign to control and swap her mind between them." "Wouldnt that make it almost impossible to kill her beyond a certain level? Couldnt she just store one of her fingers on the opposite side of the planet and regenerate from that?" "Yeah, I think she probably could. But I dont think that means killing her would be impossible. Theres always a way if youre creative enough. For now, though, give me one more mark. I want to get another look." A few hours later, I decide to check on the twins. Theyre quiet and heavily focused, each struggling to deal with a single evil orb. Activating my eyes for a moment, I examine the process. "Good, two orbs each starting now," I say, creating two more orbs and moving them over to the twins. For a moment, I think they might complain or push back, but the idea doesnt seem to take root, instead, they leap right into the challenge. Their first attempts end in both orbs bursting open near instantaneously. And the cycle repeats over each attempt. Dozens of attempts later, and they havent improved. Neither of them seems capable of handling two modified orbs. Too little mana, too much mana, theyre slow to react one moment, or a distraction gets the better of them the next. The cycle continues like that for hours, and they do not stop. As I work on my own training nearby, I cant help but glance at them every once in a whiletheyre sweating, and gasping for air, as their mana fluctuates from the strain. They still do not stop. Its a deeper glimpse into something Ive noticed before. Aaron and Dennis are easygoing; they like to joke and they usually pick the easiest solution to every problem. But every once in a while, there are times like this. Moments when they buckle down and do their best. They have that same sense of competition, the same hunger for improvement that everyone in group 4 has. I dont think their talent is any worse than Izzys or Min-Jaes, and I dont think thats what makes them the weakest members of group 4. Ive seen them try, in those small moments when their competitive spirit came to the fore, drawn out by the people around them. Their skills might be better suited for support roles. Particularly their [Connection] and [Sensory Deception]. Maya tried to train with them, and even though their [Haste] puts their speed on par with Mayas, they just dont have the same talent for close-range combat. Theyre more like guerrilla agents. But they should be able to do so much more. I still remember Lissandra doing something they should be able to emulate with [Connection]. That fiendish Absolute had a habit of letting people activate their skills and then connect to those skills, resonate with them, and use them instead. A complete show of disrespect, claiming she could use your skill better than you, without even possessing it. My logic is simple. Well work on improving their [Mana Manipulation], and experiment with [Connection] If only because I think they should be able to do so much more. And in the process, Ill work on improving my [Resonance], in my own attempt at achieving the same result. Chapter 456: Like in the movies Nat, please put your shirt on, Dennis complains. Unfazed, I continue working on the stances Lissandra taught me. Why? It would only get dirty, I reply. There might be dangerous predator in the area, Aaron says, his tone serious. Huh? There is not, I wouldve sensed it. Is he making fun of us? Aaron asks, turning to his brother. He cant be like that, right? He must be trolling us. I ignore the twins and continue. The idea isnt to learn martial arts or anything like that. The intention is to move my body and, while doing so, send kinetic energy through, practicing moving it in bursts at the right time. With the Burden Enhancement Inscriptions drawn all over my skin, I wouldnt be able to move without kinetic energy, even if I wanted to, but fighting the inscriptions burdening me while moving kinetic energy this way puts a tremendous strain on my body, and I can feel sweat pouring out of me. One slow movement after another, each requiring my full attention and effort. Just a single slip and Ill crumble back to the ground and be forced to pick myself back up while fighting the inscriptions. Lately, Ive been spending every free moment either doing this or training with the Restrictive Training Emblem, which is visible even now, as a tracery of lines across the skin over my heart. Between the two, my body is getting annihilated, but my control over kinetic energy is vastly improving, and my body is getting stronger. Of course, the only reason Im making my body stronger like this is to prepare myself as a vessel for more mana, but I cant say Im not enjoying the process. Back on Earth I always liked training, whether I was learning a new style of fighting, or going on a simple run. Ive always found the feeling I get after finishing a difficult bout of training addictive, and this is no different. I watch as my muscles twitch and stretch, fighting the inscriptions restraining them. I sense kinetic energy as it flows through the fibers, supporting them, as I strain to synchronize the motions. Lissandra couldnt use kinetic energy. Likely because she couldnt be bothered, so by far, the best user of kinetic energy Ive seen is Whitey. The field he created, halting everything around him in the air, be it people, debris, or projectiles, was amazing, but the part I keep coming back to is his movement. Its not just about raw power. Within that field, he tailored his expenditures, using the minimum amount of energy to accomplish each specific task, whether that be holding a stone in place, shifting large fields of debris, or restraining Beyonders, who each require a unique application of effort. All in the name of maximizing efficiency. Then there were those quick, twitchy movements of his. His steps launched him across great distances without ever disturbing so much as a single grain of dust. He had an insane degree of maneuverability and not even the air seemed to betray his movements. Whitey is... was a Champion candidate. I could feel it the moment I saw him. There were a few people on the Entrance floor who had the same aura about them. For instance the man with the fire crown, and the beautiful woman with her even more beautiful mantle moving around her as if it had its own mind. Neither one bothered to hide their title, unlike me. There is an option to do that, and Im doing it. But not them, they flaunt their titles with pride, shoulders wide. Dumbasses. Unlike them, I will move sneakily. Like a true hypocrite, I''ll gladly do the very things Im always complaining about. Maybe that''s why people find my pride so strange. My control over kinetic energy is growing every day. And I dont think itll be long before I can reliably take someone my level with kinetic energy alone. Hopefully. For that, I need to see Whitey. And then, after you throw in all the free stat points Ive been getting, my new arcane passive, the body modifications Ive got planned, Lilys healing marks, and the arcane items currently in my possession, it should be more than possible. However,h I dont exactly have most of them on me at the moment. I still have Flamebearer though, and the Echo Gauntlet which allows me to replicate spells or abilities. And thats something I totally cant wait to play with. Maya has Bloodthirst; Ive rented it to her for now, in exchange for a reasonable amount of compensation, to be determined later. The Golem Heart is still with Sophie, under the same terms I established with Maya. Lastly, theres the cursed phantom something ring, which remains with Tess. I would probably have sold it anyway, and it would probably help them more than anything the extra shards could do for me. Of course, that comes with its own offer of future compensation. Im imagining not needing to use arcanadium, endurium, voidsteel, or any other materials. Just my materialized mana and the epic, maybe even arcane weapons made of it. Even if they only ever last a few decades, I would be happy with that. But to reach that goal, Ill have to keep experimenting with this manabloc material. Instead of materializing my mana in a loosely imagined form, I try to weave threads of much thinner mana through it. Perhaps thatll solve the issues Ive been having with brittleness and durability. Though it does add quite a bit of difficulty to the process, not to mention that Im not sure how this is going to work for parts like the blade. Maybe I could combine it with a different type of mana; some of the weapons Ive seen were made like that. Formed of varying alloys, each tuned to fit a different function. It was even in notes Miwa left me, so it could definitely be worth trying. Its also possible that Im just being extremely dumb and making things far more difficult than I need to, but I think itll be a good training method for materializing Ley Lines. Thats the main reason Im even doing things this way. After all, Ive already spent an inordinate amount of time experimenting with those pale blue threads that feel so different from the pale blue of normal mana. I dont even think I would be able to materialize much more than a fingers length without my new passive. At least not without melting some part of my brain. My mana reserves are quite large, I would say, and I think most people would agree, but even I was surprised how much of my bodys mana it took just to make that short thread, not to mention how much I had to use my eyes in the process. Honestly, it probably means I shouldnt be doing it and that Im going against the nature of the skill in some way, at least I think it does. As if something like that ever stopped me before. Maybe I should try using black mana. Im curious how well I can handle it now, particularly with all the levels and passives Ive picked up since last time. Im curious how it would react to a [Ley Line], materialized or not. But, Ive already made up my mind that Ill try to avoid using it before I reach level 60 in [Focus] and [Mana Manipulation]. It was part of the recommendations Lady Lissandra left me with. I need to work on my basics before trying to mess with things like that. Its yet another thing for me to look forward to when the time comes. POV Maya Jones Now that it is night and the rest of our small group has gone to bed, Tess changes her bearing. Her shoulders slump, her eyes lose some of their shine, and her movements dont feel quite so domineering. Its a part of herself she only shows to me and Kim, now that our group is split. She puts on a front for Famir and the others. Though maybe shes not exactly the same; she is a bit less controlling now. Its a good thing. I sit down next to her, and she leans against me with a sigh, her blonde hair tickling my nose. Sometimes, I get a little jealous of how tall she is. Im not the shortest, but having a girl eight or so years younger be a bit taller than me is quite a funny experience. Its amusing to see her like this though. Even I thought she was pushing things too far, and that guy noticed as well. He really can be annoyingly intelligent at the weirdest times. Tess is young, 20 years old. What shes going through is probably something she feels for the first time, and for her, it seems like the worst thing ever. In a few years, it will all be a distant memory. In a hundred, she might not even remember the details, only the feelings she had. I cant help but feel a bit scared at the thought of living so long. How will I interact with normal people knowing theyll live such short lives by comparison? How will it feel to love someone and watch them grow old while I remain the same? I wont lie; there are things I love about all of this, and I wouldnt want to give any of it up, but there are other things that terrify me. Thats why I love what Tess is trying to do. She wants to make us companions, friends who survived the same experience, who are equal and can understand the troubles others might have. Not just friends for a few years, but someone we could still call a friend tens or even hundreds of years later. Did you think it would be like in the movies you told me you liked to watch? I ask, smiling as I give her nose a flick in response to another tickle from her hair. That young blonde doesnt react, and thats all the answer I need. Silly girl. Sometimes I forget how young everyone is. Myself included, of course. Chapter 457: Show them The first test of the giga-web, made with the help of [Ley Line] was a huge success! I didnt die. Thats it. No need to go into the details. Im sure the next attempt will work out! I just need to iron out some... things. Im also kind of amazed by my new passive. Even with all that... happened... I didnt even break a sweat. There was barely any strain on my mind, and somehow I find that more exciting than the results of the giga-web test. It means I can push myself harder. Im always worried about my mind. My body can be fixed, I can replace my limbs with mana, but my mind? If my brain melts Im screwed. You cant just power through the destruction of your brain, unlike the rest of your body. But now that I have this new arcane passive? Its got me full of new ideas for improving my constructs, Its got me thinking of ways to compress enormous inscriptions down to the size of a fingernail. It basically means that the amount of information I can process is only limited by my skill, rather than the physical limitations of my mind. Maybe I was a bit disappointed at first. After all, I have been saving up for this for quite a while, but part of that disappointment has evaporated. Now I just need to find a powerful opponent with mind magic bullshit and totally stomp them. Only then will I truly be happy. Bringing myself back to the real world, I glance at our new camp, about a mile away from our previous one. We had to change locations because of... stuff. I look at the twins and increase the difficulty for their evil orbs, forcing them to drop back to a single instance instead of the two theyve been managing. Theyre used to it by now, so they dont complain too much, keeping their energy focused on training. The blood, sweat, and effort theyve put in is all the proof I need of their will to survive. In two hours well abandon the evil orbs for the time being, and spar instead. All part of striking a new rhythm in the twins training. This method may be cruel, but they need to experience what its like to get hit and be injured. As much as possible. We have Lily to restore damaged limbs, repair punctured organs, and staunch any excessive bleeding. It brings me no pleasure to hurt them like this, rather, it feels like a duty, its something I just have to do. Still, each and every single time I ask: Do you want to continue? Of course, I listen to their answers, but more than that, I watch for their reactions. Their expression, and the look in their eyes. And even though they are shaking, scared of whats to come, they agree. Dennis and Aaron dont like to get hit. Often, even a smaller wound makes them drop out of the fight, lose consciousness, or try to run. They tend to rely on their high speed, illusions, and amazing cooperation to avoid being hurt in the first place. There is a big weakness in that strategy. You need to strike a balance between being careful and fighting at full power, even when wounded, even when you know youre going to get hurt. So you dont freeze mid-combat. They just need to get used to it, and Im helping with that. Keeping the injuries small wont help, they have to experience true danger, so I provide it. How will you try to attack me this time? I ask them curiously. If they have enough presence of mind to answer, I will up the difficulty of the orbs. This time we will try to win through sheer speed. One of us will act as the main attacker and the other will serve as a healer so he can go all out, still not taking his eyes off the two orbs over the palms of his hands, Dennis answers. Aaron also adds, We thought of using ranged attacks, but we have a suspicion you would just bombard us with explosive orbs or teleport around us. "It''s just like a video game! When you try to attack the boss from a distance, it changes its moveset, gets more aggressive, and counters with its own ranged attacks." The goal is to force you to go into a second stage one day, Aaron jokes, smiling playfully. The loot drop would be amazing, his brother chirps mischievously. Maybe his second stage would be him dying, then some orchestral music would start playing, and Biscuit would be revealed as the real boss all along. They both have similar skill sets: mana constructs, flying, orbs, so it makes sense, Dennis says, seeming to agree. I listen to their banter with a growing sense of fascination, finding their train of thought almost as amusing as it is baffling. Its just a shame that Nat does more damage to himself than we ever could, Dennis sighs in the end and turns to me. You want to raise the difficulty of our orbs, right? How did you know? You always do any time we improve even the slightest bit or poke fun at you. Wouldnt it be smarter to pretend you have trouble or try to avoid poking fun at me? I ask, curious. [Mana Manipulation - lvl 51 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 52] [Focus - lvl 53 > Focus - lvl 54] My precious skill has gotten stronger every day since it returned to me, and soon it will be right where it was before I used it for my skill combinations. It honestly kinda surprises me that its not back to its former glory already, given all the new stuff Ive been doing, but who the hell knows how the system calculates this stuff. I wouldve thought youd want to do more hunting. To raise our levels and get stronger, Dennis says. Once again hes proved himself the braver of the two brothers. Aaron usually prefers to let Dennis initiate conversations before joining in himself. What part of our status do you think holds the most importance? I ask in place of my answer. Skills? he asks hesitantly. Yup. But wouldnt raising our attributes make us stronger? Aaron asks, not seeming to agree. Lets say you have a thousand points in a single attribute, and you spend days leveling up and gain three stat points. How much stronger did you become? I counter. Its funny to watch the gears spin in his head, trying to come up with a counterargument. I reach down to pet Biscuit, whos currently sitting in my lap, and continue, Even if my level dropped by 100 right now, I dont think it would make much of a difference. The same logic applies if I were to gain 100 levels and put all 300 points into mana, which would be doubled with my attribute upgrade. Sure Id have 600 extra points, but thats it. I know what Dennis wants to say, so I lift my finger to stop him. (Food!) Oh, sorry. I quickly lower a hand and continue to pet the best doggo of the Astral Prison. Of course, the extra levels arent useless. At a certain point, you start unlocking Primary Class upgrades, and you get access to body upgrades, Traits, and more attribute upgrades, and more besides. All this just to say that your priority should always be your skills. (Food!) And eating well, I add. Shouldnt Biscuit be training too? Aaron asks, unsatisfied. In fact, it seems like hes gotten so invested that now hes looking for something to poke at. I glance down at Biscuit and back to the silly twin. Show them, I whisper to the corgi. Biscuit lazily opens an eye and yawns, his pink tongue lolling out with a cute sound as he does so and closes his tiny maw. Then the mana that hes kept moving through his body, in his own crude imitation of Mana Cycling comes to a halt. His purple mana begins to seep out of his body just a little, and all the sounds of the world slowly fade away. The twins start looking around, confused, and no sound emerges as they open their mouths to speak. My thermal cube flickers and the heat within fades slightly. The light slowly dims as if it were being pulled away, towards me in fact. Or rather towards the creature on my lap. Biscuits body feels much heavier now, his presence overwhelming, and even though Im looking at the back of his head, I can still imagine his purple eyes. In the fading flicker of my thermal orb, Biscuits shadow expands and grows until its many times its original size. Seeming almost too big. And then the growling starts. A deep growl that awakens something in my primal instincts. The urge to run, The burning need to grab a stick and fight back. The urge to fall to my knees and beg. A myriad of umbral tentacles extends forth from the shadow, surrounding our camp, and then they stop and change direction, all of them turning towards Aaron, who leaps to his feet, his chair tumbling to the ground as he struggles to escape their reach. That should be enough, I say laying my hand back on Biscuits head. All the shadows freeze and are slowly, gradually, drawn back into the enormous mass, as it too begins to shrink back into itself. The light returns and my thermal cube glows and radiates heat once more. Lily and the twins stand, their faces pale, holding their breath. I can even sense the mana gathering inside their bodies, ready to fightor flee. Slowly, Biscuit turns around, and when I finally see his face again, its the same cheeky corgi I know and love. "Good boy." Chapter 458: The Arm Collector The twins continue to demonstrate their [Connection] for me with a series of attempts at seizing control over one of my simple mana orbs and altering the settings. I made it as simple as possible, with two modes: hover in place and spin. In fact, Ive hardcoded the states into its functions. Later, well move on to other skills too, but for now, Im just trying to get a grasp on their process. Im also wearing the echo gauntlet. The idea being that if its already allowed me to copy that weird blood skill that guy had on the 1st floor of Beyond itll probably work just as well for mimicking the twins, in theory, it should give me some idea how it feels to use it. Ive already tried a few times before, but most of the time I find myself getting no feedback. The glove just allows me to use the copied skillnot as well as the original, but it still packs some decent oomph. Then there are some skills it cant copy, like Lilys [Disintegration], but I was able to copy her healing and the twins'' [Sensory Deception]. To be honest, I absolutely recognize the glove for the boon it is, especially given how helpful it could be in certain situations, but I still dont like it very much. So I just think I will take it apart sooner or later. Observing how its inscriptions work and what connection of materials allows it to have such an effect will probably bring me more. Items just cant be overly relied on or trusted. What if some asshole decides to steal it? The kind of guy that comes in and steals everything thats not bolted down. That kind of maniac. Still, even though I complain and trash the glove, I decide to test it a bit more. With my eyes on and straining my mind as much as possible. Then it can be used as a secret weapon before I take it apart. I like that plan. As that train of thought reaches its end the orb, which was hovering in place, starts spinning, then stops, only to start spinning once again. The twins jump for joy, practically dancing with excitement, as they spew forth a seemingly endless stream of trash talk regarding my skills efficacy. They even have the gall to start issuing challenges. I let it pass, empathizing with their joy and excitement over taking another step down the road of progress. When we regroup with the rest of our band, I will tell Maya some of the more interesting things Ive heard them say. As I sit to the side, I watch as Lily and the twins spar. Two blonde boys attacking the black-haired girl. Even though shes holding back and taking plenty of damage in the process, Lilys still winning. They get their hits in, sure, but she takes it like a champ. Unlike them she doesnt flinch at every cut and blow, she doesnt hesitate, she doesnt let the pain make her overly cautious. I recently found out that shes created a number of fake organ-like structures inside her body to use as sacrifices to fuel her skills. Each one about the size of a marble. Though in terms of efficiency, they cant really compare to the real deal, which seems to confirm our theory regarding the importance of a sacrifice influencing the power received. But these organs are also her flesh and overall generate more power than they consume in the process of being converted into anything she might need. Aaron and Dennis place several fast moving decoys throughout the battlefield, but it still doesnt present much of a problem for Lily. Does she use logic to locate the originals and ignore the fakes? No way in hell. Lily just boosts her body and passes right through them, leading with her shoulder and ramming the copies. I bet the twins are sweating bullets right now, knowing full well that if she were to tackle one of them like that, it wouldnt end well. They quickly adjust their strategy, placing more illusions in front of trees and large boulders, In a bid to cause our petite healer to take on more environmental damage. But Lily once again cosplays a bulldozer, smashing through any obstacles in her path. Its so similar to her fight with Tess that I should probably be offended, but I do notice some differences. With fascination, I also watch as Lily brings out a big bag and packs my arms into it. It seems it has just enough room for a few more, and then she will... well, I dont really want to know what shes going to do with the rest. She could always bury them underground, or just stuff them into another bag. What I find creepy is that she starts cutting my arm apart and testing the level of boost and asking questions. How much of a boost will a hand give? How much from a single finger? How much from the bones? Im getting more and more worried about her future. I can already see the necklace made from my finger bones and tendons hanging around her neck. So while we prepare arms for her, I also give her a mini quest: to observe how my arm will behave over the 7 days Im still here and then when I leave. I dont think itll change much, at the very least it wont decompose or start rotting. Still, Im eager to find out. Would my body remain preserved, even after a year? What about ten years later, or after I die? Would it be possible to emulate my traits with it? Would my heart be useful at all? If I died because of a destroyed heart and my head stayed untouched, would it be possible to get me some new fancy heart and then kickstart my brain again, even years later? These thoughts fascinate me, and Lily seems to share the sentiment. So we talk and theorize, ignoring the twins and their concerned gaze. I dont deserve such looks from them. A day passes. I train, I spar with Lily and the twins. I work on improving [Resonance] by observing the twins use of [Connection]. It feels like Im close to working something out, yet somethings still missing, but I dont waste time dwelling on it. I just put in more effort. The twins are doing surprisingly well and they almost seem to have found aspects of their training to enjoy. Theyre getting better at close-range combat too. My style of letting the enemy hit, so I can hit back twice is what Im teaching them. It wont be their main tactic by any means, but I like to be flexible, so it may as well be another trick up their sleeve. And over time, Ive begun to notice them getting more and more comfortable around me. Up till now theres always been a little bit of tension on their end, and even now I cant see that ever fully going away. Lily, lord have mercy on her soul, runs around with my arms and sometimes bones from the arm. She does some body modification testing, and sometimes these bones explode... violently. It would certainly be a shame if something like that were to happen to my spine while she was trying to modify my body, right? I try to ignore it as much as possible. It still surprises me how easygoing Lily can be about things that would make the average person lose their lunch. I dont think a normal person would be so casual about breaking down a human arm. I watch with great interest whenever she trains her [Disintegration], and the twins seem to take an interest as well. She works on everything from shaping projectiles out of her gray mana, to making weapons, mostly smaller ones, and threads. Shes really beginning to improve, and it doesnt seem to be straining her nearly as much. We even test it against my highly compressed mana, which she tears through with ease. I even attempt to disrupt the skill, all to no avail. At one point, I use a large chunk of my bodys mana to materialize a finger-length thread of [Ley Line], and her gray projectile collides with it. And my beautiful new skill resists. A goddamned beautiful thread of whatever this material is actually manages to resist the tiny terrors gray mana. Lily, decidedly less pleased than I am, attacks again, drawing more from her reserves, taking this new attempt more seriously. In the end, after multiple attempts, the thread does get destroyed, consumed by her evil gray mana. That simple exchange feels almost like a challenge between Lily and me, and we stare at each other for a moment, our competitive spirits thoroughly awakened. Im sure Lilys skills will only grow stronger over time, but that goes for me as well. Chapter 459: On the schedule Over the next few days, I go out hunting in the area surrounding our camp, trying to complete side quests to earn more stay tokens. With the twins, we experiment a bit and came up with a way to make some items to sell for extra shards, gaining me around 15 thousand more and some for the twins as well as I make the different variations of each item. We go through quite a number of attempts and failures, but the boys are eager to earn their share of the shards and have already set to spending their share to buy themselves a decent variety of stuff. Lily and Biscuit seem to be saving their shards, and so honestly I dont have anything I want them to buy with my 50% share. I mean, there are plans in the works, but I dont have the time or space to put them into action yet. After I get back from Beyond, I fully intend to get myself an undamaged arcane item, even if it means I have to destroy some of the damaged ones currently in my possesion. I have plenty of materials and ideas, so I should have the resources at least. Are you sure this is going to work? Dennis asks me curiously. Hes watching me from across the border with brother in tow, refusing to cross beyond the point their mana stops regenerating. I, meanwhile, am standing well within the mana desert, directing my flames at the molds Ive sculpted in the ground. Who knows? Nat, tell me, did you use to take things apart just to see how they were working? How did you know? Lucky guess. Got it. Now get back to your training, Your orbs going to disappear. Theres no way. I have it under control... He doesnt have time to finish, and the evil orb beside him bursts open, ...under control. His brother laughs. I told you he was about to start changing them without telling us! Nat, did I do well? Better than Dennis, I agree as I watch him handle the sudden spike in his orb, a new way I found to tortu... train the brothers. Weakening the flame I turn my attention back to the mold and send kinetic energy through the molten sand in the form. I modify the output to create a deep vibration throughout the mass, shaking the bubbles out of the form at high frequency. Then I continue to heat it up. Ive started taking things slower than before, watching the surface and the color. Once in a while, I use kinetic energy to help the process along, typically to release more trapped bubbles. Im trying to make a simple dagger, a good form for testing as weve found over a few days. What are you looking to add to the mix today? Do you need another one of my finger bones? Lily asks, sounding genuinely curious. Shes sitting off to the side, examining a mana stone loaded with information on body modification. We could try to add one of Biscuits whiskers, Dennis recommends. (Asshole!) You know I wasnt being serious, Biscuit! Nat, what did he say? He called you an asshole. Oh... His brother laughs at him while Dennis deflates. We tried enhancing them with your thermal orbs, random bones, and metals, but were kind of hitting a wall by not being able to add mana, Aaron sighs. We did? You did, but we supported you from a distance. Sounds about right. I dont think Im going to add anything this time. Someone else might be able to get more out of this sand, but I cant do anymore at this point in time. Its frustrating. I cant inscribe it, I cant add my mana to the mix. I cant even use mana while making it. That sounds nice. Yup. I stretch and activate the burden enhancement inscriptions, forcing myself to move kinetic energy throughout my body. Its time for some light sparring. Your goal is to maintain the evil orb while we fight. I wish he had better names for these things. It makes me feel lame that I have so much trouble with it. Dennis sighs, fixing his clothes as mana starts flowing through his body. We should have known what we were getting ourselves into when he named our group: group 4. The sparring match takes off, and they dont have the luxury of speaking anymore. Just two days remain until I start my next Beyond expedition, and my training is in full progress. I cut down on my sleep planning to make up for it before I go to Beyond. Be it day or night, all of us train, my companions deciding to follow my example and stay up for the next few days. Much like before, there is no hunting, we only resort to killing monsters when they attack us. And this close to the Mana Desert, that rarely happens, leaving our campsite unusually quiet. Here on the 6th floor, days are hot, and the sky makes it impossible to see where the lights coming from, almost like we were caught in a perpetual storm or the sky was covered in sand or something. Day is also the time when the monsters seem to be the most active, and yet the nights are cold and quiet. And Ive grown to enjoy the nights here, even as hostile as they are. If only for the view I still cant get enough of. It almost looks like I can reach my hand and touch the stars. Myriads of them in the sky, mixing with purple nebulae that cover a huge part of the sky as well. Sometimes I just like to sit there for a few minutes and watch it, thinking about just how real it is. How far does the tutorial reach? Did it stop at recreating the moon, this Astral Prison. Is everything beyond the borders of this satellite just an even bigger fake? A projection set there for convenience? Like some giant TV screen? Is it just an illusion? Graphics that only bother to load when we look at them? Or does the system do more? Back on the 2nd floor, old Liss said she couldnt leave the planet, so maybe it just ends. But theres a chance it doesnt. Ill have to find out next time were on a floor without aerial defenses. Im curious to see if I could fly up to outer space and survive there. A few minutes remain, and I adjust my backpack, its already been loaded up with all my most important stuff. I have the Flamebearer, I have my Echo Gauntlet, I even have a few weapons made from white sand, and plenty of other odds and ends. I also have somewhere around a dozen healing marks dotting my body, though most of them are confined to my left arm. The current and 12th variation has been tailored to send a scan through my body to find the wound and focus its healing there. Though it would certainly cause problems if someone were to sever my left armwhich is, sadly, not impossibleso we decided to space out a few more marks across some of my other body parts, even though it made things a bit more difficult for Lily. I endure a second long hug from Lily, suspecting her of milking the situation while fully aware that she might try it again. So, Youre planning to be back in three to five days right? Aaron asks. Yup, I confirm. Ill start with a one day token, and use more based on how that goes. Take care, Nat, Lily cries, seizing the opportunity to give me a third hug, and I look over her head at the smirking twins. Then I push the baby koala away and lift Biscuit to eye level, letting him lick my face a few times. Trading a final round of well wishes, I take a few steps and grab the nearby stack of boxes. Each one made from melted white sand, sealed airtight, and impossible to open without breaking the container itself. Inside, there''s nothing but a hollow space filled with loose white sand. Yup, Im using white sand to store white sand. I have a dozen boxes just like it, each the size of my head. Later, I shout, waving as I use a Beyond Stay token and the environment around me fades. And there she is, my beloved Lady handler, seated within the same endless space, behind the same, old wooden table. I follow her eyes to the boxes filled with white sand behind me and cant help but feel proud. It took a lot of testing to get it right and even more effort to create them and store the white sand within. You cant bring those to the Entrance floor or into the dungeon, she says resolutely. Yeah, I never liked this old hag of an asshole lazy handler. Chapter 460: What a beautiful day I want to change handlers, I tell her and wait for a pop-up message. That doesnt work here, she sighs and points at the storage cubes I brought with me. White sand was made by a powerful Absolute long ago. It was his way of dealing with annoying mana users and he modified it to trap Champion Caius and others. You surely must know how dangerous it could be if someone were to release it on the Entrance floor. There are people with damaged arcane weapons and surely there are others with full arcane weapons. Plenty of people would be capable of wiping out the entrance floor on their own without any need for a weapon or item. Even arcane items need to be used with intent, while there is not a single attendee capable of controlling the white sand. Do you think youre the first one to bring white sand here, to Beyond? What do you think would happen if you were to release it here in the highly mana-saturated entrance floor? What happened last time? Someone brought it here, it got out of the container, became charged by the abundance of ambient mana and the mana radiating from the people here. It wiped out one of the entrance outpostsand any attendees and locals that were there. A single pile that was probably smaller than two of your boxes combined. Oh. Yes, oh. So lets do it like this: I will take these boxes, I will also take the weapons you made out of it. There are a few handlers with permission to play around with things like white sand, so I will sell it to them and give you a portion of the shards later. And if you try to bring more, Ill just take it from you. And youll take a cut? Obviously. I cant help but feel disappointed. Part of me expected this, but I was hoping for a different outcome. At least Ill get some shards out of it. If I dont get enough to make it worth it, Ill be angry. Cant these handlers just ask Rulers to get them white sand or find some themselves? I ask. I know what youre doing you know, but Ill play along this time and give you this for free. Its impossible to enter the tutorial twice. No one can enter the tutorial other than the attendees from the First Generation. Not even the Rulers? The look she gives me makes it clear thats all Im gonna get. After a while, she smiles from behind her table. Werent you going to change handlers last time? I forgot. Did you? Well, a lot of things happened. I might be thinking about it now though, so you better have some good information for me. Nope. Im asking for a new handler the second I get out. What with your attitude last time, and now this situation with the white sandI''ve put in a lot of effort, you know. Sure, do it. Her smile widens even more as she watches me, resting her chin in the palm of her hand, But Im in a good mood, so if you ask the right question, I might answer. You only have a few more seconds before you get transported to the entrance floor, so be quick. Who was the ruler on the first floor? I ask. She chuckles and leans back in her chair with a relaxed ease. A playful light flickers in her eyes, and she waits a bit, stretching the seconds until I feel myself getting pulled away. As if that were the signal shed been waiting for, she asks, Do you remember that deer you skinned? Then I disappear, without even a chance to respond. And there I stand, shocked to my core, surrounded by the dozens of Beyonders walking all around me, going about their business here on the entrance floor. There is no fucking way. An hour later, Im 99% sure that old hag, asshole of a handler, was just messing with me. I catch myself wondering why I havent already asked for a new handler. It would be so simplejust say the words out loud and go through the options. But to my frustration, I still havent done it. All because I believe her when she tells me shes one of the few handlers who can provide the kind of information she gave me last time. Damn it. I still have a few hours until I have to go to the meeting I advertised on the board, so I take a moment to walk around. Hello, I greet. Hello, the woman smiles, turning to me. Luna noticed your approach, she says as she pets her dog, who wags her tail in response. She said you smell like a human from Earth, so I thought you might be the one who left the post. Lunas pretty smart. She is, right? The black-haired woman smiles happily. My name is Leticia, and this is my Luna as Ive already said, she states, introducing the golden retriever as if she were the most important member of their party. Luna turns to me, the same gentle brown eyes retrievers usually have. But theres an uncanny intelligence behind those eyes. I dont feel any indication of a scan, but Im sure the retriever is checking me out and appraising the danger I present. Its fine, Luna, were all from Earth here, Leticia says, smiling and petting her once again, prompting Luna to quietly turn away from me. Leticia then gestures at the young boy. This is Spacewolf. Hes really sweet, so please dont mind the name! The mountain pretending to be a human next to him is CarrotCake. The bald man, who sits almost two heads taller than me and twice as wide, smiles brightly, his teeth gleaming in the light. My name in the community is Noname, I introduce myself. Hello, Noname. I hope well learn to drop these nicknames sometime in the near future. My handler told me that you can even change your Community name, but only once, and only to your real name. So please think about it. Spacewolf snorts while CarrotCake stands up and stops in front of me. Obscuring most of my view with his beard as I look up at him. Round? he asks. Fifth, you? I return, curious if he will try to lie. First round, winner of the 1st tournament. You? I won our first tournament as well. The feeling of danger rises again and its immediate this time. Even stronger than before and the mans smile becomes even brighter. Then the two presences I felt coming closer reach us, Luna the retriever reacting exactly the way she did when I showed up. That makes three of us, says a man a few years older than me, bringing himself to the muscular mans attention, which he ignores. Im Derick, and this is Noelle, 8th round. Derick has long red hair tied into a ponytail. Hes slim and dressed in a pair of black pants and a long sleeved shirt. And to top it all off hes unarmed. Noelle is shorter, with brown hair, and wears a long bow strapped to her back, seemingly made out of metal with no string. They, like the others, seem accustomed to each others presence. Isnt that great! What a beautiful day this is shaping up to be! The bald man, who I refuse to call CarrotCake, shouts as he stomps, leaving a crack in the cobblestones lining the street below him. Its just a simple movement, playful, devoid of mana, yet it perfectly illustrates the power of his body. I smell another single-attribute enthusiast. It''s just a shame he chose Strength. Leticia rushes to calm the bald man down, and I have a strong suspicion he wouldnt mind starting a fight right here and now. He certainly seems like the type. Derick and Noelle stand quietly off to the side, talking to each other. The winner of the 8th round''s tournament, it makes me curious about what kind of abilities he could be hiding. Unlike the musclehead over there, it''s not quite so obvious. I check the countdown, the time for the meeting nearly up. Exactly on the second, the last person enters the area, a young man with green eyes and long black hair tied back in a ponytail. He has a beauty mark under the corner of his left eye. That guy... So we have three winners from the 1st round of tournaments. An archer with a weird ass bow. A woman who snuck her dog into the tutorial. Spacewolf. And lastly, the cowardly Savant. Chapter 461: Allies? Is everyone from round 5 some kind of weirdo? Spacewolf declares in an unprovoked attack. That little jerk sure sounds confident hiding behind that mountain of muscle, and as we sit there and plan, he only grows more bold. Hes already been badmouthing the others, and now Im his target. Some of his confidence might be bought by his worth as well. He introduced himself as a healer after all. I just look at him and dont bother answering. Youre wearing that mask, Savants just sitting off to the side, and he hasnt said a word since he arrived. And you havent made any attempts at speaking to him either, the boy continues. This time I glance at his bodyguard, wondering if I have a chance at sneaking in a petty attack on the boy. The tournament winner seems to catch onto my intent and flashes a bright smile, placing his teeth on display. A clear challenge gleams in his eyes. For some reason, that only makes me want to do it even more, and as carefully as I can, I start moving my mana toward the annoying boy. Spacewolf, Leticia says in a gentle tone, there are some people who just dont feel the need to talk very much. Noname and Savant might just need some time to get comfortable with us, maybe theyll be ready to talk then, so lets not be rude, okay? Surprisingly, that makes the boy blush, and he looks to the side, away from the young woman in question. As if she had something to say, the golden retriever Luna pokes her owner, and Leticia just smiles at her, booping her on the nose a few times. Somehow that gentle-looking woman with her short black hair has taken on the role of a placeholder leader. At the very least she seems focused on trying to guide us to a shared goal. At that point, I decide to ignore the fact that I was the one who called them all here and hope that no one remembers. Didnt Noname call us all here? Shouldnt he explain what this is all about? Savants voice interrupts. I dont even have to turn around to know that he isnt even looking in our direction. As eyes turn to me and I sigh. Its simple. There is a place I want to reach on the 1st floor. Its close to a safe zone where you can find a checkpoint. We will be moving in that direction together, and when we get close I intend to split off from the group while you continue on to the safe zone. Ill even finish off most of the lurkers to get them to focus on me and time the end of my stay token, so I can escape. That way you dont experience any losses. What if I want to go with you? It sounds fun, the bald man asks smugly. Then the deals off. Whats at that place is mine and mine only. And if I lie and follow you anyways? he pushes. Then I will fuck you up. Leticia quickly jumps in, Noname, CarrotCake, theres no need to go that far. There are countless lurkers you could fight, even other Beyonders. There is no need for the people of Earth to fight each other. I would like to remind everyone that each of us is wasting their stay tokens because of these two, Savant follows up, throwing in some wisdom of his own, from his seat further away, probably so he can escape if things get too hairy. I agree with Savant, Derick interjects, turning to me, Did you plan this as an Earthlings only expedition? Or do you want to recruit others? I had planned to go alone, but then I thought it would be better to have a few more people just in case I meet a powerful named one. Have you met any before? Yes, Whitey. That seems to catch Dericks interest, Ive heard of him. Hes supposed to be one of the oldest. How does he compare strength-wise to other named lurkers? I ask. Noelle, any idea? He asks, turning to the woman next to him. Her voice is quiet and soft, and very soothing, As far as I remember, hes supposed to be a demon with long white hair and kinetic energy. He is one of the oldest, but not the strongest. Thats as much as we know, Mr. Noname. Thats about what I expected, hes pretty much just like you said. Wide-range kinetic energy field and excellent perceptionthere is no chance of hiding from him. The place I want to go is near his territory. How do we know you dont want to use us as decoys while you run away and do something else? Derick asks me, curiosity evident in his voice. He wont do that as long as you dont give him a reason to, Savant says, much to my surprise. Before I can react, Leticia joins in, Luna and I have decided to trust Noname as well, and with three tournament winners accompanying us, I dont think we need to recruit any more attendees. If we hurry, we should be able to reach the safe zone, especially if Noname takes most of the lurkers on himself, and we ditch him once things get hairy. She smiles at me and winks as she speaks. Arent guide dogs supposed to be for blind people? The question seems to take Leticia aback, but she smiles softly, You really dont have much tact, do you, Noname? Yes, they usually are for the blind or visually impaired, but thats not strictly the case. We reach the entrance to the first floor and pause. At which point Leticia continues, I was blind until the second floor, you know. Then she leaves to talk with Derick and the muscle man about something, and I watch her go. Yep, I knew it. She cant be normal. Theres no way anyone who survived a month blind on the first floor is normal. Before entering the first floor of Beyonds dungeon, we share as much information as we canmostly about the first floor. Then, we step inside. Welcome to the 1st floor of the First Dungeon! You may exit the 1st floor in designated safe zones spread across the floor. After reaching a safe zone, you will be able to use the array to return from the Entrance Floor. 1st floor quest:??? Rewards: 7-day Stay Token ??? We find ourselves in a sickly-looking area. There are a lot of fallen trees, dried-up grass, water so stagnant that it may as well just be poison. A few old buildings made of crumbling stone bricks can be seen in the distance. There are huge craters and other signs of damage everywhere we look. Crumbling mountains, sprawling fields pocked with craters, and the drooping edges of melted buildings, with their stone facades crumbling to dust. As before, the rocky ceiling looms above, reminding me of our presence deep underground. With it, the gravity increases, pulling more heavily on my mana, drawing it toward something far beneath my feet. Looking at the power levels of the people here, I find myself growing more confident about this expedition than the one before. Looking back I dont think anyone other than the leader was noticeably stronger than any of us. I also get rid of the mask made of mana and the fire effect around the crown. The mana signatures and presences of all the people around us disappearing is weirdly comfortable as we enter that destroyed environment of the first floor. Youre actually quite handsome. This isnt how I imagined you, Noname. Though I noticed it even with your mask onyour eyes are beautiful. Heterochromia, right? Leticia asks. Yes, I answer, my senses shooting into the area around us and as I do, I notice that everyone does something similar. Not wasting time, we get to running in the direction I pointed out, taking a bit of a detour, to avoid Whitey, whom I intend to pay a visit on my own. Luna runs slightly ahead of us, and even though I cant sense anything, Im sure shes scouting ahead in her own way. There is not a single presence as far as I can sense. Nothing even after thirty minutes. Going by the expressions on everyones faces, even they find this strange, and I can sense them rushing to stack skills and effects around their bodies while keeping their senses sharp. No one speaks anymore, but the bulky man seems to be growing more excited by the moment. Despite all our scanning, we detect no presencesnot even the slightest trace of mana or primordial energy. The place feels devoid of life both natural and unnatural. Another hour passes, and still, we encounter no enemies. We pass a massive mountain, its sides overgrown with unnatural vegetation. We pass a lake with bubbling light green water. We pass a city that looks like some enormous creature stomped it flat. And yet, no one attacks us. Chapter 462: Specter The dreary silence continues even as we approach the halfway point nearing the area I think of as Whiteys territory. There is no wind down here, at least not on this floor, leaving the scenery around us to settle into an eerie stillness that extends even to the grass and trees. Everything stands motionless, in a state of crumbling decay, overgrown by vegetation, or thrown all around by different kinds of attacks. Luna continues to lead, the golden retriever moving with extreme grace and speed, her sharp eyes scanning the area as she takes the occasional break to sniff at some strange scent before leading us on. Musclehead appears to be happy; there is an aura of exuberance around him, which seems to upset the boy though hes clearly learned to accept it. Derick and Noelle stay together, neither one showing the slightest hint of unease. Leticia constantly moves mana in the air around her, weaving something in preparation, and I watch with great interest as she does. As for Savant, he stays off to the side of the group, seemingly unperturbed, his green eyes scanning the area. I bet he doesnt even want to be here, but his cold, calculating mind probably figured this would be a better opportunity to examine the first floor than mingling with random attendees. When I try to find out how much mana he has stored in the broken Sword of Aeons on his waist, he deflects that attempt and continues to ignore me. Everyone here is used to situations like this; its almost commonplace. That calm before the storm, the feeling of your senses amplifying in anticipation of danger looming right around the corner. Its addicting; it anchors you to that moment in time and makes you feel more alive than anything else. So when the first attack comes, were all ready. Leticia shouts, and Luna stops, as the ground in front of her explodes, and the shockwave throws the golden retriever against a boulder nearby, and she lands with a whimper. Leticias barrier, which softened the initial attack, surrounds her dog once more, stopping another strike as an explosion devastates the area. Noelle looses an arrow, and a barrage of white and red lightning pierces the skythe same lightning Tess has. That attack crashes against a barrier created by the attacking figure floating high in the air. [Reanimated Corpse - lvl ???] The barrier glows in three different colors: pale blue, dark blue, and purple. Named one, Noelle whispers, just loud enough for everyone to hear. Rookie Killer, mage, barriers, and mana-based attacks. She doesnt get a chance to say anymore as the next attack explodes in our midst. The same as before, there is a brief moment where the Lurkers mana reaches towards us nearly imperceptibly and creates a tiny portal through which it launches its next attack. R?? The bright white explosion of compressed mana I know so well crashes against my barrier, and I reach out for the Rookie Killer in the same fashion, stretching my [Ley Line] out through the air and creating an endpoint next to him. It seems to have an incredible perception, sensing my skill and attempting to disrupt it. But nothing happens. The thread doesnt even react to the attempt. Another barrage of lightning from Noelle crashes against the feylith lurkers barrier, and as it does, I teleport right in front of him. He has a set of small wings on his back, and his hair and eyes, which should be changing colors, are now a deathly shade of white and his skin has shriveled as if with age. Rookie Killer moves, surrounding himself with a huge amount of mana in an attempt to resist my rapidly activating domain, which is currently being strengthened by the effect of my subclass. Weve got another named one! Specter! Noelle shouts from below, and I sense the fight rage beneath me. My body radiates more and more mana, ramping up the pressure and strengthening my domain as we face each other. Hundreds of mana projectiles enter my domain, only to be disrupted by [Resonance] as I infuse it throughout. [Mana Domain - lvl 46 > Mana Domain - lvl 47] My own mana projectiles, boosted by kinetic energy, crash against that tricolored barrier, which deforms under the barrage but holds strong nonetheless. I fend off a constant string of attempts to tear my domain apart, along with the projectiles. The lurker teleports away before I can stop him, leaving his barrier behind, as it shrinks to the size of one of his projectiles and turns bright white. Rather than disrupt it and waste mana, I use my existing [Ley Line] to return to my original position, placing the fight at a distance where I see the orange light of Savants [Dawn] and two more lurkers fighting the group. Something about this group of three feels off. Theyre all too strong to be random lurkers, and even then, theyre showing signs of damage as if they had already been through a tough fight. Another portal opens near me, and a barrage of attacks erupts forth, crashing into my hastily constructed barrier. This ones the same race Rat was. Humanoid, with gray skin and long arms and legs. His dead white eyes lock onto me, and I disrupt his attempt to mark me in some way. Kinetic energy flows through my body, and I squeeze Flamebearer in my hand. The lurker dodges three bursts of kinetic energy, he lets a barrage of mana-based attacks pass through his flickering body, my [Redistribution] slips off of his skin, and he stabs at me. I teleport, and he immediately follows me, an aggressive movement that makes him look more like an animal than anything humanoid. He dodges a dozen arrows launched by Noelle in a single second and briefly clashes with Derrick before the red-haired man kicks him. The lurker lets the kick land, using it as a boost to launch himself back at me. He dodges more primordial lightning arrows, he avoids Derick again by moving at much higher speeds, and he adjusts his barrier to weaken the effects of Savants [Dawn]. My domain activates at full power, my eyes reading his barrier, and my disruptive attacks are at their best. And for that short moment, I cause his barrier to flicker and decide to face him head on instead of teleporting. Kinetic energy supports me, my movement matching his for that moment, and I disrupt his barrier again, swinging my ax at his head while launching powerful bursts of kinetic energy to take a chunk of his chest, right where his heart should be. And he dodges both. His speed surges and the barrier around him reactivates as if Id never disrupted it. The lurker reduced his speed. He even let me weaken his barrier. All to lure me in. His dagger stabs into my chest, as I pivot just enough so it doesnt pierce my heart. Some kind of poison is flooding in through the wound, along with a powerful disrupting attempt. But Ive seen it all before. Disrupting my mana just isnt that easy. Kinetic energy boosts my movement and a barrier of mana forms over my forehead. I bring it down and smash it into the lurker with full force, with an audible crack from his head or mine. Or both. He tries to take another step, but I wrap my arms around him, pinning his arms so he cant move the dagger hes managed to lodge in me. The direct contact makes it harder for him to flicker away. Golden flames seep out of my body, surrounding us both. Healing me and damaging him. I hold on to him all the while, disrupting his attempts at using that flickering skill of his, in a constant battle not unlike the orb-shaping exercise Lissandra left me. But I love this. I reinforce the barrier on my forehead and slam into him again, shattering his nose and teeth. Feeling that hes about to slip away, I boost my body and resonate my mana, removing the arm he stabbed me with, a split second before he flickers away. He tries to grab the arm and dagger lodged inside me, but Derick smashes into him, and the lurker lets his body roll. Then in an incredible display of acrobatics, he jumps into the air, dodging an arrow, and tries to kick Savant, who deflects the blow and attacks in turn. The lurkers body flickers, and he starts running at incredible speed. I send a powerful burst of kinetic energy through the Ley Line I tied to him and the lurker reacts with incredible speed, flickering away the instant my attack grazes him, minimizing his injuries. A weird dagger forms in his hand made out of an extremely pale, almost transparent form of blue mana, which he uses to cut away the Ley Line, along with the flesh it was attached to, before disappearing into the distance. As the explosions continue in the distance, Leticia and two others caught in their own fight with the third lurker, I pull the dagger out of my chest, focusing thermal energy around the wound as I concentrate it and let it burn my own flesh to stop the spread of poison. It hurts a lot, but I distract myself by thinking of ways to improve my [Ley Line] and make it harder to get rid of. Even though that lurker was insane and likely one of the stronger ones, it shouldnt have been so easy to take it downor even notice it. It serves as a stark reminder that no matter how strong Ive become, these lurkers were once attendees, people who reached Beyond on their own. I store the severed arm in my bag and glance at the dagger. Nullstrike Knife (Arcane, Damaged) - TheNullstrike Knife is incredibly sharp, capable of slicing through the toughest armor. The poison it once held is nearly gone, but it disrupts mana on contact, hindering magical defenses. Occasionally, it releases a pulse that temporarily silences all spells in the immediate area. It shouldnt be this easy to collect damaged arcane items. Good job. That was a bit of a crazy way to go about things, but hey, if it works. Derick says, as he approaches, glancing at the dagger In my hand. Thanks. Are you done doing the bare minimum so that you can observe our abilities? The red-haired man seems to be amused, and for a moment, a smile flickers across his face before it disappears. Arent we all doing it? Why dont we check on the others? After you, I gesture. Chapter 463: Lurkers everywhere The muscleman, annoying boy healer, Leticia, and good girl Luna have all been marked by the fight. Well, other than the boy who looks like he came from a walk. The big musclehead has terrible burns across his hand and forearms, but he doesnt seem to mind, in fact, hes smiling brightly right now. What a fight! That little man sure packed some heat! As he talks, I watch the burns on his arms heal even without any support from the boy. His natural regeneration might be even higher than Lilys. However, I still dont think he comes anywhere close to matching her high Constitution, leading me to think its some kind of powerful trait or skill at work, be it active or passive. Leticia, meanwhile, has been blinded in one eye, a terrible burn taking up half of her face, and the golden retriever doesnt look much better. Luna is missing one of her legs with the same sort of burns surrounding the injury. Noticing my look, the woman smiles, I will be fine. That lurker was just faster than expected. Its at this point that Noelle speaks up, joining the conversation, Noname fought Rookie Killer. Hes gotten quite famous for bombarding newbies and causing trouble for weaker expedition teams, but hes not that strong. We got attacked by Specter, one of the more dangerous ones, and he ran away. But I dont know the one who fought you. They fought a vyssari woman, another named one called Blazing Shortie, Savant speaks up, having already recovered, his wounds have closed at the very least, his bearing unchanged. That fits pretty well! Our musclehead says, smiling, and shoving the boy next to him. Go and heal her. For a moment, I think the boy might refuse, but he just sighs and approaches Leticia, who thanks him and lets him touch her face. With curiosity, I observe the process, comparing him to Lily. The wound closes quickly, and it doesnt seem to cause the boy much trouble. The mana feels similar to Lilys. Its no different when he restores the golden retrievers missing leg, the bone growing in first, only to be quickly covered in nerves, tendons, flesh, skin, and finally, fur. He doesnt seem to push himself, so its hard to estimate how he compares to our petite maniac. Then we continue moving on our way. We pass by another small ruined city, a huge crater in the side of a mountain, and a big field filled with spikes piercing into the ground, and breaking the otherwise uniform surface. When we eventually do meet two more lurkers, they go down easily, these ones having been much more in line with beginners who got in over their heads. As promised, Im the one to deliver the finishing blow, thus making future lurkers more attracted to me as time goes on. When we meet three more, one of them dies near instantly, torn apart by a barrage of attacks from Noelle and me. Leticia is great at manipulating mana. Her shields have perfect timing, and she forms them incredibly quickly. Even then, theyre none too shabby, seeming more than capable of enduring even more powerful attacks. However she hasnt really pressed the attack thus far, so I dont know what her full capabilities are. As for the resident musclehead, I watch as he jumps in feet first to face a lurker in a set of heavy armor. The winner of the 1st rounds tournament is surprisingly nimble and doesnt face down attacks if he doesnt need to. His fights dont usually take long either. I watch as he pounds the armor, denting it as if it were made of aluminum foil. And after taking a few quick steps, he follows up the strike with a knee kick. The lurker in armor creates a greatsword with mana and takes a swing, which the bald man dodges nimbly. Then repeating the maneuver, his next hit strikes the flat of the blade, snapping the weapon in the middle, before the following kick sends the lurker flying, slamming it into a boulder. Grabbing a stone from the ground, the man throws it at full force, the impact sounding like an explosion as the stone explodes into a cloud of dust from the sheer force, sending reverberations through the air. You can finish him, he tells me, sounding disappointed, no different from the fight before. I let one of my javelins pierce the unmoving lurker, its armor rendered useless. [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 253] We start moving again, and as we progress, more and more lurkers head our way, attracted by the annoying mechanic that defines this floor. The more we kill, the worse it gets, and we arent even halfway through. As much as we can, we avoid killing them, often leaving lurkers behind crippled and missing limbs. We could have done it before, but I think the others wanted to be sure I would keep my word. Just to know theyd have someone willing to serve as a decoy if needed, while they escape. I think its only fair, and its exactly what I offered to them. Nearly a day passes like that as we continue on, setting a slower pace than my previous expedition. My stay token is about to end so before I can disappear back to the 6th floor, I use another 1-day stay token. Leaving me with two more 1-day stay tokens and one 3-day stay token. We lower our speed as the others take the opportunity to acclimatize themselves and explore the floor and make themselves familiar with its dangers. We do some tests on the lurkers as well, curious to learn just how much of the original person remains in them. No one says anything, but all of us start heading in the direction of the smaller group. Noname, I wont hold back this time, Derick tells me, his tattoos radiating more and more mana with each step he takes. Sure. He better not, we need to kill them quickly. I take a few more steps and boost myself high into the air. Even from this distance, a lurker manages to attack me, and I duck to the side, as a massive icicle sails off into the distance. Someone touches my mind, but thats it. My passive renders the attack useless, and I detect the attacker, deciding to deal with them first. First, I shoot dozens of threads of [Ley Line] into the area, immediate attempts at disrupting them pulse out from two different sources, but neither one has any hope of getting rid of them. As the group of ten lurkers enters my view, I dodge a few more attacks and block a few with my barrier. The group splits up to cover a bigger area, some staying behind to attack from a distance while the others move into melee range. There is no sense of cooperation. Just like zombies, they just group together and attack similar targets. My first tricolored orb explodes in the middle of a group of five melee attackers, throwing a few of them to the side while two manage to endure the attack. One of them, likely a named one, even shrugs it off, its armor made of mana absorbing the blast as he rushes toward Jean. The huge man welcomes the lurker with a powerful punch that destroys the ground in a massive area, and tears apart the lurker in a single blow, leaving nothing behind. With it goes most of Jeans arm, reducing it to a mass of ragged and profusely bleeding flesh, but the wound closes quickly. And I notice that not a single bone is broken. Savant is already attacking the lurker I threw the orb against, his movements much more dangerous than they were during the tournament, without even activating his domain. Teleporting through my anchor, I reach the lynthari woman who used some sort of mental attack before. She attacks me and her mental assault crashes against me again, as she follows up with a wave of oscillating mana spinning around her and cutting the area around her to ribbons. Mana armor forms around my body, taking deep cuts across the surface, but by boosting my body with kinetic energy, I manage to take a few steps. Foot burrowing into the ground, as I twist my waist, redirecting all the force through my body and releasing it in short bursts. The lyntharis chest caves in, forcing her to stagger back, but theres no sense of pain in her eyes. Another step and swing of my hand separates her head from her body. [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 261] I teleport away, and a barrage of attacks crashes into the place I was standing, mostly ice projectiles that seem to radiate immense cold into the area around them. A pulse of mana erupts outwards from me, detecting the positions of my group and the lurkers, As I compress a huge amount of mana and send five tricolored orbs through my Ley Lines. Five powerful explosions reverberate through the air, preceding a heatwave followed by a shockwave and an implosion. [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 241] [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 253] [Lvl 278 > Lvl 279] The air is still shaking, reverberating, when I sense one more signature heading from the direction of the group of 20 lurkers. A signature that moves at incredible speed, passing a distance that would take other lurkers at least a few minutes in mere seconds. It lands in the middle of the group, the enormous wings made of mana on its back disappearing as the figure slows to a walk. The figure is one of the races I met on the entrance floor, twice as tall as me, and while they still have humanoid proportions, they feel off on someone of this size. [Reanimated Corpse - lvl ???] Leticia shouts something, and Luna grows in size until the golden retriever is as big as a horse. The legs elongate, along with a maw that shows off a dangerous set of teeth. But before Luna can attack the lurker, the musclehead tackles her with his shoulder, sending the retriever to the side. Mine! he laughs maniacally as the muscles on his body bulge. His skin tears, the air around him seems to shake, and he crashes into the giant lurker with a huge shockwave. Not a Chapter. Announcement – Book 3 Live on Amazon! Its here again! Book 3 is live and even longer than the previous onethis time it is around 780 Amazon pages! The audiobook isnt ready yet, but Ill let you know as soon as its available! As before, Id be really thankful if you find time to rate the book or leave a review with your thoughts. You can (most of the time) rate and review even if you didnt buy the book. If you have KU, you can download the bookjust downloading it helps, as it counts as a sale! I also made Reddit posts, so if you have a Reddit account, upvoting them helps as well! r/litrpg: /r/litrpg/comments/1h6k93r/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_3_is_out// r/ProgressionFantasy: /r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/1h6k7go/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_3_is_out/ Thank you all so much for being a part of this! Chapter 464: Luna Everyone evacuates the area as the giant and Jean clash, reducing their surroundings into a field of craters in a storm of shockwaves. Jean stands his ground this time, taking blows he otherwise wouldnt in order to deliver a few of his own. Each punch he throws tears his flesh, sending chunks of skin flying and blood spraying into the air as his body fails to endure the sheer power of his own attacks. Surprisingly, his bones endure, without breaking even as the giant beats him down, and thats when I notice the barest hint of mana surrounding his massive fists. Of course, Lucien supports him with an occasional round of healing, climbing onto Luna''s back beside Leticia. While Luna keeps them out of harms way, avoiding stray attacks from the few surviving lurkers, Leticia weaves mana around them to defend and attack doing so quickly and precisely. Another powerful lurker crashes into Savant, whos been silently radiating his domain into the area, the lurkers body, already having taken damage from the deadly field, begins to break down even faster as it takes a strike from the sword Savant creates from said domain. Noelle continues to avoid attacks while picking off the weaker lurkers, her projectiles bursting forth in a near uninterrupted stream. But Derick seems to be having a bit of a problem. His opponent is a male lynthari dual wielding swords with a crown seemingly made of ice, floating over his head. Neither Derick nor the lynthari move quickly, but their movements are smooth and dangerous. The area around them has also grown immensely cold, causing Derick''s breath to mist in the air as the skin-tight barrier around his body freezes over. With a boost, I land nearby, armor surrounding my body. The lynthari doesnt even flinch, focused on pressuring Derick with a constant barrage of his attacks, whos been deflecting the blades with his forearms and shins, without even the slightest injury. Then the immense cold hits me, freezing the armor around my body, and I find myself unable to move for a moment. Boosting my movements with kinetic energy, I take a step, breaking the layer of frost hindering my movements, and infuse thermal energy into my armor. The pale blue mana taking on a hint of the energys golden hue. That''s when the lynthari reacts for the first time. The crown over his head spins and expands, vastly increasing the influence of his cold. Even the ground glazes over with a sheet of ice that feels almost sticky, freezing to my shoes whenever I take a step. And Derick ignores it. Without armor to protect his body, or flames and heat to disperse the ice. Relying on nothing but his skin-tight barrier, glowing tattoos, and incredibly short bursts of mana that he uses to attack and disrupt incoming skills. More thermal energy surrounds me and I shoot off a few mana projectiles, which freeze in the air, crumbling into fine particles as they make contact with the lynthari. One of the swords swings my way only to be met with Flamebearer, flames warring with ice. I increase the output of the flames and boost my body to push back against the sword. And my golden flames begin to die off, unable to resist the concentrated cold. Immediately after, a strong pulse of cold shoots into the area as I release my thermal energy into the area around me, letting it burn. That cold stops Derick just for a moment and one of the lyntharis swords pierces his leg, the frost quickly spreading before the man frees himself. An ice projectile that was about to pierce me evaporates just in front of my heart, meeting my forearm instead. I have never felt so cold in my life. Shrinking my domain, I stop trying to fight the cold surrounding me. Instead, I make my [Mana Domain] skin-tight, adding resonating mana into the mix. The armor around me disappears and I charge up heat just under my skin, and send a burst of kinetic energy through my body, as I move to attack. With an almost lazy movement that feels perversely elegant, the lynthari meets my axe with his swords, with each clash my axe, coated in golden flames, evaporates some of the ice releasing a frozen mist to chill the air surrounding us. The sword pierces through my foot and continues on into the ground. I duck and avoid his follow up, and take a step back, breaking my foot, leaving it behind, entirely frozen, little more than a block of ice. I detonate the frozen stump and use one of Lilys healing marks, quickly restoring my foot. In the meantime Derick takes up the lynthari''s attention, the swords clashing against his form, as his tattoos glow brighter than ever. A few short exchanges and Derick staggers back, with the lurker pulling a sword from his chest, the blade coated in blood. ? A pulse of mana explodes from Derick and the frost-like effect fades from his body, but the wound remains as the red-haired man attacks again, working in concert with me. My axe burrows into the lyntharis side, and Derick caves in the lurkers chest. In the blink of an eye, the field around the lurker shrinks, condensing the area of effect and concentrating the effects of the cold. I can feel it in my chest, as my fingers start turning blue, even filled with my thermal energy. My movements are getting even slower and the mana around me keeps freezing and becoming extremely brittle. The man then continues to punch the dead lurkers teeth until he breaks enough of them to free his arm. It''s nearly devoid of flesh, connected to his body only by a visible section of bone. Lucien, my boy! Got it, got it! as if this were a common occurrence, the boy shouts and the mark he put on Jeans back activates, the wounds closing slowly. We have a minute before the group of twenty reaches us. Thirty seconds before the quickest arrives! Leticia warns us, already going through the equipment that was on dead lurkers. Even as wounded as some of us are, everyone immediately does the same, with the only exception being Jean, who stands there longingly staring at the body of the giant. Ten seconds later, we start running. After five minutes of this, I start checking out the ways everyones been covering their steps, and I have to say that Leticia might be even better than me. Whereas I can remove residual mana, she does so much more naturally, making it look almost indistinguishable from ambient mana or at least mana that had been fading for weeks. I also have a strong suspicion she can reduce our scent and mitigate a few other lingering effects. And when we reach the huge tower, we hide on one of the floors. While we wait, Lucien goes around healing everyone. He doesn''t put in a lot of effort but no one complains. His abilities might be even more necessary later. Luna, in her normal size now, keeps guard since the lurkers would be able to track anyone else. Even though we killed a pretty large number of lurkers and should be easier to notice now, it may still be possible to hide here for a few minutes. Any longer would incur too much risk. Arent named ones supposed to be rare? Derrick asks, resting against the wall with Noelle next to him. Want to bet you just jinxed it, and more will appear? Noelle jabs, playfully poking him in the side. Damn it. But since we started... When I get home, Ill open a nice cafe? or restaurant. Oh, and by the way, these are my kids, arent they cute... He chuckles, miming taking a photo out of his wallet. Noelle laughs and pushes him away, Im sure Id know if you had any kids. Im a handsome young man, women are throwing themselves at me, maybe something happened behind your back. If that were the case, then the lurkers would be the least of your problems, Handsome young man, she says with a final poke before turning to Leticia. Luna scared me for a moment there, she grew so big. Right! Leticia smiles happily. Shes really good at all of this, and sometimes I think she was the one meant for Hell Difficulty, and I just got caught up in all this with her. Luna waits patiently as Leticia squats and squishes the golden retrievers cheeks together. Even so, I can see her tail wagging. Somehow, I find myself disagreeing with Leticia. Just seeing the way she handles mana, its obvious she belongs here just like the rest of us. Why are you so shy? Leticia asks her golden retriever. I think you could say something now. Leticia, sometimes I think its me whos human. Maybe you were the real dog, and our minds got swapped when we were summoned. Everyone stops what theyre doing, staring at the retriever from whom the sentence came. Its not telepathic or anything. Its just a human voice reverberating in the air as the retriever opens her mouth. Her mouth isnt moving, in a parody of the act of speech. Rather, it just hangs open, emitting the voice from its depths. The voice is womanly, very soft, and soothing. The kind one might imagine singing lullabies. Leticia doesnt seem the least bit shocked and smiles even wider. I wouldnt mind it at all! Should I try barking and asking for pets? Please dont do that, Leticia, youre embarrassing yourself, Luna says, sitting down and lifting one of her paws, licking it while glancing at us. She reacts to the silence. Really? This surprises you after all we''ve seen? Chapter 465: Challenge Jean immediately takes a step forward and grabs Luna in his massive hands, lifting the golden retriever to his face so he can look her in the eyes. Luna calmly returns that gaze. You will either let me down, or I will bite you, smelly human. Leticia rushes in, placing a hand on Jeans massive forearm. CarrotCakeehm, sorry, Jean, please let Luna go before she gets angry. Its easily noticeable that Luna is already growing, and I remember her figure from when she was the size of a horse. That makes me wonder how big she could grow. She really is talking, Jean says, shaking his head before he lets Luna go, at which point she returns to her normal size and sits closer to the window. Modifying my vocal cords to use human language wasnt that difficult. And please restrain yourself from bothering me; Im keeping watch. Having said her piece, she doesnt give him more attention. Sorry! Thats just how she is. I blame the lynthari; they really were fascinated by her, and she learned a lot of weird habits. For the first time since I met her, Luna growls, DO NOT TALK ABOUT THOSE DERANGED BEINGS IN FRONT OF ME, LETICIA! I still have nightmares about that golden-eyed, crazed cat human! Leticia just smiles. She can be such a drama queen sometimes. Say what you want, Leticia, just pull yourself together. You are shaming me. Sorry, Luna! Are there any lurkers closing in? We will need to move in a minute or two. Ill let you know, so rest for now. Luna soothes, standing, and taking a few steps over to me before coming to a stop. Because Im sitting on the ground, her eyes are on the same level as mine. I lift my hand and put it in front of her, which she sniffs a few times, and I use the opportunity to boop her nose. She pulls back a little, surprised but doesnt let it bother her. "Youve been marked by someones scent, you crazed human." What makes you think Im a crazed human? I ask, curious. I swear I have never in my life had anyone look down on me quite the way Luna is now. She doesnt even bother answering my question. So I boop her nose, ignoring her quiet growl. So she can sense the mark Lissandra left on me? So far, only Caius managed that. Thats surprising. "The mark came from someone truly terrifying, and Im struggling to decipher what it means." Staying silent, I let her talk, and she sniffs a few times, her tail wagging seemingly without her knowledge. Her tails wagging picks up speed, rapidly crossing into frustration. What it says, I cant guess. Companion? Sustenance? I''m not sure what its meant to mean. Oh my. I think I know where this is going. No, I got it! Luna barks happily but quickly reverts to confusion. Why does it say Food? Biscuit, you as well? Noelle nearly dies in one of our next fights. Specter, the powerful lurker who attacked us before, appears in our midst, his transparent dagger stabbing into her back, the merest tilt of her body causing it to miss the back of her head. Derick is there instantly, defending Noelle from further attacks. The lurker runs away again, but before he can get far, Savant somehow forces him out of his strange flickering state and runs the lurkers body through with a sword he created. With immense speed, they clash a few times, the lurkers strikes with his finding themselves deflected by an aura of orange light taking form around Savants forearms. Then the lurker flickers away, disappearing before Savant can attack again. I try to tag him with a Ley Line only to miss, the lurker flickering away before it can latch on. Derick quickly pulls Noelle to Lucien, who says nothing, simply taking a look at her before healing her completely. Only then does Derick calm down, and Leticia holds back Jean, who moves closer, not liking the implied threat to Lucien. I think Derick might attack Luna, who hadnt sensed the lurker coming closer, but he doesnt say anything and the tension slowly lowers. Thats when Specter appears again, without any of us sensing him. This time its my neck that gets pierced, the blade nearly separating my head from my body as it pulls across. Startled, I lose control, and all my mana surges out at once. The full force of stored kinetic energy blasting the lurker off my back and hurling him through several buildings. POV Noelle Kelley I can still feel the blade that pierced my back, and even though the wound is already gone, I can still see my hands shaking. Thank you, I whisper to the young boy, and he nods. Derick, more worried than me, stands concerned by my side, and I feel warmth inside. How can someone as powerful as him panic so much sometimes? Weve been through so much worse. It will be fine, I whisper in his ear and give him a quick kiss on the cheek. As he always does, when he finds himself in such a state, he nods solemnly, with a cold expression in his eyes. I dont say anymore, knowing hes better off being left alone when he gets like this. What do you... Words freeze in my mouth as blood shoots into the air. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a figure appear on Nonames back. The same lurker that just stabbed a dagger through my back mere moments ago repeating the act with Nonames neck. The wound is huge and ragged, blood flowing from his body like a river. A chill runs through me as my eyes lock with Noname''s. Dericks been reminding me ever since we first met him, but only now do I understand why he warned me never to anger the man when hes not around to protect me. Even inches away from death, Nonames eyes do not bear fear. There''s a moment of pure surprise, which is quickly overtaken by anger that fades just as fast. The lurker is blasted away, the buildings shaking over our heads with the aftershock. Then an immense wave of mana seeps into the air all at once. I gasp for air, reeling from the sheer pressure. Its more than Ive felt from anyone else in our round. Not even during the tournament. No one was even close to it. His mana pulses like a living storm, thick and oppressive, filling every inch of space around us. Its presence is raw and fierce as if the air itself were vibrating with barely contained fury. Noname moves his arm, hooking his fingers in his mouth, before pulling his head back into place, and closing the terrible wound on his neck. The wound closes instantly, in a grand display of raw healing power. Then Noname spits, dislodging a clotted dark red mass of blood onto the floor with a sickening splat. His mana disappears as if it never existed, impossibly contained within that body of his. I expect him to run out, to hunt down the lurker who attacked him. Flames spin around me, and the giant lurker ignores them, swinging his hammer at me once again. I let it connect with my forearms, converting an immense amount of kinetic energy to mana, and staggering a few steps back. Before I can return the attack, a fireball the size of my body crashes into the ground next to the giant lurker, and the flames envelop an area the size of a football field, turning anything in it into melted goop. These flames disappear in a blink as I condense them down into a single orb the size of my fist. The giant lurker with the hammer presses the attack again, his body sporting a number of terrible burns, displaying the bones under the ragged flesh, and I release the orb, the blast of flames burning even the lurker behind him. [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 269] [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 263] [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 266] Finally, I teleport again, breaking through every attempt to stop me, enveloping the area in my golden flames once more. An arrow pierces my barrier and lodges itself in my body, the lightning within staggering me for a moment. Seizing the opportunity, some kind of skill activates increasing the effects of gravity on my body, pulling me to the ground with a loud crash, breaking a few bones in the process, even through my passive. A fireball explodes right over me, and I absorb the heat again, releasing it in a thin laser-like stream at a vyssari warrior wielding a shield. The shortie blocks it. Stuck lying down and unable to move because of gravity, a dozen more attacks head my way just as I manage to teleport again. And then there he is. He lands on the grassy field nearby, without creating the slightest disturbance as he does so. Everyone in the area freezes, unable to even twitch a finger. His heart beats out an angry rhythm that only I can feel. Whitey disappears from my sight, his white hair streaking through the air. At that moment, it becomes obvious who the lurkers were trying to protect themselves from. Even without the ability to think and deprived of their old memories, the lurkers keep some primitive instincts, and grouping up to defend against a powerful predator is one of them. But its just not good enough for this one. With a brilliant sort of beauty, Whitey moves from lurker to lurker, killing each one in a single hit. Heads torn free, chests caved in, bodies torn in half. He acts with extreme efficiency, wasting not a single speck of kinetic energy other than the field around him. Every time he kills someone, body parts fly through the air and hang in place as if frozen in time. Chunks of bone, blood, and debrisall fly into the air and stay there. The group that was causing me so much trouble disappears in a flash until Im the last one left alive. It feels as if its very much on purpose. My timer is ticking down, but I still have a few seconds remaining. Yes, Ive timed it oh so well. Even as angry as I was, I didnt let it get to me. Just a few seconds, and it will be gone, just like the first time. I havent come here just to die. With an effort that would have killed me before I gained my newest passive, my body moves even through the field. My kinetic energy goes to war with Whiteys. I step forward and declare, As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, as a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is my life and my status. If I lose, theyre yoursand you can reclaim your position as an attendee, with a chance of regaining your memories. Whitey freezes mid-step, and I continue, If I win, I want all of your knowledge on kinetic energy. POV ??? Whats wrong with attendees nowadays, a voice resounds throughout the pitch-black darkness, sounding almost dismissive. Wait, another one interjects, joining him, quickly, as if to prevent the first voice from acting. What do you want, Greed? I want you to help me accept that wager that Earthling made. That wager is nonsense, and you know it. Diligence, lets be honest. The system actually considered it for a moment before refusing. I just need you and a few of the others to nudge the system in the right direction. Here, in Beyond, we can make that happen. Then itll be up to the system to decide whats fair once the challenge is over. You would need at least three out of five votes for that amount of interference. I already have Kindness. You know very well she will do what I ask. Yes, I know that all too well, Greed. But I refuse. Sometimes I feel like Im the only one among the five of us who takes this Beyond cycle seriously. First Envy, then Wrath, and now you, Greed. Another voice joins the conversation, Id be willing to help with that small bit of interference. The reaction catches both voices off guard, and Diligence asks with a measured tone, Envy, has something changed with you lately? Envy ignores Diligence, turning their attention solely to Greed. So, do you want my help or not? Wrath isnt going to support you. No strings attached?" "No strings attached." "He wont die, you know that, right?" "We will see about that." "Okay, Im in. At that point Diligence interrupts, shooing both of them away. Now that you are done, go away. With that, the silence ensues again, and Diligence returns to their work. The entire conversation didnt even last a second. POV Nathaniel I feel a sense of acceptance, and in that moment, I know my challenge and wager have been registered. Use Beyond 1-day stay token, I declare, cutting off my only escape. Chapter 466: All out I dont hesitate, not even for a moment, to go all out. Ley Lines erupt into the area, deploying a structure Ive been preparing in my mind ever since I returned to Beyond. Dozens of threads trace the battlefield, creating a three-dimensional web of pathways I can use to teleport and distribute mana. All of the mana in my body compresses, turning black, the oh-so-familiar sensation flowing through my body. Something I havent felt in a while. Whitey doesnt use mana, so its no good as a defense. Instead, I use it to strengthen my body, unfortunately, my kinetic energy still cant produce the same effect. After all those preparations, I let part of the vast store of mana collected in my crown flow into my body. Whitey reaches me in the blink of an eye, his palm striking my chest, causing my unique passive to convert all of that immense energy into mana. Even then, the damage is severe, leaving most of my organs bruised or ruptured. Another of the now six remaining marks left by Lily is used. Five remain. This time I find that I can move through his field and I attempt to grab Whitey, but hes still much quicker than me. Before the second blow can land, I teleport, taking a moment to get used to my current state. A white flash, not a bit of kinetic energy wasted, and Whitey is on me once again. He grabs and pulls my arm, dislocating it and nearly tearing it from my shoulder. This time, when I move I strike with that much more precision. He dodges the attack, but the burst of mana evaporates the building behind him, leaving debris suspended in the air. Its a primitive use of mana, inspired by the training drills I endured under Lisss instructionsimple, but quick and dangerously effective. I teleport again as he lets go of me, and when he charges again, another burst of mana explodes forth to welcome him, his body moving to the side almost fast enough to emulate teleportation. I release an amount of mana equal to my entire bodys reserve, without even needing to tap into my reservoir. The resulting blast tears a massive chunk out of the mountain beneath us. I teleport, and my body moves much quicker as I grow accustomed to the effects of his field around me and the warring forces within my body. Even so, my body alone wouldnt be enough. So I have to abuse my domain, [Redistribution], and [Resonance] to pick up the slack. My mind is fine, but taking stock of the damage this is causing my body, I decide to use another healing mark. Four remaining. I release two more bursts of mana, each with even greater output than the last. It''s an extravagant wasteI could accomplish far more if I weren''t using it in such a reckless, primitive manner. But the sheer speed is undeniable. Whitey dodges both attacks, his field weakening as he redirects more of his efforts into enhancing his body. His movements grow sharper, and his stance shifts. I teleport and try to move again, and for a moment, both my body and mana freeze, unable to move. Despite all my preparationsthe sheer volume, the immense defenses, and the countless calculations my eye trait and mind endureWhitey still halts my mana in its tracks. The monstrous kinetic energy user accomplishes it using nothing but that energy, even as blood streams from his ears, eyes, and nose. Something like that shouldnt be possible. A much smaller pulse of kinetic energy pierces my body. Its not blunt, in fact, its very sharp, so my passive doesnt stop it. My insides turn to soup, only my heart survives, protected by a barrier of mana I managed to create at the last possible moment. Another teleport. Two healing marks down. Two remaining. A burst of my own mana explodes around me, but Whitey isnt there. He remains motionless, standing in the same spot, staring in my direction. Despite the lifelessness in the lurker''s eyes, a faint red lingers within them, and his demonic horns protrude just beneath his long white hair, the color of freshly fallen snow. And his heart keeps beating. Steady, unstoppable. Like the perfect generator, an engine he uses to harness his power. But even now, thats not what interests me the most. No, what truly fascinates me here is the way he wields his power, the mind he must have had to pull it off, the ability hes put on display. Thats what I want more than anything else in his possession. I almost want to laugh when I see him move the bones of his fingers, clenching whats left of his hand into a fist in an insane display of control. He cant even see me anymore, only sense my heartbeat and movements. The same way I can sense his, each beat coming slower than the last, his damaged heart steadily falling out of rhythm. Whitey, even now, holds me with his field, and for the last time, he punches the mana shield Ive created. That barrier shatters, and one last burst of kinetic energy damages my body. Only then does the skeleton crumble, a fraction of a second later the notification sounds. [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 301] You have won your first Challenge. The contents of the wager will be delivered soon! The only thing holding me upright disappears, and I fall to the ground. With no healing marks left, Im forced to rely on my healing passive. For a while, I sit there, surrounded by the devastation, and replay the fight in my mind. Move after move. Every mistake I made, every opportunity I missed, every time Whitey did something that surprised me. While part of my mind scouts the area, I keep replaying the fight, over and over again, and with it, Im already modifying the ways Ill use my kinetic energy going forward. Something I was once so proud of now feels inadequate in the face of the things Ive seen. Liss with her mana control. Whitey with his kinetic energy manipulation. Amazingly, Whitey was barely over level 300. One of the lowest-level named lurkers, and yet he consistently wiped out entire groups with complete ease. It leaves a bad feeling in my mouth, the knowledge that I only won because of the mana I had stored away, an amount great enough to power a city. Just trickery and taking every advantage against someone long dead, a lurker incapable of fighting to the full capabilities of his past self. How fucking sad is that. I want to fight him at his best, not as a lurker with weakened abilities, but as a living, breathing being. The web of Ley Lines Is useless now, so I start modifying it into a detection system, reducing the density and expanding the area of effect. My plan is simple now. I will try to survive as long as possible, probably find myself being hunted down like a rat. Then a few seconds before the end, I should reach the place I hid the items and materials from the expedition Whitey wiped out. The one where I found all those damaged arcane items with Shayna. If I add in the items from the dead lurkers lying around me killed by Whitey itll really be a lot. That line of thought also gives me pause. For someone who doesnt care about items that much, I sure enjoy collecting them. POV ??? A short man with a shaved head, wearing a simple uniform in a combination of white and pale blue, turns to the woman next to him. Nyssa will fucking love that guy. Do we grab him right away? he asks as they continue to watch from a distance, observing the young man they just watched fight the named lurker known as Whitey. Not now. He probably timed his stay token so he wouldnt have to run from Whitey for more than a few minutes before it expired. Hell probably be leaving Beyond in a minute or two. Tell me would you have been able to kill Whitey? the woman asks. I think so. He says before pausing in shock, Is he collecting the items from the lurkers Whitey killed? Looks like it. Then they wait. An hour passes, and the young man is still there, hidden away in one of the buildings, the other lurkers still too scared to enter what they consider Whiteys territory. The man starts to giggle, shaking his head in disbelief, Timed his stay token to be able to run away? Ha! That motherfucker is even crazier than I thought. "Seems like it. Hes got a decent handle on kinetic energy and with that mana in the mix... Nyssas going to want him. Well snatch him up when he hits the second floor." And if he refuses? The Doctor can gather plenty of information from his body. There are groups of lurkers staying just outside his detection range. Stop them and let a few through every so often so he doesnt get suspicious. Dont reveal yourself, and remember his mana signature. I already have, the man snorts, then rushes away to complete his objective while the woman holds her position on top of the hill, observing the man far away. Chapter 467: Knowledge The feeling of pulling descends upon me, and I leave the 1st floor of Beyond. With all the items Ive acquired from the dozens of lurkers and the first expedition I joined, along with the ones Whitey killed before. There are so many I had to pile them up and lash them together with rags I tore from my clothes, plus some threads I made of mana. Honestly, I was only able to do it because so few lurkers attacked me. At most they came in groups of three that I was able to handle with a bit of effort, sometimes they even came one or two at a time. I find it suspicious that more of them didnt follow me, considering how much I should have been attracting them with so many kills. But I think it might have something to do with how scared they were of Whiteyif they even are capable of feeling dread. If not, it might be their survival instinct. As I depart, I find myself in the area where I usually meet my handler, whos currently sitting behind her table. She doesnt even pretend to be working, choosing instead to stare at me. I swear, if you try to take these items from me, I will change handlers, even if you name every single fucking Ruler, I tell her right away. My handler glances at the items and then back at me. If she wont talk, I will. And what do you want? I thought I could only visit when entering Beyond. Yes, such visits are required, but I can summon you on the way out too. I see. So what do you want? Do you have my shards for the white sand? Actually, yes. After waving her hand, a window appears in front of me. Request to transfer +70000 shards. Confirm? Yes/No Quickly, before she changes her mind, I confirm the transfer, a sense of suspicion flowing through me immediately afterward. The number is almost too round. Did she by any chance take 30%? Do I even want to know? I decide not to ask and be happy for now. So what did I do this time? I ask. I wont even mention how royally stupid what you just did was, the handler lifts one of the papers off her table, reading from it. It worked out in the end. There are so many different ways you could have gone about it. Yes. Easier ways, less painful ways, ways with a higher chance of success. Yes, I confirm again. Damn pride maniacs. After seeing it work the first time, you might just get the idea to challenge every lurker with an interesting skill or ability on the 1st floor to gain knowledge and rewards. That surprises me. Its exactly what I was thinking. My handler, seeing my reaction, taps on the table, her frustration evident, It wont work a second time. It shouldnt have worked at all in the first place. Thats unfortunate. No. It is not. She pauses as if listening to something. Were almost out of time. Before you go, hereyour identification emblem, updated. She waves her hand. Theres a burning sensation on the back of my left hand, and my D-rank Obsidian Black shifts to C-rank Ivory White. I take a moment to admire the new emblem and remark, That was an easy jump from D rank to C rank. It was not. I see., I say, deciding not to argue. One last question. That deer... was he really... For a moment, she looks confused but quickly remembers, a quiet laugh escaping her lips. Of course not. The ruler from the 1st floor was a phantom goblin. She meets my gaze, and, disappointed by my lack of reaction, simply smiles playfully. Information like that is extremely valuable, certainly not something you should possess yet. Its nice that you want to know, but dont be too... greedy. As I get pulled away, she waves, I shall see you later. It could be the system messing around for the purpose of the tutorial. Weakening arcane items to give people an easier time learning to make arcane items or to help them get used to their power. Wouldnt it make more sense, in that case, to create a rarity between epic and arcane? I dont think the tutorial is capable of twisting things that much. You could just as easily say that these items have had their power sealed, and itll take some effort to get them back to their full power. So outside of the tutorial, there wont be so many damaged arcane items? Possibly. Yup! Also, look at what a nice piece of metal this is. Lily chirps, handing me a piece of black metal with a coppery sheen. Voidcopper (Arcane) - A dense, jet-black metal with a faint shimmer, Voidcopper is known for its ability to deflect magical interference. Its favored for crafting shields, amulets, and armor due to its capacity to absorb minor spells, lessening their impact before dispersing the energy harmlessly. Yup, it will be useful, but check this out, I say, throwing her a ball of thread thats probably got me more excited than anything else. Amberlace (Arcane) - A warm-toned, honey-gold fiber that is both durable and flexible. Amberlace has an innate ability to stabilize nearby magic, allowing it to withstand complex enchantments without losing structural integrity. Lily reads it and then rubs it against her cheek. Its weird. It feels like metal, but its kinda warm and also... soft? I catch it as she throws it back to me and immediately stow it away, Its a shame there wasnt more, but I can probably use it for some decent stuff. Is it common to get so many items from one or two Beyond expeditions? Isnt it too... easy? She asks, gesturing at the piles of upper epic items, I intend to sell later, and some other stuff. Easy... I say, stretching the word. It was doable. How many times did you almost die? That requires a bit of thinking. As I think it over, I count on my fingers, Ill only count the serious ones. So first would probably be when Specter cut my throat. I couldve probably died fighting that icy lynthari too, if I had fought him alone, but honestly does that even count? I joined to help Derick, and Savant joined in too. Dont tell him, but his domain was a bit of a help there. Then I almost died fighting that group of lurkers before Whitey came. Lastly, there were a few times during my fight with Whitey. If I hadnt had mana stored up beforehand or your healing marks, I wouldve probably died anywhere between two and five times. So, thats what you call doable? she asks. Yup. Im already curious to find out what happened there. She stands up, glancing at the piles of items one more time. It wasnt just for the items, right? Nope, but its a nice bonus. If it had been too much of a bother, I wouldve thrown them away in a heartbeat. So what was it you went there for? "Ill tell you after I check it out myself. Could you go check on Biscuit? I want to try something in the meantime. If you can get Biscuit to forgive me, Ill let you choose an upper epic item as your reward." Only one? You do have over 20 of them. Maybe two if you teach him to stand on his hind legs. And walk while asking for sustenance? Please, no. She giggles. Okay then, good luck. As she leaves, I rest my back against the boulder nearby and close my eyes with every intention of checking on the results of my wager. I dont know what to expect, certainly not how the system would even go about delivering this kind of knowledge. Will it be a book? Or a mana stone inscribed with the information? A feeling? Will the knowledge just flow into my mind? Sensing my intent, the system just seems to know what I want, and I find myself in a different place. I can still feel my body sitting in the same spot when I try, so I figure this place is likely somewhere within my mind. A desolate hill stands before me. The landscape is hauntingly barren, the ground is cracked and dry ground with jagged rocks jutting out from seemingly random points making the entire scene feel alien. The sky is a swirling mix of gray clouds that only serves to make the place look even more bleak, bordering on post-apocalyptic. And the dim light that barely manages to pass through the clouds only adds to the feeling. There, at the top of the hill, stands a white monobloc plastic chair, and in that chair sits a tall figure. With long, beautiful white hair flowing down from his head, and I can see his black horns, even from here. And the figure is watching a TV set on a cheap Ikea-style table. Chapter 468: More fitting expression I take a few steps closer and move off to the side, and finally catch sight of the scene on the TV. Its a replay of my fight with the lurker Whitey, taken from my perspective. Just come here and sit, dont sneak around, the demon says, waving his hand at me. I take notice of just how slim and smooth it looks. After hesitating for a moment, I finally reach the edge of the hill and just as I begin to think about creating a chair of my own out of mana another white plastic chair appears next to the first one, so I take my seat and look to the left. Whitey isnt very different from what I remember of him from our two prior meetings. Tall, and slim, with a handsome face. Though this time he isnt a lurker, so his eyes arent pale red but of the proper red color demons have. Even his hair looks smoother. Hes wearing black clothes and sits there in an extremely easygoing manner. Look, do you see this crap? he says, pointing at the TV as the video pauses. The scene weve stopped at displays the moment he pierced me with a multitude of ranged attacks and forced me to use two of Lilys healing marks. You should be dead twice over! How the fuck could his aim be so bad! Isnt that your aim? I ask. He snorts, If I had fought you, you wouldve been dead mere seconds after the fight began. With or without your disgusting quantity of mana and healing marks. The screen starts playing that video again, and Whitey watches it with apparent disdain, Its like someone gave an amazing weapon to a newborn demon. No, even a newborn demon wouldve done better. Whitey waves his arm, and the screen starts changing rapidly, Here, terrible placement. Here, that shouldve hit. Here he should have pushed you more. Here, that movement was trash. Here, why did he dodge instead of deflecting the attack and getting a hit in? Here, he shouldve deactivated his kinetic field much sooner. Here, he should have gone to 3rd stance instead of going to 5th; that wouldve confused you as well! And he goes on, in a manic furor, pointing out every flaw he can find. Annoyed, he waves his hand, and the screen disappears. Whitey stands, turning his chair to face me, the plastic legs scraping against the rock below. Then he sits back down, folding his arms across his chest, giving me a slow once-over. What year is it? No idea, how would that help? He hesitates and nods, Is Adrian still first in Individual and Exploration rankings? Yes. When are the rankings due to reset? Theres a reset? He blinks, Please dont tell me my lurker lost to a goddamned newb. I just started my second year of the tutorial? Satisfied, I almost feel like smiling as I lean back in my chair. You smug little shit, Whitey snorts. Individual and Exploration rankings reset once every millennium, and Guild and Craft rankings reset every year. Thanks for the info. This could help; someone told me you were one of the oldest lurkers around. He nods, The 1st floor should reset with the rankings, so I probably died somewhere around a thousand years ago? For sure over 500 years. Damn, and no one got deeper than fucking Adrian. Yeah, hes the only one whos made it to the 6th floor. Clapping his hands together to recapture my attention, he says, A loss is a loss. Ive never taught anyone before, so this is due to be an interesting experience. There are seven stances Ive put together and made my own. Some I learned from other demons I met in Beyond, some were drilled into me before the tutorial, some I gained on the floors, and some I came up with myself. And you will learn all of it. My interest only grows as I quietly listen to the words of this demon who came so close to killing me so many times. Its unnerving to see him move so casually, and sometimes I notice my body twitching, expecting another attack. And Im sure hes noticed as well, but he kept quiet so far. Likely finding it amusing. First is Pulsar Stance. Whitey takes a short, quick step, his movements boosted by a burst of kinetic energy, and delivers a quick punch to the air, causing it to reverberate in a concentrated pulse of energy. Its quick, and disorienting, focused on efficiency and accuracy. You stay in constant motion, confusing your opponent with erratic movements, absorbing and adding to your inertia to outmaneuver them. He shifts back into his original position and smirks, You were trying to do something similar, but Ill still need to beat some bad habits out of you. Once again, he changes his stance; it becomes wider and heavier. The second is Breaker Style. Its brutal, relentless, and relies on raw kinetic energy to overwhelm the opponent with powerful, heavy attacks. You crush, you shatter. His movements are heavier now, but each one is full of purpose, and each strike he demonstrates sends powerful waves radiating outwards. Third is Wraith Dance. He stomps powerfully, but theres no impact; instead, he vanishes, moving so quickly it almost feels like hes teleported. His heartbeat echoes erratically, sometimes from places he''s already left, leaving fake signatures along his path. Its all about rapid, long-distance movement, afterimages, and individual bursts of swift, extended motion. The more he shows me, the more I realize just how lacking his lurker was when it came to the intricacies of his abilities. I will show you the other four later, but they are called Resonance Flow, Needle Point, Counter Flow, and Steelroot. As he comes to a stop, I ask the question thats filled my mind since he began, How did you die? The moment these words leave my mouth, his mood changes. The Whiteys expression, which had felt so forced until now, crumbles, growing dark. His eyes seem redder now, and the beating of his heart grows even more oppressive. I like it more than this weird kindness, so I pile on, knowing my next question will hurt. Its meant to. How many times has your lurker been killed? Whitey moves impossibly quickly, in a burst of movement more like teleportation than mere footwork in an amazing show of the third stance he demonstrated just moments ago. I lift my arms in front of me to block, but he shifts at the last second, landing a hit on my chin instead. Louder and louder that demon heart beats, and I freeze mid-air, held in place before my body can even start to fall, and he grabs my leg, pulling me back and smashing me into the ground. He finishes it with a kick, sending me crashing into a rocky wall nearby. Its surprising how much it hurts, almost as much as it would outside, and I stumble to my knees before pushing myself back to my feet and glance at the demon whos staring me down with a more fitting expression on his face. Not like a puppet content to deliver information, but more like a living being. He might be a fake, perhaps hes just a snapshot of his memories from the moments before he died, or maybe the system prepared something else entirely. Still, I much prefer this over that fake eagerness from before. Laughing quietly, Whitey sweeps his hair from his face, his red eyes fixed on me. Killed by betrayal, hundreds of years as a fucking lurker, and then I get challenged by a fucking human just to end up like this. The Rulers must be shitting their pants with laughter right now. My movements halt again, and I dont even try to fight back as Whitey uses Wraith Dance to appear in front of me. Worst of all, I have to teach a human, he says, pressing a finger against my chest. Even though youve won fair and square in my eyes, what can you do? As a human without a proper heart, you will never master everything I can show you. As he lets go and steps back, I answer, I hear that a lot. Show me the first stance. At that moment I decide to abandon any further attempts at explaining; Its not like I was ever any good at it anyway, and I know my actions will convey what words cannot. Chapter 469: Awakening Chapter 469: Awakening After Dennis and Aaron return, I give everyone an explanation of everything that happened while I was gone. Lily listens with a singular degree of focus as someone who will soon enter Beyond. Its impossible to tell her about the trial itself, given the way the system censors any attempt, but general information regarding Beyond seems ok, so I tell her what I can. So you still dont know how to clear the 1st floor of the dungeon and enter the second? she asks as I finish my tale. Yup, no idea at all. The current plan is to reach the safe zone and try to gather information and continue from there. We should be able to do it in three days when you and Tess get your stay tokens. Wont we need a bigger group? Possibly, but Tess said Gareth promised to join. If it doesnt work out, we can just reschedule it for six months from nowwhen Im due to meet up with Leticia and the others. Or I could just go back for a day or two and leave another message so that we can try sooner. Tapping on the armrest of the manabloc chair I made for her and the twins, she smiles. Im so happy I dont have to think about these things! Just point me at the monsters. Is she cosplaying Nat? Dennis quips, poking Aaron. Remember we read that article that said that one of the easiest ways to pick up girls was to imitate them a bit? Like mimicking their movements and behaviors would help make you more endearing. Maybe she read the same article, Aaron nods seriously. Im going to fuck you up! Both of you! Totally like Nat. Yes. At this point, it has to be intentional. And now Nats going to increase the difficulty on that cursed orb of his. Well, we were expecting that. Bring it on! I listen as they babble for a moment, then do just that, and for a while at least, they dont have the focus to spare on idle chatter. I turn to Lily. What do you think of Specters arm and the pieces of Whiteys heart? Theyre in terrible shape and weakening fast. Theyll probably crumble to dust soon. Either its the system messing with us or thats just how lurkers work, maybe they just crumble to dust so they can be recreated in a year. Though Id think itd make more sense to just fix the body over the following year and reuse it. Maybe that is how it works; perhaps in this case the arm has been marked as destroyed? Could be. After weakening the orbs so the twins can focus, I address the entire group, In three days well be heading deeper into the central region. With any luck It might finally complete our side quest, and we can start working on our information gathering in the process. As I return to thinking about our plans, I spin the newly shaped thermal pyramid floating in the middle of our group, having moved on from the cube, each face shines a different color, ranging from pale yellow to dark gold, and each one emits a different amount of heat. The way it spins has an almost hypnotizing quality to it, as I continue, Well take over one of the smaller groups, so we have a good place to sleep. Preferably somewhere with a good view. Before you ask, yes, you can call it Angry Kittens, I dont even care anymore. The training will continue for you two and Lily too. We dont need to sleep much anymore, and were going to find out how far I can push you guys before you start hallucinating. What? [Mana Manipulation] will be our main focus, and well work on improving [Connection] after. Lilys going to focus on body modification and [Disintegration]. I say, and begin to put my plans into words, in an attempt to make everything easier to schedule, Ill work on improving [Resonance], and practice the stances for kinetic energy, and Ive got a great idea for a new mana technique, with Lilys help, I think I could get a new skill in the process. Eventually, I start to feel like a single thermal pyramid isnt enough of a challenge and create multiple evil orbs, making them spin around me while I deal with their effects, I will disassemble most of the damaged arcane items and sell a few. My end goal is to build a facility to create arcane items with the materials at our disposal. Biscuit approaches, and I watch as he lays on the ground next to Lily, putting his small head on his front paws. I will try to come up with ways to modify and recreate the Restrictive Training Emblem and Burden Enhancement Inscriptions so that you can make use of them as well. I just need to find a way to keep them from stopping your brain from functioning, or your heart from beating, or preventing your chest from moving and suffocating you. WHAT? I''m really going to be busy I realize, saying as much as I do, You know that feeling when you think you have a lot of free time and then you start going over everything you need to do and find you dont have near enough time to fit it all in. Anyway, over the next few weeks, I think my priority will be mana and kinetic energy, in that order. Ill just have to find a way to fit the rest in somehow. What about things like the Floor quests? I mean, weve already been here for quite a while and we still havent figured out how to leave, Dennis says, reminding me. Itll probably end up being something as simple as helping one of the beings from the five, now four, containment cells escape and then letting them deal with the rest, I say, yawning as I increase the speed of the spinning pyramid. You mean beings on the level of Champions? Yup, I nod. You remember the 4th floor, right? Our quest was to kill one of the Calamities, and the biggest part of the solution was to pick the one you could face with your group and abilities. This floor might be the same, we might just need to choose the right prisoner to release. Though that dickhead Champion from before clearly wasnt it. Do you really think that alone would be enough? I shrug, If its not, we release them all and let them break this prison apart and sneak out when they do. Yeah, I hope Tesss or Sophies group finds out more, Aaron says, not seeming to like my idea for some reason. Well, I dont mind the lack of trust, but in my experience, the simplest methods often work the best. I lean back in my chair and open up a pouch of deer jerky, and taking out a piece, before taking a bite and chewing on it. Somewhere from my right, next to Lily, I hear a quick, surprised movement. I take another bite. (Bitch!) Biscuit shouts, using a word I havent heard from him in a long while. I think he must have learned it from Lily. I take two more bites, and Biscuit quickly appears right in my face, floating and clearly angry but finally giving me his attention. You would make a decent demon. My disciple said the same. Let us begin then. Yes. POV Earth Its exactly as we feared, director. The animals are getting bigger. That polar bear in South Hudson Bay is three times the size of any polar bear ever recorded. An impossibly large moose was discovered in Newfoundland, and a giant lynx is hunting grizzlies in the Yukon. Sometimes I just wish I didnt have to deal with it, damn it. Prepare a report, and Ill go over it before passing it on to the higher-ups. Should we pass it on to the Department of Public Safety and the Armed Forces? Yes. They can deal with it just like everything else. Got it, director! POV Earth Sir, the situation in the Pacific just got a lot worse. Theres a shark out thereits the size of a cruise ship. They spotted it near the Mariana Trench. A shark? That big? Are we sure? Yes, sir. Its already disrupted several shipping routes, and a couple of research vessels have gone missing. Satellite images show it circling, almost like its guarding something down there. Great. Thats just what we needed after that damned spider showed up. Send out an alert to the naval forces and tell them to keep all civilian ships out of the area. Understood. And should we inform the public? Not yet. Lets just keep this between us and monitor its movements. POV Earth So, were just all gonna pretend there isnt a giant spider hanging out on the moon? Oh, yeah, its totally normal. Its just a massive spider, chilling up there like it owns the place. Honestly, at this point, I kind of have to respect it. Its been up there for over a year and hasnt moved an inch. Probably just waiting for us to get comfy. Yeah, its like a horror movie villain on a coffee break. Just taking its time, and plotting its next big move. Right? Meanwhile, were all down here hoping that just maybe if we ignore it, itll go away. Hey, maybe its just shy! Or maybe its sizing up the planet like, Alright, if I ever need a snack, Ill just reach over. Not today, but someday. Yeah... lets just hope it stays on break. Just look at it. We all know its just a matter of time. POV Earth "Ever since its appearance over a year ago, the ''Moon Spider,'' as its been dubbed, hasnt shown any signs of movement or aggression. It''s just... there. Clinging to the surface of the moon, The size of the entire state of Colorado, with its many legs spread across the lunar surface, all visible from Earth. For the time being, its remaining completely motionless. Theres no observable activity, no indication of feeding activity, or even the most basic of life functions. We''ve been monitoring it around the clock, trying to understand what it is, how it got there, and why its been so eerily still. Initial scans show an incredibly dense biological structure, unlike anything we''ve ever encountered. It doesn''t fit into any known category of life as we understand it. The spider is silent, and despite all efforts, theres been no response to any signal or attempt at communication. But the question remains: why hasnt it moved? Its been over a year, and it hasn''t so much as twitched. Speculations range from theories regarding a deep hibernation state to the idea that its some sort of cosmic warning. The public at large, after an early outbreak of panic, has finally gotten used to the spider''s presence. Even though it still remains a threat, no one knows if its content to simply watch... or if its just waiting for something. That was until about two weeks ago." What happened? A group of a few dozen people appeared near a collapsed tunnel in Osaka, Japan, and the Moon Spider showed signs of movement, just a slight turn in the direction of Japan. The individuals that appeared in Japan were later identified as members of a group of people who were presumed dead in a tunnel collapse a few weeks before the Moon Spider appeared. Continue. Yes, thank you, sir. Reports indicate that these people possessed... unnatural abilities. Physical and mental capabilities that defy our understanding. The Japanese government and military have done their utmost to keep this under wraps, and most of these people have been cooperative, freely sharing information after their return. Japan has recently decided to provide us with some of this information. Theyve suggested that more individuals like them may appear and theyve noted that those whove returned so far are what they refer to as Easy Difficulty participants. You said most cooperated. What happened to the rest? Two refused and attempted to flee. One was subdued with the assistance of the other returnees. Thats what the Japanese have taken to calling them, sir, and weve decided to adopt the term as well. Understood. What happened to the last one? Kazuki Sato, twenty-three years old, was neutralized using an anti-materiel rifle. Prior to that, he survived an anti-tank missile strike and eliminated a twelve-member team from Japans Special Forces Group. Were awaiting further reports, including photo and video documentation. Please continue with the briefing. Thank you, sir. Since the arrival of the first returnees in Japan, a range of animals in the area where the returnees appeared have exhibited remarkable growth in both physical capabilities and intelligence. Holographic windows have begun appearing before people who come into contact with the returnees. The returnees refer to this phenomenon as a system message. Its incredibly infectiousproximity alone is sufficient to spread it. Those affected have shown signs of what the returnees call awakening, allowing them to access a status window displaying a numerical representation of their abilities and granting them two so-called skills. What does the message say? It reads: Congratulations! The earliest participants of the tutorial have completed their induction, and Earth will begin its awakening. More information will follow once the tutorial concludes! Welcome! Chapter 470: Gravelhands POV Dennis Dalton Using [Haste], I reach the top of the building where Aaron is already waiting. Like me, hes wearing clothes woven with experimental threads made from an alloy of metals that Nat spun together. These threads apparently help us hide our mana signatures more efficiently while disguising our heat signatures and dampening the signs of our passing, from our footsteps to the air disturbed in our wake. Just these damned modified clothes qualify as mid-epic rarity, much like the masks were wearing, the ones that dont even have holes for our eyes while still allowing us to see. (Clothes alone might not be enough,) Aaron sends with a sigh. (Sneaky mode?) I ask. As I wait for an answer, I glance at the city stretched out below us. The place weve spent the past five months. Hollowgate is one of the three biggest cities in the central region, well-known for the mines it stands atop and the ancient ruins within. Thousands of prisoners move through the city, weaving between the vast multitude of buildings dotting the landscape. Some structures look to be on the verge of collapse, while others resemble fortresses, sprouting directly from the streets of the city. A few tall towers rise above it all, while a deep pitapparently dug by one of the groups occupying the citytears a massive gash in the land, and a tall mountain dominates the landscape of the city, with a small fort nestled against its basewhich weve decided target this time. (Sneaky mode,) Aaron confirms. After that, we tune our mana emissions like Nat taught us and circulate it throughout our bodies with a few slight modifications. In combination with the clothes, our presence becomes almost imperceptible. Adding [Sensory Deception], Nat says we should be able to easily hide from people up to 50 levels higher, with a few rare exceptions. As planned, making use of the mental map we made on prior scouting missions, we pass by the guards and then break through the protective web over the tall buildings encircling the areas within. Its easily one of the best defended places in the city. Our first obstacle is the outer circle placed on one of the walls in our path, so we approach one of the designated anchors. There on the wall, is an intricate set of inscriptions, engraved in molten metal and requiring a key tied to the users mana signature. We already stole a key; so the hard part is going to be using it. (Together,) Aaron says through our link. I send my confirmation, and through [Connection], we combine our minds processing power, to work on decrypting the key, connecting it to ourselves instead of the owner. And just like that, a task neither of us would have been able to manage alone has been accomplished almost without effort, and we pass through the now worthless defenses with hastened movement. Theres barely anyone around at this time of night and weve already noted the positions of the guard posts were now in the process of avoiding. Eventually, we enter the building, breaking through its protections in a similar manner, quickly running through the hallways made out of white stone with black floors. Our steps echo off the empty walls, and I feel my heartbeat quickening. The same feeling Im getting from Aaron. Using the same method, we once again connect to another door, opening it together before proceeding deeper inside once more. We avoid a few guards, while others pass us by, oblivious as we blend into the furniture. Occasionally, a scan from the protective array sweeps over us, but it always passes us over, thanks to our masking. Were not even using the key to impersonate the guy we robbed at this pointhe probably didnt have access to this area anyway. Then we find ourselves stuck, in front of the final door, deep inside of the fort. The door is made out of beautiful silver metal with intricate engravings on the surface, as beautiful as they are functional. (Even he wouldnt be able to open this.) (Please dont say things like that, he might show up and smack you in the head, before opening it up, all while practicing with those evil cubes of his.) (Fuck, that could really happen. Creepy orb?) (Yes, but be careful, and please, dont lose the box this time. Hell be furious if it happens again.) (Dont even remind me.) And with that final confirmation, I reach into my pocket and pull out the small box densely layered with inscriptions and made of some of the most durable metals we could find, all covered in a thin layer of voidcopper. I unlock it with my mana signature, and it opens up, revealing a gray orb, about the size of a grape that almost seems to be made out of smoke. Inside, the box is lined with a layer of Lilys bones, which bear their own set of inscriptions. Even now, I dont dare try to touch it with my fingers, choosing instead to bring it closer to the door, extremely carefully blowing into it while deactivating the inscriptions. The gray smoke flows through the air, meeting the silver door, before disintegrating the metal at the merest touch, eating through its defenses as if they werent even there. That''s how Lily''s [Disintegration] is. We watch the process from a good distance away, waiting for the smoke to disappear entirely. Even then we wait a bit, just to be sure. Only then do we move in, pushing on the door and entering the room. The thylarin Champion Candidate lets out a boisterous laugh, his blue skin shining in the dim light around us, and his four arms moving lazily. You mean that old fuck Drek covered it up? Was he too ashamed to let people know? He doesnt say more, opting instead to release an immense amount of mana from his body, it flows from his heart, through his chest, and into his four arms which hold it, molding the energy, and creating a number of wisps that glow in the air around him while he radiates a scary amount of pressure. Now, Ill be taking your masks and cutting off your limbs, one by one. Then well talk. What do you think, my new friends? he says, his tone dripping with menace. Before anything can happen, I feel a mark on my forearm burn. Its his anchor, connecting us to that invisible thread of his. The protections around the area are suddenly ripped apart from the outside, as if that monster were forcing his way in, ignoring all their defenses against teleportation. Then, without any warning, without so much as a whiff of mana, or any sign of disturbance, he appears at my side. He doesnt even have that crown of his floating over his head, hes left it behind in our base, clearly feeling that it wasnt needed. The same goes for that terrifying weapon he made. His black hair is messy and his clothes look like he just woke up and threw them on. Obscuring his face is a mask similar to ours, hiding even his eyes and muffling his voice. He takes quick stock of the situation, his stance lazy, seeming almost careless. Maybe he really did just wake up. Lets do this quickly, okay? Clean up the fodder; Ill take the boss. No witnesses, he finishes that with what sounds like a yawn. In a blink, he disappears, suddenly standing in front of the thylarin Champion Candidate. Its not even teleportation, hes just that fast. Layers of shields stack in front of the thylarin, and Nat twists his body, in a smooth, almost lazy movement, tapping the first layer which ripples like the surface of a lake before bursting open. And the other barriers quickly follow suit. The thylarin moves the disrupted mana, tendrils with glowing white tips making an attempt to run Nat through, whos begun moving from side to side in a twitchy, and chaotic pattern of movement that seems almost impossible to predict. One of the thylarin mans arms gets torn off, one of the left arms, it holds its position in mid-air, floating there as Nat bulldozes through barriers and continues to fight the man. Then I run out of time to spend watching and use [Haste] to avoid an attack. Multiple projections of me appear in the area around me, each possessing its own mana and heat signature, they even produce a small kinetic signature. Aaron does the same, and we rush the men and women surrounding us. I hold a short sword and dagger while Aaron favors using a single dagger. Whenever we find ourselves faced with an opponent thats more difficult than the others, we opt for a quicker way, often swapping places. Aaron is better at facing certain builds, and Im better at fighting others. The sheer surprise each time we do is just a bonus. No one here can match our speed, even with their higher average level. Plenty of them have trouble even detecting us or find themselves confused by our projections, so with the exception of two of the more powerful members, where we end up needing to combine our minds to disrupt their mana, we deal with them easily. When its all over, we return to Nat. He stands there, and I can sense him deploying his web to erase our signatures and anything else that could be used to track us. I add him to our link, and he asks, (Done?) (Now that everythings in chaos, do you want to go loot some more?) I ask in return. (Maybe next time. Im currently blocking three of their defensive arrays and disrupting their attempts to teleport in. Probably around a hundred people?) (Well, fuck.) (Its fine, they suck at it.) His mana touches us, and at the same time, I feel a pull on that thread and anchor tied to us, spiriting the three away while the thread dissipates in the air as we vanish, without leaving anything in the way of a traceable signature. We appear back in our bases living room and throw the loot into yet another pile nearby before Nat quickly goes through it finally settling on a pair of weird metals, and seeming satisfied. Just what I needed, he declares and then, without fanfare, disappears again, probably returning to his underground lab, leaving two evil orbs in his wake. As we exchange glances, I send a message, (Lucky us, we didnt get yelled at.) (Yea, you think so? Check the orb.) As I do so, I can only let out a deep groan at the new structure. It requires us to break through defenses and is filled with dozens of traps that punish each mistake, mimicking the one we missed that triggered the alarm. Chapter 471: One Hundredth Time Even though the metals Dennis and Aaron brought back are only epic rarity, Im happy with them. Ive long since learned that sometimes a nice complementary metal with good properties is better than something with a higher rarity. Sometimes. The lights around me flicker back on, coming from a dozen thermal cubes lighting up my underground lab. My crown hovering over a metal bust inlaid with a range of inscriptions moves, floating across the room until it takes its rightful place over my head. My baby, my precious. The crown has become a deep shade of blue, marbled with faint traces of pale blue. The amount of mana stored in it is probably enough to destroy... I dont know what, probably something very big. Without further testing and experience, its hard to guess. It will probably also be difficult to channel that much mana, but hey, its what Im good at. I drop the metals on the table next to a short sword in a sheath that obscures any mana signature that might be emanating from the blade. The sheath is made of an alloy of a dozen metals: shades of copper, black, blue sheen gray, are blended throughout, alongside tiny bits of blue and white crystal, complemented by the densest and most complicated inscriptions Ive ever made. My Mana Wavelength Iris activates again, and as always, I feel the gradually increasing pressure on my mind. Its doable, but doing so any longer will cause problems, even with my goddamned arcane passive. I get to work, radiating heat, and melting the metal in my hand, moving thin strands of material with my mana, as I hammer it with kinetic energy. Reaching the required consistency, I move the molten metal to a set of pre-prepared grooves on the sheath while reaching into the back of my mind, where Ive kept an inscription structure prepared just for these situations. It doesnt take long, and after performing the requisite checks, I absorb the heat from the metal, while making a few finishing touches with my kinetic energy before it hardens. I give the sheath a few more checks, but the seals and inscriptions for suppression, protection, camouflage... and other things, seem to be working better now and the signs of degradation I saw mere moments ago have been rectified. Good, that should be able to contain that evil sword Ive made for a bit longer. Lastly, I take a sheath wrap I made out of the leather of a level 350 manta ray I hunted in the Mana Desert not long ago and apply it, finishing the protections. For a while longer, I examine the hilt of the sword and guard. Both have been made from a single piece of molten alloy, combining arcanite alloy, amberlace, tiny bits of voidcopper, and a few other materials I got from scrapping some of the damaged arcane weapons I had. Combining them into a dark gray alloy, with mottled hues of black and light gray and streaks of copper running through the metal like a spiderweb of cracks. There are some imperfections here and there, cracks even, and shapes that feel off. To be honest, its every bit as ugly, as my fellow group members have pointed out several times over. But its my other precious, and I carefully put it back on the table and activate the defenses Ive placed around it. Not so much to protect the sword, as to protect us from it. The thing is just evil. I send a signal through a Ley Line connected to Lily and receive her confirmation, then use it to teleport over to her. Unlike me, she doesnt need an underground bunker lab as she didnt have an accident that blew up her lab and took an entire fortress with it. The sort of thing that couldve happened to anyone. Even to the best of us. Lily likes to do her training and experiments in the confines of our walled yard. She even made some of the guys plant some nice trees here, which they had to get from one of the dangerous forests that litter the central region. The result is trees with white bark and leaves that produce a shade of green unlike any weve ever seen on Earth. There she sits on the bench with the axe she made on her lap. An axe she grew from her own bones. Its handle is only half as long as Lily is tall, but Ive seen just how quickly she can make it longer if she needs to. The axe blade is single-sided and likely has a surface area nearly as great as that of Lily''s entire body. This weapon is something shes been growing for months already and started doing so after I made her level up as much as possible to reach level 250 and get a body upgrade that was a massive power-up for her. Growing the axe from her body also made it stronger than it would have been before level 250. R?? It seems to be nearly done, I note and sit on the ground opposite her. In an attempt to avoid slacking off, I create one of my evil cubes and start training. She smiles softly, Im happy with the shape, and I changed the handle a bit, so I can grow it quickly if needed. Now I just need to keep working on strengthening the blade while I experiment with infusing the blade with [Disintegration]. I long since gave up being surprised at the terrifying ideas the members of group 4 tend to come up with. I stop for a moment and examine her. Lily is still very pale, and her brown eyes seem lighter in this light. She also has her hair tied up in a simple ponytail with her trademark bangs falling across her forehead. She also seems to be growing more athletic by the day. Her shoulders are a bit wider now, and she packs a hint of muscle, bringing to mind an amusing memory of a time when she refused most forms of exercise, worried that she was going to turn into some kind of muscle monster. And the twins threatening to call her muscle mommy didnt help much either. But in the end, shes still just as petite as ever. A tiny killing/healing machine. Hows the Skele-Suit coming along? Nat, please, you at least, should stop calling it that. What about calcium-cage? Another one? Im going to beat the snot out of those two little assholes. Knowing what he wants to hear, I sigh, I know shit all about kinetic energy. Whitey smirks, I wouldnt exactly say its shit, but yeah, its pretty bad. Having spoken his piece, the closest hes ever gotten to giving me praise, his stance changes. Breaker Style. Gone are the smile and careless bearing he displayed before. As always when it comes to fighting, his eyes seem to flare a deeper shade of red and the atmosphere around him grows that much more dangerous. Joviality is replaced by the presence of a cruel, and dangerous predator. I mimic the stance, and the rhythm of my heartbeat changes, matching his. Pulsing in slower, more powerful beats. He takes a step forward, and using the force of his entire body, thrusts his open palm towards me, surging forth behind a brutal, and heavy burst of kinetic energy. Taking a similar step forward, I stomp, releasing a similar burst with what I might otherwise think of as perfect timing. The moon dust flies into the air and covers the area, but eyes in a fight against kinetic energy dont matter. His next strike erupts from behind the veil of dust, followed by another, hidden in its shadow. Increasing my output, I attack three times, each burst sending more dust flying into the air and producing an audible disturbance, almost as if someone were banging on a massive drum. After a few more exchanges I sense a change in his heartbeat, replacing the prior rhythm with a quicker, erratic, and more chaotic one. Needle Point. Thin bursts of kinetic energy, as narrow as my fingers, shoot toward me, forcing me to dodge again and again. Instead of slowing down, the attacks come faster as time goes on, several times per second, leaving me no time to strike back and demanding every ounce of my focus just to react. But unlike our Challenge, I can actually sense them with some degree of accuracy, boosting my body to react with a near sense of ease. Duck under, jump over, move to the side, twist my head. I sense each and every burst. Then they stop. And immediately after, a dozen more fire off almost simultaneously. I manage to dodge the first six, amazed at my ability to do even that much, but the rest pierce my body, perfectly anticipating my movements. My knee explodes, my shoulder gets pierced, the fingers, on one hand, find themselves reduced to mush, one of the attacks even punctures a lung, while another destroys my ankle. With the next step, the cloud of dust is blown away, revealing Whitey in Wraith Dance. He appears in front of me, followed by a switch to Pulser Stance. He avoids my attacks with excessive ease, simply ripping the ground apart around him with Breaker Style as he deflects the rest. He grabs my arm and tears it from my shoulder, spraying my blood across the surface of the moon. He dodges again and continues to deflect my attacks as I switch to first stance, then he kicks me, caving my chest in and causing blood to seep from the corners of my mouth. Your hearts output has greatly improved as has your efficiency, he says, examining the arm he tore from my body. Is it? I hiss, blood flowing from my mouth. Yes. He says, throwing my arm somewhere behind him, having lost interest. Your detection is also starting to get pretty good, so Ill start adding in feints the next time we spar. Lucky me. Indeed. Whitey squats in front of me and touches the wound on my chest with his slim, pale finger, Its already been five months since we started this training. I mean, it was fun at the start, but its lost some of its charm. Do you feel like giving up yet? You could spend more time on your mana, thats where your true talent lies. I liked you more when you talked less and beat the shit out of me more. He stands with a smile. And I notice that here, on the moon, surrounded by scenery devoid of color, his eyes seem especially red, and his white hair seems to shine against the void. You arent half bad, for a human. This makes the hundredth time Ive killed you. Whitey muses, then stomps on my head. I open my eyes back in my lab and stretch on my bed before closing my eyes and replaying the fight. It could be said the kinetic training has been going pretty well. Chapter 472: Not a very reasonable person Our fort is a nice place, not far from Hollowgate. After making a few modifications to one of the walls of my room, I now have a window with a nice view of the city as a whole. Id even say its quite pleasant, especially at night, with the purple nebula and countless stars above and the city lights below. This place used to belong to a group called... I forgot. Anyway, it''s Angry Kittens now, a small group made up of a few dozen members with a suspicious degree of wealth. After we took over, almost everyone who had objections tried to kill us, while others left and those who stayed, are currently being paid for their services. Their salary comes in multiple forms: items Ive made, food, water, a safe place to sleep after we killed any monsters within several miles of the base, and a number of other fringe benefits. In exchange, they collect information for us, or in Lily''s case, they bring her a few trees in exchange for bone spears they cant place the origins of. Obviously, there were disadvantages to it, like being forced to deal with people, but Lily and the twins usually take care of that part. After all, it''s only right that they take care of such minor annoyances in exchange for my teachings. Though theyre not high-level extroverts like Tess or Gareth, so they do have some difficulties, but thats a sacrifice Im willing to make. As I mull these facts over in my head, I turn my attention back to the Beyond Community and read the last message. Sset - We located two and now that youve located one as well, were getting close to the end. Weve already started moving, and we can meet at Sophs location after you guys are done with your stuff. Grumpy - I miss you all, guys! Sset - I miss you too, Grumpy. Tacita -(_) Grumpy - I miss you too, Taci! ( Tacita - Grumpy - You won''t run away!=Ԧ( Sset -Just please dont push it, Noname. Noname - You know me. Sset -Thats why I''m worried. Noname -It will be fine. Sset -I always get chills when you say that. Tacita -/v/q(? Grumpy - Noname -Just dont forget our schedule in case something screws up. Sset - I would not forget. I got to go, see you later. Stay safe. Noname -Stay safe. Tacita -(? o ?)=[]:::::> Grumpy -( ?? After closing the Community, I use one of my Ley Lines and appear in the Common room with a few of the original owners. They immediately jump to their feet in a rush to greet me. I just gesture in acknowledgment and check the pile of materials theyve piled up to see if I can find anything interesting. Disappointed at not finding anything, I move to teleport away when I get stopped. Boss! one of the men calls. Yes? I ask, turning to him. His face seems familiar, Oh, you are... E... B-something. Youve already forgotten my name three times, so whats the point of trying at this point? Oh. Its fine! I just wanted to report that I saw a few members of a neighboring group sneaking around, just outside your defenses. Are they strong? I ask with interest. They outnumber us five to one, he notes seriously, and they have experts on destroying defensive arrays. Before you... ehm, took over, we tended to have trouble with them. Oh boy, I would love to see them try to do something to my [Ley Line] based defensive array. As I make my exit through the door, one of the guards blocks my way. Its the bulky thylarin with four swords. He and his partner seem to be highly trusted, demonstrated by the weird connection they have that allows them to listen to whats happening in the room. Mais, please let him go, Fynn calls from inside. The guard doesnt budge, channeling kinetic energy through his body using a trait I noticed long ago. Ive wanted to fight this guy for a whileMais, also known as the Spinecrusher, ranked No. 7 in Hollowgate. I take a step toward him, releasing an amount of kinetic energy to match his own, feeling the weight of it building in the air. Mais responds, increasing his output as the tension sharpens to a razors edge. His hands hover closer to the swords at his sides, the flicker of violence rising in his eyes. The space between us tightens, energy crackling between us as though one wrong move could set everything off. Mais! Stop before we all fucking die here! This shout is much louder and more desperate, catching the attention of the people around us. Only then does the guy manage to calm himself and take a step back. I feel the pressure begin to dissipate as he pulls back, and I make one last corny attempt at baiting him, hoping to amuse myself with a decent brawl, Yeah, Mais, be a good boy. To my disappointment, he doesnt bite. Sure, he seems to be more pissed off, but thats all. As he steps away, I pass by and wave at the second guard, who waves back at me with a smile, his eyes and hair blazing a happy shade of red along with the small wings flickering on his back. Melo, also called The Nightmare, no. 5 in Hollowgate, the kind of person even Fynn rarely gives orders to. After jumping across a few roofs and a quick teleport later, I visit a few shops and return to the fort we lord over as Angry Kittens, directly jumping into the room this time. Here, in relative safety, I put more effort into the training thats been going on in the back of my mind the entire time. Separating a small part of my mind, I form a simple evil cube and wonder over it. Its an upgrade I made by modifying the orb after becoming familiar with the shaping exercises Lissandra gave me. Lissandra has amazing mastery over mana, and her flow is smooth, perfectly controlled, and sharp. My style of control is more chaotic, and its something Im starting to account for with my shaping exercises, especially the 1st one, where Im constantly having to control multiple frequencies and manage an ever-changing set of mana requirements just to maintain the thing. Changing the shape to a cube allowed the mana inside the shape to bounce more chaotically and made its movements nearly impossible to predict. Even after a few months, I''m still not sure what I expect to get from it, but Ive decided to continue. Lately, Ive even started changing the shape into a pyramid, which made it even more difficult, the mana inside the shape bouncing and swirling even more unpredictably. Someone smarter could probably explain the reasons behind it since I expected the cube to be more chaoticbut not me. With a wave of my hand, the cube disappears, and I bring my mind back to the previous method of training, leaving just a tiny bit to continue thinking as I throw myself back onto the bed and stare at the ceiling. System, show me my level. Lvl 291 Its pretty, and Im fairly certain that even with as much effort as I directed to training at the expense of leveling, Im probably one of the highest levels in our round. Perhaps even the highest. And Im just nine levels away from my Primary Class upgrade. I''m really curious how the system will deal with it, given that I already have all ten of my allotted active skills, and the Primary class always seems to bring more along for the ride. System, order me pizza. I will pay 10,000 shards. Nothing changes, obviously. Looking at the terrifying number of shards I currently possess, I dont think I would miss those 10,000. Its really tough out here. Lastly, before settling in to sleep for the next two hours, I decide to check on Biscuit. (Food.) I send through the link the twins created. The one that works despite Biscuits current distance. (Food,) he sends back mysteriously. (Food food?) I ask. (Food!) he answers right away. (Asshole!) I send back. (Gone. Food. Food.) (Food,) I confirm, and over the next few exchanges, I tell him about our plans, until we finally say goodbye, focusing my attention back on the ceiling. Damn, I miss that corgi. Its already been a few months since he went on his secluded training like some hidden master, and after not being able to boop that nose for so long, I''m starting to get close to my limit. [Bone Knitting - lvl 18 > Bone Knitting - lvl 19] Finally, the skill levels up, and I take a break from my efforts. The bones, which had been itching until now, finally settle, and the mana threads dissolve, the energy returning to my pathways to continue cycling through my body. Only then do I close my eyes and allow myself to fall asleep. Chapter 473: The Witch Days pass by quickly. Filled with mana training, getting taught and then killed by Whitey, and giving pointers to Lily and the twins. There isnt any talk anymore about making them change difficulties. Even when theyre not combining forces to fight, theyre still dangerous. They dont flinch anymore when they get hurt. Theyre quick to learn and much more experienced when it comes to combat. Theyre surprisingly patient and dont hesitate to stretch out battles as needed, gradually building up an advantage. Their projections are amazing, to be honest. Mimicking mana signatures, and heat, while imitating the vibrations of true motion. I can see a lot of potential in these projections of theirs and Ive worked hard to help them improve. Honestly, Im capable of doing something similar myself. And with my superior control over mana and the proper application of kinetic and thermal energy, it even comes fairly easy. But I''m the type that prefers dealing damage to such trickery, so I dont spend much time practicing myselfits just something to do when I feel bored. So their projections are currently much better than mine. [Connection] is a straight-up broken skill, much like [Resonance]. The things weve come up with lately are... scary at times. In a good way. Like I always say, if you can hurt yourself with your own skill its a bad sign for your opponent. I dont mean it in a maniacal way of course. Your body naturally adapts to your skills, allowing you to endure their use. So, in theory, using a skill that causes damage to yourself should hurt your opponent even more. For example, Lilys body and bones can withstand [Disintegration], but if she were to use it on anyone else with the exact same stats and traits, theyd be completely wrecked. Even though we both tried, even working together, we couldnt figure out exactly how it works or how skills influence the body, but it''s something well definitely return to later. As for the twins, my instinct to push them into training their mana proved to be an excellent decisionas alwaysand even though they currently need to combine their minds to take over most skills, they now have a clear path ahead of them. I dont think theyll ever be the strongest 1v1 guys, but 2v1 they are scary, and in cooperation with people like me, theres definitely hell to be made. And then we come to Lily... yeah, there is no need to worry about her. Two days before the expedition, Biscuit also returns. An unidentified floating object appears on the horizon. Its shaped kind of like a burrito and it moves surprisingly fast. That floating object just so happens to be on the list of exceptions to my defensive array and therefore passes through easily, slowing to a stop over the garden where all of us happen to be. Announcing his majestic presence with a loud cry of (Food), our future overlord slowly lowers himself, landing on the ground with a cute surprised noise as he lets go of his levitation a bit early and falls a bit further than he expected. Its been two months since I last saw him. Calculating the 10 boops per day I usually did, thats 600 boops Ive missed out on, and they still need to be delivered. Ever since the Golden Retriever accident, weve made some changes, so Biscuit ignores others and stops in front of me. I immediately lift him to my chest, reveling in the familiar feeling, weight, and scent of the best corgi of the 6th floor. He boops my nose with his paw, I caress his tiny head, and let him happily lick me while he wags his short tail, taking the rest of his body along for the ride with sheer inertia. Only then do I release him to greet the others. Im allowed to pet other animals, and Biscuit is allowed to be pet by other people, but he will be my number one, and I will be his. With that simple deal, the dark times brought about by the Golden Retriever incident have finally ended. I would love to know what hes been doing to train, given that I only ever get flashes of memory, but I suppose time will tell soon enough. Its about time something went wrong and threw our plans into disarray. Those near-death experiences Ive had over the past five months just dont feel the same as they used to. Lily and the twins probably wouldnt agree, though. There was that time Dennis got cut in half by that one guy, Lily got trapped under a mountain while she was hunting a high-level monster, and Aaron was poisoned and got paralyzed for three days before we finally figured out a way to cure him. Things like that are just things Ive accepted as part of life in the tutorial. If they dont like it, they can switch to Hard difficulty, where theyll probably have no trouble clearing each floor on their own. ? The old pre-tutorial me would probably be a bit shocked by that way of thinking, but what can I do? Screw that guy. That thought also makes me curious to know how he would react and what a conversation between us would look like. You are free, I tell the man whose name Ive already forgotten. Lily picks another dress, this one dark blue with thin shoulder straps, This one? That one looks the best so far. Do you think youll be using it anytime soon? Happily, she throws it on the bed and starts folding it carefully before putting a small mana stone on it and stowing it in some kind of protective bag, before adding it to her other things. I dont think Ill be needing it, thats why Im only taking the one and leaving the rest. Before you ask, the mana stone is supposed to help keep insects, dirt, mold, and other stuff away from the cloth. I dont have very many, so no you cant have oneyou would just break it to see how it works. Thats a terrible accusation. If that happened, I would make you a new one. Sure, sure! And then for some unknown reason, you would add in an additional function that would cause it to overload with mana and explode. Do you remember that mana stone that was supposed to keep my clothes smelling fresh? This time I cant help but defend myself, That bullshit stone was clearly a scam and didnt work to begin with. So why did it explode? It had an interesting structure that gave me an idea so I modified it a bit and... thats not the point! Are you ready? I guess. After shrugging her bag on, she takes a few steps, grabbing the massive ax made from her bones, and a nostalgic smile crosses her face as she looks over the room for the last time. I think I may have gotten a bit attached to this room. I think I might miss it for a while after this. I can understand that. These past few months have been great, honestly. Its been really fun having all of us together, and Id love to keep that going. Hopefully, we get to spend more time together like this. Nice jinx. The expedition will go great. After a short laugh, she tightens her posture, gray mana swirling around her, in the shape of a mantle. "Everything will be fine, youll see. Im here," Lily says, full of unwavering confidence. We find ourselves in the same yard where the twins got themselves caught not so long ago. Despite losing one of their strongest, The Gravelhands have managed to hold onto their fort, which stands tall, guarding one of the largest entrances to the mines beneath Hollowgate. There are probably a few hundred people all told, and going by the results of past expeditions, only around 10-50% will return. Between the monsters, other members of the expedition, battles for resources, and unresolved disputes it would be fairly easy to disappear down there. So while Dennis is speaking with a smaller group of leaders, we wait off to the side, while I observe the people around us. One of them is the no. 1 leader in Hollowgate, a thylarin woman known as The Witch, and she clearly has a [Mana Crown] floating over her head. I would recognize it anywhere. [Terra Shaper - lvl 306] Theres a rumor going around about the Witch. Some say she only ever joins an expedition once every ten years, then retreats to her manor, spending the following years charging her crown for the next journey. Thats why her crown is such a deep shade of blue with streaks of light purple and pale blue swirling across the surface. The sheer amount of mana it holds cant be hiddenjust being near her feels like the air itself is growing heavier as if the immense power shes carrying could crush everything around her. Then theres my good friend, the thylarin with his kinetic energy and four swords quick to hand. For some reason, it seems like hes decided to join the expedition. He isnt looking at me, but Im sure he knows that Im here, and hes standing close to The Witchas if he intends to serve as her bodyguard. Well, color me surprised if this expedition wont be fun. Chapter 474: Relentless passage of time There are still a few payments to be made, along with the final checks, and last minute confirmationsjust the kind of annoying tasks the twins insisted on handling themselves. After that, we pass through a door carved into the rock trailing behind the main group and enter a wide tunnel with a low ceiling. Soon though, the space opens up, revealing a massive hollow within the mountain. That hole is about as wide as a city block and has a set of stairs carved into the side that spiral down. The staircase is wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and theres obviously no railing to be seen. A single misstep would be enough to send the average person plummeting to their death. Im sure we have plenty of members who could survive the fall with flight, or teleportation, if not through the use of some other fancy skill. Hell, some of the races weve seen can fly as is. But Im also sure some would die from falling down, and thats because of the glow that can be seen deep below. A molten river of lava swirling and flowing through the caverns beneath us. Were not sure what its made of, but for those who haven''t heard, theres a river of molten material flowing through here, one of the leaders says, informing the rest of the group. Some of you might think you could survive falling into it, but let me warn you: that river moves fast. It will drag you under and carry you deep beneath the rock, far away from here, to wherever it leads. He grabs a small stone and throws it down, the stone falls for almost twenty seconds before it hits the surface. And I estimate that the river sets about a mile below us. This expedition is headed to the lower floors of the mines into a tunnel that runs along that river of lava. If you want to complain, complain to the leaders of your parties. Everyone was informed. Let''s move ! Theres no organization, no elaborate planningtheres too little trust for any of that. The group will rely on the sheer force of numbers when danger arises, and everyone knows it. It feels less like a unified expedition and more like a number of large groups that just happen to be moving in the same direction. The first group begins descending the stairs, slowly making their way down. No one flies, teleports, or moves quickly. Instead, they choose to walk, and as our turn rolls around, I think I might understand why. The molten materials that make up the river below generate some sort of field that seems to have a disruptive effect. While the stairs seem to be somewhat shielded, the exposed chasm to our side is filled with a constantly fluctuating disruptive field. Its very fascinating to me, and I have to wonder if this is the result of the molten blend of mana-conductive metals violently mixing together in the churning currents of the river. The effect isnt strong enough to cause me much trouble, and I bet there are plenty of people who could say the same. As for the stairs, even though they are undamaged, its weirdly fun to walk on them while watching the glow of the river deep below given that the stairs are basically just stone plates sticking out of the wall, with holes in between each step. (It feels like we are descending to hell,) Dennis grumbles, issuing our first complaint. (Food?) (Nat?) (Hes asking if there is food in Hell.) (I dont know, Biscuit,) Dennis answers. Biscuit seems to be disappointed but continues to look at the people walking behind us. He is currently held in my arms, my hand supporting his backside, as he rests his chin and neck on my shoulder, looking behind me. While we are descending, I observe the effect of the river on the mana I radiate into the air and listen to some of the guys talking behind us. First number two died a few months back, and Ill be damned if I wouldnt have sworn the man was too angry to die. Then a month ago number eight went down, and just a few days ago we lost number ten. Is there someone hunting these guys? I notice the twins stiffen when number eight is mentioned. (No worries, I cleared the tracks you made.) I inform them, sending it through our link. (Yeah, I know. It just made me remember that guy. I swear, Nat, he popped up out of nowhere like some fucking scout selling cookies,) Dennis shivers. Aaron energetically shakes his head. (Lily, I know Dennis. If you leave him that way, each half will regrow, and youll have two annoying jerks to deal with instead of one. You really shouldnt let that happen, for all our sakes.) (Thats true,) Dennis agrees in a serious tone. (And I saw Aaron eat terrible things back on Earth. Hes the kind of guy who drinks orange juice after brushing his teeth. Some random toxin would mean nothing to an abomination like that.) The conversation continues as we continue our walk down the narrow stairs projecting from the walls of the hole. Its all friendly banter, and it might feel careless, but I know very well that all three of them are on their guard even though theyre acting like this. Its a habit Ive worked hard to instill in them over the past months. When we finally find ourselves just over the molten river and the expedition starts funneling into the target tunnel, I pause, bringing the rest of my small group to a stop with me. (I bet he wants to jump down there just to see how the disruption effect works and if proximity would change its effect on him.) I decide to ignore the heinous message and focus on the river. Curious, I activate [Ley Line] and toss the thread down, tied to a piece of metal I pull from my baga metal I know wont melt anytime soon. Before its completely dragged under and carried away, I anchor it to the wall. The river does nothing to it. Ley Line holds like a champ, without losing a hint of integrity. I leave it there and head into the tunnel, with two more threads following me, both connected to the surface. Not too far into the tunnel, we come across some abandoned machineryrusted, crumbling, and long forgotten. Each piece is intricate, covered in strange, unfamiliar inscriptions that give hints at their original purpose. There are empty slots where mana stones should have gone, likely to be used as power sources, but now nothing remains. The machines themselves are varied in design, each one seemingly tailored for a specific task, and all of them equally fascinating even in their state of decay, resting against the walls or buried under rock. One machine is particularly large, with gears that no longer turn, and metal joints crumbling with age. Another is smaller, more delicate, almost like it was meant for more precise work. The inscriptions, though alien, almost look familiar to me in a way I cant quite place. I stop for a moment to study them, my fingers touching the patterns etched into the surface. Then I spot a piece of strange alloy, something that catches my eye, and pocket it. The group ahead continues moving and there is no more time to linger. With a final glance at the abandoned machines, I quickly catch up, knowing they wont wait for us. At the front of the expedition, fights break out as monsters begin attacking the lead members. The creatures are dealt with quickly, their ambushes barely slowing our groups progress, but judging by the reactions of the people around me, its clear that the dangers only just beginning. I can sense monsters burrowing through the tunnel walls, slithering beneath our feet, and moving just above our heads, hidden in the shadows. Their movements are subtle and unmistakable, like the tremors and heat generated by their bodies, or the hint of mana they leave behind them. For now, there are only a few dozen, but even at this distance, I can feel the presence of hundreds more lurking far beyond. Waiting. Preparing. Further into the tunnel, we come across several old campsites littered with broken tents, abandoned cooking implements, and some empty crates scattered around. These are all very old, likely not from any recent expeditions. If someone were to tell me they were leftovers from before this moon was turned into a prison, I would believe them. All of these remains crumble to dust with the weakest vibrations or the simplest touch. Its thrilling to imagine that hundreds of years ago, there were people walking these same tunnelsliving, eating, and interacting with each othernever thinking that centuries later, there would be people like us staring at the remnants they left behind. And a feeling not unlike nostalgia captivates me. If I die, sometime far in the future, will someone one day have the opportunity to look at what Ive left behind, unaware of my thoughts, hopes, and struggles? Will the name Nathaniel Gwyn be forgotten, along with everyone who ever knew me, and will all these adventures weve been through be erased by the relentless passage of time? Its both fascinating and a little sad. Before we move on, I offer Lily a bottle of water, and she takes a sip with a thankful smile. I insert a lame joke into the twins conversation, give Biscuit a quick pat, and then we leave the place behind. Chapter 475: Know your place (Why are the monsters not trying to cause a cave in? So deep underground we would be screwed,) Dennis wonders as we find our path blocked by yet another cave-in. (They are. There are monsters trying to weaken the rock around us right now, but the Witch is preventing them from succeeding by solidifying it,) I reply, as I look back at another molten river we just passed over. It moves just as quickly as the first one, and I think I may have noticed something suspicious about its shape. (Huh, but wouldnt that be too much effort?) (Not really. I dont think shes even touched the mana in her crown yet, and trust me, she has a shitload of mana stored in it.) (More than you have in your crown?) (Ten to thirty times more than is currently in my crown.) Are you serious? You arent joking, right? You aren''t making fun of me?) (I''m not.) (Isnt that too OP? With that much mana...) (The problem isnt storing it. Id bet that there are plenty of highly specialized mid to upper arcane items that could store more mana than her crown at its current level. The problem is channeling that mana and using it en-masse effectively.) As I say this Aaron decides to chip in, (So she has a big bottle of water and can only take small sips of it?) I shake my head, (Its more like she has a flamethrower. You can use it in short bursts and you might get your hair burned, but youll be fine. But if you let it overheat, youll set yourself on fire.) (So you need to make your body powerful enough to endure the flames... or mana?) (And your mind.) (Your metaphor sucks, Nat. A flamethrower wouldnt burn your mind.) (So what? Come up with a better one if you want. But overall, Id say theres a reason they only come this deep once every 10 years and always bring her. Her crown and the way she handles the stone is a perfect combination for the dangers down here.) (Is she stronger than you?) The question makes me think for a moment. (I dont think so? At least not with what weve seen from her so far. My skills seem to be more geared towards combat, and shes the kind of person who relies on her mana and crown. People like that are kind of screwed against me.) (And Lily? Do you think she could take her?) Aaron asks as well. (I think Lily would have a good chance against her on the surface, but she would need to be very quick and go all out from the start. Here underground, she would have to be very, very quick, otherwise, the Witch would just bury her.) (Tsk,) our healer grumbles. (No worries, Lily! Youre still our favorite terminator!) Dennis quips, smirking as he turns to me once again. (What about me and Aaron?) (I think you two would be screwed.) Aaron sighs. (Well, thats it. Hard difficulty, here we come.) For a moment, that seems to scare Dennis, who examines my expression for a moment before quickly turning to Aaron and punching him in the shoulder, followed by a quick private exchange of messages between them. Aaron catches my eyes and smirks at me. (Ive noticed it before, Nat, but you seem to take more of a passive stance during expeditions like this.) While the brothers fight, Lily comments, taking a step closer to me. (What exactly have you noticed?) (A lot!) She quips, fixing the giant axe on her back, the weight not seeming to bother her much. (Most of the time, you let people around you do their thing. You even tend to let them push you around, and sometimes even screw up, and you wait until things go completely off the rails before you jump in.) (Is that a bad thing?) I ask curiously. (I wouldnt say it was bad per se? But it might be better if you shared your knowledge right from the start and helped more, dont you think? The expedition would probably go much smoother as well.) A burst of my mana disrupts her skill, shock, and horror taking over her face as it deactivates, and she watches the monster fall toward her. The monster and the woman stop mid-motion. The beasts thin, long legs reaching for her fear-stricken face. I create a javelin, which bursts violently forth, piercing the monster and pinning it to the wall, where it twitches until it finally stops moving. [You have defeated Rotling - lvl 310] [Lvl 291 > Lvl 292] With that, the fight slowly comes to a stop, no more monsters are coming in, and the ones that initiated the attack are dealt with. (Can I heal the wounded?) Lily asks through our connection. (Do whatever you want.) She seems surprised at my answer but smiles and rushes off to help the most heavily injured with a nod, closing mortal wounds with ease, without using much mana or resorting to [Sacrifice]. There are a few weaker healers, each with half a dozen guards, but none can compare to what Lily does, and I can see the shock etched on their faces. Hey, do you think this is a good idea? Aaron asks, coming to a stop by my side and whispers so only I can hear. There are only three people in this expedition you should be worried about. The Witch, Babyface, and Mais. As long as you dont get jumped or stabbed in the back, the others shouldnt bother you at all, even if they attack in large groups. So, you look after Lily, and Ill keep an eye on the other three. Both of us look toward The Witch far ahead. As usual, she says nothing, standing off to the side, her people dealing with the small annoyances around her. Shes just a bit shorter than me, with the typical light blue skin of a thylarin. Unlike most of her kin though, she has six arms instead of four, slim and tucked away under her robe. Her short brown hair frames the pale yellow eyes that are quietly observing everything around her. Her crown floats lazily above her head, spinning slowly. Its design, much the same as my own, though hers has three distinct colors. And be very careful of that woman, I add quietly. Shes much more dangerous than I thought. What happened? She used mana from her crown to blast one of the monsters attacking her. Sorry, Nat, but I dont get... I interrupt him and explain, In our previous conversation I mentioned that the crown has a weakness if you want to call it that. To expand on the metaphor, imagine the crown as a full water tank instead of a flamethrower, and you can expand that tank at will. It can be as small as a water bottle or as big as the reservoir behind a dam. That doesnt seem that bad. So whats the problem? The hole you use to access that water doesnt change. If your container is small and you want to let out some water, you dont have a problem. The problem starts when the container gets really big. Every time you twist that valve to get water, theres an immense amount of pressure from all the stored water trying to get out. The size of that valve, at least for [Mana Crown], doesnt change. I think Im starting to get it... and did you say her crown holds 10 to 30 times more than yours? Yup, and she opened that valve and was able to take a tiny amount of mana just to blast a small monster away from her. I would have understood if she had channeled it for a while to power some powerful skill or release enough to make everyone here vomit their organs out. But no, she held all that mana at bay and, through that tiny valve, took just the tiniest wisp to deal with a nuisance. Is it me, or do you seem happy about that, Nat? I wave him off, my mind thinking it over. What I just described is a definite weakness of my crown and something I dont think thats unique to me. It means the more mana you store in your crown, the more difficult it is to use. If you open the valve too little, less mana will flow out, but the pressure will be higher and more intense, making it harder to control the flow of mana without getting hurt. If you open the valve fully, vast amounts of mana wash over you at once, emptying the crown much faster, as you risk drowning in the sheer amount of mana assuming you dont end up wasting it. Thats just how scary what she did is. Finally, she notices me staring and turns her face toward me. Her yellow eyes radiate calm confidence, the kind that says she can handle anythingwith an obvious hint of disdain. What she did earlier was a warning, a deliberate display of skill, likely meant for meno doubt a response to something Mais told her about me, and after sensing me observing her. To me it''s a single, unmistakable message: know your place. Chapter 476: About time to leave A few hours later we enter one of the bigger tunnels after the Witch punches a hole through one of the walls revealing it, and allowing us to sidestep the cave-in. The resulting hole is about the width of a football stadium, and I watch intently as she works, Mais quietly keeping pace behind her. She stops in front of the wall and taps on it with a finger, sending ripples through the stone. The affected rock almost seems to melt, behaving like water as it bends to her will. It moves to the sides, it swirls, it compresses all around her, all while she calmly advances like some unstoppable force, the stone clearing a path for her under the influence of the mana from her crown. Once shes done, she steps aside, and the quasi-leader rushes in with a few more guys to run checks. As promised, weve reached one of the smaller mining outposts, and this one isn''t on any maps, nor has it been visited before, he shouts, his words quickly spreading. Yet everyone waits, and no one rushes in. Only after everyones finally passed through does the Witch close the hole. The man continues, Three hours. Rest, eat, look around and loot. But let me give you a warning! If you want to fight amongst yourselves, thats fine, but if you take things too far, you will be dealt with. Go! His words have barely left his mouth by the time everyone disperses throughout the massive cave, their skills lighting up the area as their overlapping scans trace every inch of ground. There are a few dozen small buildings off to the side: smithies, piles of rock, old broken crates full of refined metals and crystals. More seems to be hidden in the houses and other places. This is what most of these people are here for. Just a few handfuls of the right metal has every potential to make one very rich on the surface. (Nat, please recharge the creepy box; me and Aaron will do some looting.) Dennis states, handing me the small box densely inscribed and plated in voidcopper. After that, he and his brother disappear, more excited over the experience itself than any items they might find. That leaves Biscuit, Lily, and me off to the side, with Mais, the Witch, and a few others waiting on the opposite side of the cavern. As I sit on the ground, Biscuit moves closer and lays his head on my leg while Lily takes my other side. (It needs recharging already?) she asks. (It seems so.) I quickly check the inscriptions on the box, and all seems to be fine. (Can you check inside?) Lily takes it from me, carefully opening it and checking the bone she grew from her own finger and the grape-sized gray orb it contains. (The bone is already slightly worn down. I really need to work harder to keep it stronger, even when its separated from me.) As she says this, she uses her healing skill, adjusts the gray orb slightly, and then closes it. (Its fine. Items like these are just for fun and experimenting.) I slide one of the panels a bit, revealing the mana stone inside, and touch it to charge it with my mana, topping off its flagging supply of mana. Without it, to power the container, the shielding and inscriptions on the bones inside would fail. (But we spent so much time on that box,) Lily complains. (Yeah, and you''ve learned a lot from it, just like I have.) I say, staring at the box in my hands. (But at the same time, it can be discarded and made anew.) As I store it away, Lily glances at the sword on my waist. (Even the sword? If youd like, I can take a look, just to see how its holding up.) I glance at the sword and touch the hilt. (No need; it seems fine for now. My main goal in having the four of us work on the sword was to evolve my skills. I even partially succeeded, but otherwise, the sword is a failure. A few months, maybe a year? It wont last beyond that. Until then, I''ll learn as much from it as I can.) R? (That seems like a kinda sad way of thinking. Its something all of us made with a lot of effort. Of course, you did most of the work, but you know what I mean. It would be nice to have it as a reminder.) Its amusing to watch her try to avoid getting tangled in the conversation, and I say, (I value these memories and knowledge more. Given the dangerous nature of our current expedition, I might be jinxing it, but weve already created a few items togetherso theres nothing stopping us from making many more in the future.) A slow smile spreads across her face. (I loved working on that sword too, but yes, if you keep jinxing us like that, we might all end up dead.) About three hours pass and the twins return. Their clothes arent damaged, and they look clean, but I can feel that theyve been in a fight. Its like when you use the engine for a while and turn it offit still radiates some heat. Thats what I feel coming from their bodies right now. (We managed to get a few bits of voidcopper and voidsteel. Aaron picked up some weird-ass crystals. People seemed happy, but I dont think its anything special. Do you think were getting spoiled? Are you our sugar daddy, Nat?) (Please never say those words again.) (Did saying that increase the difficulty of our future training?) he asks. (Yes.) (Screw you.) Yes, I say, continuing on my way, as Mila turns to head down a different pathway. There are no elevators, I had them removed, so when I reach the spiraling stairway piercing through the middle of the tower, it takes me a few minutes of walking to reach my floor. I feel the barrier deploy, and multiple checks press against me as I pass through. Finally, at the top, I stop by the window and look out over the city where Ive been spending the past few months. Its not very big, nestled against the bank of the nearby lake, but nearly every building is a tower. The city forms an almost perfect circle, every stone structure placed with intent. Everything about the buildings is carefully calculated: their height, width, materials, and density, right down to the number of windows. Cobbled streets weave paths between the towers, bordered by metal frames. At the center of the city stands a short, perfectly circular building with a roof constructed from mana-conductive metals, linking it to the rest of the city. With a sigh, I turn away and once again go through all the checks, and only when thats been done do I knock on the door. A skill reaches out from within and connects to my emotions, and another one pulls a wisp of my mana, testing it. Only then do the doors open, allowing me to slip inside before closing them behind me. The expression Ive kept on my face until now crumbles, and I allow myself to relax. Fuck, I hate this place. Language! Shouts a voice that brings a smile to my face. Im the older sister here, so I can do whatever I damn well want. I throw my robe aside and rub my shoulder. How have you been? Moving through the hallway, the big, cozy room opens upso warm and welcoming it feels like I could relax just by collapsing onto the floor. Izzy sits in the corner, her head resting against Noodle, whose body is currently thicker than hers and probably about as long as six of my little sisters lined up end to end. Using her as a scale cheers me up, and I throw myself down next to her, hugging her small body which is warm as ever. Both Izzy and Noodle are staring at a book that Izzy has lying open in front of them, and their eyes move in perfect sync as Izzy reads, mouthing out the words. That feeling of connecting to me reaches out again, and I dont block it, not even for a second, and let Izzy read my feelings like an open book. Sensing what I want, she acts annoyed and shakes her head, but with a sigh, she taps the top of my head. Is it about time to leave? she asks. Yes. I finally got access to the Framework and Ill be near the Archon in a few days. If everything goes well, well be done here within a few weeks. Soph... Yes, Izzy? "I want you to be careful and call the others to help." For the first time I can remember, Izzy looks serious going so far as to her book away. "Can you do that for me?" I... Soph, Izzy says quietly, and this time her feelings rush into me, and in much the same way she felt mine, I feel hers. The hesitation, hope, worrythe fact she hasnt asked me that, not even once since we separated from the group. Shes been waiting this entire time for the perfect opportunity, for my feelings of anger to weaken. I can sense that, but I can also feel why she did, along with all the feelings of loneliness and fear. There is no way I can say no after feeling her heart. "Okay, well call them and ask for help before I go all out. Yes, even Tess." I concede, feeling defeated, but as she hugs me with a big smile, despite feeling like a loser for being the first to forgive, I also feel good. Love you, Soph. I love you too, Izzy. And I like Noodle and Blackie as well! She declares and rests against Noodle once again, who flicks her nose with his tongue, making her giggle. My shadow perks up at the announcement as well. Confused, incapable of feeling things like love, and lacking the capacity to understand them. The last surviving fragment of a bond without its master, now resting in my shadow. Chapter 477: Green acid The Rotlings are a constant reminder of the dangers of the mines weve found ourselves traveling through. The deeper we delve, the more of them appear, and I could almost swear they have some sort of Hive Mind or skill-sharing ability. If you kill one with lightning, the rest become that tiny bit more resistant to the lightning. Of course, each one might have a different level of resistance, and I could be wrong. But I prefer to assume the worst, so thats the option Im going with. Its at this point that we see the first deaths among the expedition crew, as the Rotlings begin to coordinate, attack in larger groups, and single out specific targets. Id like to think its just a coincidence, rather than a display of greater intelligence, but theyve begun to focus heavily on Lily and the other healers. Thats why Im watching closely now, as Lily steps forward deeper into the large cave were passing through, her axe flashing as it cleaves a Rotling in half. She shifts her stance, takes a few quick steps, and slashes into another. Using the flat of the blade, she blocks three Rotlings in quick succession, delivering a few swift kicks in the process. As they scramble to put distance between themselves and Lily to reorganize, she takes another big step, extending the handle of her axe, and brings them into her reach, one Rotling isnt quick enough to avoid the attack and dies with the next sweep of her axe. A dozen or so creatures burst from the ground beneath her, leaping at her legs. Their small mouths, filled with sharp teeth, bite into her fleshwhich is highly durableand yet they still manage to tear chunks out of her legs. The axe flashes as Lily cuts through her own legs, in the blink of an eye growing new ones in a flash as she stomps and slashes away at them. Not even for a moment does she seem to need even a semblance of help, and she quickly massacres the rest of the monsters. When the attack stops after a few more minutes, the sounds of fighting are quickly replaced by cries for help, the carnage of dead bodies on the floor, many of them missing big chunks out of their bodies, having been eaten alive. After checking on us, Lily turns back, healing her own share of the injured. With the way shes been leveling her [Reconstruction], she doesnt even need much mana and her natural regeneration readily handles the demand. Are you planning something, letting her heal all these people? Aaron asks, coming to a stop next to me while his brother keeps pace with Lily, keeping an eye on her. Not really, its just something she wants to do. What if she spends too much mana and needs it later? Then itll be a learning experience for her and shell have to decide what she takes from it herself, I reply, shrugging off his concerns. By the way, I think Biscuits been sniffing in the direction you mentioned seeing the Witchs connection. So thats probably where the prisoner really is. (Food.) Biscuit confirms as he takes a seat on the ground next to us. I look at him, as I continue my conversation with Aaron, That silly corgi just refuses to tell me more about what hes found. Its highly suspicious. Biscuit gives me the side-eye, something he doesnt seem to realize only makes dogs look silly, and then looks away. The Witch is planning something, youre planning something, even Biscuits planning something, and Mais probably has something up his sleeve as well, Aaron sighs. Nat, I swear, we havent had a single normal expedition. The old capital on the fourth, the Mana Desert before, and now this. And honestly, I cant help but agree with that. I just dont tell him it might be something I prefer. Hours pass, and we nearly get buried a few times, only the Witchs quick reactions stop me from needing to step in, as she solidifies the rock around us or creates holes through the wall leading to yet another cave with a small outpost. The timing is extremely suspicious, and we reach these places every time the other members of the expedition start complaining too much. Its like shes dangling all the shiny rewards in front of their faces to make them forget the dangers and let their greed take over. Then theres the way she looks at humans, it makes me think she might be a little bit... Well, racist? Even a few of the human leaders, and the feylith or vyssari members of our expedition, get the same dirty looksthe only exception seems to be the thylarin. She also knows Ive been watching her, and it seems to annoy her. Not to the point that shes willing to deal with me herself and risk a clash down here, but I can see it in her bearing. r? Still, I continue to watch as she uses her skills, manipulating the mana from her crown. I rely only on my regular senses, certain it would be unwise to provoke her by using any of my mana based senses. Even so, it''s fascinating enough. I''m also curious as to why she has six arms. The only other thylarin Ive ever met with six armsthough five were missingwas Caisus, the trapped Champion. The Witch isnt anywhere near his level, hers barely passing 300, while Champions seem to start around 500. So, being a Champion has nothing to do with it. Maybe its some kind of rare mutation? Or perhaps the number of arms varies in the same way as a humans skin color. Is it the result of a trait? Is it something some thylarin are just born with? A skill? I''m curious. That train slows quickly until it comes to a stop, Whiteys standing on the platform. Hes wearing a black suit that fits him very well, and even his hair is a bit shorter and tied back into a neat ponytail draped down his back, the hairstyle still emphasizing his horns. I know Ive said that Channeler is one handsome mofo, but Whitey is on an entirely different level... The view on one of the screens changes from an image of the train schedule to footage of me stomping to stop the stream of acid. Its been a long time since Ive seen someone so proud over something performed so poorly. He says, stomping in imitation of my own movements, and a crater forms in the ground beneath him. This one is perfectly circular, the released kinetic energy is reabsorbed, reused, and sent back like a wave, clashing with the first shockwave and deepening the crater two more times after the initial impact. How the hell were you only level 301? The question seems to make the demon happy, and he smiles. The others might have focused on useless leveling, but I trained to improve my control of my abilities. I mumble, While you were partying, I studied kinetic energy. When you were having premarital sex, I mastered my skills. While you wasted your days leveling in pursuit of vanity, I cultivated inner strength. Despite having spoken under my breath, Whitey catches on and nods energetically. Yes, just like that. I quite like it! Without warning, he appears in front of me in a flawless display of Wraith Dance, and I mirror it, my movement taking me to the other side of the metro as I sense him moving behind me. I time my attack, tracking his presence, but when I turn to face him, hes gone, leaving only a disorienting afterimage in his place. Instead, he strikes me in the side with an open palm, and I switch to Counter Flow, absorbing the impact, circulating it throughout my body, and switching to Breaker Style, adding my own energy to the mix and releasing it at Whitey. He also switches to Counter Flow and does the same, absorbing it all with ease and throwing it back at me. I mimic him, and he then mimics me. We stand there, throwing kinetic energy at each other, absorbing it, adding more, and throwing it back, the power level ramping up very quickly. When it comes to moving large amounts of kinetic energy, youre getting quite good, Whitey nods, satisfied, and takes a step toward me, his body so close I could punch him. As the distance closes, his speed increases, giving me less time to react. The jerk begins subtly shifting what I think of as the frequency of his kinetic energy. My absorptions are rough, bits of energy escaping around me, cracking the floor, while when Whitey does it, not a single hair moves in reaction. Dozens of quick attempts later, I fail to keep up, and before it all explodes, I release it in the direction of Whitey, who absorbs it again and throws it back, the resulting explosion smashing me against the wall, as the metro explodes around us. Only the last-second absorption of my impact stops me from dying right here and now. Blowing the dust away, Whitey stops in front of me and nods, satisfied to see that Im not dead yet. Tell me, why dont you use mana? Why dont you level up and get your Primary Class upgrade like I did? Wouldnt that make facing me easier and a bit more fair? Its something you could have done at any point. I fall from the wall and dust off my clothes. Because I dont want to. Theres Pride, and then theres just being dumb. Whitey takes off his jacket, unbuttons one of the buttons on his vest, and starts rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt. Standing there tall and proud, he moves a strand of hair from his face, the mellow atmosphere around him changing. The lights above, damaged by the explosion, flicker, throwing shadows across his face, and his red eyes glow dangerously as his expression slowly grows more serious. If you land a hit on me, I might finally tell you my name, he offers playfully. Must be a terrible name for you to hide it for so long. His teeth show in an irritated smile. ... you little shit. With that, he disappears, and the fight starts anew. Chapter 478: The pain... it’s unbearable. After getting stomped by that demon, I remain seated, replaying our fight and taking notes on a mana stone I brought with me. Some of these things will be very useful for my minion. While doing this, I reflect on our situation, trying to recall and visualize all those rivers of molten material. There is a suspicion I have and if I''m right, there are big channels in the rock around us through which this molten river, or rivers as the case may be, flow. Ive also confirmed that some of them are thicker, while others tend to be a bit smaller, and some even move at different speeds. Its still a mystery to me what actually keeps them moving, but I think theyre serving as a form of inscription. Molten material flows at high speeds, generating a field that merges with those from the other channels moving at varying speeds, combining into a unique effect. The scale of such a formation would have to be massive, and I can''t even fathom the effort required to create something like that so deep underground, at such a size, and then to maintain it for hundreds of years. Weve already walked for days, yet the number of rivers weve crossed has not decreased. It certainly makes for a fascinating theory, and knowing what to look for, Ill definitely be keeping an eye out. Is it possible that the acid rivers are also a part of this systems, what about the veins of metal running through the rock? (Nat,) Lily warns me. (I know,) I send back and focus back on my surroundings, watching the Witch and Mais, also known as Spinecrusher, moving closer. With curiosity, I look at thylarin woman. Wondering whats made her decide to break her silence and what she wants with the hypothetical prisoner shes been communicating with. The first to speak is Mais. We will be splitting from the rest of the group and continuing deeper as a smaller group. As we speak, Lily is already standing by my side, and I notice the twins return, taking a position a bit behind the duo. Ignoring Mais, I turn to the Witch. Is it the prisoner youre after? She doesnt let any surprise show, nor does she even seem to be trying to hide it. You may call them a prisoner, but the being trapped down there is more than thata great presence, suffering in its confinement for millennia. And you intend to save it? What I do is my business, human, she says with disdain. Shall you and your healer go with us, I can promise there will be material rewards along the way. Enough to satisfy even the deepest greed. I do not care for any of these things. Sounds good. When are we leaving? Five minutes. With one last look, she turns around and leaves with her bodyguard following her. Little does she know I wouldve continued even if shed turned away and returned to the city even if there was no Containment Cell in the end. We leave quickly, through a tunnel she creates, leaving the rest of the group behind. Im sure most of them can get back the way we came. There are others who can do much the same things with stone that the Witch has, they just didnt bother because they had her around. Or maybe theyll still try to go deeper and find more riches. Its their life and their decision. Our new group only contains about twenty people. The Witch, Mais, and even Babyface are here, along with a number of the stronger members from the larger group, some of them carrying interesting things in their backpacks. I shrug a bit as Biscuits whiskers tickle against my neck and put the corgi down. He sniffs towards our destination with such interest that he doesnt even seem to mind despite needing to run by our side to keep up with our walking speed on his short legs. Because our group is so much smaller now, the fights become more difficult as well. I was also wrong. The acid attacks dont stop with the increase in monster attacks. Instead, we get both. The most common problem is the constant flood of Rotlings, who have been attacking six to a man. After killing them, the Witch has to foil their attempts to cave the tunnels in around us in or pour acid on us through holes in the ceiling. Sometimes they even combine multiple streams and try to fill the entire tunnel, forcing us to dig through the wall, thankfully though the stone seems to be capable of resisting the green liquid. One of the guys gets trapped behind us as a small river of acid washes over the wall the Witch was using to block the tunnel. There is no regret or pity on her face, just for a moment she stares toward the wall, her mana senses reaching through it. When the mans mana signature disappears, she turns around and we head in again where another group of Rotlings lies waiting. Lily rushes in first, her axe slashing out in a big sweeping motion, carving through several of the little monsters. A few of them jump towards her, but the twins are already there, cutting into them and easily avoiding the others, who seem to be terrible at seeing through their illusions. ? I, meanwhile, move into one of the side tunnels and stand there, waiting. I create a small crater in front of me as a preemptive measure, and a moment later, a dozen or so Rotlings fill the tunnel, their legs piercing the walls and creating footholds for them to climb on. All of them freeze and stop moving. Some halt in mid-air, others are caught mid strike. Their tiny bodies fight against the hold I have on them, and more and more kinetic energy flows through me the more they try to move. Breathe in. Breathe out. I concentrate, and my heartbeat changes to a more erratic and unpredictable pattern as I swap stance to Needle Point, one of the stances Ive always found difficult. Moving the kinetic energy as Ive been shown so many times before, I launch the first projectile. Its not perfectly smooth and its thicker than a finger, but it reaches the monster, and instead of piercing through its body, it hits its leg. Using kinetic energy attacks like these at such a long distance still proves difficult. Arms reach, or even a few steps in from me is fine, its something Ive been doing for a while now. But at this distance? Im just not there yet, but Im still much better than I was even a few weeks ago. The entire time I keep my eyes active and my senses firing off into the area, and Ive been doing so since the start. A constant rippling of my [Perception] outward, keeping me ready to teleport my group away. Not even once have I underestimated the danger of this place, I still remember just how dangerous Caius was, even crippled as he was, imprisoned within the Mana Desert. Lily fights well, as do the twinsoften alone, without cooperating, using even this as an opportunity to practice. And Biscuit... well, he waits, rarely jumping in, like hes been saving his energy for something. As for the rest of the group, The Witch has been in constant communication with that presence Ive finally begun to sense on the edge of my radar, her expression changing from that cold glare to a look of hope, anger, sadness, and desperation. In a twisted blend of emotion. Mais stays close, the four swords vibrating with kinetic energy as they rest in his hands, his movements reminiscent of Pulser Stance. Other than him, Babyface is the strongest, no longer bothering us and staying close to the mentioned duo, his face sometimes taking on a weird expression not unlike the Witch''s. It makes me wonder what originally brought him down here. Is it greed? Or is his purpose similar to the Witchs? We stop by a small outpost, nestled against a wall with several veins of metal running through it. The place is dark and eerily quiet, small streams of acid run through the cavern, and the air is full of toxic vapor. As far as I understand, this is the furthest any expedition has ever been, nobodys ever reached this place before, something or other always stopped them, whether it was a lack of mana, or inexperience, but the greatest factor was probably the confusing layout forcing them to wander for days under constant attack. But this time, unlike the previous expeditions, the Witch is following her connection and is leading us directly to the source. The materials we find down here are well worth the effort. Metals up to arcane grade, pieces of amazing crystal capable of enduring the pressure of incredibly dense and power-hungry inscriptions. Theres a huge smithy carved into one of the walls, with an anvil as big as a car in the center and a piston-style hammer above it, both made from material that helps to reflect manaso tough that even Lily cant damage them with her weaker version of [Disintegration] as she makes her surreptitious attempt. There are a few golden hued fragments of chain that seem to be made from a similar material, despite their odd coloring and the additional effects granted by the inscriptions that have been etched into them through unknown means. These shattered chains are massive, each piece is as big as my torso and theyre all very heavy. Everyone takes some materials from the storage, careful to maximize value for weight, and when they are done, I step towards the anvil, activating [Ley Line]. All of the mana in my body disappears, along with the anvil. A third of my Reservoir disappears, and the hammer with it. The two remaining thirds of my Reservoir disappear and take the fragmented golden chains with them. Using the last remaining bits of my mana, I touch a specific Ley Line, and within a flash, my [Mana Crown] appears over my head. The exact same design as the Witchs, just a different color. My mana seeps into my body, filling it, and my reservoir as well, and I continue to send all the materials I can away, totally emptying the store room. [Ley Line - lvl 38 > Ley Line - lvl 39] My crown then disappears as well, returning to float over the bust far away and I face the shocked members of the expedition. POV The Witch Impossible. The space here is too unstable for long-range teleportation, yet he managed it. Even after the activation, I couldnt trace where he sent the materials. And that crown too, its a lot more full than I had expected when I sensed the familiar skill on him. (Underestimate humans, Melel, and theyll surprise you. Always have.) (I apologize.) (No need. But please hurry. The pain... its unbearable.) (I will. Forgive me.) The voice, echoing like a distant memory of my mother, murmurs, (Use that human and the weapon he carries. It can free me.) (As we planned. Ive marked it. Hes still unaware.) (Youve always had a gift for this, my child. But beware of the small creature with himdont let it near me. Eliminate it if necessary.) The pain surges again. Turning away from Mais, I grit my teeth, fist clenched, waiting for the wave to pass. (I''m sorry, dear Melel.) (Its fine. Its my weakness for not being able to bear our connection.) (Please hurry. It hurts.) Her gentle voice fades into silence as I channel more mana to keep my body from fracturing, forcing myself into composure before turning back to give the next set of commands. Chapter 479: Chained Beast The feeling of danger keeps increasing until it takes on an almost physical aspect like I could reach out and touch it as it clings to my skin. It raises the hair on the back of my neck and sends goosebumps prickling across my forearms. The sensation is reminiscent of crawling into the cave of a beast, pulling yourself ahead on your hands and knees. Knowing you should turn and run, even as you continue, ignoring your scraped hands and knees and the blood trailing behind you. As the fights grow ever more dangerous, we push on, and my wounds are beginning to add up, even with my enhanced body as acid drips from the ceiling, something even The Witch is incapable of stopping. The rotlings double in size, as does the number of legs and the size of their mouths. Just a few seconds is all it takes for them to tear out huge chunks of flesh, and their coordination becomes better. And in the midst of it all, Lily moves like a whirlpool. Her swings, though amateur, are swift and precise, cleaving through swathes of monsters. As dozens of them close in on her, targeting our last healer, her new skill envelops her body. Her [Disintegration Mantle] rests on her shoulders, flowing down to her knees. It shifts in the air as if it has a will of its own or as if caught in a strong wind, yet it remains firmly within her control. Its color is a graduated shade of gray, darker around her shoulders and becoming lighter at the bottom, where it begins to resemble smoke more than anything else. Any monster that touches it gets disintegrated, nothing seems capable of passing through as she rolls into groups of monsters without a care, swinging that bone ax of hers. There are signs of her using it to attack as well, going by the way its shifting and moving. Though she''s still exploring the skill, even in this weakened form, nothing down here can withstand it, a fact clearly reflected in the expressions of the other expedition members. My mind is also clear and sharp, the dangers surrounding us shaping it as I maneuver across the battlefield with kinetic energy, avoiding the Rotlings, and tossing them aside, so that I can finish them off with compressed javelins, boosted by the same energy. Any monster that manages to get close is welcomed with a weapon made from manabloc that Ive compressed to the point of near destabilization, as I alternate its shape between spear, sword, claymore, and ax. Yet, I still hold myself back, knowing the worst is yet to come. Fighting through the waves of monsters, we eventually reach a dead end to the tunnel, and the Witch closes it off, soon after we hear the sound of acidic vapors and liquids slosh against the wall shes created. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, she and two of the other members of our group mold the stone, creating a way for us. We head through with hurried steps, rough breathing filling the tunnel. I notice burns on my forearm, left over from a few droplets of acid I was unable to avoid. As weve seen before, it heals much slower than it should. (We are close, Nat. I can feel her connection getting stronger,) Dennis says, gesturing at the Witch, who now has an absent, painful expression on her face. Then we stop. Where is that creature? the thylarin woman whispers to herself, slowly turning around as her face clears up and she asks louder, shouting at me. Where is that creature!? Biscuits not here, he left during the previous fight with a simple message to me. I dont know, I answer honestly. At that moment, as we wait for the next monster attack, the atmosphere changes quickly. Some of the mana from her crown seeps into the air, the pressure nearly palpable, just a taste of the mana she has been collecting for 10 years reaching toward us. Where. Is. That. Creature, she asks, each word forced through her teeth. My domain expands around us as I weave my mana, using just my body and reservoir to fight her pressure, while Lily and the twins struggle to catch their breath. Mana Wavelength Iris glows in the dark tunnel, reading and observing the mana filling the air, while I continue compressing, strengthening, and weaving my domain, forcing her to release more of her mana. It reaches a point where, unlike my group within my domain, those around her begin to suffer as the emotional thylarin woman begins to lose control. Noticing that she immediately stops, her face twisting in pain as she seems to be listening to something. Sword, she orders in a raspy voice, and Mais vanishes, reappearing by my side with two swords drawn, slashing at me while two of his arms reach for the shortsword at my waist. At the same time, dozens of hands made from compressed stone explode all around me, reaching toward me and my sword. With a stomp, I release the kinetic energy Ive been collecting, the modified vibrations destroy the stone arms and throw Mais to the side making him use his own kinetic energy to stop and rush again. ? Lily appears by his side, her hair shortening, and her ax swings toward his head, forcing him to dodge the gray mantle floating around her as well as the ax. The thylarin man curses and tries to blast her away, but the attack is halted by the mantle, and then her axe collides with his sword. He stops it effortlessly, absorbing the kinetic energy from the strike and channeling it to fuel his own movement. Lily lets go of the ax and moves incredibly quickly as well, her muscles healing even as they tear under the strain. Mais tries to avoid her, but even with all the kinetic energy, hes too slow to match Lily giving it her all, and she collides with him. Rock bursts beneath her feet, stone spike,s and arms reaching to slow her down, but Lily ignores the wounds, her mantle swirling around her body. Half of her face turns into a mass of bone and raw flesh, and one of her arms is nearly torn off, as Mais drives a hole through her body, fueled by kinetic energy. Lily pushes through it all and, with an incredibly swift punch, sends a burst of gray mana through Maiss chest, evaporating half of it. Then his body drops to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Pressure on my domain intensifies, attempting to tear it apart. The ground shakes, and the rock beneath us moves like waves, twisting, swirling, trying to press in on us. Reaching through my Ley Lines, I connect to all of us, and even though The Witch tries to stop us, I teleport us away, back to the place we were a few minutes ago. Follow me, I say quickly, and three of them quickly fall in line behind me. Werent we going to fight her? Aaron asks hurriedly, joining by my side. It would cost too much mana, and that might just be what the prisoner wants. At this moment, it seems to be after my sword, and for some reason, it doesnt like Biscuit... wait. No idea. Anyway, we have a minute. I might have to use the sword, so lets do some additional preparations. Fuck, when you use it you better keep that thing as far away from us as possible. Despite his cursing, Dennis touches my right arm. He and Aaron connect their calculative abilities, and [Connection] activates at its full power. What we are about to do isnt necessaryI can use the sword without itbut we have protocols in place that should help me use the weapon to a greater extent and with a lesser degree of backlash. [Connection] weaves a stronger link between me and the weapon, in theory allowing me to weaken its effects on the surrounding area should I wish, while putting more pressure on me. Its just a sacrifice Ill have to make for more control. Once theyre done, Lily places a healing mark on the back of one of the bones of my right forearm, of the sort thats connected to her with the twins assistance. It requires more mana and doesnt last as long, but it is much more effective. Knowing my tendency to lose limbs, there is a necklace around my neck with a small pendant made out of her bone and coated in a mix of metals to strengthen the effects. These preparations barely take us a minute, but having reached my limit, I use my Ley Lines and teleport us again, deploying a modified version of Sneaky Mode, which I concentrate around my weapon, just in case. Not needing to follow the Witch anymore, I head toward that presence I feel far away, there arent any more monsters in our way, but the density of the molten metal and acid rivers through the walls increases to the degree that I can barely sense any of the rock in between. POV The Witch, Melel Melel, please, hurry. I... my head, it hurts so much. Its our connection, its getting stronger the closer you are. It hurts so much. I feel like Im dying. Yes, my dear child, you will die soon. Your mind wont be able to resist much longer if this continues. Hurry. I... Please hurry, Melel, Im scared. I... They are already so close. Please. Save me. I... I dont want to die. Please, help me, my dear child. It hurts. Who... who are you? SAVE ME, MELEL. ...I... Im on my way. POV Nathaniel I teleport us across the molten river, and we jump over streams of green acid finally landing ourselves in a perfectly spherical cave. The walls are smooth, as is the floor, divided by dozens of gutters leading outward from the center towards the edges. Through these gutters, acid flows through them, to be collected in the middle and sent to the edge to be circulated. The full force of disruption generated by molten rivers is stronger here. The field generates a constant sensation of pressure, threatening to take control of ones skills. And we feel the incredible weight of its influence even though most of it is concentrated in the center, targeting the being chained there. Well, what remains of it. Its the skeleton of a monster the size of a small building, lying there, attached to glowing gold chains tied to the bones in four places, anchored to a plate with a metallic shine that covers the entirety of the floor. There were clearly two more at some point though now they lie broken, their pieces lying near the skeleton. The bones of the skeleton shine a brilliant shade of white where they can be seen, but most of them are covered in dark red blood and the tiniest pieces of flesh that continue to move as the skeleton tries to regenerate. But it cant. The constant, dense rain of green acid that falls from the ceiling, serves to dissolve the regenerated parts. When an eye begins to form, the acid eats it; when a hint of flesh appears on long bones, the acid falls there as well. Its a constant fight between the creatures regenerative abilities and the terrifying green acid, aided by the field of disruption, strengthened and delivered by the golden chains, preventing the being from being able to regenerate. This is clearly more than a prison, this looks like torture, and yet the being is still alive. Looking at the chains, I recall their durability from the pieces we found in the smithy, and a plan begins to take shape in my mind. For a moment, I glance at the sword on my waist. Whether I rely on items or not, it may actually come in handy this time. Fracture (Mid Arcane) -The shortsword is capable of devouring mana from everything around it. The moment it connects with an object or being, it disintegrates the material within, unravels all mana and connections, leaving nothing behind. The weapon flickers with instability, damaging anything it touches, including the user. Fracture grows stronger as it feeds, but its insatiable hunger also turns inward, siphoning power from its wielder. With each encounter, the weapon becomes more powerful, yet its defective structure strains under the immense energy it consumes, becoming increasingly unstable. The longer it is wielded, the more it seems to break apart, its power twisting and spiraling out of control, threatening both itself and its user with destruction. Chapter 480: Breakfast of Champions Lily and the twins scrunch their faces, twisting them into expressions of pain. Their posture breaks, and their control over their mana wavers, caused by a combination of the effects of the disruptive field and something else. My domain encompasses them, smaller and more powerful than usual, declaring the mana within to be under my control. Lilys the first to recover, groaning Its trying to communicate with me. It sounds just like my dad... The twins regain their composure a moment later, working together to shake off the foreign influence. Watching them do it, I figure it really must have been an attempt at communication rather than an attack, something they probably could have handled even without my assistance. Probably. But I''m not going to risk it. I reinforce my [Mana Domain] in response and tailor it to counter skills like the twins'' [Connection]. To me, it sounded like our mom when I was really young... its disgusting. Dennis spits out these words. It speaks with her voice, begging, and crying. I nod. Its been down here for centuries. Judging by the state of this... prison, its mind probably isnt in the best shape either. Prison... Lily repeats, adjusting the ax on her back as she studies the skeleton. I dont think its sane anymore. The green acid rain from the ceiling keeps falling and splashing against the bone, sizzling and melting away the creatures flesh, even as it regenerates. Thats when the Witch decides to appear, forming a tunnel in one of the walls, as she enters the cave just opposite us, placing the bound skeleton between us. The only remaining member of her crew is Babyface whos holding a crystal dagger covered in blood. The erratic, and desperate behavior she showed us before is still present, in fact, it may even be worse nowpain writ across her face, underscored by the dried blood under her nose, and crusted in the corners of her eyes. Her crown rotates wildly, the mana inside feeling chaotic, the cell''s field attempting to disrupt the skill and making any attempt to use that immense mana more difficult. She spots us in the same moment we spot her, and starts walking around the edge of the room in a great half-circle, trailed by the man who followed her here, heading for our position. I take a step, mirroring her movements, striding over to meet her, with the members of group 4 close behind. Its quiet here, other than the sound of the molten rivers roaring through the walls, the sound of dripping acid, and our steps echoing off the walls. A minute later, she stops, and I follow suit, leaving just a few steps between us. Standing up close like this only makes it easier to see the hint of craziness in her eyes, her forearms covered in bloody wounds where shes been gouging her own flesh with her nails. Give me your sword, she demands, opening the conversation. It will kill you if you try to use it. I... just give me the sword. You didnt come here unprepared. Why do you need the sword? Instead of an answer, more confusion appears on her face, and I can see her struggling to put together a coherent thought. I push, Did you break the other two chains? Do you even remember doing it? Just how long has this thing been messing with your mind. Her mouth opens and closes, and in that fraction of a moment, my domain encompasses her as well, as I take another step closer, Just how much longer can you endure like this before your mind breaks under its influence? Are you really ready to die here? The same pressure that connected to Lily and the twins before tries to connect to me, but it cant. It cant because Ive put too much effort into ensuring that I wouldnt allow myself to be controlled, and it cant because my arcane passive insulates my mind from outside influence. I continue, It knew you wouldnt be able to keep returning every ten years to break another chain. So, when it saw this sword, it wanted you to use it to release it in one go, even if it were to cost you your life. She neither confirms nor denies my theory, but a sudden pulse of mana bursts forth from her crown, tearing through the portion of my domain that had reached her. I intensify my efforts to keep it contained around the four of us. The Witch moves her six arms, spreading them, four opening their palms, mana seeping out of the crown and floating in the air around her. Stone rises up from the ground, forming two long spears which she grabs in the other two hands. Mana swirls around her, dangerously, threateningly, yet even now serving as an amazing demonstration of her level of control. Even with her mind confused, and the pressure of the field around us. Her eyes clear, and her posture straightens. She declares, I am Melel, a Champion candidate, and I challenge you, my equal in title. The wager I propose is... The challenge fails. So she tries again. And it fails again. And then she tries once more. She is unable to issue a challenge, likely because the system does not deem her in control of herself enough to do so. Another step, another chain destroyedalong with more parts of my own bodythe only thing allowing me to wield the weapon with as much mana as its absorbed is Lilys healing. But cutting the chains requires an immense amount of power, and Fracture starts to weaken, leaving the third chain only partially damaged as I slash against it. My crown appears over my head, and its mana gets absorbed as well. Allowing me to destroy the third chain. Brown fur covers the flesh, and the monster finally stands on all four legs, releasing a loud roar filled with hate and madness that makes my eardrums burst and heal moments later and then burst again. Its attempts to connect with my mind grow more determined, and I feel the pressure increase as antlers start growing from the monster''s head. The longer they are, the stronger the feeling is. But they stop growingbefore the beast can be fully healed or regain its original power, the thickest golden chain still managing to hold it back. (Free! Free me, human. It hurts. Im scared. Please. Help me, child, brother.) Its words finally sound in my head, taking on a voice that sounds like a combination of my mother and Victoria. Words repeated without any real understanding of their true meaning. (Help me, my child. Im dying. It hurts so much.) Over and over again the beast cries, blending the voices of my mother as it begs. Clearly, the mind of this being has broken under the torture its suffered over the centuries and millennia. What was once a majestic beast, has now been reduced to a mere shadow of itselffrantically repeating words with the briefest flashes of clarity, focused entirely on the manipulation of others. This being wont help us. It cant be bargained with, and it mustnt be set free. The sword in my hand pulses for the last time, and I slash toward the monster''s neck, all the remaining force Im capable of containing breaks free, ravaging my body, and the monster with it. Connections are severed, mana is unwound, and flesh and bones disintegrate, without healing. With great effort, I push Fracture back into its scabbard, feeling the pressure ease, even as it leaves me with a strong reminder of its presence. My entire right arm, though healed and restored by Lily, continues to bleed, left horribly torn and scarred, the healing coming much slower than before. And the monster still lives. (Hurt! Save! Victoria, please...Nathaniel, my beloved.) It keeps pulling at my mind, but it staggers back, its legs burrowing into the floor as it pulls on the chain with great force. I can feel its attempts to access its mana, even as they continue to fail. Then it stops moving, its eyes expanding, as the barrage of words ramps up as purple tentacles reach from the ground and grab its leg, slowly climbing higher and higher. (Die for me! Protect me! Heal me, Lily, my child! I always hated you, Aaron. You will never amount to anything, Dennis. Melel, my beloved.) Over and over again it screams as a dark shadow surrounds it. A flickering mass of something huge covering it in darkness until the entirety of the monster disappears. From the darkness, comes a dark growl, as two huge glowing purple eyes open wide, just at the height of the trapped monsters neck. The golden chain stretches into the darkness ringing out as the tentacles drag the monster deeper into the darkness, followed by the screeching of the tied monster and a crunching bite. The entire cave starts shaking, as all the rivers of molten metals and acid are redirected, rushing to bury the monster held by one last chain. Again and again, the monster screeches, trying to escape, its mind attacking everything around it. Until finally, the psychic messages end. Then there is silence, filled by the sounds of the cave breaking apart. [You have defeated Nightwraith Stag - lvl 471] [Lvl 293 > Lvl 294] [Lvl 294 > Lvl 295] [Lvl 295 > Lvl 296] [Lvl 296 > Lvl 297] I ?m unable to hold it anymore, and the acid starts falling again as I take a step toward the shadows that have already begun to fade. Pulling Biscuit from within, who seems to have passed out or fallen asleep. I use Wraith Dance and move over to Lily and the twins, who are already ready to leave. Nat, please, bring her with us! Lily shouts, pointing to the unconscious thylarin woman they defeated. Meeting Lily ?s eyes, I disrupt the natural barrier around Melel, and with the last dregs of my mana pulled from the surrounding area, I use my [Ley Line] and teleport us away. Chapter 481: Puppy We reappear in another cave deep underground, which at this point, is beginning to feel routineme finding holes and placing anchors in them. A few of my thermal cubes surround us immediately warming our surroundings as I get to work recovering my mana. The first thing I do is check Fracture, but the sword appears to be sealed properly in its sheath. Aside from the heavily worn inscriptions and some new cracks on the blade, it almost seems fineas fine as something this evil can be. My right arm is still healing slowly, like most of the injuries the sword causes. Although it looks fine on the outside, I know its going to take days before theyre back to an optimal statemaybe even weeks for some parts of my right arm. My mana pathways are burned and theyre slow to recover, throwing off my mana control like in the old days. On top of that, its left my muscles in a weakened state and damaged my natural barrier, creating a number of vulnerabilities Ill have to deal with in the meantime. And thats just from the side effects of holding the sword; direct contact with the blade would have been far worse. I check on the sleeping Biscuit, confirming what I sensed, and for a moment, I push it to the back of my mind. Next, I check on the Witch. Shes lying on the ground, still unconscious, and missing a few of her arms as well as an assortment of chunks from the rest of her body. Our little trio of hell difficulty enjoyers seems to have beaten her properly. I didnt use [Disintegration], Lily says, watching me inspect the thylarin woman but we had to be... rough before she started using the stone around us or did something to get in your way. She and the twins are standing in front of me, staring at Biscuit, who still lies in my arms. It would seem Im not seeing things after all, given the way they seem to have noticed it as well. Biscuit is much smaller now, to the point that he looks like a puppy, two-month-old at the most. His fur is all fuzzy and incredibly soft. Even his nose is shorter, his face rounder and his legs seem shorter compared to the rest of his body. Simply put, Biscuit has become unbearably adorable, and I feel an overwhelming urge to strongly squeeze and nibble him. I know its perfectly normal cute aggression, but I cant help myself as I hold that little pup in my hands. Lily steps closer first and touches his small paw, and I sense her sending mana through him, checking his status. As she does so, I notice that unbeknownst to her, shes begun to caress and pet his tiny paw with a stray finger, her eyes widening, as her breath quickens. He... her voice cracks, and she coughs. Hes fine as far as I can tell. His current stature aside, I think his mana pool probably increased rapidly in size, and there are some changes going on I cant quite follow, but they dont seem detrimental. As she talks, her interest grows more and more, and she moves her face closer. Then Biscuit barks in his sleep, twitching his leg as he does. Lily squeaks in response, and for a moment I almost think she might snatch him right out of my hands, but she holds herself back and masks the squeak with another cough. Something in my throat, Lily complains before coughing once again. Sure, I say, pulling away from her as I form a new set of manabloc chairs, one for each of us, each modified to be the peak of comfort over the past few months. They grab them, and we sit in a circle around the flickering cube which, thanks to a clever application of empty space and a touch of kinetic energy, now emits the sound of crackling firewood. While the Witchs unconscious body lies on the ground next to us, I start rubbing my cheek against the sleeping form of Biscuits small body. Is everyone ok? Yes, I healed all our wounds, but yours might need a bit more time. You know I could have used [Disintegration] and you wouldnt have needed to use Fracture. Yes, you could have probably broken a single chain, maybe two if you were to really lean on sacrifice. If I hadnt used Fracture, I would have to use black mana to get rid of her crown, and that wouldve caused an explosion, without really improving our situation. This way, I got rid of her crown and used up the mana inside before it could cause any trouble; it was a perfect plan. It didnt kill the monster, Aaron reminds me. I knew Biscuit was around, I say, lifting the corgi pup as I do, leaving his tiny hind legs and fluffy short tail dangling as I move him from side to side. I probably could have pushed myself more and dealt more damage, but I trusted him. ? Pulling him back onto my chest, I give him a gentle squish, feeling the urge to squeeze him even more and give him a playful nibble. This is getting dangerous. Hes way too cute. I force myself to put him on my lap and lay my hand on his small head, which only makes things worse. That head is so small now, so soft, so fluffy. Breathe in. Breathe out.No?v(el)B\\jnn Good. Of course, there were different ways to deal with the situation, but overall it went well. My only complaint is that I was deducted who knows how many levels for the assistance he gave me in killing that beast. The interior of the manor is simplewith no luxurious furniture or wasteful items. Everything is clean and minimalistic, with large windows to let in plenty of light. The manor itself is smaller than I expected, with thick walls enclosing most of the interior which are layered with even more defenses. Most of the estate is dominated by a massive stone cube that towers over the actual house, taking up nearly all the available land. Its enormous bulk, easily capable of swallowing multiple mansions with room to spare, dwarfing the manor in comparison. We pass through the cubes wall with her skill alone, the stone seeming to melt away as it creates a path for us. Dozens of crystals line the ceiling, mimicking daylight with remarkable accuracy, and a set of inscriptions on the walls even create the illusion of wind. A large part of the space is occupied by a lush garden, filled with trees, vibrant grass, a small pond, and a cozy-looking cottage tucked into a corner. This is where Melel has lived for the last 10 years, storing mana in her crown. Most of the cottages interior is lined with shelves upon shelves, filled with books and an even larger quantity of mana stones packed full of information. Then there are the items, most of them only seeming to have sentimental value, while others are clearly the results of an assortment of experiments. Its really messy inside but not in a bad way; its clean, lived-in, and radiates a wonderfuly cozy feeling. Without a word, Melel takes a small tray and puts five cups on it. She doesnt seem to have a complete set, so each cup is different, be it in material, shape, or size. Adding to it, she takes a bottle from one of the shelves and wordlessly heads to the terrace connected to one of the doors. We take our seats in the chairs she brings us from the house, once again not a set, indicating once again, that shes probably not used to hosting visitors like this, and so, seeing that shes missing one, I make my own with mana, which grabs her interest as she takes a moment to examines it. As we sit around the small table, she pours the drink into every cup, and then, in front of us, takes a sip. Lily is the second to drink, and when she confirms its fine, we drink as well. It tastes very nice, fruity, and slightly fizzy, and feels warm and refreshing. I quickly find myself enjoying it and take another sip while taking full advantage of the view the terrace offers, overlooking the small pond where, under a large shade tree, sets a small stack of books. It would be easy to see Melel reading there in her free time. During this, the Witch doesnt speak, but I can only think of it as a silent form of thanks for saving her life. I doubt shell say anything more, but this gesture speaks loud enough. How do you take such a small amount of mana with how much you had stored in the crown? I ask a few minutes later. Melel turns her eyes to me from the pond, There are a few tricks to make it easier. I had a feeling you would know about them. Yes, I can do it too, but I was curious about the way you do it. Melel tilts her head, considering her words. Think of it like this: the mana in the crown behaves under its own set of rules, like a layered lattice. Each layer has a different response threshold, a kind of resistance coefficient, if you will. You have to tune into each specific frequency to access one layer at a time. Otherwise, youre effectively breaching the entire reservoir at once, which is wasteful and unstable. She gestures with a hand, tracing invisible lines in the air. It''s about precision extraction. With the right modulationand by aligning your mana with the crowns specific binding structureyou minimize the draw. Its controlled, like a harmonic oscillation. Without that tuning, you risk releasing it all at once. Think of it like plucking a single thread from a weave, using resonance instead of force. Its like a valve, the more you... Dennis interjects, mocking my words with a sly grinthen abruptly stops mid-sentence, mouth stuck open, frozen in place. Continue, I tell Melel. Glancing at the twins, Melels fingers dance subtly in the air, as if illustrating a complex formula. The crown isnt just a simple container; it''s a resonant structure. When you tune into that structure precisely, you dont just take manayou prompt it to flow willingly, at your own pace. It''s a form of induced resonance, not unlike coaxing stone to vibrate at its natural frequency. The crown essentially lets its defenses down. She pauses. But the trick isnt just about knowing the resonance. You have to account for environmental factors, right down to the minor shifts in ambient mana density. Most of it, the crown does on its own, but adjusting for those conditions is possible from your side, and by doing so you increase your control. A faint frown appears on her face. And every time I draw from it, I also perform a recalibration of sorts, mapping the crowns mana fluctuations to my own. This sounds fun, and it might take a while. Go play, I say, waving Lily and the twins away, and wait for them to leave, Dennis with his mouth still wide open, then I lean closer to Melel. Repeat what you just said and imagine you are explaining it to a 5-year-old. Chapter 482: Racist Witch Dennis couldnt close his mouth for two days. That meant no eating and should have meant no drinking. I was ready to let go so he could at least drink, but they solved it somehow, and I decided I didnt want to know the details. I guess his pride just couldnt bear the thought of coming to me to have the effect removed. I used those days to pull all the information I could out of Melel. Ignoring the fancy names she likes to use for everything, I quickly simplified it in my mind and immediately came up with my own ways to incorporate the new information into my training. She hasnt even complained about her lack of sleep over the past two days, though its no great feat of endurance for someone at her level. Most of her knowledge is theoretical, mostly things she learned back on her home planet, her teacher apparently having been one of the oldest Champions from her planets First Generation. When Melel was much younger, she did something terrible, though she refused to tell me what, and I respect that. That act led to her being sent to the Astral Prison. At some point during the years shes been here, after establishing her reputation, she ended up in Hollowgate, where she joined an expedition to explore the deep mines below. They got lost in those dark tunnels, barely surviving the weeks of constant battle. Melel suspects that one of the expeditions members was caught in the influence of the prisoner, who had been drawing people down into the depths in hopes of finding a talent capable of freeing it. And thats exactly what happened: after months of wandering, Melel, the only survivor, eventually stumbled onto a path close enough to the prisoner for it to speak to her. Exhausted, wounded, and vulnerable, the less experienced and, at the time, much lower level Melel fell under the prisoners influencethough not full control, apparently the creature wasnt capable of that, but by using subtle manipulation and trickery it managed to create a link that only grew stronger as Melel did. Luck had been on the prisoners side. It found someone as talented as Melel before they could become powerful enough to resist its influence. For the last few decades, shes been returning to the mines, gathering mana, joining expeditions, and working to break the chains of a being that shed come to see as a friend and mentordespite the obvious red flags. All warnings were ignored, silenced by the hold the prisoner had over her. I asked because I was curiousand Im sure the only reason she answered was because she felt like she still owed me. If she hadnt, Im sure shed have just told me to fuck off, which Id consider entirely reasonable. But that doesnt mean Im not shameless enough to take advantage and ask as many questions as I can to satisfy my curiosity. Our relationship is simple. I helped her, and now shes repaying the service by answering my questions and sharing her knowledge. I had thought of requesting some items, but sometime over the last two days, I changed my mind. The knowledge Ive acquired is more than good enough. Melel is extremely good at handling her [Mana Crown] and manipulating stone. She can do some really fancy things with stone, but nothing of use to me. So, other than information on the crown, I listen to her lessons on theory and ask any questions I need to grasp the concepts before marking them down. I was never the type to enjoy studying, and even now, I prefer to experience things on my own rather than getting bogged down in theory. Then theres the things she teaches me about the kinds of challenges a person can issue once they reach the rank of Champion Candidate or similar. As we saw back in the mine, a person under the effects of something like mind control is incapable of declaring one. You can also create some really wild challenges, but they must be accepted, and the challenged party can usually adjust the wager slightly before seeking confirmation from the challenger, then its up to the system to acknowledge it. You need to possess, or own, the things you are wagering. That little tidbit really drives home just how wild it is that my challenge to Whitey got approved. Its something I even mention to him as I slip into my mind for our regular training regimen and get a laugh out of it for the trouble. I think its even possible to wager things like traits, but you need to mean it and have a certain level of mastery over the trait in question for the system to acknowledge that you own it. At higher levels and for beings with the status of Champion and Absolute, these challenges get easier to make and allow for some crazy stuff. You can wager your stats, passives, and more besides. Active skills seem to be the exception though, theyre one of the very few things that just arent possible to wager. That confirms my speculations on their importance, in fact maybe theyre even more important than I thought, and I already had them quite high up. While Im collecting this information, Biscuit is still unconscious, and after examining him a bit more, Lilys come to the conclusion that he just needs time to digest. His regression into a puppy is probably some kind of backlash caused by overextending himself, but of course, how could that silly corgi ever hold himself back after seeing a deer like that. Lily and the twins spend time slacking around and training. When I give my modified evil orbs to the twins, Melel shows an interest, and I make one for her as well, which, much to the twins frustration, she handles like a champ. When she thinks Im not looking, she carefully places the orb into a mana cage, as if she intended to examine it later. I want to ask her about the cage, but she looks so thrilled with the orb, almost like shes just gotten a new toy, and I dont want to ruin it out of mere curiosity. So, as a thank-you for all the information, I pretend I havent seen anything. ? She then lies, trying to tell me that the orb she just secreted away had burst during her examinations, so I create another one, with a bit of added difficulty. She gives me a wordless nod of thanks and examines it while launching into the next lesson. Even though this thylarin is clearly racist, Ive also learned over the last two days that shes an extreme introvert, and never thought twice about locking herself away in this place for 10 years. Spending all her time training, learning, and reading. And its something I cant help but deeply admire. Led by some incomprehensible impulse, I even say as much. What do you mean? She asks, Im not racist, I just dont like being around people, no matter the race. That answer raises my respect for her more than anything else shes done so far. Melel then continues, Ive given you all the knowledge you wanted, some of it I wouldve never shared under normal circumstances, and some of it I spent years trying to learn. I value my life a lot, but I value this knowledge almost as much. Getting a hint, I stand up. Got it, this should be enough. Consider your debt paid in full. Good, the exit is that way, she says, gesturing towards a stone wall that shifts and molds itself to reveal a door. Then she turns away, heading back to her cottage whereupon she peruses her collection of books, presumably looking for something to read. As I leave I come across Dennis and finally stop using kinetic energy to hold his mouth open, and he closes it very slowly, groaning, as his jaw proceeds to make a series of intense cracking noises as it closes. Aaron watches him with clear enjoyment, likely burning the moment into his memory to tease his brother later. Thats it? Lily asks, rushing over to walk by my side. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Yes, it took longer than I thought, but to make up for it, Ill fly faster and teleport us further per jump. What did Tess have to say in the Community? The plans changed a bit, and were heading over to meet up with Sophie and Izzy. Mana Manipulation - Lvl 60 Ley Line - Lvl 39 Bone Knitting - Lvl 20 Constructs: Reinforcement (Construct) Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct) Mana Regulator (Construct) Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct) Vortex Core (Construct) Passive skills (5/5): Arcane Resilience (Mid Epic) Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic) Cognitive Fortress (Mid Epic) Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic) Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) Tokens: Trait strengthening token (2nd stage) Beyond 3 day stay token Beyond 3 day stay token Beyond 1 day stay token Beyond 1 day stay token Beyond 1 day stay token Beyond 1 day stay token Shards:279,936 Thats close to 30 levels of free stats Ive gained, mostly evenly split into Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution. But best of all, theres also my first strengthening of Mana Wavelength Irissomething Im quite used to at this point, but damn, the beginning hurt. The strengthened trait allows me to see mana particles and the structures of skills with even greater clarity. Though the cost is high, and I still feel like I havent fully uncovered the traits potential. With the second-stage strengthening token, I could enhance it further. I just need a bit more time to fully adapt and before I do, especially before I get my Primary Class selection. I have my hopes it will make the offerings better. Having Mana Wavelength Iris at the second stage by then could be huge. As for my constructs, Ive upgraded all of them at this pointall. I had Lilys help for the Reinforcement construct and my Thermokinetic Mana Heart; Reinforcement is markedly better now when I decide to use it, and with my mana reserves, it was already quite powerful to begin with. And the output of my heart has increased as well, especially when it comes to kinetic energysomething I could directly compare with Whitey and the bits of information Lily got from the pieces of his heart before they disappeared. That made the white-haired demon shut up about my weak heart for the most part, and he only really mentions it when, according to him, I do exceptionaly poorly. For any further upgrades, Ill need more to work with, though I have have high hopes in the form of the Champions heart Lissandra promised to get me from the pyramid. If all goes well, I could give it a good boost in strength during the tournament - if the healing field doesn''t interfere again. My mantle got the second most noticeable upgrade after the heart, the inspiration I gained from the combination of [Ley Line], [Resonance], working on Fracture, and my arcane passive. To be honest, my Mana Sovereignty Mantle might be approaching the level of an arcane passive, nicely rounding out my defenses against mental attacks and any attempts to hijack my body, mana, or otherwise interfere with my use of either. I now have plenty of stay tokens, and there''s been no change when it comes to my passive skills, but there is a good reason for it. Shards: 279,936 Ive gained over 150 thousand shards during these past few months, and Im currently saving for a mid arcane passive, and I swear, I will sell Fracture if I need to just to get it before the Primary class upgrade, Fracture itself representing another 150 thousand shards in value. Chapter 483: Annoying little jerks Passing through the destroyed gate, we find ourselves on an empty street framed by equally empty buildings. If the 6th floor had more greenery, Im sure the fort and buildings within wouldve been overtaken by it, but as of now, its just a skeletal ruin. There are no signs of life other than the mana signature awaiting us amongst the streets, so we make our way in that direction. As we walk I begin to sense an intricate web of mana hanging in the air around us, with functions I havent seen before. After examining it for a bit I can tell that there are plenty of detection mechanisms that ring the moment I so much as touch the web. Some others seem geared towards interfering with different tracking methods, some serve as a more direct form of defense, and still others allow for the quick deployment of secondary webs among other things. While I study it, we reach the crossroads of two streets, where Sophie sits waiting on a boulder against which a single withered tree rests. Its the only sign of any greenery as far as I can see, and the trees branches move almost like a living being as Sophie runs her mana through itlikely as a means to pass the time. Sophie looks the same as she did the last time I saw her. Slightly shorter than me and a bit younger. Her green eyes are noticeable even in the dusk, as is her well tanned skin. Shes luxuriously dressed in a long black robe layered over a finely embroidered tunic. The robe itself is richly adorned, trimmed in silver threads with subtle, elaborate patterns that shimmer faintly in the low light. Many of them seem to be highly mana-conductive, and Im sure these clothes offer better defense than some of the upper epic armor Ive seen. Please, dont mess with my web, Nat, are the first words from her mouth. Im examining it, not messing with it. If youre nice, Ill show you a few ways to improve it. At this point, Im sure Im better at this than you, so if youre nice to me, Ill let you examine it and maybe explain the parts you dont understand. "Sophie, please dont. Hell deploy some kind of array and end up bleeding his brain out of his nose just to modify it and win this challenge," Dennis sighs beside me, and I feel him adding Sophie to our link so we can all communicate telepathically if needed. You can talk about it later, Lily jumps in before I can answer and rushes in, pulling Sophie into a hug. Im so happy to see you! Sophie seems surprised for a moment, almost like she doesnt know what to do, but then she slowly closes her arms around Lily and hugs her back. Im also glad you guys are ok. How did you do? We just killed one of the prisoners held in the Containment Cells! I... I see. Sophies eyes land on me with a suspicious expression. Feeling the need to defend myself, I hold Biscuit in front of me at arms length. "Look, we went down there with the best intentions, but you wouldnt want a psychopathic, telepathic, super-regenerating deer running around free. And it was this little jerk who finished him off." Can I hold him? Sophie asks instead of demanding details about the Containment Cell. No, hes mine. Sophie continues without missing a beat as if she hadnt even asked. What happened to him? Is he okay? Yup, hes just as healthy as he could be. He seems healthier than before and stronger; he just shrunk. Lily thinks its some form of evolution. I think its because he overextended his abilities, Aaron thinks its like a phoenix growing anew from his ashes, and Dennis seems to think its my fault somehow. If you hand him to me, I could check... No, hes mine. "Nat, just give me that goddamn adorable corgi puppy." You have a really scary expression on your face right now. Instead of answering, Sophie smiles wide and chuckles for a moment. This expression feels more real and relaxed than the one she wore before. Meeting with people after so long can be awkward. No matter how much time you spent with them before, it can still feel a bit off until things return to a semblance of normality. Im glad you guys are ok. I didnt realize... Sophie starts but then stops mid sentence and shakes her head, a smile still on her face. Lily responds by pulling her into a seat on the boulder next to her with the twins standing nearby as the two of them exchange information. Nothing too important for now; we still need to wait for the others before we can get to that. r? While they talk, I return to examining Sophies web and connect as she grants me access. Even while she''s chatting with Lily and the twins, she notices whenever I start making improvements. Each time, she quickly removes my changes, restoring her original version. She clearly doesnt agree that my adjustments are improvements, but I persist, tweaking and modifying in response to her edits. We continue like this while waiting for the others to join us. Tess, Maya, and Min-Jae join us a few hours later. While Im sure Tess and Min-Jae could fly if they wanted, they walk, passing through the broken gate and empty streets the same way we did. Min-Jae hesitates for a bit but then shakes his head and smiles. It feels like we never split. Im glad. It was just a few months. Thats a pretty long time, Nat, but... I guess Ill have to go and talk to Aaron and Dennis... He waves off and goes to the side where the twins already awkwardly stand and wait. To avoid being overwhelmed by all the greetings, I move in front of one of the broken houses and form a manabloc chair, sitting on it carefully. I fix the blanket around Biscuit so only his tiny head pokes out and boop his nose just once. Its softer and smaller, but its the same cold and slightly wet feeling. It seems like we dont have to hurry yet, so everyone spends a bit of time talking to each other, and there are even some smaller gifts exchanged. The most awkward ones seem to be Tess with Sophie and the twins with Min-Jae, even after apologies and both sides wanting to get over it, but these things take time. The first to join me is Tess, and when she lifts her eyebrows, I create a chair for her, and she sits next to me. Do you have to train even now? she gestures at the evil cubes floating around methe version that doesnt deal with changing frequency, but the one with a smaller cube inside, and then a smaller one inside of that, continuing to the smallest degree Im capable of. Id be bored if I didnt. The cubes float and spin around me. I could modify some for you to train. The twins love them. Tess smiles and taps the cube closest to her. Im sure they do. So, how did you find dealing with them, Nat? Last I remember, you were worried about having to be the responsible one. Honestly? Yes, please. Theyre annoying little jerks. Are they? Her smile grows bigger, already knowing its not all I have to say. That way, she probes me to say it out loud. Lily can be creepy at times, but she mostly listens to me... for obvious reasons. But these two? They can be super impatient and rely on me to deal with consequences. They train hard but constantly try to come up with a way to cheat training just to spite me or try to get one over on me. My eyes land on the twins, who still talk to Min-Jae and gesture widely, likely sharing stories from their adventures. Wanna hear something? I once gave them a mana-shaping exercise to keep the orb from bursting for as long as possible. The two jerks failed after an hour, but instead of coming to me, they spent half a day using [Sensory Deception] to make an orb that would look and feel like the one I made. Then they showed up in front of me. I pause, still remembering the feeling I got back then. I turn to Tess. I checked it only on the surface, so I failed to notice, but got suspicious a few hours later, and only then did they reveal it was just their projection. For the following two months, they kept reminding me of it every time the tiniest opportunity showed itself. Ive never seen them so happy, I swear. "That''s just like them, Tess agrees. Yes, exactly. Theyre a pain in the ass, constantly provoking me and everyone around them just to see how far they can push it. For shits and giggles and while keeping their private link going. Annoying little jerks. Sounds like it, Nat. You really want me to say it out loud, right? I do, she confirms. Were both pretty messed up, so we have to push each other to realize things like this. Just like you did for me down under the Mana Desert. I guess, I shrug it off and lean back, once again staring at the two blonde twins. Theyre annoying little jerks, but theyre my annoying little jerks, so Ill try to keep an eye on them so they dont get into trouble. Just like an older brother? that silly blonde teases so I nudge one of the cubes to bump against her head. More like two silly disciples. And honestly, its fun sometimes. Just a little bit. The tiniest bit. So small, you wouldnt even need... I got it, Nat. I got it. Yeah. Min-Jae and Maya are also an annoying little shit sometimes. The playful jab comes out of nowhere, and when I turn to the right, surprised, shes smiling at me brightly. Chapter 484: Mindblender City Chapter 484: Mindblender City We eventually arrange ourselves to sit in a half circle with Sophie standing in front of us underneath the half-dead tree. She looks at the chairs I made for everyone for a moment. "Is it just me or have you made some improvements to your monobloc chair design?" "Yes," I confirm. "I modified the structure to make them more comfortable with minimal alterations to the overall design, and the mana used for the base is... enhanced." You should try it, theyre surprisingly comfy, Min-Jae calls. "Maybe later," Sophie replies, waving him off. "Its about time we were heading over to the city, so I wanted to give you a few warnings before we do. First, it doesnt have a namemost people just call it the mind mages city if not something more derogatory and they avoid the place as much as possible. Typically, when someone does visit, theyre either staying a few days at most or they end up being press-ganged into one of the local factions. If theyre particularly useful, one of the mind mages might even try to pacify them with mind-control." Nothing against you, Sophie, but if this had happened on Earth, Im sure people wouldve nuked the city already. Its fine, Maya, no offense taken, and I agree with you. Believe it or not, they tried; just in the past ten years, thereve been three large-scale attacks on the city, but as you can see, it still stands. Unfortunately. Before we even get close, Ill make sure your minds are protected and leave marks on you so everyone here knows that you belong with me. You make it sound like youre some kind of big shot in there, Soph, Maya states, lazily crossing her legs while the others look at Sophie, eagerly awaiting her answer. Sophie doesnt even seem shy about it as she responds. You could say Im around the top 5 of the city. Given a bit more time, possibly number two and the next Archon. Oh. Yes, oh. There really arent as many mind mages as one might expect. Over the past few hundred years, most of the ones whove appeared here on the Astral Prison headed to the city and either made their own group or got themselves controlled by a more powerful mind mage. As weird as it sounds, it seems to be fairly normal. As for all of you, each of you would be considered a great asset in your own right, its highly likely that everyone would be scrambling to make you submit to them before another mind mage could beat them to it. How many are there in the city? I ask. "Fewer than 50, and most are being controlled by someone else, forming three powerful groups: Archon, hes the oldest of all of them; Beatrice, then theres his daughter with her own faction; and Namior, who got lucky and managed to seize control of a few powerful prisoners and monsters. My group is the fourth. There was a strong, independent mind mage who noticed me the moment we arrived in the city and tried to take over, but it didnt go well for him, so I replaced him as the head of his group." No complaints from the others? None at all. Its the kind of place that only cares about individual ability, and no one weeps for the losers. Sophie then gestures for me and the twins to stand. Ill need your help with my web and getting everyone connected. And while were at it we may as well use the process to make it that much more difficult for all of you to fall victim to mind control, marking, tracking, and other forms of manipulation. Doing things this way will also tie you to me so that Ill know if someone tries to take control of you, and provide me with a means of defending you. I did the same for Izzy. Ill just sit here and look pretty. Maya quips Please, do Maya. Sophie retorts, shaking her head in exasperation, much to Mayas amusement, but in the end, she cant help but smile a bit. Before we start, theres this thing called The Framework. Its a mental construct centered around the palace at the heart of the city, it allows the mind mages and the people under their control to focus their calculative abilities on a single common goal. She looks a bit more serious now. theyre trying to decipher the spatial locks over the Astral Prison and destroy them. The lesson about Mindblender City continues over the course of our approach to the place in question. (You might be wondering why all the mind mages come here when theres such a high chance of being taken over by someone more powerful. But its pretty simple when you think about it: mind mages tend to be killed on sight everywhere else. The moment you make the ability known or show even a hint, the clock starts ticking, and rumors begin to spread. Sooner or later, people form a mob to kill you off. So here, at least, youre treated moderately well. Like a tool to be used and thrown away, but in the meantime you have a nice palace to stay, food to eat, and the only thing you have to worry about is the other mind mages and they usually defend their own kind.) [Ley Line] seems to remain unnoticed by the automatic measures, but Im sure someone skilled enough to notice will show up sooner or later. The question is whether or not theyll be able to mess with it. Sophie noticed but wasnt able to disrupt or otherwise manipulate it, to her annoyance and my pleasant surprise. Inside, the Mindblender City looks unlike anything else weve seen on the 6th floor. It fits more with the style of the second, I would say. Its almost enough to make it seem like we arent on a barren moon that serves as a prison. Well cobbled streets, clean buildings crowded with eye-catching architecture, and towers upon towers everywhere offering a stunning view of the varied styles even from the streets. There arent as many people as I thought thered be, but everyone seems busy, and theres no one standing around in conversation. I guess theres just not enough trust for that. How can you call anyone a friend if the mind mage controlling them could give the order at any time for them to turn against you, and they dont have the free will to refuse? Once again, Im reminded just how disgusting that ability is, more so than invisibility or having "Phantom" in a class or item description. With Sophie, Ive had time to get used to it, and there is trust between us, but that hasnt stopped me from constantly developing my mental defensesher presence and skill serving as a constant reminder of what could happen. As we walk through the streets, an assortment of probes touch us. Some sense Sophies mark and stop right away, while others only seem to grow more interested when they find it and they inevitably try to gauge our power level, checking over each member of our group. The checks tend to linger a bit when they reach Lily, who is just terrible at hiding her abilities, and do the same for Min-Jae, who honestly isnt much better. Deploying a modified version of Sneaky Mode, the twins and I probably get the least amount of interest, the check passing over us without seeming to find us interesting enough for inspection. Even Fracture is well hidden by me. The place Sophie is staying is a beautiful tall tower; even the yard is nice, filled with decorative columns, a small pond, and trees. Its so unfitting for this floor, I check my status just to be sure we didn''t wind up somewhere else. There are checks upon checks. As we enter, as we walk by the trees, as we meet the guards. Every person seems to have some kind of proximity-based scan they run the moment they pass another human, looking for a marklike the one Sophie gave us so that we could enter this place. But I guess it all makes sense. Mind mages dont generally seem to care much for direct combat; theyd rather resort to more underhanded methods. Like spying, controlling people, and overall trying to one-up each other. It all sounds so tiring. A young woman greets Sophie, the second in command and was second in command before Sophie killed the original owner of this place. Mind mage Mila, now subject to Sophies control. From their interactions though, its hard to say just how much that matters. Mila is smiling and seems very helpful to her new master. [Will Breaker - lvl 255] Mila, everyone here is to be afforded the same level of access as me and should be treated with the same degree of respect. If they give an order, treat it as if it came directly from me. Sophie commands, her demeanor shifting noticeably in mere moments. Shes colder now and far more confident, like someone accustomed to giving orders and having them followed. As you command. Should I have dinner prepared? Yes, for all of us. While youre at it, have rooms prepared for them on the same floor as my sister. Starting tomorrow, only I, my guests, and my sister are permitted on that floor. I will personally see to the completion of these tasks. I should also inform you that Lady Beatrice left an invitation for dinner at her place in three days. Ive learned that only a select few were invited, mostly members of the Circle and those with significant influence. Confirm my attendance; Ill be bringing one of my guests along as a bodyguard. Arrange for a tailor tomorrow, as theyll need new clothes promptly. They exchange a few more sentences, and throughout the conversation, a subtle mind battle seems to play out between Sophie and Milaperhaps an attempt by Mila to free herself from Sophies influence or even take control herself. Sophie appears accustomed to the process, showing little difficulty and, eventually, finding herself unable to gain control, Mila departs with the same friendly smile as before, bidding us adieu with a slight bow. Chapter 485: Confronting the Tailor Izzy is nearly twelve now, and every day she resembles her sister just a little bit more, though I can still see the ten-year-old girl in her. Shes been here, locked away on the top floor of the tower, like a princess trapped by her evil stepmother or a damsel captured by a dragon, and surrounded by layers of defenses. A huge smile spreads across her face as we enter, and she rushes over, hugging everyone in turn with all the strength she can muster. The inseparable Noodle is coiled around her left arm, his emerald green eyes level with Izzy''s. The sneaky snake even pretends to "kiss" or lick the members of Group 4, though I notice him subtly siphoning some of their mana as he does. When its my turn, Izzy shouts, "Dumbthaniel," and throws her arms around me. Her body is surprisingly warmnot from illness as far as I can tell; it seems to be related to her skill, a passive or a trait. "Itd be nice if you stopped calling me that," I reply, returning the hug. Noodle doesnt try to "kiss" me like he did the others, but when he looks at me questioningly and I nod slightly, he takes the mana I offer. His eyes half-close as if savoring a delicious treat, his expression oddly human. "I dont think you''ve earned that right yet," she retorts, eyes flicking toward Biscuit. "Ill tell you Sophies deepest secrets if you let me hold him for a minute." "Izzy?!" shouts an outraged voice from elsewhere in the room. "Sorry, Soph, one day youll understand." Izzy taunts, flashing a mischievous smile at her sister before turning to me and whispering, "Ill even toss in Noodle to sweeten the deal." The white snake shakes his head in disbelief, glancing at Izzy, who pretends not to see. "Not enough," I reply, feeling the weight of Biscuit ?s small body in my arms. Izzy seems a bit more mature now; she doesnt protest or threaten me with childish antics. Instead, she just nods and smiles, a mischievous glint in her eyes that, for a moment, mirrors her snakes and I half expect her to flick her tongue at me. Six monthsits been that long, and Im already eager to see what new tricks everyones picked up, and how many I can borrow for myself to improve my own skills. Izzy shares some feelings with me, doing so very covertly, ensuring that Sophie doesnt pick up on it. The feelings vanish as quickly as they came, but the message is delivered. When she looks at me, a question in her eyes, I give an affirming nod and receive another hugthis one tighter and filled with gratitude. I wake up early in the morning and the first thing I do is check on Biscuit, still fast asleep, nestled in a luxurious armchair under a pile of cozy blankets. Creating a line to him, I teleport over, lift him up, and teleport back into bed, balling up under the blankets with the corgi pup in my arms. Finally, a yawn escapes my mouth, and in the new morning light, I examine my room. One wall is made entirely out of glass, laced through with metal wire, forming a set of defensive inscriptions that should make the glass more durable than some standard walls. The design is kinda nice too. Theres a lot of light, illuminating my bed, the thick carpets, a bevy of armchairs, and a door leading to a massive balcony. Then theres another door leading to a dressing room and another leading to the bathroom. The room is already littered with an assortment of things, most of the items from backpacks I, the twins, and Lily were carrying for methe results of my experiments and materials Ive set aside for experimentation and crafting. Naturally, this includes a few of the golden chains from my lab which Ive teleported over, all in all, the whole affair takes up a huge chunk of the room. I greatly prefer this over the almost clinical sterility from before. Turning my eyes back to Biscuit, I reach out and boop his nose. And once again, he doesnt react, so I brush his whiskers experimentally with the same lack of reaction. R? Braver now, I carefully open his mouth, grab, and pull gently on his small pink tongue. When I let go, his mouth closes, leaving his tongue poking out slightly. How did you do that, you silly creature? Is your primordial energy so strong? Are you the chosen one? Main character? Some kind of regressor or reincarnator? After each question, I boop his tiny nose. There is no answer. I know I helped you; I know the beast was still chained, I know it wasnt sane, it was wounded and terribly weakened. Still, dont you think you took things a bit too far, devouring it so seemingly easily? Still no answer, so I move on and grab his tiny paw, poking at the soft pink beans of his toes. That should be very possible, he says, nodding towards them and giving me one last look, before leaving with a few more bows. When the doors are closed, Sophie explains, as if she knows exactly whats been going through my mind, He is one of the Archons favorites; thats why hes still alive. I can imagine someone pushing him off a balcony. I heard someone tried once and got pushed off instead, even at level 200. He somehow managed to die, all the bones in his body were broken. I would like to laugh at you a bit more, but you are mostly right; if youre powerful enough, you dont have to care about things like protocol, so you should be fine. Its always like that. I take a few quick steps and lift Biscuit from the armchair before Izzy can steal him as she tries to pretend shes just passing by. Acting as if nothing happened, she makes a lap around the armchair and moves to sit next to Sophie once more. Only then does she give me that scary look of hers, about as threatening as an angry kitten. What should I be expecting at that dinner were attending? I ask. Mostly a wide range of people checking you out and maybe two or three bodyguards trying to test you. Ill take care of the mind manipulators, but the bodyguards are up to you. If anyone tries to do anything improper, dont be shy about it and be very direct; thats how Ive presented myself up til now, and you should do the same. Dont hesitate to show off your strength. I quite like that. I knew you would, Sophie says. I think you should also keep your crown active. Youll see a few people with rings and one or two with mantles. At that, my interest piques, Have you learned anything new about that class of skills? Not much, to be honest. Dont quote me on this, but it should be more or less like this: Crowns for storage, rings refine and channel, and mantles resist. I read it in one of the books I found so I don ?t know how reliable that information is. Thats not a lot. Lily, what about your mantle? She perks up and stops petting Noodle, who slithers back over to Izzy. Noodle seems even smaller than before, barely as thick as two of my fingers combined, but Im sure the little animal is hiding something. My mantle is very, very mana efficient, so I can keep it up for a really long time. It uses more mana when it attacks or gets hit, but its still much less than if I used the skill instead. Its still very low level, so I will let you know what I learn as I use it more. Pulling Noodles tail, Sophie thinks for a moment before speaking once more, Didnt those two thylarin brothers imply that [Mana Mantle] could be used to power abilities based on mana and prevent others from taking control over the users mana? Wouldnt that mean Lilys [Disintegration Mantle] is nearly useless, as I dont think Lily will be meeting many people with [Disintegration]? On that point, I disagree, If the mantle can resist [Disintegration], wouldnt that make it easier to resist weaker stuff like simple mana attacks, like stone manipulation, water, and fire, not to mention a few of the more obscure things? Perhaps, but wouldnt the efficiency be terrible if the mantle were used to block a different element than its own? Sophie asks, And wouldnt that make simple mantles like [Mana Mantle] even more powerful, and make those based on super rare skills like [Disintegration] even weaker? I think about it a bit and cant help but agree as I respond, Yes, but that fits with what we know about the systems asshole methods, and I bet its not that simple. But theres probably something else to it; otherwise, the mantle and the ring would both come up short in comparison to the crown. They need to do something extra on top of amplifying your skill. Your crown can store mana without you having to focus on upkeep, right? As we exchange our messages, Lilys eyes jump quickly between me and Sophie. Noodle notices and, for a while, watches Lily doing so before copying her and doing the same. Then, for some reason, and with a smile, Izzy starts doing it as well. Yes, the requirement on me is minuscule. If [Mana Ring] helps with control, it probably adds something else to it so its not as simple as [Mana Manipulation]. Maybe it makes things like compression easier, or maybe it lets the system take up some of the strain of channeling mana. I muse. That could slow your growth or allow you to let the ring handle that kind of mana use while you focus on a different discipline... By the way, those annoying lines youve been making, what are they? Finally, shes asked about my [Ley Lines]; Ive seen her struggling to resist since we got here, and as someone who likes to use and deploy mana structures, not unlike her web, it comes as no surprise. The feeling is almost like a victory in itself, after all, I havent asked about the things shes made either, and she must know why. Ill tell you everything you want to know, in exchange, you get to help me with this cute little thing, I quip, gesturing at Fracture resting against a wall nearby. Unlike Lily, Sophie shows a deep interest and I recognize in her the same slightly crazed shine I often see reflected in the mirror. Chapter 486: Dinner After a round of sparring, Tess and I went to the top of the tower, to have a look at the city around us. Right away I noticed a few higher towers with a better position that I felt would offer a nicer view of the lake. Do you think Sophie will be mad that we damaged the training hall? Tess asks, her hair waving in the gentle breeze as she takes a seat on the bare rooftop. I follow her example and claim a seat next to her. Who should we blame it on? The twins would rat you out in a heartbeat if you tried to blame it on them. Lily and Min-Jae would seem to be the best options. I agree, also, did you just call him Min-Jae? She smiles. He asked me to call him by his first name, apparently that means were good friends. He almost asked Maya as well, but he seems kinda shy around her. He told me to call him by his first name months ago. This isnt a competition, Nat. Sure. Even though the sun isnt visible, because of that dust or whatever surrounding the moon, it feels a bit warmer up here, so I open up the blanket a bit so that Biscuit can enjoy it as well. Do you plan on bringing him with you while youre serving as Sophie''s bodyguard, or will you break down and finally allow us to touch him? She asks, lifting her eyebrows in an amused and questioning manner. I know, the moment you guys get your hands on him, even to pet him, you wont be able to resist trying to take him from me. That''s something I cant allow. Besides, its up to me to protect him while hes like this. You mean while he is in a food coma? Its not a food coma. Hes digesting the Champion-ranked monster ?s body and... cultivating or something. You know expunging impurities from his body. So, its a food coma? Yes... I admit with a sigh and carefully hand him over to her, and she accepts him just as carefully, remaining mindful of the blanket as she does. I watch as she gently touches the top of his head and pets him with the slightest brush of her fingers before using her entire palm, seeming surprised by just how small his head has become, not to mention its softness. I can see it on her face, especially in the big smile dominating her expression. Biscuit, the sleeping pup, is defenseless, so she takes the opportunity to poke at his round, soft belly, pulls on his paws, and then, seemingly to her own surprise, leans in and sniffs the top of his head, chuckling as she does. Emotional Support Corgi, or ESC, is that what you called him? she asks, the broad smile never leaving her face. Sometimes it feels that way. Izzy told me months ago that Biscuit feels like he has no evil in him, that you could always feel at ease around him. Only until the moment he decides to nom on a being approaching level 500. Tess quips. It was terribly weakened and almost all of its powers were suppressed. I retort in the doggos defense. But he ate it. Tess continues, A house-sized deer with bones capable of withstanding an acid that melted through Lilys arm as if it were nothing. She told me all about it. If you put it that way... I demure, letting the sentence fade into the air as lay back on the roof, allowing myself to rest, just for a while. No training, no worrying. Just for these few minutes, I allow myself to relax while I listen to Tess giggle like a child, caught up in her admiration of Biscuit. What happened to the other guys? I ask after a few minutes, recreating the evil cube and reactivating my Restrictive Training Emblem.No?v(el)B\\jnn She starts walking again. (Just think about how simple it is, even here, where people have mana, levels, and stronger natural barriers. Imagine what I could do on Earth. By the time I get out of the tutorial, I should be capable of turning millions, tens of millions, into mere slaves.) (Do you want to?) Sophie laughs. (Its damn crazy, that would be the first thing youd ask. I dont want to, but if it meant protecting Izzy? Protecting someone else from our group? Id just like to think Id at least hesitate.) (Why would you? Isnt your sister more important than a bunch of people you dont even know?) (I... do you realize the moral implications of that, Nat?) (Yes, very clearly.) (And you would... you would choose your sister over millions of people?) (Yes.) (...sometimes its really easy to forget how you are.) (Im not saying Id do it with pleasure, obviously. My goal is to become powerful enough to avoid ever being forced to make that choice. But want to hear a secret?) (Please tell me, Nat.) (No matter what you do or how much you try to prepare, there will be fuck-ups.) (So you think I should stop worrying?) (Nope. Just do the best you can so that even if something does fuck up, you can say there was nothing more you could do.) (I wish I could.) She waves her hand, and a group of guards parts around us, letting us pass unchallenged. Before she starts walking again, she faces me, fully serious, with the faintest of smiles on her face. (People like me dont get happy endings, and theres a good reason I was thrown here.) Then she turns, her steps determined as she strides forth to face the very thing she hates. The building towering in front of us is much taller than our tower. Likely the second tallest in the city. Its pitch black, with a surface as smooth as a polished mirror. White inscriptions coil their way across the surface of the entire tower creating an ornamental display, bathing the surroundings in a gentle light. The trees framing the pathway have their own set of matching round lights floating among the branches, moving gently like buoys resting on the waves. As it turns out the dinner isnt actually being hosted inside the tower; instead, theyve set everything up outside, in a beautiful garden framed by an assortment of trees, coiling pathways, flowers, and pillars showcasing art and inscriptions. The air hums with a strange energy, thick and charged. Shadows flit between the trees, figures pass through dressed in cloaks and fine robes, each giving off a sense of purpose and mystery. Somewhere deeper in the garden, music plays softly, adding a haunting echo that blends almost seamlessly with the whispers of the crowd around us. There are dozens of people milling about, and Sophies protection disappears from me as she leaves me to fend for myself. As if they had been waiting for just that moment, dozens of careful touches brush against my mind, each one making my blood boil. And even though they dont manage to do anything, just the sheer fact that theyre even trying makes me want to smash in their heads. My mind, my freedom is very important to me, and thats a sentiment thats only grown stronger over the course of the tutorial as Ive encountered the forces capable of taking that freedom away. I make sure to remember each and every one of those signatures, especially the three that seem more powerful or sneakier than others, making more serious attempts at taking over. After clearing my mind, I use [Focus] to strengthen my resistance and follow Sophie, aware of dozens more scrying touches reaching for her than for me. Its almost as if each step closer to the center of the garden were sharpening their interest, and drawing them in like moths to a flame. Chapter 487: In that guest’s favor Chapter 487: In that guests favor (There are only three bodyguards you need to worry about. One of them isnt herethe most powerful man in the city and someone Archon himself caught when that man was much younger. Archon really lucked out with him. The remaining two will be at dinner tonight. One of them is guarding a man called Namior. Hes not here yet and it''s not likely hell even come. His bodyguard is a vyssari woman. She possesses primordial thermal energy, but there are rumors that she has another. The second person you need to watch out for is the man standing next to our host.) Sophie gestures towards the gazebo where a group of people is standing in a small circle, drinking from a delicate set of glasses. Each one has a presence that sets them apart from the other groups. Mostly, the woman with pastel pink skin and pink hair. Her eyes are a mix of blue and pink colors, seeming to move like waves slowly crashing onto each other. Her face and skin are adorned with blindingly white dots reminiscent of freckles. Shes currently wearing a pale green dress with a similar pattern of white dots. Surprisingly, it doesnt look as strange as I wouldve thought if it had been described to me. Her pink skin and hair have taken on a pleasant pastel color, which complements it well. Other than all of that, there is one more noticeable thing on her: a ring on the pointer finger of her right hand. The ring gleams as if it were made of white light, constantly shivering and slightly changing its shape. [Waveshaper - lvl 265] Behind her stands a man. He is tall and handsome, wearing a gray and white suit. He has brown hair and a short well-kept beard. His eyes never stop scanning his surroundings. [Breaker Sentinel - lvl 251] Over his head floats a crown. Its bigger than mine, and the design is different as well. The crown is transparent, and some kind of transparent energy seems to be swirling inside. Sophies voice takes on a different tone. (The man with the crown serves as mutually assured destruction. They say the crown hes wearing is either an [Impact Crown], [Shock Crown], or [Momentum Crown]. The energy stored within should be enough to blow up the entire city ten times over, and his life is bound to that of the woman he protects.) (Another man Archon picked up and gave to his daughter?) (Yes. People say that after storing energy in that crown for so long, the man is incapable of using it normally, which reduces his capabilities. But it doesn''t matter, the moment he tries to use it he will die, and the crown will release all of the stored energy.) (Thats quite disappointing. You would expect some skill from someone like that. And his levels not very high either.) (My guess is that he was never meant to be anything more than a threat, so the Archon didn''t bother "raising him". But lets greet one of the more powerful mind mages; I want to see her face. She is one of Beatrices puppets and really didnt like it when I was invited to be a part of the Frameworks maintenance.) Pyke, you can go for now. Greet the other attendees and collect as much information as you can. You are allowed to use my name for the sake of reassurances, Sophie says out loud. The second assistant just bows and heads for the nearest group of people, and Sophie advances towards the smaller circle of well dressed people. Theyre a blend of human, thylarin, and vyssari. And I follow behind her, observing the way people turn their eyes to my crown, wondering if anyone notices the sword on my waist. So far, most people check the crown, but barely anyone bothers to look at the sword. However, a few do seem curious as to why I would carry such a heavily sealed and weak-feeling weapon with me. Especially that pink womans bodyguard, who seems more curious about its nature and spends more time observing it than anyone else. Sophie joins the circle with a big fake smile and greets everyone, starting with Beatrices puppet, to whom she bows gently. So, you did have people outside of the city, Sophie, my dear, the woman smiles as fakely as Sophie did before. As she does I notice Beatrice glancing our way. The blue and pink colors swirling in her eyes. The white freckles on her skin and face seem even more interesting. Their shape is a bit spiky. You could say that, Lady Kehsi. Ive shared a path with Nathaniel for a long time. He seems useful indeed, especially his defenses... impressive. Its an arcane passive, I say, joining the conversation, not minding the looks they send me for the offense. Its there in case some fucker decides to try and mess with my mind. Silence fills the area, and judging by the looks on the faces around me everyone seems to be questioning whether or not they heard me right. Sophie doesnt say anything to stop me, but I can almost feel her amusement through our link as she watches the expressions of everyone in this small circle. After a brief moment of shock, Kehsi smiles, hers even more fake than Sophie ?s while still containing a hint of interest and danger. "How rare it is," she begins her tone both amused and cutting, "to encounter someone with such audacious disregard for propriety. I can hardly recall the last time anyone gave us a display of such... impertinent candor. Perhaps Ive grown accustomed to the practiced reverence of those who know their place." Her eyes gleam with a flicker of something unreadable. "Tell me, is this insolence an artifact of your nature, or merely a fleeting lapse in judgment? I shrug. I dont even know what half of these words mean. What I do know is that this man has made three really nasty attempts to get into my mind three times. Then, when he failed, he tried to etch some orders into me on the sly. I turn and point to the man in question. Ive already memorized his mana signature and will be finding where he lives very soon. Then theres the woman to your left who keeps trying to mess with my connection to my crown and make it explode the next time I fall asleep or something. Baldie in the corner tried to leave some kind of tracking beacon on Sophie, so I left my own mark on him. Kehsi raises an eyebrow, her smile widening, as though my words have amused her in some darkly satisfying way. "So, beneath that coarse exterior lies a vigilance I hadnt anticipated," she replies. "You speak as though you understand the delicate intricacies of our world. And yet, here you arebold, undeterred, and seemingly indifferent to the dangers such accusations carry." Leaning in slightly, she lowers her voice, each word dripping with condescension and laced with curiosity. "Tell me, do you truly grasp the consequences of such... insolence? Or are you merely testing the patience of those who could end such audacious endeavors with a mere whisper?" I keep my tone flat. I dont care much for the delicate intricacies. (Sure, good luck.) With that, I disconnect from the conversation. While keeping an eye on Sophie, I continue to examine the bodyguards, leaving the mind mages to her. The constant barrage of manipulation attempts is extremely irritating, but I can control myself and hold myself back, my eyes ticking between attendees I consider interesting. The weird crown guy is the most interesting by far. Low level and who knows how long hes been storing energy in that crown. Then theres a weird guy with two slim swords that seem to vibrate constantly at a ridiculously low frequency. A thylarin with a ring made of fire, and a vyssari with a mantle made of ice. Six months ago, I might have been cautious around them, but now they feel weakfar too weak. With all my training and breakthroughs, I could easily take them all on at once. Even down in the mines, I didnt get a chance to use my full strength because of the situation and that cursed weapon of mine. But I can be patient when I choose to be. Im sure soon enough Ill be able to go all out, to test myself against someone strong, and feel the satisfaction of seeing my own progress. I cut my thoughts short, stepping back and glancing to my left, where I find a woman sitting with a creature perched on her shouldera monster resembling a crow, its eyes a pupilless void of blue. [Phantom Beak - lvl 241] Damned abomination. Sophie and some other mind mages separate from their bodyguards, moving towards higher parts of the garden, leaving us behind. Much like their owners, the bodyguards split into groups as well, and I take the opportunity to have a seat on a comfy-looking bench I saw a few minutes ago. On my way there, I take a plate from one of the servants and a glass of a rainbow-colored drink and plop down. And just like that, I get a few minutes of relative quiet. While I keep an eye on Sophie in the distance, a woman comes closer and sits next to me. Shes dressed like the other servants but theres a vast difference in the way she holds herself and smiles. She looks very ordinarythe kind of person youd pass by without a second glance, neither beautiful nor plain, weak nor powerful. Just perfectly average. But the way she looks at me is anything but ordinary, and it sends a shiver down my spine. Hello, Nathaniel, she says, her smile carrying an unsettling warmth. I hope you dont mind me speaking to you like this. Theres a brief pause before blood begins to trickle from her nose. She dabs it away with the edge of her white sleeve, almost amused. This body... its proving more fragile than I anticipated. Im no expert when it comes to this sort of interference, so weve only got a few minutes before it wears out. Okay? She raises an eyebrow, giving a faint, knowing smile. So rude. I wouldve thought youd remember me, but I suppose thats too much to ask; the version you knew was very... unlike this. Her expression softens, almost fond. "Simply put, I''m also one of those who helped make your challenge possibleand, indirectly, allowed your little guest to settle in your mind." I still dont get what you mean, but youre giving me the same feeling I got from that dickhead Envy. Are you one of the Rulers? She is nodding in a way that feels strangely genuine. Envy can be a bit much, cant he? This time, he managed to pull a fast one on both Greed and I. Greed only wanted a light touch of interference, and Envy lent a hand. But in the end, the system twisted things just enough to work more in your guests favor. Are you restricted in what you can say, or do you just like being mysterious? Maybe a little of both? I have to admit, Im glad I took an interest in this particular run of the tutorial. Youre all so unexpectedly delightful! Your sister especiallyshes got a rare spark. And that man in Beyond... hes a treasure, so strange and fascinating. Greed likes a more hands-off approach, but I think it will be much more kind to give you at least some information. She leans in closer, gesturing for me to do the same as blood trails from her nose again. One of her eyes bulges, then bursts, spraying my face with blood. Her neck jerks, twisting unnaturally. Yet she continues in a whisper, her voice now rough and rasping. If youre not careful, your guest might begin weaving his memories into yours, slowly replacing you. Its possible hes already started. Thats how the system decided to handle this little challenge, much to Envys satisfaction. Greed should have known the system wouldnt take kindly to our interferenceor maybe she did. She pauses, a strange look passing over her face. It seems my time has run out. Until next time, Nathaniel... With that, her body contorts sharply, limbs twisting at unnatural angles as the sickening crack of snapping bones echoes through the air. Her face twists in a grotesque grimace, eyes wide but empty, as her frame collapses in on itself, her skin splitting under the strain. Her body crumples into a heapa tangled, broken mess. The servants remains lie there, twisted and lifeless, a bloody reminder of the cost of her presence, leaving an unsettling stillness in the air as if even the world itself were recoiling from her departure. Looking at it, I stand up, wipe the blood from my face, and move to a different bench to keep an eye on Sophie. Chapter 488: Craziest fucking human I ever met Chapter 488: Craziest fucking human I ever met The rest of the dinner is uneventful, and even though they suspect me of killing the servant, no one seems to make any serious complaints, and it ends there. As we return to the tower with Sophie, I think about how strange that is. How would my two-years-younger self react to such a situation? And with that, I cant help but think about what were doing right now. Currently, were planning to take over a city of mind mages. Theres no hesitation in any of us, and were all ready to kill just for the sake of reaching our goal. Part of me wonders if weve gotten so comfortable with the thought of killing natives because we know theyre fake, or if well find ourselves dealing with real people the same way. Everyone in Hell difficulty is twisted in one way or another, and I cant imagine people from lower difficulties acting like this. Everyone in Hell is wilder, more dangerous, and just... more adaptable to the world weve found ourselves in. Are we just a bunch of sociopaths and psychopaths? Is our ability to adapt part of normal human nature, or are we just better at it? We dont hesitate to go out, hunt, and kill monsters that only want to defend their territory. If someone did something like that on Earthwent and killed all the deer in a forest, for exampletheyd just be considered crazy. Yet, we dont even hesitate at the thought here. Yes, theres a difference between monsters and animals, but its a fine line nonetheless. For now, I think were just taking full advantage of the opportunities granted by the tutorial, given that we still dont know what awaits us out there. (Ill return to the tower in a bit,) I tell Sophie as we come to a stop in front of the gate. She seems to realize what Im about to do. (Sure, later then.) (Yup.) With those last words, I make sure she makes it through the gate, and only then do I head back into the city. Theres still some dried blood on my hand and some on my neck, but I dont bother washing it off. Connecting to the mark I made, I head in its direction and ignore all the scans I pass through along the way. It doesnt take too long, and I reach a tower only slightly shorter than ours. I boost myself up onto the roof of a nearby house, tearing through its defenses. Before the alarms ring, I reconnect the array, stop the signal, and sit on the rooftop, with my back against the chimney. Then I wait. The mark moves to the top floor an hour later. The man I promised a visit after he used the most disgusting methods of manipulation. He didnt only do it to me and Sophie but to others at the dinner, and most protected themselves from him with ease as if they were already used to it. But something about the way he targeted me and Sophie really irks me. He made several attempts to mess with my connection to my crown and force it to release the within mana with enough force to kill me. And he tried to make a subtle change to Sophies mark that would cause her towers defenses to turn against her, and he did more besides... I sigh. Yes, he was the worst of all, but at this point, its safe to say Im just looking for a way to vent, using this man as a scapegoat. Ever since we came to this city, Ive had that feeling of gradually building anger. As the man ascends the higher floors of his tower, I sense his attempts to remove or block my [Ley Line]hes probably just noticed it. Every attempt fails, no matter what he tries over the next ten minutes. Meanwhile, the defenses around his tower steadily strengthen, and my trait activates as I observe the fluctuations in the defensive array. Having had enough, I stand up, take a step off the roof, and teleport through the [Ley Line], making my appearance in front of the man and his two bodyguards. An immediate sense of pressure surrounds me and the main defensea powerful, disruptive targeting fieldmarks me as an intruder. A piercing noise fills my ears as wave after wave of attacks slam into me, each one with the intent to disrupt my mana. Even so, my mana seeps out, spinning itself into threads that weave themselves into the shape of a javelin, and nothing can stop it. No amount of interference has any effect. Its one of the things Ive been working on, a technique of my own that I named Mana Weavingweaving mana into complex, resilient patterns that are extremely resistant to external manipulation and much harder to disrupt. My javelin shoots forward, piercing through the bodyguard and the man hes protecting, completely unhindered by the barriers theyve set. Wraith Dance brings me closer, and using the same method as before, a spear forms in my hand, as a shield takes shape on my back deflecting an incoming attack. Before the mind manipulator can react, I boost my movement further using kinetic energy and thrust the weapon into his chest, swiftly shrinking and weaving the spear into a sword to cut through the remaining bodyguards ax and send him careening into the wall with a burst of kinetic energy. [You have defeated Psyche Bender - lvl 258] [You have defeated Mana Nullifier - lvl 265] [You have defeated Breaker Knight - lvl 261] I absorb the kinetic energy from the door to keep anyone from opening it and locate what appears to be a safe with my eyes. [Resonance] turns the stone around it to dust, and I tie a [Ley Line] to it and teleport it along with me back to the front of our tower despite every attempt to stop me. Once Ive removed all the marks, I turn to the guards stationed outside and gesture at the safe, commanding them to Bring this inside. Her small hand touches the side of my head and then moves to caress the top of it. There, there, she says, still smiling. You know you can ask for help if you feel like everythings getting to be too much. These words hit harder knowing the situation she is currently in. Its fine, I say, standing up and carefully holding on to Noodle as he shrinks down to half his previous size and slithers onto Izzys arm. Good night, I say to the room, and listen while everyone returns the sentiment behind me as I turn to leave the room, choosing to walk rather than teleport. After entering my room, I close the door behind me, take a warm shower, put on clean clothes, and sit in the armchair Ive set next to the large window. Surrounded by all the materials, golden chains, and items littering the room, I look out at the city before closing my eyes and retreating within my mind. This time, its not a place taken from Whiteys memories. Im in an area thats very familiara city on Earth, surrounded by a number of small apartment buildings. There are no cars, no people, and even the trees are still in the stagnant air. I still stop before crossing the road as I have so often and look both ways before crossing. Walking between the two apartment buildings, I take a quick step to the left to avoid the pothole that I know is there. As I reach the entrance to the building, I pull hard on the doors, remembering the way they tend to stick. The stairway is just as dark as I remember it, and as I enter the second floor, I find the door to our apartment open and go inside. Crossing the threshold, theres one more door to passthe one that leads into the room where Victoria and I grew up. And without hesitation, I open it. Whitey sits there on my old bed. Yoo..., he says with a big smile. Yo. I nod and sit on Victorias bed, just opposite him. This is a really shitty room. He gestures, But its not like I can bash it too much. After all, I grew up in worse. Whitey takes a notepad from the table beside my bed and flips through it, looking at the silly drawings I used to make, mostly just scribbles. He chuckles for a moment and holds it out in front of me, showing a drawing of some weird animal, most closely resembling a dog. Cute. He smirks. I did my best. If you go to page thirty, youll find a much better drawing, I say, defending myself and taking the opportunity to look around. Even though I have a lot of bad memories of this place, there were definitely some good ones too. As tends to be the case with such things, some memories are blurrier than others, but the strong feelings will always remain. Whitey lifts the notepad again, now open to page thirty, revealing a huge middle finger drawn on it. Even though its not the same gesture hes accustomed to, he recognizes it from my frequent use over the last six months. Very nice, he confirms and finally puts the notepad away. Youre not going to ask? he finally inquires, putting the notepad away and looking at me. I thought about it and theres no need, I respond. His eyes haze and waver for a moment, and he observes me in that way only he can. Sensing the vibrations of movement, he watches for the slightest change in my blood flow, the most minute twitch of my muscles, the beating of my heart, and the flickering of my eyes. I dont do anything to stop him, nor do I try to hide the signs as he works to confirm my words. "Crazy fucker. Youre the goddamn craziest and dumbest fucking human Ive ever met, he growls, irritation clear in his tone. Looking at me for just a bit longer he stands in one smooth motion and takes Victorias old, barely-working laptop from the table. On the screen, is a scene of me using kinetic energy, as always from my POV. Now, let me explain what you did wrong here, he says, sitting beside me and pointing out all my mistakes directing my kinetic energy during that brief clash in the tower. Chapter 489: Mana Weaving Chapter 489: Mana Weaving Are they your disciples now or something? You got lonely without that cute half-demon of yours, so you adopted these two twerps instead? Maya taunts, as she paces around the living room. Dennis and Aaron are too busy dealing with their experimental Burden Enhancement Inscriptions to answer, so I do instead. They would probably say theyre more like guinea pigs than disciples. In a less respectful tone, I assume? Probably, I confirm. So, what did you do to them? Its a modified version of my Burden Enhancement Inscriptions. The version Lissandra gave me blocks all my movements and only allows movements powered by kinetic energy. Since these two dont have kinetic energy, I had to modify it. They still cant move, but in this case, they need to refine their control over mana to break free. Its not disrupting their mana, is it? So what stops them from just powering through? I thought of that, so I made some changes. If they mess up, theyll hurt themselves, after all,l it takes a lot of mana to power through. Its still not as complete as Id like, and its one of three variations Ive been working on. Maya takes a swift step and smacks Dennis in the back of the head. Since hes sitting cross-legged on the floor, he tilts slowly and crashes to the ground, landing in a weird position. Im surprised by her sudden use of force, but I dont complain. You know very well what that was for, Dennis, Maya declares with satisfaction. That was Aaron, not Dennis, I say. For a moment, I see a flicker of surprise in Denniss eyes, but he quickly understands and Im sure he appreciates it. Huh, theyre getting more and more difficult to tell apart by the day. She takes another step and delivers another smack to the innocent Aaron, who also falls onto the floor. Are you happy with Bloodthirst? Quite a bit, Maya nods, glancing toward the claymore resting against the wall. Its like we thought, the more blood it absorbs, the more it fixes itself. And it grows sharper against opponents whose blood it has tasted. And its already very sharp. I still hold to my opinion that youd do better sticking with weapons made of mana that can change shape. Yes, and I agree with you. I took inspiration from you, and Ive been using Bloodthirst as a tool to try to get a new skill. Im almost there. And you wont tell me what it is, will you? "Nope. I''d rather keep it a surprise. That way it''ll be something that''s all mine. After all, you wouldnt want your knight taking the backseat." Youre going with that again? I form an energy orb and move it toward Maya, who takes over, joining me in my mana exercises. She then sits down to focus her concentration. You never know, I may be more serious than youd expect. By the way, did you also want to throw that tailor out of the balcony? Multiple times. Her orb bursts, and she waits for me to send her a replacement. Well, I already got the clothes, and theyre goddamn great, but the people here act just like arrogant nobles from some old romance or a deranged clan of vampires looking down at us peasants. Vampires... I wonder if they exist as a race within the system. I muse in response to Mayas fascinating implication. Well, we have demons, so why not? And weve met the feylith and theyre like chicken-winged angels, the lynthari are straight-up catgirls, vyssari are knock-off dwarfs. The only things were missing are elves and vampires; you said you saw those giant-looking douches in Beyond, and then theres that pink bitch Beatrice that Sophie likes to rag on. And more besides. I say, gesturing at the orb she balances, Youve gotten quite good at it. Right? I just needed a moment to get a grasp of these orbs of yours. You can increase the difficulty if you like. Sure. If I were an asshole or a pretentious douche, Id say something like this: The technique, of my own creation, which Ive aptly named Mana Weaving, involves the precise and intricate practice of forming mana into interlocking, highly stable structures. Through a disciplined process of mana manipulation. At its core, the technique revolves around manipulating ones mana on a fundamental level to bind it into a sophisticated lattice that fortifies each strand and amplifies its resilience. This woven mana structure serves to establish a self-sustaining network, effectively enhancing its internal cohesion, rendering it far less susceptible to external interference and hostile manipulation and resulting in a reinforced mana framework that is exceptionally difficult to disrupt, and therefore presenting an exceptional challenge for anyone attempting to breach or destabilize it. Damn, do people really talk like that? Youd be surprised how many do. I guess there are assholes everywhere. Please explain it to me like a normal human. You weave multiple threads of mana together. That way Instead of being able to disrupt all the mana in a construct at once, the attack has to disrupt each thread, and even if it succeeds in disrupting some of them, the others remain. Much better. Right? Sophie returns from her first session of work on the Frameworks maintenance, followed by Maya, who has been serving as her bodyguard, being the second most resilient against mental manipulation after me, thanks to our mutual skill [Focus]. Even then they still havent encountered Namior, leader of the citys third most powerful groupsomeone Ive been wanting to meet for a while now, though I havent seen him yet, despite lingering around his tower multiple times. This time, were all sitting in my room. Some are sitting on my bed, some are seated in manabloc chairs, and others sit on the ground. I, for the record, am sitting on the ground, with a piece of that huge golden chain in my hand while I work on examining it, hoping to improve my insight into the system and, with my skill along with it. Its just as I thought before, the Framework makes it possible to combine the calculative power of every mind mage in the city. But its not just them; they can also include the mental capacity of every person controlled by a mind mage and every person within the citys inscriptions. Plus, they also have thousands of monsters with useful mind traits or skills imprisoned under the city, for the purpose of enhancing the Framework. Damn. Damn is right, Dennis. The amount of power its going to require is immense, so they can only really afford to activate it once every eight years. Let me guess, its going to be soon? I look up from the chain. Very soon - depending on how maintenance goes, Sophie confirms. "That''s perfect timing, isnt it?" Lily says excitedly. "We could clear the floor either before Beyond or right after we return." Yes, the activation of the Framework happens only every eight years. This floors timing makes it almost certain that its one of the ways were meant to clear this floor. Isnt that good? Tess explains, stepping in for Sophie, Try to remember how the floors weve gone through so far tend to look the closer weve gotten to clearing them. Oh... Yes, oh, Sophie says, looking from Tess to me. The question is if we still want to try to check on any of the remaining Containment Cells. That sounds like a job for the Champion-grade annihilation squad! Dennis chimes in, excited. Were the best at ending weakened and tortured champions, right, Nat? There are still three more to take care of. Looking at his excited face I reply. Count me out, I still have things I want to do before reaching level 300. At that moment, something catches my interest, a sense I havent felt from another member of our group until this moment, and I turn to the right, meeting Tesss eyes. Oh my, what has she done? I think we should visit at least one of the Containment Cells before we go to Beyond and the Framework activation. She smiles, knowing very well what Ive just sensed. Tess has allowed her title to be felt. Shes a Champion candidate now too. Chapter 490: Namior I think one of the points of this floor is to give people an opportunity to become a Champion candidate. Tess states, as all eyes focus on her, drawn by the revelation of her new status. Maya shamelessly smirks back at me when I look at her, and Min-Jae looks a bit guilty for not telling me sooner, but I figure Tess must have asked him not to tell. She probably chose this specific moment to cause the most impact. Its really such a silly thing to do. Id absolutely do the same. Of course, there is always the chance that Tess was trying to see if she could hide it from me. My group located two containment cells with the team we put together. One was simple to reach, and the Champion was very different from the man we met in Mana Desert. The cell is hidden within a permanent storm on a floating island. Once inside we found a trapped vyssari woman. Maya snorts. Just tell them already. The storm is powerful enough that the lightning has been known to kill people as high as level 200 in a single strike, and given its propensity for striking targets more than once it could easily take out stronger individuals. Its true we did have some trouble reaching it, Tess admits, but weve had plenty of time to prepare and plan, and we havent had a single death or severe wound. As for the storm, its made up of the excess primordial lightning energy being pulled from the prisoner and released into the area. So you can imagine why I wanted to take the risk to check things out when I sensed it. Tesss eyes haze a bit as memories flash by, but she quickly returns to the room and smiles. The vyssari Champion apparently wanted to be left alone and threatened to kill anyone who meant to free her. Another nutcase, but she was definitely better than that guy in the hole. Maya nods. Min-Jae also joins in, I kinda liked her. She seemed nice. She said she was close to declaring Maya a candidate, but that she felt that there was still something missing and that she needed to try harder. Tess quips, flashing a quick smile. Maya doesnt even seem hurt or disappointed, rather she shrugs it off, unbothered. Its fine. Just having the possibility confirmed is cool in and of itself. So you want to visit her and have her declare the other Champion candidates? I ask, already thinking about who might have a chance. The names that come to mind are Lily and Sophie. If Min-Jae didnt make the cut then theres a high chance the twins wont either, I feel like theyre on the same level of talent. Even though Im sure its possible theyll reach that rank later; as we''ve seen, plenty of people arent declared candidates until they reach the higher levels. It would be a shame not to take the opportunity while we have a somewhat reasonable Champion nearby, Tess confirms. Well, you guys can discuss it later, I say, waving them off and focusing my attention on Tess. As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is 10 points from my Mana stat. If I lose, theyre yours. If I win, I want 10 points in Mana... These words stop in my throat, and I find myself unable to push them out. So I try again. As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is 100 shards. If I lose, theyre yours. If I win, I... The same thing happens again. Nat, I think the system takes these challenges a bit more seriously than you do. Tess shakes her head. I take them plenty seriously. As a Champion candidate, I challenge you, a fellow Champion candidate. My wager is one of the upper epic items I possess. If I lose, its yours. If I win, I want... And again I get stopped. Do you think the system would just let you abuse challenges that way? I have [Declaration], which seems to be a bit similar, so I can tell you its not how it works. ?A?o??b?S? Disappointed, I sit back and reply. Explain. The system probably thinks about challenges as something almost sacred. Something you can only call upon in specific situations with the right kind of intent, it needs to be in the right spirit if you will. Can you imagine how it would look if they were that easy to abuse? Tess, the system is an asshole. I... its not wrong. Sooner or later, I will find a way. Got it, oh fellow Champion candidate, she snarks, flashing me a smile. As she turns to talk to the others, a single thought comes to mind. This cant go on. I have to get the cockroach to declare me an Absolute candidate somehow. Walking through the city, I come to a stop in front of yet another tower. After checking the map, I confirm that this tower serves as the home of a mind mage. As Ive done dozens of times before, I use [Ley Line] and fire it off at the tower where it anchors itself. And a decent chunk of my mana disappears in response. [Ley Line - lvl 39 > Ley Line - lvl 40] Curious, I wait a minute to observe the coming reaction. So far, theyve fallen into three camps. Some towers didnt notice. Others noticed, but after realizing Im with Sophie, they stayed locked inside, trying to get rid of [Ley Line]. The third, and rarest, reaction was people coming out and trying to cause trouble. If it were up to me, Id likely teleport inside and at least purge the mind mages who were the worst at that dinner, but it seems like we might actually need them for the Framework. So I hold myself back, but I hope they come out and try to fight me. That theyd give me an excuse I can use to justify my actions to Sophie, with all the work shes done to get where she is within the city. But this tower isnt it, and they stay locked inside, so I leave, disappointed. Since I started doing this, Ive left twelve Ley Lines connecting me to twelve towers. But thats not all. There are five more. Of a version that even Sophie cant sense and she doesnt know about them either. And these connect to the Framework. Im sorry, I cant let you leave. Namior chides, shaking his head. That confuses me, and I tilt my head as I reply. I wasnt planning to leave. My entire right arm becomes a mess of torn flesh as I use kinetic energy to draw Fracture at incredible speed. In a single motion, I sever the connection between the man and his two bodyguards. Doing so wont allow him to send orders, but it probably wont change whatever he already did to their minds either. In that same fraction of a second, I shove the sword back into its scabbard and activate two healing marks. Snapping my arm back into place, as the flesh regenerates. The crow rushes to attack me, and its owner tries to move, but both are still standing, the crow frozen mid-air, held in place by my [Redistribution]. Golden flames explode around the Vyssari, surging toward me and effortlessly melting through my hastily formed barriers. I slide into [Focus] to push away the feeling of pain as my skin and flesh ignite and burn away in an instant. My bones are revealed, the fire attempting to burn even them, but unlike my flesh, my bones are durable. Much more durable. [Bone Knitting - lvl 20 > Bone Knitting - lvl 21] [Bone Knitting - lvl 21 > Bone Knitting - lvl 22] There are dozens of mana threads running through each bone, binding them together, filling them, covering them. Part of my mind takes over that task, the skill keeping my bones from melting away, as [Redistribution] absorbs some of the heat. But the vyssari is better at thermal energy than me, and the flames seem impossible to stop even with the armor Im forming around my body; it begins to sizzle and melt. Now freed from the mans control and acting reflexively in her confusion, she attacks me without giving it her all. Wraith Dance brings me into her space, and up close, the flames are even deadlier, burning more of me away. The muscles, the tendons, some of the less important organs. My skeleton moves, powered by kinetic energy, as my skeletal arm crashes into her head at incredible speed, sending a burst of kinetic energy flooding through it. And just like flipping a switch, she loses consciousness. Three healing marks activate, and my flesh and body recover. Then as I turn to face Namior, he disappears, leaving a signature behind as he teleports away. All of that happens within a short moment and soon dozens of guards finally rush in, skills swirling around them. I move the mana in my [Mana Crown], spinning it, faster and faster, until it reaches an incredible speed. The massive amount of mana quickly begins to move so quickly that it reaches critical speed, and with a little help from skill, a burst of disruptive energy explodes from me. Just as powerful as it would have been if I had directed it at a single target, but this one creates an area of effect that disables the skills of everyone here. My Mana Wavelength Iris activates, and I look at the remains of his teleportation. I watch the mana track, using [Focus] to rebuild the structure of the portal, and then use [Resonance] to use the remains to teleport along the same route. The moment I appear on the other side, dozens of attacks crash into me, stripping me down to the bone, but my mana spins in the crown again, reaching that critical limit and releasing another disruptive wave before slowing and coming to a stop. My flesh grows back under the influence of the healing marks, and tracking Namiors presence, I use Wraith Dance to move over to the massive door dominating the room. There, I switch to Breaker Style, and a single powerful burst causes the metal door to buckle inward, as the second sends it flying through the room and embedding it in the wall of the tower. [Mana Domain] encompasses me as I tear through all the defenses within, spinning the mana inside my crown and sending disruptive waves throughout, causing the entire tower to flicker as I make my way to the highest floor. The guards freeze in place, only to be pinned to the walls or thrown out of the tower, while Namior keeps moving higher and higher, throwing everything he has against me. Before I can reach him, hes gone again, and I repeat the process, resonating with his teleport, appearing in a different tower, likely belonging to one of his vassals. As Im getting my bearings, rocks explode from the ground as two huge monsters burrow their way onto the surface, reminiscent of gorillas, coated in white fur with four eyes each and no mouth. Mana seeps from my body, spinning itself into threads that weave themselves into a suit of armor that surrounds me and grows bigger and bigger until I match the size of the monsters. My heart thumps wildly, generating kinetic energy to boost my movements in this massive, heavy mana armor. The first gorilla crashes into me, but my elbow hits the side of its head; as it wavers, I grab it and bury its head into the ground, tearing up trees and small buildings in the process. A huge spear of mana forms in my hand, and I pierce the monsters body, boosting the spear with kinetic energy, creating a hook at the end, and pinning the gorilla to the ground. The other one jumps at me, but I sidestep and, with a burst of kinetic energy, tackle it into the tower, which shakes at its foundations but endures nonetheless. Two of my arms hold the gorilla, and two more arms form at my shoulders, their fingers interlocking before I bring the hands down, slamming them into the monsters head. A massive mouth opens in the monster''s chest, stretching as wide as its torso, and a deafening screech erupts, assaulting my eardrums. Tattoos flare across its skin, its strength surging. But I repeat the process, striking again until its eyes cloud over. Using all four arms, I rip the monster''s limbs apart and hurl themand the creature itselffar away. My armor disappears, the mana flooding back into my crown in a blink. I quickly realize that the first gorilla is about to break free and form a huge nail in the air, launching it at the monster to pin it once more while being careful to avoid killing it. I land on the ground, Wraith Dance bringing me to the next door, which I destroy, finding guards and the remains of another teleport inside. A tricolored shield blocks the incoming barrage of attacks, and I teleport myself again. This time, I appear before the citys second-tallest tower, owned by Beatrice, the pink-skinned, pink-haired daughter of the Archon. Beatrice! Beatrice! Fucking help me, you can have my mind if you want, just get that man off me! Beatrice! Namior screams, shouting at the woman standing on top of the wall surrounding her tower, her bodyguard standing next to her with his transparent crown floating over his head. Namior shuts up and turns back, to see me standing there, and shouts, Get the fuck away from me!followed by the most powerful mental attack Ive felt so far. But its all for nothing. It simply slides off my mental defenses. And when he opens his mouth to shout again, Im there standing by his side. I can be more useful alive, I can... Before he can finish, a concentrated blast of kinetic energy detonates his head. [You have defeated Mindsculptor - lvl 268] Beatrice says nothing, watching as I tear the rest of his body apart with subsequent bursts of kinetic energy, then burn the remains. Before I leave I throw one last [Ley Line] toward the inside of her tower, and when I finally teleport away, no one tries to stop me. Chapter 491: We don’t talk about sparring with her Chapter 491: We dont talk about sparring with her Back in my room, I take a look at myself in the mirror. My body is nearly restored. The right side, which was damaged by Fracture down in the tunnels, still heals a bit slower, the skin struggling to regrow as bits of bone peek through. [Bone Knitting - lvl 22 > Bone Knitting - lvl 23] For the first halfway proper test Id say things went really well. Thanks to the number of healing marks Lily gave me, I could even let them hit me properly, and even though my flesh didnt endure due to my generally weak constitution, my bones did and sometime in the future, Ill even find a way to stop relying on them all together. I got [Bone Knitting] when I was trying to create a healing skill. However, I went so long without results that I eventually just decided to go in a different direction entirely. My thought line is very simple. As long as I dont die instantly, I can just wait for my thermal energy and any future healing passives to heal me over time. Flesh and tendons can be regrown, but bones take longer to restore, so the only reasonable course of action is to work on making them stronger. Thanks to all of my experimentation during the tournament, the body modification data we got from Savant, and the samples I collected, bones of powerful monsters, and such, Im getting pretty good at understanding them. I got the inspiration for weaving threads into my bones after acquiring [Ley Line] and developing Mana Weaving. There are two vital points that I need to protect above all others: my brain and heart. If something happens to my brain, thats it. In theory, I could sacrifice my heart, but seeing how much trouble Lady Lissandras been having with restoring hers and how much the system emphasizes the importance of Mana Hearts, its probably not a good idea. [Bone Knitting] strengthens my skull and ribcage the most, making it all the more difficult for attacks to breach them. I consider it a very reasonable series of actions considering my apparent inability to acquire active healing skills. Finally, the last wound closes, and I stretch my body, twisting, bending, and stretching. Everything feels like its in the right place, so I step into the shower and run the water in the coldest setting. Only then do I feel like I can truly calm down. My wildly beating heart quiets, and the anger I felt begins to dissipate. Then I reminisce about feelings Izzy shared with me. The fear she felt for her sister. The horror as she watched Sophie slowly change, refusing to acknowledge the ways she might be being influenced, even forgetting their conversations. The two weeks she spent watching her older sister, pretending that everything was fine, slowly and carefully building herself up to ask Sophie to call us in, hoping that it wouldnt be too late and that Sophie wouldnt refuse. That moment of realization when Izzy knew she wouldnt be able to do anything alone. Knowing that she wouldnt be capable of killing the man on her own and the despair of being locked in by her beloved sister, who didnt even fully realize why she had done so. Shutting off the water, I step out of the shower and look at my reflection in the mirror until my expression returns to its normal state: the one that makes people want to punch me for some reason. As I dry and clothe myself, I think about how easy it wouldve been for Sophie to end up totally enthralled, fully caught in the grasp of that man. Possibly dying, and taking her sister with her. All from the slightest misstep on her part, driven by her own overconfidence. I believe it will be a great lesson for her, and Ill take it as a reminder for myself as well. Sometimes, I might catch myself thinking I''m getting too strong for Hell difficulty, that only Beyond truly holds any challenge for me. It''s a thought I need to ensure never takes hold too strongly. Only when Im fully dressed and check my expression again do I open the door. Izzy stands there, where shes been waiting for me ever since I returned. I was so scared. Even though shes trying to control herself, and I notice her shaking, her body sending waves of kinetic energy through the air and floor as she does so, though she doesnt seem to notice herself. I know. Its okay now. I reply. She shakes her head and looks down, staring at her feet, her black hair covering her face, preventing me from seeing the look on her face. You said he didnt have any connection to her, but Im still worried. How much did he manage to influence her? Honestly? And you can connect to my feelings to confirm, I dont think he managed to do all that much. I killed him because I decided we wouldn''t need him to undo whatever he did. He was the kind of guy who goes slow and steady, he was too weak to go against Sophie in a direct fight. Sophie might still want to keep you locked away for a while. She might decide she wants to control more mind mages or continue avoiding Beatrice and follow whatever other impulses he planted in her mind. But it wont grow any further because the man who did it is already dead. As Im saying that, I know I mean these words. Stepping closer, I poke her forehead hidden under her hair. I think the rest will be up to Sophie, to realize what he did as his influence wanes. There is nothing else you or I can do. Yes... Nat, please leave me and Sophie alone for a while. Now that hes gone, I want to do more to help her. Will do, I confirm, then squat in front of her, finally peering into her green eyes. Dont worry, if anyone tries anything like that again, I will blow up this whole city, Framework or not. Suck it, Kim. Yeah, suck it, Mr. I-can-nuke-the-city-maybe-in-the-future. Knowing better than to encourage them, Min-Jae curiously asks, What are my chances against Lily? I dont even have to answer, and Dennis, already standing, comes closer and throws his arm around the Korean boy. Kim, buddy, my sweet delusional friend. Aaron looks around, confirming Lilys absence, and joins from the other side. We dont even talk about sparring with Lily. Enthusiastically nodding, Dennis confirms, Lilys picked up some terrible habits. Aaron points at me. We blame that man. Im sorry, I agree. Confused, Min-Jae keeps looking between us. What happened? That guy. Aarons voice becomes louder as he keeps pointing at me. He taught us, but he also taught Lily. They spent most of their time doing some kind of crazy experiments, but they also spent a lot of time sparring. A ridiculous amount! Even though Nat likes to go kaboom, as that cute half-demon of his likes to say, he also likes to get in close and punch stuff. We have a theory he does it to vent. Plus, hes kind of a battle maniac. But whats important is that Lily really likes his style, and Kim, my buddy, that girl is even more talented than we thought. Once again, Min-Jae looks at me, and I repeat, Im sorry. Dennis shakes his friend. You know how Nat fights, right? Losing limbs all over the place, taking ten blows just for the opportunity to get in one hit that will splat you against a wall? Tearing muscles, and breaking bones as his body strains to endure the strength and speed? That really does sound like Nat. Because thats how Nat fights. Well, Aaron and I got to watch as Lily started picking up on that same style of combat, building on it more and more, mimicking those weird movements of his. Nat uses kinetic energy though, so you''d think it would be impossible with just your body, right? Well, Lily disagreed. Apparently, you can still pull it offif you''re willing to accept that your body will get fucked up in the process. And you might try to say that she fought that way before, and youd almost be right. But there was always a bit of hesitation there, and she was still learning martial arts from mana stones she got who knows where, but once she started sparring with Nat, she gave up. Thats true, Dennis confirms. She strengthened her bones, she improved her constitution and did some nasty things with [Sacrifice]. Throw in her healing, and she wins 7 in 10 fights with Nat when it comes to melee combat. This is where I step in. Thats not true, its 5-6 at best. "Even if she ditches the ax and uses the mantle?" "Mantle doesn''t count. If I try to tire her out, I win 7 out of 10. If I try to face her directly, she would win 7 out of 10 times." They dive deeper into their theorizing, but Im only half-listening. Even Whitey cant help but acknowledge Lilys close combat capabilities, so its clear Id have trouble if I faced her using only kinetic energy. But seeing how well I hold up, and considering that its not my primary means of combat and that I can still win half the time, I dont mind all that much. Really, I dont. Its fine. Chapter 492: Young white haired demon Chapter 492: Young white haired demon My room has become an even bigger mess than before. Most of the furnitureaside from the bed, a few armchairs, and the sofahave disappeared along with the carpet. The floor is now covered in deeply etched inscriptions, with some extending to the walls, accompanied by mana batteries to supply them with power and more. The once-functional protective arrays have been reworked and Frankenstein-ed together to better serve my needs. And the same goes for the inscriptions that once covered the huge windows on the exterior wall. At the moment, my room is being excluded from the tower''s array and is under my full control. And I have multiple Ley Lines connecting my inscriptions to the Framework, which Im constantly monitoring. Then there are two blanks Ive created using high quality materials Ive managed to acquire, one for a shield and another for an ax laid out on the ground. Just the sheer quality of the materials should easily push them to upper epic rarity, but Ive specifically decided to hold off on finishing them for the moment. So there they lie, half done, waiting as I work on advancing other plans. In the corner of the room sits a box made of white glass, also awaiting my attention. Much like the ones I brought with me to Beyond not long ago, filled with the white sand from Mana Desert. Next to it, a few weapons from the Mana Desert as well. I still remember the promise I made to Sophie, that we would try to work the white sand into the damaged arcane weapon known as the Golem Heart that I gave her. By this point, Im sure shes made her own improvements, and it might be possible to start experimenting with a grain or two of sand. The only problem is that Sophie has been locked away in her room for the past few days already, and there are only two people allowed to freely enter and leaveIzzy and Tess. Otherwise, its been days since anyones seen Sophie, and the only sign of her presence is feeling her going over the protective arrays and confirming her control over the mind mages shes enthralled. No one comes to visit. There are no attacks, and even the people who spent the most time spying on us seem to have backed off in favor of caution, confirmed by Tess, whos taken it on herself to keep an eye on such things. The ignition of the Framework is getting closer every day, so it''s been quite a mess considering that one of the most powerful mind mages has gone missing and the people formerly under his control have been freed. Im also curious what happened to that vyssari with thermal energy and the second primordial energy she was rumored to have. However, my curiosity isnt tempting enough to lure me out to try and find out. She seemed skilled but she was nowhere near Melel''s level nor was she talented enough to make me want to learn from her. A presence appears in front of my door, and I activate the mana construct controlling them. They open on their own and close once my guest enters, the protections around them snapping back into place. Noodle swiftly slithers in between the golden chains, stray chunks of metal, and stones and climbs onto the armchair, careful not to touch Biscuit, who is sleeping on my lap, still comatose. "Just in time," I tell the snake as I draw one of the orbs of mana floating next to me closer. And Noodle patiently waits as I proceed to set it in front of him. So, sorry about last time. I thought the addition of a small amount of thermal energy would make the orb tastier. The white snake calmly looks at me. It seems like you can only absorb mana and normal fire because of your bond with Izzy. I think that''s the reason you got a bit... sick, she doesnt actually have her own thermal energy. So this time I modified the orb a bit more. The frequency of the mana, its density, and the amount within are different this time. So tell me, what do you think? His tongue flickers as he tastes the air in front of the orb, and only then does he open his mouth and gently take it from my hand. The orb disappears into his mouth, and Noodle continues to stare at me with his green eyes. Then he nods as he does, but only once. Hmm, so its not as tasty as the last time, but better than the one before? He nods again. Ill modify the next version a bit more, I promise the snake with a dismissive gesture, only for him to coil around my arm. I allow my mana to seep through the skin of the arm the white snake has coiled himself around, and activate my eye trait to carefully observe him. As he has so many times before, Noodle starts absorbing said mana through his mouth, causing it to disappear within the confines of his body without leaving any trace behind, all while I try to pick up at least a bit of whats going on as it does. The next day finds me standing over an inscription-covered circle that surrounds the two weapons I made but still havent finished. They took a lot of precious materials, but if my plan works, it will be well worth it. These inscriptions along with the circle surrounding the weapons, and the shield and ax themselves, have all been tied together with Ley Lines that are themselves connected to the main Line, which is further connected to the Framework. From what Ive heard, yes. There are also fragments of eternal fire, fragments of eternal wind, and more besides. There are also primordial energies and probably other things you can get without the system, but only the system can awaken mana. We watch as the white-haired demon slowly makes his way to the top of the dune. He almost falls a few times but slowly reaches us and sits an arms reach away from Whitey. He clearly cant see us; after all, hes just a memory. Calming his stuttering heart, he closes his eyes and throws a handful of sand into the air. Most of the grains fall down, but a few stay put, floating. They move from side to side, they shake, and it looks almost like they could fall at any moment; and in the end, they do. Though the young demon smiles brightly and laughs with joy. He lays on his back, tired even after such a little thing, and wipes the sweat from his face. Inside the oasis, little kids, probably half the white-haired demons age, do much the same, throwing two big handfuls of sand, holding the thousands of grains in the air with ease. Hes such a dumb little fucker, isnt he? Damned untalented crippled freak. Whitey says staring at the young demon, who, even in his malnourished state, bears a stunning resemblance to the grown demon beside me. I kind of like his spirit, I reply. Yes, he was always a bit dumb. Some might call that having a strong spirit. Whitey stands in one smooth movement and stomps. Causing the entire dune we stand upon to explode in a great plume of sand before all of it stops hanging in the air. The yellow grains gleam as the sunlight finds its way in between them, throwing the most incredible shadows across the scenery. Out of the 7 stances Ive taught you, there are a few that you clearly favor. Whiteys hair hangs, floating in the air, held there by the same force holding the grains of sand. "Pulser Stance suits you well, and youre not half badyou just need a bit more practice. The same goes for Breaker Style. As for Wraith Dance, you seem to use it more for movement than anything else." Im agreeing so far. His teeth show in a smile. As if you could prove me wrong, you little shit. I know more about kinetic energy than you ever will. I bow. I apologize, master. That makes him smile even more, and I know that when we get to sparring, his punches will hurt more than usual. Your Resonance Flow is powerful. And your ability to handle massive amounts of raw power is probably better than mine, but thats understandable given how accustomed you are to managing such a disgusting amount of mana. Your fine control, however, is a bit lacking." Whitey pokes one of the floating grains of sand, and it slowly floats to the ground. Your Needle Point is trash. Close to mid-range, you do fine using bursts of kinetic energy to attack, but your long range control is just abominable. Your Counter Flow is decent, and your Steelroot sucks. "Sounds about right." He smirks deviously. "Today, youll be using only Needle Point, Steelroot, and Wraith Dance." All the demons within the oasis, along with the young white-haired demon next to us, vanish like the memories they are. The dune collapses in a cascade of sand, and we clash amidst the chaos. Chapter 493: Logic Core Ive spent enough time in this damned tower to figure out a number of ways to temporarily take over the defensive array, especially now that Sophie has locked herself in her room and refuses to leave. And I know I promised Izzy to wait but this is taking way too long already. Thats why Im standing in front of the door to her room, taking control of the web and defenses to let myself in. The door opens, and I enter. I know youre personally invested in beating yourself up for allowing yourself to be tricked by that dumbass, but you promised to tell me about Blackie and about that Logic Core thing... My words stop there as my mind registers the sight of Sophie lying on the floor while Tess drags her along by the leg. Sophie looks... well... not great. Her hair and clothes are in a terrible state, there are big bags under her eyes, and I think I can see signs of dried blood under her nose. Theres even a bruise starting to show under one of her eyes. Tess looks even worse. Her forearms have been deeply gouged as if by claws, bites mark her body, along with the odd bruise, peeking out from under freshly tattered clothes.No?v(el)B\\jnn Hey, Tess chirps, smiling brightly. She follows my eyes to Sophie and shrugs, Did you know that ever since she locked herself in her room a few days ago, shes been spending more time wallowing in self-pity than actually examining the state of her mind? Fuck off, Tess... Sophie curses, her voice hoarse. Sure, sure. Tess smiles, her grin widening, as she waves off Sophies protests and continues to pull her across the floor, and Sophie, with her lack of investment in physical stats, just cant muster an effective resistance. Even the marks shes left on Tess are probably only there because Tess allowed it, after all, Im sure she should be more than capable of pummeling that black-haired mind mage of ours. Ill take her to bathe and get her dressed properly. Afterward, Ill bring her to this floors terrace to get some fresh air. You can talk with her then. Both of the girls disappear around the corner, and only then does Izzy poke her head out. Your work? I ask. I asked Tess for help, Izzy confirms, and Noodle, currently the size of an anaconda, shrinks and rises to coil around her arm. Good job. Even though Sophie wouldnt say it, she... Izzy whispers, lowering her voice conspiratorially, She looks up to Tess quite a bit. Didnt Sophie give Tess that beautiful shiner back when we were still under the Mana Desert? Yes, its weird, isnt it? People... Yes, people! Izzy agrees. While you were messing with her web, she wanted to storm out of the room a few times and call you a dumb fuck, before she finally settled down and gave me a lesson on everything you did wrong. Ive heard worse. We step out into the hallway, the doors closing behind us as their protections flare back into activity. Together we make our way over to the terrace, where we each take a seat in one of the armchairs I stole from one of the other floors. Its night, so its cold, but Izzy doesnt seem to mind. Her body radiates an impressive amount of heat. Even so, I take it upon myself, and place one of my thermal cubes over the small table, generating soft light and radiating a comfortable and even wave of heat. The view from the tower so high up is beautiful, even with the state of this messed-up floor. Lights shine down below, radiating from the windows of the towers around us illuminating the night. There are even some twinkling from the shores of the lake. And then, as always theres the purple nebula swirling through the sky amongst a myriad of stars. Shaking her head, Sophie reaches toward her shadow, and it reaches back to her. I, of course, cant be absolutely sure, this is the Champions bond were dealing with. But I think its highly unlikely. Plus, its not very powerful without a connection to its master. I think that Champion was here because he was experimenting with creating artificial minds, and to that end, he was probably experimenting on entire cities full of people. Blackie is the result of that, an artificial mind with no emotionsa tool that grows with its master. Can it think on its own? I ask. Its difficult to explain... I wouldnt say it can think. Honestly, it reminds me more of an array that can react to specific stimulibut taken much further. It is something akin to a collection of an immense amount of information, and behavioral patterns. A bit like a mix between a mind imprint and a program. Nat, you said Lissandra created a near-perfect copy of her mind. Well, I think that Champion was experimenting with learning how to do something similar, and his bond was just another step towards that goal. But Blackie isnt him nor does it have his memories? No, but theres a chance that in certain situations, for which I didnt program or teach it, that it could act in accordance with the Champions programming, which is probably based on the way the Champion would react. Seemingly annoyed by the long conversation, Izzy butts in, Blackies like a small pup that just happened to be raised by a bad guy. Then that bad guy died, and someone nicer took over, but that pup still has some of that bad behavior learned. I look at Sophie, and she hesitates a bit before sighing, Yes. You could say that. A bright smile blossoms on Izzys face as she stands and pokes Blackie. It pulls back quickly, its reaction seeming surprised or scared, and yet completely devoid of emotion. The black shadow swirls around Sophie before reverting to its normal two-dimensional form. More than a living being, its a tool, Sophie concludes. What can it do? Knowing it belonged to a Champion, Im curious about its capabilities. Currently? Not much, and it will never be quite the same as the Champions. Its bonded to me now, and our bond is fairly similar to the one between Izzy and Noodle, so it will be influenced by my growth and programming. But I have learned some things from examining it; the Logic Core is one of them. At that, I straighten up in my armchair and listen carefully, ignoring Tess, who scoffs at my reaction. Sophie notices as well, and I see that annoying smirk twitching at the corner of her lips, but I decide to ignore that for now and listen carefully. I know you can program your mana constructs a bit. To launch projectiles when something breaks a thread of mana, these orbs, and such. I also know how limited that is, and that youve been looking for ways to free up the bits of mental focus you have to devote to upkeep. And? I ask, fully realizing that shes stretching things out on purpose. But those thoughts of self-pity she was having seem to have taken a backseat, so I decide to play along and let her have her fun. The Logic Core could be what youre looking for; its the simplest version of an artificial mind. A process node programmed to kickstart specific tasks or alter behaviors based on outside information and your programming. Im listening, Sophie. Please tell me more. Her green eyes regain a bit of that glint, Best of all, its all mana-based, like a distant variation of inscriptions. Though theres a fair chance that Ill always be better at it because of my mind powers, but Im sure you can imagine all the things you could do with that. Well see just whos better at it. Then, even though I already have a theory, I ask, So what ideas do you have regarding using it to manage Fracture? You told me how much concentration it takes just to keep it from breaking apart and limiting your ability to use it. With some practice and experimentation, a Logic Core could handle some of the menial tasks in the future. I look at my waist where the shortsword is hanging and give that a moment of thought. Something excites me even more than the prospect of wielding this damned weapon: the thought of how much Ill learn about using the Logic Core in the process and the possibilities it will open. Instead of storing a bunch of simple arrays in my mind and maintaining them with [Focus] for deployment, maybe I could store a few Logic Coresif I can find a way to deploy them. I dont expect much at the start, but at higher levels, a Logic Core might be able to operate independently of me. I like it. I like it a lot. Chapter 494: Car ride Retreating within my mind, we appear in my school this time. Whitey is wearing the same clothes as my former P.E. coach. Hes got the classic lookplain gray tee, loose mesh shorts hanging just over the knee, white socks pulled up mid-calf and a basic pair of sneakers. The worst part is that the damned demon still manages to look cool, even wearing that, in spite of his lanky form and taut, compact muscles stretched under his pale skin. Surprisingly comfortable, he notes, taking a moment to stretch. I let him live in his delusion, as we stare down on the scene from the top of a wall nearby, watching a group of four boys as they surround another. The boy in question is currently on his knees, patiently waiting while the largest of the boys pours a bottle of an unidentified soft drink over his head, causing his black hair to cling to his face, and even then, his gray and brown eyes refuse to display any hint of rage. He creeps me out, one of the boys says, laughing as he reaches over to squeeze the bottle in his buddys hand, encouraging the beverage to flow and redirecting the stream such that it sprays into his victims face. The kneeling boy doesnt so much as flinch as the others continue to laugh. Finally, when the bottle is empty, they throw it in his face. Its no fun if hes not gonna react, the oldest boy complains, kicking the kneeling child in the belly for good measure. Lets go. The moment they get out of sight, the boy swiftly jumps to his feet and takes off his wet shirt, revealing a thin, bruised body. He squeezes as much of the beverage from his shirt as he can before putting it back on, relying on the hot summer day to dry him off on the way home. What happened to these four? Whitey asks, seeming curious. What do you think? Whitey smiles, his eyes shining with that demonic look of his. Good. I wonder if I should look them up when I get out of the tutorial. You know, for old times'' sake. I would tear them to shreds, for old times'' sake. Yeah, thats how demons like to do things isnt it. Limb by limb, I would tear them apart. I would hold them with kinetic energy to stop their breath, only to stop as they reach the brink of passing out, and then I would repeat that. I would send pulses of energy through their bodies and break their bones, leaving their flesh and organs untouched so theyd have some time to think as they died. Sure. Want to try something? Whitey, curious by nature, nods and follows me out of the school stepping into the empty city, reconstructed from my memories without the faceless hoard of people. A number of cars stand parked in the lot, and I choose one at random before breaking a window and crawling inside. Almost like a scene from a movie, I find a key behind the sun visor and turn it in the ignition. After watching me sit down, Whitey follows suit, taking a seat by my side, closing the door with a bit too much force, causing it to buckle. All the car buff fathers in the world are going to curse you if you keep slamming the doors so hard. You probably just killed the paint job or something. Unsurprisingly, he tries to open the door and do it again, but he cant seem to figure out how its done, so he reacts by piercing it with Needle Point while staring me down. So very mature, I note, throwing the car into gear and pressing down on the gas pedal. The car roars and doesnt move. Under the confused expression, Whitey gives me, I take off the handbrake, and the car finally moves, only for the engine to sputter and die. Is this what you wanted to show me? Look, its not like I had too many opportunities to drive a car. I repeat the process, and the car, throwing and jumping, moves again. We even scratch against another car before we get away from the parking place and onto the main road. There, I shift the gears and add the speed, moving on the totally empty roads. There are no other cars, no buses, nothing. When do we lift off? Whitey asks after a minute. I also check the escape routes Ive prepared, there are three of them for the whole group to evacuate through and two more they dont know about. Each one capable of taking all of us elsewhere. Theres also a powerful [Ley Line] connecting me to each member of the group, straining the skill to the fullest and making it nearly impossible for me to create more lines without causing the others to dissolve. A part of my mind, separated by [Focus], keeps them in check constantly, ready to pull on them and get us all out. Then there is also Tess, who has her own escape routes, and even the twins have something theyve prepared with Min-Jaes help. Sophie is excluded from all of them, even now going through her mind, and trying to find any signs of lingering influence. The Frameworks ignition is set for tomorrow. Whether it will remove the spatial locks is a question for later. Constructing the array to transport us away is another matter entirely. There is also a chance that reinforcements or prison guards will show up once they notice a problem in an effort to relock them, but there should be enough time. At least according to the mind magesat least a week if it worksto escape, giving us enough time to visit the vyssari Champion Tess and others met. The Mind mages even have their own plans to escape the moon after breaking the spatial locks and were currently trying to steal them. But Im almost sure of one thing. The Framework ignition would fail if not for me and Sophie. During the maintenance, Sophie noticed a few things and came up with improvements. And Ive been making some small changes of my own from the safety of my room, unnoticeable, even to the Frameworks owner, who is probably the Archon. That confirms, for the most part, that this was always meant to be one of the ways out for any of the tutorial attendees capable of escaping. I sense Sophies [Ley Line] shift as she nears the tower. However she rarely leaves now and never does so without Tess and Maya, and no one in the city seems to mind when she does. I suppose having a series of high-speed railways terminating directly at the heart of their towers just has that effect on people. I hear a knock on my doors and let them open, allowing Sophie to enter, followed by Aaron and Dennis, whove come to help just as planned. "I swear, this room gets more wrecked by the hour," she says, inspecting the wall I modified. Can you get any more Amberlace? I ask in place of a response I tried. There isnt more of it in the city. This city sucks. Nat, Ive spent nearly all the money I have to get you as much Arcanadium, Amberlace, Voidsteel, Endurium, and Heartwood as possible, and more besides. You were the one who said they owed me, not me. Usually, people are less... shameless about it. Dont you consider your freedom more valuable than... Ive got it already! Ill try to get you more, damn it. Thank you, Sophie. Then I turn to the twins. Did you practice like I told you? And where is Lily? We did, and she should be here soon, Dennis confirms. His brother smiles. It was nice to do something better than you for a change. I let them bask in the glow, and in the meantime, I put Fracture on the densely inscribed table Ive made entirely out of alloys composed of a number of valuable metals. The table alone took me days to fully prepare, but it was fun, and I came up with a few more interesting applications for a few of my skills, which has always been the main goal. That table is worth more than some of the towers around here, Sophie notes. Not in the system shop. I think the system thinks its too specialized, after all, the only thing it does is help manage Fracture and connect it with the Logic Core. Sorry, Im late! Lily cries, rushing in as I open the doors for her. "Lets get started, then." Its time to create and connect the Logic Core for this evil weaponwhich I fully intend to study and refine later with Sophies guidance. Connecting it to Fracture will provide the perfect foundation for my future experiments. My vision for the Logic Core extends far and wide. Chapter 495: Framework ignition We have [Manipulation], we have [Connection], we have all my skills, and we even have Lily to heal us if the pressure gets to be too much and hopefully stop a brain or two from melting. Mine should be fine, but Im not entirely sure about the others. After rehearsing the entire process a few times, we get to it. Sophie, the twins, and I start working on the Logic Core, inscribing the base into the highest quality mana stone we possess. The mana stone is surprisingly small, only as big as my thumbnail, and its color is reminiscent of voidcopper. For the first time, I also sacrifice some of the alloy Nevan left to me back on the 5th floor. As I melt and pummel it with kinetic energy, thin threads of the metal stretch into the air, connecting themselves to Fractures crossguard as I work on preparing the setup. The heat I need to reshape Fracture gets pretty intense, so Lily helps by using [Disintegration] to make some space at the cost of destroying bits of valuable metal I could have reused, but I dont think it can really be helped. Meanwhile, Sophie is preparing a basic structure for the new Logic Core, sketching out an outline for me to inscribe into the stone, though shes not very good at working with such high-quality mana stones. Theres a certain degree of resistance you need to push through, and Im just better suited to the task. The twins wait patiently to play their part in the process to help connect it all, preparing to join their minds for that purpose. My expectations arent high. Even if we do succeed in creating a Logic Core and connecting it to the weapon, itll still be empty, ready for me to work on as Sophie teaches me how. The main objective is to add some new functionality to the swordand it happens. For the first time in a while, nothing goes terribly wrong. I inscribe the mana stone with a design that should allow the Logic Core to integrate with the weapon while leaving enough empty space in the stone for future modifications. Sophie then takes over, primarily working in a supportive role, meticulously addressing any minor imperfections. The entire time, the blade stays in its sheath and I use [Resonance], giving it my all to endure the process and support the twins [Connection]. I can see how taxing it is for them, but I know they can do it. Ive seen the skill and determination they possess and the way they enjoy the challenge. I may have taught them, but the effort was always theirs. It takes us quite a while, but by the time were done, a copper cabochon cut mana stone adorns the center of the cross guard where it comes to a point just above the blade. Contrasted with the blade and its mottled gray hues, and streaks of voidcopper, it looks surprisingly nice, even though the finished result is somewhat ruined by the imperfections I created when I was forging it. That was surprisingly easy, Aaron comments, staring atFracture. Sophie looks at him. What did you expect, an explosion and mortal wounds? Dennis waves at her, and when he gets her attention, he just points at me. Sophie follows that point and looks at me as well, her mouth wordlessly saying, Oh. Ignoring the heretics I ask instead, The Champions bond before felt like it had emotions. Do you think a sufficiently advanced Logic Core could do that? I dont know, Nat, Sophie shakes her head. You said he called his bond she, but I still think his bond was fully artificial, just taken to such an extreme that it might have felt like a living being, without truly being one. If it had true sentience wouldnt that mean the Champion basically created life? Aaron asks, seeming genuinely curious. I shrug as I think about the answer. I would like to know. Did he create inscriptions, like a modified personality construct of his mind? Was his bond just another native of the floor, with a false semblance of emotion? Are the natives truly fake, like an elevated version of a Logic Core? Are they clones of beings that lived long ago with a predetermined expiration date? Lissandra made a personality imprint of her own, and now shes messing with all kinds of things all over the place. If so then maybe creating a living being isnt as extraordinary as it might seem? Aaron wonders. That would be fucked up though, wouldn''t it? his brother asks, shoving him. If thats the case then what stops someone from cloning themselves and leaving a few thousand versions of them wandering around? They would probably be subject to certain limitations or need to build their stats and levels on their ownif they could even connect to the system in the first place, I reply, opening the door to my room as I finish sharing my wisdom, allowing the rest of group 4 waiting outside, to shamelessly jostle their way inside. Maya pokes the table with the ax and shield on it. Tess lifts Biscuit from the chair and sits down, pulling him into her lap. Izzy rushes over to Sophie, and Min-Jae joins the twins, who immediately start showing off as three of them surround Fracture and poke it careful to avoid removing the sheath. Amazed by such shamelessness, I quietly move to the corner of my room. Its the final night before Framework ignition. We spend the remaining time discussing our strategy, though I only half-listen. Once everything is organized, a few leave to get food. Stories are shared, and jokes are exchanged. Knowing the danger looming over us tomorrow, everyone agrees to put their grievances aside for the night. In the morning, Sophie leaves with Maya and Lily. Tess moves to the top of the tower, her eyes tracing their path as if she can track their signatures even through the heavily warded walls, with a large number of javelins surrounding her. Dozens of them trace paths through the room. Another dozen have been weaved from my mana, making them extremely tough and durable. The kind that could probably last a year or two if left untouched. Another dozen javelins have been made from Lilys bones. Knowing that theyve come from the body of a person possessing [Disintegration], high Constitution, and a powerful healing skill, they cannot be underestimated. [Ley Line - lvl 40 > Ley Line - lvl 41] [Ley Line - lvl 41 > Ley Line - lvl 42] [Infusion - lvl 47 > Infusion - lvl 48] [Infusion - lvl 48 > Infusion - lvl 49] [Redistribution - lvl 57 > Redistribution - lvl 58] The immense power of that mind converted into a resource, flows through the Framework Ive taken over, channeled via my Ley Lines and inscriptions, and guided by my will. The experience I gained while working with the twins on Fracture brought to bear as I apply the same techniques to the axe and the shield. Healing marks activate one after another. My arcane passive safeguards my mind, though its primary function is to defend against mental manipulationnot against my own actions. Unfortunately. Still, I hold on for as long as I can, pouring every ounce of effort into directing the power of these minds to aid in forging the items. Finally, when control slips beyond my grasp and I can no longer regain it, the work is complete. Before me lie two finished creations. Ironbreaker (Mid Arcane) -Ironbreaker functions as an impenetrable shield, capturing the kinetic force of each attack within its dense layers, causing the energy to bounce back and forth, amplifying with each reflection. This concentrated energy can then be released in controlled bursts, resulting in powerful shockwaves that may be used to repel even the fiercest assaults. With each impact, Ironbreakers internal structure temporarily reinforces itself, becoming an unyielding barrier capable of withstanding relentless physical attacks without compromise. Mana Reaver (Mid Arcane) - Mana Reaver draws intensely from the wielders mana, honing its edge to an almost unnatural sharpness that cleaves effortlessly through any magical defense. Upon contact, the blade releases a unique disruptive effect that interferes with the mana flow of anything it touches, suppressing skills and breaking through magical barriers. The wielder can channel additional mana into each strike, immensely amplifying the weapons potency and allowing it to cut through even the most formidable magical protections. Three healing marks from Lily activate, mending my body from the strain of crafting the items. I wish I could make more, but as expected, this seems to be my limit, even with all the help Ive been afforded. I immediately send an order through the system. Do you really want to sell the following item for 135,600 shards? Mana Reaver (Mid Arcane) Yes/No Do you really want to sell the following item for 129,900 shards? Ironbreaker (Mid Arcane) Yes/No The offers are each lower than what I could get for Fracture, even in its imperfect state, but for now, its enough. It seems like you will be staying with me for a while longer, I note, speaking to the sword as I confirm the notifications. Then I make another choice. Do you really want to sell the following passive skill for 9,110 shards? Arcane Resilience (Mid Epic) Yes/No The window disappears, and I check my shards. Shards:554,546 Finding myself with more shards than I had expected, I decide on a different passive, one Ive had my eye on for a while. "Buy passive skill Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane)." Chapter 496: Threads of the Devourer chapter 496: threads of the devourer passive skill: mental attunement loop (mid arcane) - the users mind functions in an unending attunement loop, immensely reducing the mental toll of continuous large-scale mana and energy usage, seamlessly sustaining even the most demanding skills and traits. this allows unrestrained mana and energy manipulation over extended periods without fatigue. almost five hundred thousand shards disappear, and the passive appears in my status. the description though simple is perfectly aligned with my ever-growing goals and the increasingly intricate ways i find myself using mana. there were passives that could have offered morefor instance, those designed to help my body better withstand the strain of mana, others that wouldve enhanced my mental capabilitiesbut i chose to pass on them. this passive is straightforward, and its simple description assures me that it will deliver exactly what i need. and the rarity only reinforces its effectiveness. impressively so. the pain immediately hits me, but this time i dont really have the luxury of waiting it out as hell descends outside, the eye maintaining its position high in the sky as threads resembling veins stretch their way down towards the ground, connecting themselves to the bodies of those who died during the frameworks activation. their corpses twitch, bloat, and quickly grow in size until they stand towering over most housesgiants of exposed viscera with bones peeking through their bloated flesh and twisted expressions fixed on their mangled faces as blood drips from them every time they move, burning holes in the ground. and the eye in the sky gradually grows stronger and stronger, despite its weakened state, creating more strands that seek out the ever increasing victims of the giants. they dont have any text over their heads, but the eye does. [bloodroot devourer - lvl ????] this prisoner doesnt seem like the type to hold a conversation. (do we bail?) aaron asks through the link. (sophie, have you gotten ahold of the off-moon teleportation array?) i ask. (beatrice escaped to the palace before we could get to her. she was extremely aware of lily, and she was gone the moment lily attacked.) (i gave it my all.) (i know you did, lily,) sophie sighs and i sense her keeping a constant watch on izzy. (the good news is that i deployed my web over the archons palace, so he shouldn''t be able to teleport away just yet.) our communication continues, question and response firing off at rapid speed in a rapid stream of messages as sophie, maya, and lily make for the palace at high speed. and i take note of their movements, keeping tabs on them through the connections ive established with [ley line]. (so you recommend staying and trying to get there while the eye, which is probably a soon-to-be-full-power champion, hunts us. sounds good.) (dennis, dont talk to me like that. my sisters in just as much danger as you.) (ill hold it off.) after sending my message, silence follows, and im grateful to finally be alone in my room. my hand rises to my lips, and i feel the corners curved upward. my rising heartbeat, confirming its presence. the eye looms above all, towering over the chaos. people lash out at it with a host of powerful attacks, only to have them deflected by the once-human figures the creature has transformed into an army of fleshy golemsthose with wings, fly around the eye as the main line of defense, while the others remain on the ground, creating more corpses. its still weak, far too weak to be called a champion, but its growing stronger by the second, making me curious if it was ever truly crippled or if it still has some hope of fully regaining its title. (nat, do you think you can fight a champion?) aaron asks carefully. and i answer honestly, (no way. a champion would beat the shit out of me in a second, but that thingits not it yet.) and with that, i push the link to the back of my mind, monitoring for urgent messages. use trait strengthening token on mana wavelength iris. forming armor around my body, i pierce through any monsters in my way. when the fleshy tentacles reach for me, i increase the armor''s size so they grab the armor instead of me. though their movements are still incredibly quick. the eye turns to me, looking, observing, its veins forming inscriptions once again. this time, i allow mymana wavelength iristo take over. observing it in the same way, reacting to the movements of its mana. as the monster activates the inscriptions, i add a bit of speed to the rotation of my crownan instability that releases a pulse of disruption, modified to counter the attack meant to vibrate my body and mana into a mist of bloody flesh. my pulse and the monsters attack collide, disrupting each other. and i live. the eye blinks, and the tentacles form into another shape. more of them try to attack the armor around me, attempting to pierce or tear it apart with great force. for my armor to last this long really goes to show just how durable ive made it. but the monster grows stronger at the moment. its movements become quicker, the pressure it radiates increases, and it starts moving its mana at higher and higher speeds. another inscription activates, and i barely manage to counter itas half of my armor evaporates into nothingness. a red and white lightning passes by me, destroying the fleshy tentacles in their way along with the ones that try to stop it, before nearly reaching the eyeonly for a last-second mana barrier to stop it. and what a powerful barrier it is. with my eyes, i can tell right away that i wont be able to break it apart. (tess, theres a box full of sand in my room. just throw it at the monster if it looks like im getting my ass kicked,) i send through the link. finally done, i let the mana in my crown cycle one more time, the resulting wave disrupting the effect preventing me from flying. my armor gets pulled back into me, and the mana seeps back into my crown. the monster, now feeling at least 50 levels stronger than me, moves. its tentacles forming an ever-changing array of inscriptions that hurt my eyesa terrible attack ill have no way of withstanding. at the same moment, an orb forms over the palm of my hand. light blue. dark blue. dark blue with wisps of light blue. dark blue with wisps of light blue and purple. an orb on the brink of destabilization beginning to turn bright white. finally collapsing into another color. an orb made of black mana. so domineering, and yet so calm here in the palm of my hand. with my [focus] and [mana manipulation] at level 60, with my body getting used to the strengthening mana wavelength iris, and with the new passive still being applied, i connect the orb with the crown floating over my head. within a blink, the crown turns an inky black, the movement of the mana within coming to a halt in an instant. the stillness is unsettling, unnaturalyet it doesnt stop there. the crown begins to draw mana from me, pulling from my body and reservoir without hesitation, consuming all with relentless efficiency. the air around me shifts, growing dense with an oppressive weight. the battlefield seems to hold its breath as my crown absorbs an endless stream of mana. building a quiet sort of power, steady and unyielding. this time, i might just be able to make it work. Chapter 497: Clash with the Devourer all sound fades away, replaced with a silence unlike anything i''ve ever experienced. i can''t hear my heartbeat. i can''t hear my breathing. nothing. colors fade to black and white, save the vibrant blue of mana. in that world, the crown above my head appears darker than even the deepest shades of black around it. my domain, enhanced by the additional effects of my pride subclass, envelops me and the crown as i focus with absolute intensity. the crown absorbs all my mana, and i allow it to do sobut in return, i bend it to my will. every ounce of effort and experience poured into making that happen. im far stronger than i was before, and for that brief moment, the crown permits it. because its my mana. its part of my skill. the crown ?s effect expands even more, and the ambient mana gets drawn in from the air around me, the crown hungrily sucking it in like a whirlpool eager to devour everything. the shield around the eye dissolves into a cloud of mana particles, as even it gets siphoned away. the eyes inscriptions fail to materialize as the crown begins drawing in all the mana the monster can produce. the sheer volume of mana is staggering, increasing as the monster steadily regains its original strength, and yet the black crown above my head continues to absorb it effortlessly. no skill powered by mana is able to manifest within its reach. the eye starts falling down, unable to keep itself in the air, and as it passes by me, multiple javelins trailed by lightning pierce through the eye, only for it to regenerate. its fleshy veins drawing in materials from the flesh golems to close the wounds with the sizzling pop of rapidly molded tissue. every golem still on the ground quickly grows a new set of wings and heads right for me. numbering in the hundreds in a matter of seconds, each the size of a multi-story building. breathe in. breathe out. wait a bit longer, let your new trait enhancement and passive apply just a tiny bit more, just a little bit. good. i reach out to my crown, drawing on the overwhelming power within to fuel my skill. a single pulse of [resonance] radiates outward, crackling with the immense mana drawn in by the crown. the pulse surges through the area like an unstoppable tide. in an instant, the hundreds of flesh golems closing in on me are obliterated, shredded into countless fragments, immediately reduced to nothing more than grains of sand scattering on the wind. the pulse continues on, slamming into the giant eye. the attack digs into its body, tearing it apart, layer by layer, with a ravenous hunger. half of the eye is obliterated under the relentless onslaught. then the backlash strikes, hitting me hardthe aftereffects of my skill, the damage from my crown, the application of my new trait, and the passive all take their toll at once. for a moment, i falter, dropping slightly before regaining control of my kinetic energy and lifting myself back into the air. three javelins of black mana take shape above me, hurtling toward the damaged eye and piercing deep into it. blood pours down in torrents like waterfalls, glimmering as it cascades through the sky. yet, even as it suffers, the remaining fragment of the beasts pupil fixes its gaze on me, emanating an inhuman, emotionless intelligence. all of the creatures remaining veins burst into motion, forming even more intricate inscriptions. just looking at it makes me want to vomit, and my eyes become hazy as the edges of the inscription blurs. even without mana, the veins form another inscription and it activates. no, it would seem that even the tiniest fraction of mana the monster generatesjust managing to escape before my crown can absorb itturns out to be enough to activate them. the monster calmly works to bypass the threat presented by my crown, as if it were nothing more than another obstacle to be outmaneuvered. the effects of the inscription are directed at the monster itself and the entire eye begins to blur, the javelins lodged in its flesh falling to the ground as the monster fades becoming transparent and immaterial. another pulse of [resonance] passes through the monster as if it werent even there. the same goes for any other attacks i fire off in quick succession, each fueled by that powerful mana guided by my bodys capacity to channel vast quantities of energy. the eye activates another series of inscriptions, its wounds sizzling and sealing until it is fully healed. its mana surges, growing stronger with each passing moment, inching ever closer to its original powera level where i wont stand a chance. but the same goes for me. my mana wavelength iris pierces through the veil and sees the place where the monster shifted itself. the crown fights my control but i use its mana, and i resonate with it, adapting the frequency to the space the monster has sequestered itself. the crown then starts absorbing the eye''s mana. the eye fixes its gaze on our position, preparing another attack. simultaneously, it forms barriers around the orb, even as its being relentlessly worn away by the white sand. "oh, you dont," lily whispers. gray mana seeps out around her arms, as she grabs the vein piercing her with a short scream. immediately, that gray mana disintegrates the vein at terrifying speed, devouring it like a fuse, tracing a path toward the source of the attack. for a split second, the monster seems willing to let the gray mana reach it. but in the end decides against it, moving its other tentacles to tear it off. i touch lily''s shoulder, replacing the [ley line] connection her attack removed, and teleport our entire group before another attack can reach us. even so, in mid-teleport, something crashes into us. doing so in a way i haven''t felt before. it''s not physical, and most of all it reminds me of when the thylarin brothers back messed with my anchor back on deathtrap. then it''s followed up by a second force that fights against it. the [ley line] i''m pulling us through threatens to snap, and within that short moment, i once again force my battered body and mind into overdrive, relying on my strengthened trait to pick up the slack, just to hold everything together. even now, i have no idea what such a terribly messed-up teleport could do. at last, we break free, but instead of appearing near hollowgate, we arrive in an unfamiliar place, scattered across the ground. some of us are missing limbs, others are simply injured, and a few are even unconscious. all my items, all the items they looted, our weapons have been scattered across the area in much the same way. with a groan, i remove the damaged [ley line] that brought us here and form a small orb of black mana to remove any residue that could help them track us. when it''s done, i force myself to my feet and stagger over to lily, who lies on the ground, breathing heavily. the wound on her chest is covered by the red flesh of the monster as it tries to devour and turn her into another fleshy golem or something worse. her gray mana keeps firing up around her heart to defend it and keep the infected flesh from reaching her brain, but lily seems to have trouble focusing on removing it thanks to some side effect of the invading flesh. it spreads through her body, disrupting her mana, damaging her marks, and attempting to change her, to take control. lily meets my eyes and clenches her teeth, giving me a signal. kinetic energy collects in my body as i transfer what little mana i have left and let it generate a bit more. it comes forth in bursts, directed at lily, concentrated as much as i can manage, turning the flesh surrounding her chest wound into a fleshy crater, evaporating the majority of the monsters red flesh. lily doesn''t even groan in pain; instead, her eyes look scary as they remain wide open, observing my actions. [disintegration], now easier for her to use, activates, obliterating her own body. it takes her right arm, the right side of her chest near her heart, and even a part of her waist and neck, aiming at removing the remains of the red flesh. when she looks at me i shake my head and point higher at her neck. she repeats it, her eyes slowly glazing over as her broken body bleeds from open wounds. i shake my head again and point at her belly. another part of her disappears. bloody foam forms around her mouth. she doesn''t breathe anymore. she can''t, with most of her lungs and chest missing. i get to my knees and move closer to her, and slap her across the face, forcing her dwindling attention back to me. for a moment she closes her eyes. quickly i grab her head and shake it. lily opens her eyes, a bit confused but after seeing me she smiles and tries to say something. the kinetic energy ive been collecting since the last attack bursts forth with an accuracy i didn''t even know i was capable of. it obliterates the tiny remains of red flesh in multiple spots, hurting lily further and making her body twitch as each strike makes contact. "heal." i don''t even recognize my voice as i speak, simply repeating the word, "heal." lily takes a moment, as if she were having trouble hearing me or as if she couldnt quite understand my words. only after a while does she nod slowly, and both of her legs below her knees disappear with a quick use of [sacrifice]. her neck, her chest, her arms, and blood, begin to regenerate at incredible speed. then she takes a deep breath. Chapter 498: Metal Cathedral i sit in deep thought, watching as lily goes from person to person, healing any serious injuries while letting our natural regeneration deal with the rest. everyone is battered, and the snapping of my ley line has dropped us somewhere unfamiliar. tess says she might have an idea where we are and she''s confirming her suspicions with maya and min-jae, neither of whom has much mana left over from our fight in the city. the same goes for everyone else, whether they were caught in the fighting amongst the mind mages after the framework ignition or dealing with the fleshy golems afterward. my eyes continue to follow lily, and i think back over everything again. i replay the fight and all the mistakes i made. how i let my excitement and desire for the experience of fighting a powerful being take over. even to the point that i failed to go all out right from the start when the newly freed champion was closer to my current level of strength. i didn''t even use fracture and make no mistake, that was a very intentional decision. could i have killed it then, if i had gone all out from the start? it''s possible. but it''s also more possible the eye had more cards hidden up its sleeve, much like i do, and perhaps it still could have endured long enough to regain its full power. the problem here is that i didn''t even stop to think about it and that nearly cost lily her life. i lean back and let out an annoyed groan. then i jump back to my feet and rejoin the group. all of our items have already been collected in a big pile: my golden chains, a selection of stolen weapons and materials, even some equipment the others managed to loot during the fights. plenty of them have already sold their spoils, though they seem to have left the most interesting ones, either for study or use. izzy looks to me first, with biscuit cradled in her arms. i feel her touch and used to not hiding it from her, i let her for a moment feel my current emotions. that makes her smile and she taps the ground next to her, inviting me to sit. i oblige, joining everyone else as they take their own seats, forming a circle, this time its izzy''s blue flames gathered in a sphere, cracking and providing a steady stream of warmth. "i think were just a few days off from the containment cell holding the primordial lightning vyssari," tess starts with that. after a moment of silence, it''s sophie who finally breaks down and says what we all are thinking, "that is too lucky, isn''t it? it''s exactly where we wanted to go. nat''s [ley line] didn''t even go in that direction, quite the opposite in fact." "i can''t deny that," tess confirms. "but what should we do? do we really think that thing meant to send us here when it disrupted nat''s skill? could it really all be luck?" "maybe it was affected by the array around that floating island that holds the vyssari champion and it acted like a magnet and pulled us towards it?" "i think it was the vyssari champion who caused us to come out here." i say, following sophies line of logic and all eyes turn to me and i continue, "the bloodroot devourer, the eye thing, was trying to tear us apart when it interfered with my teleportation. certainly something much worse than what ended up happening. there was a second force trying to help me. i think that while i did manage to keep us from dying, that second force helped bring us here. i don''t know how capable that vyssari is, but every champion seems to have some sort of influence on the world outside of their cells." "well, whatever it is, wed better decide fast, shouldnt we?" aaron says, seizing our attention. "if that thing becomes a full champion, itll be powerful enough to destroy the whole continent. hell, that tristan guy back on the 2nd floor destroyed life on an entire world." "any idea how long it might take that thing to regain its full power?" tess asks. i think about it for a moment before saying. "this is a rough estimate and i dont have much experience to back it up, but if things continue as they are now, it should reach somewhere around the rank of champion within a few hours. if it slows at some point, then maybe a few days. assuming it even can regain its powers and it wasnt crippled like the other champions." "got it, even thats better than nothing," tess nods. "sophie, did you get everything you wanted?" "beatrice and archon escaped in the end, but we got one of her vassals and i got as much as i could from his mind. the array is fairly basic, but most importantly, i managed to obtain coordinates to the planet we are orbiting. with the spatial locks removed, all we need to worry about is building it up and powering it." (sophie. if you are looking for a fight, just say it to me directly.) (i understand how you feel, you know. ive got my own unfinished business with namior. he completely outplayed me, and then you went and killed himstealing any chance i had at revenge.) (i see.) (yeah. it sucks ass.) i confirm, (it does in fact, suck ass.) the containment cell holding the vyssari champion floats over the mountain range. well, at least what remains of the mountain range. a near-constant barrage of red and white lightning tears through the air around it, many of the bolts continuously striking the mountains and tearing chunks free. some of the tallest mountains have been stripped of half of their mass, the lightning tending to cause landslides, though even now each of these mountains is tall enough to tower over anything we have on earth. and there, amid the jagged remains of mountains, floats an island. its base forms a perfect half-sphere, with a single cathedral-like structure resting at the top in a towering crown of spires. the entire building appears to be made of metal, and the lightning seems to be emanating from it rather than striking it. i try to throw ley lines towards it but fail to reach the island. the moment they cross a specific point, a barrage of lightning targets my invisible ley lines and destroys them. i always knew they could be destroyed by someone with the right level of skill. there is a reason why skills need to be mastered and leveled, and [ley line] is no exception. but for them to be destroyed by some automatic defensive measure... strikes me as particularly messed up. so we fly there. everyone capable of flight stopping to help those who cant, while we squeeze in as close as possible. tess flies a ways ahead, her crown glowing brighter and brighter as her own white and red primordial lightning crackles through the air around her. any lightning that would otherwise strike our group finds itself directed at her instead, occasionally injuring her in the process, when it doesnt fly directly at her crown. as we pick up speed, the lightning grows denser, yet tess, despite enduring dozens of strikes, guides us safely through. only once weve reached the island does she allow lily to heal her, explaining that healing anyone along the way wouldve disrupted some kind of ritual of passage. from here, the metal cathedral looks even bigger especially as we walk through its big open doors. there are no cells for us to search through, no holes, no circle of containment, and no massive chains to hold the vyssari champion in place. instead, after walking a scant ten minutes we find her in one of the towers. in a room spanning the full width of the tower. the only bits of furniture in the massive room are a simple bed, a wooden chair, a table set, and a dresser stand near one of the large glassless windows. the rest of the room is taken up by books. thousands of them piled everywhere we look. "if you damage any of my books, i will beat your ass." the vyssari champion says, sitting in the second chair on the small balcony connected to the room. looking out, we see a view of the destroyed mountain range and the constant barrage of lightning responsible. that vyssari woman is just as short as the other members of her race and her scaly legs have a gray metallic shine to them. her hair is blonde and her eyes are gray. though the most eye-catching detail is the slim metal choker around her neck, seemingly formed of the same material as the cathedral itself. other than that, i make note of the ring on her finger, which looks like its made out of pure lightning, constantly moving and swirling. she lifts her eyes from the book in her lap and looks right at our group members, "tess, i thought i told you to leave me the fuck alone." Chapter 499: Vyssari Champion "i''m sorry!" "sorry won''t cut it, tess." "i can clean your room if you like." "fuck off. if you so much as move a single book, i''ll burn your ass so badly no healer will be able to fix it for the rest of your life. and why the fuck did you bring so many people here?" "youre using the word ''fuck'' too often. reduce it a bit, please." "fuck off, tess." "i''m sorry!" the short vyssari jumps to her feet, carefully putting the book down before moving between stacks of books taller than she is before coming to a stop in front of me. i return her gaze as she stares at me. "fucking hell, man, what kind of fossil left that mark on you? that shit was old school millennia before i was born." "would you say that to her face?" "hell no." she says, smiling brightly with a wave of her hand. "but still answer my question before i kill you." the aura around her shifts, her expression growing serious. "anger wells up inside me, but i shove it aside. ''sure. i met her in one of the worlds we visited before coming here. later, we crossed paths again, and she named me a champion candidate after i passed her tests. as you can probably sense, read, or whatever it is you''re doing, she isor wasan absolute. its... a bit complicated.''" "see, it''s not that difficult. you guys came to my house, perhaps even to ask a favor. so tell me, is it wrong for me to expect to have my questions answered without having one asked back?" "when you say it like that, it sounds very reasonable." "i know, right?" she says, pacing in front of us before coming to a stop in front of sophie. "if you hadn''t come here with tess, you wouldve been dead already." before sophie can respond, the vyssari comes to another halt in front of izzy, who stands just slightly shorter. izzys cradling biscuit in her arms, with noodle, coiled around her arm, as always. the vyssari looks from izzy to noodle, and then to biscuit, whom she observes a bit longer. then back to me from him shaking her head as she does. without a word, she moves over to the twins. she gestures for them to lower themselves and pokes at their cheeks, pulling them while observing their faces. "handsome," she notes, touching their blond hair and looking into their blue eyes. i notice right away dennis opening his mouth to spew out some stupid joke, but he stops himself at the last second, remembering exactly who we''re dealing with here. but the vyssari champion notices and turns to him. "tell me what you wanted to say. if you lie, i will beat you." dennis looks over at tess, who smiles gently and nods. he turns to the vyssari. "declare me a champion candidate if you think i''m so handsome. ill even flash you my best smilefree of charge." oh my. the moment the words leave his lips i get ready to fight, and i notice the other members of our group do the same. the vyssari blinks a few times, staring at dennis before a laugh slips out. a light, cheerful sound, and as it fades, she shakes her head in disbelief. then a sudden crackle of lightning flares behind dennis, zapping him square in the ass and drawing a startled squeak from his lips, more an expression of surprise than pain. without a word, the vyssari moves along, coming to a stop in front of lily, her eyes tracing a path from the huge bone axe to lily''s face. her expression takes on a more serious bent than before, "tess, where did you find this one?" "shes my friend." "your group surely has more than its share of monsters," the vyssari says, shaking her head but not taking her eyes off lily. "i declare you a champion candidate." she says simply, as she turns around and heads back to her chair with a book in hand. glancing at tess, she asks, "happy?" "thank you very much!" lily looks around a bit confused, but i can see her reading a message invisible to us, and her title is something i can feel now. this is just a floor quest though, so i think all we need to do is activate it to fulfill the requirements and open the entrance to the 7th floor. but outside of the tutorial, it would probably be more difficult. i mean, how can you guarantee the coordinates won''t teleport you to some empty spot in space? i think it should be possible to gain some information from the coordinates themselves to make sure that doesn''t happen. sophie also theorizes it should be possible to perform something like a "connection check" before deploying the activation sequence. the problem is neither of us knows how. this sort of thing seems to be ridiculously advanced, and were still at the level where we can just barely remember the text without fully understanding it. the main thing i noticed, after going through it all, is that the system seems to have simplified things for the purpose of our escape if only to make it possible at our current level of ability and mana control. situations like this have come about before, and since it''s a tutorial, theres bound to be some logic to it. during that time, the blood-red domainor whatever it isexpands even further, filling the entire horizon and stretching far into the distance. tess says she can even see some of the fleshy veins stretching across parts of the sky, shaping a number of enormous inscriptions. and i can confirm it won''t be anything good. my eyes and senses can easily detect the amount of mana collecting in the distancethe bloodroot devourer is likely approaching its power as champion. the vyssari champion continues to sit in her wooden chair, occasionally glancing toward that blood-red patch of sky. but the spread seems to stop and doesnt seem to be trying to stretch its way any closer to the floating island within the storms, so she doesn''t seem to care. she merely continues to give her lessons to tess and read her books, content to be left alone. but that all changes when we go to visit the vyssari for the first time in two days. the inscriptions far in the sky activate with a single powerful pulse of mana, and its effects wash over the surface of the astral prison. it reaches us in an instant, and our mana briefly goes out of control, destabilized as the wave continues to spread at incredible speed. a sudden thud echoes as the book slips from the vyssari champions hands, falling to the floor. the lightning surrounding the floating island is gonethe very same weak residual lightning she was allowing the prison to siphon off to defend the area. without the constant barrage of thunder, the silence is eerie, as the sound of crackling lightning begins to emanate from the vyssari instead and her hair stands on end, caught in the static. there is extreme rage in her eyes as she stares in the direction of the blood-red sky. "how dare you." the words themselves are calm, unlike her expression, almost unbelieving. the metal choker around her neck pops open with a sharp click and falls to the ground, its effects nullified by the eyes assault, only to be torn apart by the lightning surging around her. "how dare you," she repeats, her voice taking on a dangerous edge. she leaps from her chair, the ring on her finger sparkling wildly, lightning crackling through her hair and flashing in her eyes. her words carry a weight that seems to travel for miles. they arent loud, but they hold an edge of authority laced with a dangerous undertone. and something answersa pulse of mana rippling from within the blood-red sky. "as you wish then," she says solemnly, her voice steady as the air around her thickens with an almost tangible tension. the mood shifts sharply, like a storm gathering strength. she steps forward, her presence commanding, "i call upon the ancient right. by my will and by my strength, i stand against this insult. let power itself decide our fate." her words reverberate, carrying a weight that seems to press down on all who hear them. the sky darkens and in that moment of silence she says, "i challenge you." i''m certain these words can be heard across the entire surface of the moon. they are not loud, they do not cause pain, and they are not meant for us. yet, they reverberate through the air, inviting us to witness this champion''s challenge. there is no wager, there are no rules. just a challenge between equals. and the bloodroot devourer rejects that challenge. "coward," the vyssari declares and lifts her arm toward the sky. a single lightning strike crashes down, blinding us all and seemingly tearing through the air rather than simply passing through it. it strikes her arm with the ring on it and lingers there, like the purest form of lightning suspended in time, stretching to the length of a spear. (we are leaving! nat, right away!) something in tess''s voice makes me listen, and even though i continue to stare at the champion in front of me, as i throw a [ley line] as far away as i can. with the prison''s locks in shambles from the eyes escape, it''s simple. the vyssari takes a step, pulling her leg back and preparing to throw the thing cradled in the crook of her arm. white and red lightning cracks around it, shattering the air itself in its wake. i teleport all of us as far away as i can. immediately using my mana to form a barrier around us. sophie strengthens it, the twins cooperate in an attempt to shore up the gaps, while tess and min-jae create shields of their own. maya creates and boosts her own barrier. lily''s healing skill floods the air, and she cuts off one of her arms, forming the bone within into a hemisphere, enclosing us inside as her blood drips down on us. even here, i can sense the crazy reverberations, as our barriers break one after another under sheer pressure until nothing remains. our view opens up again. the once dusty sky is clear now that the miles of dust that once blocked it have been blown away. a single star shines through the holeharsh, cold, and strange. its light is a pale white streaked with faint crimson. the glow cuts through the cleared sky like a blade, casting sharp shadows across the broken ground. the floating island is gone in its entirety, and where it once stood, a small figure floatsthe blonde vyssari with lightning flowing through her hair and crackling around her ring. her small figure is bathed in the stars light as she hovers in place. there is a trail of lightning hanging in the air, stretching on for miles in the direction of the blood-red patch of sky. the mountains that once seemed to graze the sky have largely evaporated, only to be replaced with a great yawning crater.no?v(el)b\\jnn Chapter 500: 7th Floor i blink, and the champion is gone. reappearing to stand next to us, and all that remains of our defenses crumbles. she looks to the sky, as the dust begins to fill it once more, cutting off the light of the sun. the vyssari stops and looks at tess for a moment flashing her one last smile. "good luck to you and your party, tess." with those simple words, she disappears again, moving at speeds too great for the eye to follow, leaving a trail of lightning in the air as the only sign of her passage. just a few seconds later, lightning streaks across the blood-red sky, visible even from this distance, signaling the fight''s renewal. hundredsthousandsof bolts crash down in rapid succession, and it takes several seconds before we hear the first thunderclap, a stark reminder of the distance between us and the battle taking place. then we begin to feel tremors tooa constant barrage of vibrations from the shockwaves generated by the distant fight. the air grows noticeably colder, and a blizzard appears on the horizon approaching from the opposite side of the champions lightning storm, stretching nearly through its entirety. "did that eye just free the remaining prisoners? the lightning vyssari and whatever it was in the north behind the permafrost?" min-jae asks, unable to take his eyes off the clash far in the distance. "it seems like it. nat, sophie, we might need to hurry, like really really hurry. i don''t think were quite far enough away to survive as they increase the output and that last prisoner might actually be worse than the two of them combined," tess says, finally managing to pull her eyes away from the blizzard. "i should be done," i reply and immediately start laying out the parts of the array. "you two, help." dennis and aaron quickly rush to join me, just as we practiced, their skills momentarily coming together to connect the parts. sophie, meanwhile, stands there with her eyes closed and brow furrowed, i can only imagine the amount of work shes having to do in her mind. tess, taking note of the situation, leaves her alone. izzy''s flames surround us, blue and warm, warding off the increasing cold thats already coating every exposed surface in a layer of frost and causing snowflakes to fall gently from the sky. izzy ?s blue flames press in close against us without burning, providing us with a gentle source of warmth. noodle expands in size, growing as thick as a tree and coiling in a circle around us with his mouth open as he devours the mana radiation gradually encroaching upon our space. the others chip in as well, doing their best to set up defenses while the fight in the distance gets worse and worse. the sky grows a darker shade of red until it feels almost tangible. high in the sky, fleshy veins grow within, resembling both vegetation and inscriptions. just the fact that we can see them from so far away tells us something about their size. just how big might they be? miles upon miles tall and wide. they form into the shapes of inscriptions, generating fields, attacks, and defenses that crash against that small figure that flew there specifically to fight the one who freed her. within the blood-red sky, red and white lightning crackles relentlessly, unleashing attacks that obliterate the eye''s creations. these strikes form colossal lightning weapons, each as big as a mountain. explosions ripple through the air, scattering the dust and tearing through the red domain of the sky, allowing shafts of light to break through. and approaching from the other side is a blizzard making its way ever closer, an unknown presence within. and the closer it moves, the more sluggish my mana feels, as if the cold were slowly freezing it. once i finish setting up the array, i move over to help sophie. the twins connect us together, allowing us to combine our efforts, and we push ourselves to make everything work. and all the while, the moon, the astral prison around us, starts breaking apart, as a little part of me watches it all happen. the anger that has been simmering within me resurfaces. the realization that there is nothing i can do here at this moment. there may only be a 200-level difference between me and the champions, but that gap is still immense. i don''t try to push this anger away; instead, i let myself feel it. i let it flow through my body and make sure to remember everything i feel right now. my weakness and powerlessness. then sophie activates the array, finally pushing through with all her might before collapsing in concert with the twins, as the others rush in to catch them before they can hit the ground. and i feel much the same as my entire reservoir of mana is channeled through my body to be sucked away by the array, but i endure. it''s something i have to do. one by one, everyone in group four passes through the array. i take a step forward and pause for a moment, turning to look back, engraving the scene behind me deep into my memory. and only then do i cross through, and watch as the view shifts and the systems notifications appear before me. congratulations! you''ve successfully completed the 6th floor''s main quest in the fifth round of the tutorial for hell difficulty. welcome to the 7th floor: battlefield. you have acquired: active skill combination token epic-grade passive skill 5000 shards communication with your disciple for 10 minutes send a single item to your disciple (up to rare rarity) increased daily community limit so battlefield it is. wandering around the outpost, we collect a bit of information and let our bodies and mana recover. my crown is already over my head, ready to store any mana that won''t fit into my body or reservoir. the planet we find ourselves on this time is comfortably warm without being hot, almost like the last warm days of summer accompanied by a nice breeze. looking at the sky, i see a few islands floating far in the distance, and i can sense something that reminds me of the veil surrounding us. it''s not as powerful as the one we encountered on the 5th floor, rather its much more basic. there are a lot of triggers, so i don''t bother connecting to it nor do i examine it too deeply. tess, meanwhile, manages to use some of the materials we have to pay for the rent on a small house near the edge of the outpost, near the wooden wall. the house is just big enough for all of us, forcing each of us to share a room with at least one other person. we spend a few days without trying anything. taking our time to train and heal, while collecting information, the beyond expedition is coming up in just a few days. me, tess, sophie, and lily should all be able to go. however, that means leaving maya, the twins, izzy, noodle, biscuit, and min-jae behind. so we do our best to make a somewhat safe base for the ones being forced to stay behind. its during one of these days that a message appears in the beyond community. hadwin -little pup, what floor are you on? pov earth "did you see? some guy came out of nowhere and broke all the records like it was nothing." "oh, you mean that italian with all those viral posts?" "yeah! he looks like he barely weighs 70 kilos and he managed to deadlift a full tonne then went for reps. the bar was bending! then he ran 100 meters in five seconds, benched half a tonne, and..." "my man, everyone knows it''s all fake, don''t let..." pov earth "yesterday, a video went viral, originating from africa. a new type of ant has been discoveredand each one is about the size of a cat." "do you think its connected to the phenomenon?" "yes, sir. there have been reports of a returnee group in africa, theyre likely responsible for or accelerating these changes. were doing our best to keep it out of the public eye, but additional groups have been reported in europe and china. possibly even in russia and north america. were working on confirmation." "whats the classification?" "still easy-tier, sir. estimates suggest all current groups will remain in this category. however, based on the information being shared by the current batch of returnees, we expect individuals from the normal-tier to emerge within the year." "have you reviewed yesterdays reports and recommendations?" "yes, sir." "thoughts? be honest." "permission to speak freely, sir?" "granted." "honestly, sir, i dont like it. but i understand the logic behind it." "good. youll be joining that unit as my intermediary." "i... as you command, sir." "speak your mind." "i agree that involving the families of suspected returnees is a logical next step. however, im concerned, sir. if individuals from hell-tier difficulty finish their tutorial at grade 5 on our temporary scale, even a simple conversation with their families could provoke a dangerous reaction. this is true regardless of whether the interaction is intended to bribe their family goodwill. let me ask you this instead: what happens if were left with no information or means to negotiate?" the room falls into a heavy silence. "no response? then carry out the orders." "yes, sir!" Chapter 501: So devoid of passion and genuine effort pov myrra did it work, lady lissandra? i ask after a minute. the silver-haired young woman in front of me looks away from an empty space in the air and nods, it works as expected. i should soon be able to do the same for you. because we still have work to do on your status, well be getting our own instance and waiting to synchronize with little pup once weve gotten you fully instated. sorry for the trouble and thank you very much. she waves it off and gestures for me to follow, and i comply, having grown accustomed to her eccentricities. as we walk, i look her over once more. shes shorter than me, with silver hair, and a pretty, if stern face, but most of all, theres this aura of confidence around heras if nothing can stand in her way. a fact ive seen bourn out time and time again. when we visited a ruined continent to recover the remains of an absolute''s heart. when she combined said remains with the heart of the champion. when she spent months working on her new heart and then tore open her own chest to implant it. when she then pierced it through with that orange eyed bone dagger to reignite it. the first beat of that heart was nearly powerful enough to render me unconscious before she took control. and it only took a second for her to do so. now im having trouble imagining just how powerful she might be, despite her insistence that shes still far from attaining her original power and will need years to recover and adapt to her new body and heart. she calls her body unsatisfactory, she says her heart is weak, and shes always complaining about her skills being rusty. the knowledge and skills shes honed over the millennia now feel too vast for the fragile frame she currently inhabits. but even after completing her new heart, shes still holding on to that black dagger on her belt as we walk on the surface of this new planet. and she is satisfied its a new instance and not a continuation of the one nathaniel previously visited. the sky in this place is covered in clouds of dust which settle overnight to reveal a stunning view of a brilliant night sky. and now we stopa desert full of white sand in front of us. are you sure, lady lissandra? that man in the last rest said the desert was made by an absolute a long time ago. little kitten. i''m sorry! with that, she takes a step through that invisible border and steps onto the white sand, which doesn''t react to her at all. it doesn''t so much as twitch even as her new heart continues to generate that incredible mana. ive seen what happens to the people thrown into the desert by the competing groups that rule this place; ive seen what it can do and how it reacts even to the slightest bit of mana. i watched as a swarm of brilliant white particles tore them apart. lady lissandra stands silently, bending down to scoop up a handful of sand, and letting it slip through her fingers. ive suspected this for some time now, but it seems like modern absolutes and champions arent what they once were. all these trinkets, arrays, and emblems... leaning so heavily on the system''s gifts without ever truly understanding them. the last grains of sand fall to the ground as she turns to me, her silver hair flowing in the gentle breeze, it all feels so detached, so devoid of passion and genuine effort. the words come softly, yet they have a strange sort of weight to them. little kitten. yes! follow close behind me. without another moments pause, she takes a step forward, heading deeper into the desert. i follow close behind, stepping onto the white sand without a hint of hesitation or worry. as expected, the sand doesnt react to me or my mana, and i continue along her path. pov nathaniel please pick two skills from the following list to combine. warning! combining these skills will reduce the level of the acquired skill. warning! combining incompatible skills may result in worse skills. warning! after combining these skills, it will be extremely difficult to reacquire the skills used in the resulting combination. list of skills available for combination: perception - lvl 54 resonance - lvl 60 mana domain (pride) - lvl 57 infusion - lvl 49 mana manipulation - lvl 60 bone knitting - lvl 24 okay, i have an opportunity to repeat what ive come to think of as a pro gamer move and a big fuck you to the system. i can combine [mana manipulation] with another skill and regain it later. the question is if i want to with the primary class upgrade looming so close. i know that primary class offers active skills as well, and it seems to be the only way to gain active skills other than learning them, evolving skills, or combining skills. tacita -( ? ?? ?) in the real world, i turn towards lily, whos sitting nearby in the same style of chair as me, examining a set of healing marks shes placed on a range of different materials to see what happens. lily, beyond community. she looks quickly up at me and then stares into the empty space in front of her, reading the messages. grumpy -(? ? 3 ?)? tacita -\(_o)/ tacita -c= c= c= c= c=(;??) noname -gareth, how is your group? gareth -we are still on the 6th floor, but we have a plan. its probably going to take anywhere from a few weeks to a month or two if everything works out. were proceeding slowly and safely. what about you guys? noname -you know it, every floor is easier at the start. gareth -i can only agree with that. a few days ago i tried asking savant where he is, but he didn''t answer, and getting that kind of information from tacita is... tacita - c( ` ?*) gareth -i apologize! anyway, as i told sset, i should be there at the scheduled time, noname. see you then! with that, i close the community and check the numbers. easy difficulty 1159/2000 normal difficulty 842/1000 hard difficulty 223/500 hell difficulty 36/250 beyond 9/10 easy difficulty has lost about 200 people since the last time i checked. adjusted for the ones who already used their difficulty change token, which is surprising, given that people dont tend to die as much nowadays. people in hard difficulty seem to be theorizing that some of them may have already cleared the tutorial and gotten out, but it''s hard to confirm. even now we can only communicate with people from other difficulties only when theyre on the same floor as us. that''s why i haven''t seen channeler for a while along with some of the others. beyond is the only exception to that. it''s an interesting thought, leaving the tutorial after clearing the 13th floor, and i''m curious to find out if i''m still the only one who knows the exact number of floors. so far estimates have ranged from 10 to 20, to 50, even a hundred floors in some cases, and it''s hard not to feel a bit smug about that. as for the other difficulties, normal is only missing around 20 people who likely died, hard lost 20 or so as well, and hell lost three. i even think some of that may account for casualties in gareth''s and brainiac''s group, but i haven''t asked. two days remain until the beyond expedition, and preparations are in full swing. setting up a safe house. collecting information about the new floor. healing marks, items, mana batteries, charging our crowns, sacrifices for lily in the form of my severed left arms stacked in her armory. my training with whitey and my decision not to hold off beating him before i proceed to level 300. if the situation allows, i will reach level 300 within beyond and continue down the path of mana. ive been thinking about it, and i think my pride may have gotten the better of me, making me want to defeat him with kinetic energy alone and at a lower level than him. that in and of itself may as well have been a slap to the face, almost like i was looking down on hima man in as much awe of kinetic energy as i am when it comes to mana. i can confirm that just from seeing his memories and the way he fights. ive been too greedy, but it''s not all bad, i have learned a lot in the process and will continue to do so. but my path is the pursuit of mana and always will be. everything else is supplementary. once again, i look over the options. [resonance] and [mana domain] [mana domain] and [infusion] [resonance] and [infusion] i think ill keep [mana domain] as it is, focused solely on mana. i like using it on my body alone, almost as if im declaring it my personal domain of mana, making it even harder for someone to disrupt my bodys flow of mana. that leaves me with one option. congratulations, you have successfully combined [resonance] and [infusion]! a new skill has been created. you have acquired [eclipse]. [eclipse - lvl 0 > eclipse - lvl 8] Chapter 502: Again into the Beyond chapter 502: again into the beyond with the acquisition of the new skill, my preparations for the primary class upgrade are complete. i have acquired as many powerful passives as i can, i have strengthened my traits, and i have plenty of powerful skills, all at high levelsnot to mention the body modifications lily and i have been making. then there are all the feats ive accomplished that should factor in, like killingwith a significant amount of helpa champion. this upgrade better be good. as always, the system offers no description for the active skill, so i conduct my tests, checking whether the effects of previous skills are missing or have changed. hey, maya, create some weapons with [armament] for me. she gives me a confused look and creates a dagger, and at my signal, she throws it at me. my skill activates and my eyes do as well, scanning for the information i need. i use [eclipse] and take over as i would with [resonance]. the effect is mostly the same, and yet somehow it feels different. instead of altering and modifying my mana to connect with it, it feels as though ive simply taken control. theres a stronger sense of ownership. looking at the dagger now, it doesn''t seem all that impressive or useful to take it over. javelins? i ask. with a sigh, she uses her skill again and starts forming weapons, which take their places floating over her shoulders. using the new skill, i connect to them, resonate with them, and take over, while maya finds herself cut off. i stare at that. once again, not very useful. barrier? nat, i fucking swear if... please. damn it, she curses but brings a spherical barrier into being around her body. my skill activates again, and i push my hand through her barrier with ease, adapting to its frequency. i keep trying to grasp that feeling. the best way to describe it is that my control seems to overshadow hers as i infuse myself into the skill, resonating deeply with its inner workings. i still have a sense that i could disrupt her control over mana just like i did before. even at this low level, it feels almost strong enough to rival the previous version. however, theres something different about it now, and im finding it difficult to fully grasp. im sure the skill will truly shine in combat. however that also means more testing, and i feel that familiar rush of excitement i get whenever i get a new toy... or, in this case, a new ability. ive thought about it a lot recently, mulling over the difference between using upgrade tokens on my skills and acquiring new ones with combination tokens, and ive come to a conclusionthere is a difference. upgrading a skill feels almost like cheating, taking the easy way out. but combining skills to create a new one is different. sure, at first, i let the system guide me and show me how to use it, but i always strive to master the skill on my own and push it to its limits. with more powerful skills, this approach can only grow more valuable over time. as for [eclipse], its name feels oddalmost like savants [dawn] or the [regalia] i had before. its enough to make me wonder about the naming of skills and how their names are decided. thanking maya, i move back to my corner and increase the output of my restrictive training emblem for now, putting off my testing of [eclipse] for the time being. it only takes me a few hours to finish the mana stone ive been working on and now its fully inscribed, containing all the training regiments for the seven stances i got from whitey, starting with basics while keeping the more advanced stuff locked behind mana locks that will require a certain degree of mastery over mana to get through. that should ensure that my minion doesn''t jump head first into the dangerous stuff without working on her basics first. and prevent her from forgetting her mana training. my mana wavelength iris activates again, and i stare at the stone in the palm of my hand. i watch it very closely, observing the mana wavelengths around it and their movements, while [perception] works at full force to supplement my efforts. only then do i say, send this to my disciple using the token meant for that. i don''t even have time to blink before the mana stone vanishes. it disappears in that crazy scary way the system likes to make them disappear. the way where i can''t sense anything at all. but i will get there. then, while rte continues to crush my body, i grab my mana and start moving it using mana cycling. it''s the hour of our beyond expedition, and everyones gathered in the room. on purpose, i have not examined this floor too much, knowing that it would only make me curious the entire time i found myself in beyond. so that''s where i rely on tess and others to make sure its safe for us to keep going for the next few days. and im especially sure that sophie made every possible effort to ensure that her sister would be safe. i wait for the others to say their goodbyes and return the ones i get. with that, i use my token and the others as well, all of us moving to our handlers. pov maya jones the moment they disappear, biscuit opens his eyes and yawns. he turns to izzy, who carefully sets him on the ground so that he can stretch as he yawns once more. w-what? kim stammers, his tone echoing my own state of confusion. well, she got me again. she seems to notice it as well as i watch her smile brighten, just in time for me to disappear, finding myself back on the entrance floor. the price to use the teleportation array to different entrance floor''s outposts is 10,000 shards. after you do it, that entrance floor becomes your starting floor the next time. that''s why it sucks to be lily and tess, both of them having to use their shards. lily at least, should have plenty because of the item selling spree we went on back in the mana desert, but it must have set tess back quite a bit. it would seem that even if you do happen to be from the same group you may not appear in the same outpost and instead find yourselves split in between god knows how many others. i thank duncan for this information, along with the coordinates or address you might say, for our current outpostnever mind that he charged me 1,000 shards. i guess the grind just never stops for that man. after meeting up with sophie at the smithy, where i told her to wait if she arrived first, we make our way over to the teleportation array. when lily and tess rejoin us, im already there to cheer them up again. this time they get to pay for their own identification tokens. truly the authentic beyond experience. a first impression is important, so they must realize how this place is. i teach them how to activate their identification marks, and when they do, my ivory white c rank contrasts nicely with their obsidian black d rank. not wanting to show off for too long, we head to the spot where our earth expedition formed the first time around while ignoring the others around us. and we find a group of people already waiting there for us. the winner of the 1st round''s 1st tournament, carrotcake aka jean. the big bulky mountain of muscles with that annoying little jerk sitting next to him, aka lucien, though i still have no idea how he passed through beyonds trials, being a healer without any obvious fighting capabilities. the mountain of muscles seems to be training or something as we watch his skin stretch over his body and tear while a focused expression continues to dominate his face. and i can still feel that immense sense of danger radiating off him. my respect towards the guy grows seeing the damage he causes to his body. meanwhile, leticia jumps to her feet with a happy smile, noname! i thought you would make it! luna, you owe me 5 thousand shards! leticia stops in front of us, the golden retriever following behind her while complaining, first impressions are important, leticia, please tone it down and don''t embarrass me. the golden retriever takes a quick step and grows till her head sets at the height of leticia''s chest and shoves her to the side while coming to a stop in front of tess. i apologize for my companion. you three must be noname''s friends, so allow me to introduce myself. my name is luna, and that silly woman over there is leticia. she may get like this sometimes, but shes generally more reliable when things get dangerous, i promise. with a laugh, leticia jumps on luna''s back and wraps her arms around her neck, forcing luna to grow even bigger. four people out of the same group in beyond is crazy, leticia says, nodding seriously. thats just how it worked out. i''m sset, it''s nice to meet you leticia, and luna as well. this is grumpy and soph. as they focus on introducing themselves, i notice jean bringing his training to a close and placing the whole of his attention on sophie. there are no extra senses involved, no perception, or anything of the sort. if i had to compare it to anything it''s more like the instincts of a wild animal. the longer he looks at her, the more his expression contorts. i let kinetic energy and mana collect in my body. an amount that leaves my capacity before i acquired my new mid-arcane passive. my mind handles it all with ease, even as the roaring forces threaten to destroy my weak body, only held at bay by my own self control. jean moves at the same time i do, and before he can reach sophie, im there, standing in front of him, absorbing the incredible power of his attack with counter flow and the effects of my unique passive, adding a huge chunk of mana to my mana reservoir. he moves his hand and grabs me in an attempt to throw me out of the way, but i bury my feet into the ground, move my body, and strike his chest with my palm, putting the force of the kinetic energy i absorbed into the attack while adding a bit of my own. a short shockwave reverberates in the air, as the man staggers back. unfazed, he shakes it off, the sense of danger rolling off him increasing as he does so, and his face grows darker, you know about her abilities. yes. people like her need to die. that''s your problem. shes part of my group. i emphasize the word ''my'', making sure he understands. jean observes me for a moment as if confirming my words and then nods in acknowledgment. i raise my energy at the same time he does as we both prepare for battle. sophie, tess, and lily are getting ready as well, while lucien channels his healing to jean. but before any of us can move, jean and i both freeze. my eyes shift at the same moment as his, landing on the figure that has suddenly appeared to his left. a young woman with messy brown hair, a thin frame, ragged clothes, and a small backpack slung over her shoulder. she holds a dagger in her hand, its tip gently piercing jean''s chest, just above his heart. the young woman is much shorter than the man, so she has to lift her arm to do so, yet shes still smiling. none of us sensed her appear. not even luna. not even sophie. not even me with my improved sense of movement. tacita smiles brightly and waves at us. Chapter 503: Expedition like ours After Tacita waves at me, the field around her reverts to something closer to the one she used back during the tournament. The one we used for more playful forms of training when we werent going all out, that same old game where she tries to hide herself and I pierce through the field around her. Yet, she still managed to hide from me. Quite easily too. It looks like someone didn''t like nearly dying during the tournament and went on a training spree. Jean swings his arm at her, but she vanishes, reappearing on his opposite side with incredible speed, her dagger raised even higher, aimed directly at his eye. The man freezes at that moment, and I see his muscles tensing. But Tacita doesn''t follow through, rather she takes a step back, putting the dagger away and lifting her empty hands, still smiling. She ignores Lily, whos been waving at her frantically, and instead moves to the side to take a seat, pulling her knees up to her chest and watching us with curiosity. Before Jean can do anything, Leticia jumps down from Luna, who shrinks and moves towards him, cursing at the man and calling him a fool. "I could have stopped him," Sophie notes as I move to stand next to them. "I saw him move too, Nat. I don''t think I wouldve lost against him." Lily states, tapping the blade of her axe and finally pulling her eyes away from Tacita. "It''s fine. Im the one who organized it all, so it''s only reasonable for me to be the one to stop him. And you shouldnt underestimate him. He won their tournament for a reason." "I''ll talk to him," Tess says, stepping away from us. "Everyone knows how Sophie''s abilities are perceived so his reaction really wasnt all that surprising. I''ll make it clearif she ever uses them against any of us, shell answer to me first." With a smile and a wink at Sophie, Tess strides toward the bulky man, while Lily shifts her focus back to Tacita. She doesnt approach her directly, treating the young woman like a skittish stray that might decide to bolt at any moment. Instead, Lily continues to wave and smile, all while maintaining a gentle, reassuring distance. "Nat, do you think I could win a fight with Tacita?" she asks curiously. "Honestly? She would probably kill you in nine out of ten fights." "That many?" I nod, confirming my statement, and take a moment to give the mute young woman a quick look. I wonder if I might be able to see through her field with my strengthened eyes? It seems likely. Well, if it isn''t yet another great start to the expedition. As Tess and Leticia talk to Jean, who has that young jerk near him at all times, it''s Luna who returns to speak with us, having returned to her original size. "You humans are so dumb sometimes." Once again, I find myself amazed that she managed to create an organ to project vibrations through the air, much less properly form words. However when she "talks," her mouth simply hangs open unmoving, creating quite the eerie effect. "Can I pet you?" Lily asks, finding herself unable to resist the temptation. "No." "Oh." There is a lot of disappointment in her voice. Luna observes her smartly. "500 shards for one stroke," she offers. "That''s too much!" Instead of being surprised, Lily starts bargaining. "Two hundred and you let me pet you for five minutes." "What do you take me for, young girl? I only offered because you seem nice, and I thought it might make you more willing to heal Leticia or me in the future. But two hundred? Thats like pulling my whiskers out!" "I wouldve helped you regardless." Luna looks between me and Lily and then turns back to Lily. "500 and three minutes." "500 and two times two minutes! Two minutes now and the second set later." "Deal." The shards are exchanged, and Lily, with a big smile, reaches her hand out to Luna, who sniffs at it and then slightly bows and closes her eyes as Lily puts her hand on top of her head and starts petting her. The man is evil, I can tell. Other than being somewhat interplanetary-xenophob-ish there must be something else. Humans aren''t meant to be that friendly and that... well put together. "After we reached the safe zone Savant left and I haven''t seen him since. While Derick and Noelle seem to have done something similar," Leticia explains. That leaves us with ten people, even though I have trouble including Tacita in that count. Shes just, well... too unpredictable. "Aren''t healers supposed to be rare?" I ask Leticia. "They are, extremely so. Ive met a few other groups and they never seemed to have one. Are you talking about our group?" she smiles, quickly understanding why I asked. "If so then I don''t think most of them would consider Lucien or Gareth proper healers. Lucien is either capable of healing only one person at a time or doesn''t have the desire to do more, and Gareth can heal more people at once but his healing isn''t really all that strong." At that, I look towards Gareth, whos laughing, caught up in a conversation with Jean. Is that silly man already talking about his abilities? Is he dumb? Waving, Leticia heads over to join Tess and Luna, who are already working on organizing our formations based on our abilities. Meanwhile, Lily stays near Tacita, who eyes her like she might swat her away in a bout of irritation at any moment. I really do have to wonder if the other planets have expeditions like this too. We enter the 1st floor not much later. Right away Leticia weaves something out of her mana, something fairly similar to Sophie''s web, though it covers a bigger area and its not quite as useful. The only thing it does is detection. Sophie deploys her web as well and Tess stays near her while Lily moves a bit further ahead staying close to Gareth. At the front of our little pack is Luna, already the size of a horse with Leticia riding on her back, with Jean to keep near watch. Tacita, after curiously looking around for a while, vanishes from our sight. When it comes to distance Im not just talking about a few steps either. Many times we find ourselves separated by the length of multiple football fields. A distance that at this point is nothing to us. We can perceive across those distances with ease, we can communicate without obstruction and we can move to help any of the others within a few seconds. Tess, Sophie, and Lily are careful and curious. The new environment clearly leaving them nervous and intrigued at the same time. Even though I told them as much as I could, they don''t really know what to expect. I, on the other hand, have experienced this a few times at this point so I''m not that surprised when five lurkers pop up ahead with a warning from Luna. Before we can even reach them Jean jumps in and kills two melee fighters, each with a single hit. One of the three remaining jumps into the air, fleshy wings growing from his back and a mana spear forming in his hand, the spear is about twice as long as he is, with a blade burning with blue flame. Before he can attack, three javelins trailing lightning shoot through the air heading right for him. He blocks the first one with a barrier, but it cracks. The second javelin strikes the exact same spot, shattering the barrier and hurling him backward. This opens the way for the third javelin to pierce his chest with precision, driving straight through his heart. He falls from the sky motionless. I look back and with my normal sight, unmodified by mana, I barely manage to see Tess as a small figure way off in the distance. The two remaining lurkers move to the side, speeding up to avoid Jean as much as possible, only to crash right into Gareth who charges them with his shield at the fore, bashing one with the blunt instrument, followed by a blow from a mace surrounded in that silver light of his. Lily moves in that direction herself, a quick change in trajectory, straining her body just to stop the inertia, and when the 5th lurker tries to stop her attack by positioning his swords out in front of him and surrounding his body with armor made of stone, she adds more strength and her axe smashes through, breaking arms and denting armor. Her feet move quickly and she swings that giant axe again and again, using it more like a hammer than the bladed implement it isI guess shes still working on actually sharpening it. When Gareth finishes dealing with his lurker we move again, quickly. A minute later we find a group of lurkers. Six of them, all dead without any sign of struggle. As if they just stood there and got attacked before they could muster any sort of defense. Two of them have stab wounds through their hearts, one of them clearly fell victim to decapitation, and the remaining three look like someone scrambled their brains through their eye sockets. All their equipment is still there, and it honestly reminds me of a pet proudly dropping a dead bird at its owners feet. Chapter 504: Deeper Into the First Floor Chapter 504: Deeper Into the First Floor We split the loot from the lurkers well and head deeper into the 1st floor. The blasted environments and high ceilings beginning to feel familiar, but I don''t let it lull me and stay attentive. At some point, two lurkers finally manage to reach Sophiesomething Tess lets happenand Sophie takes control of them. One a vyssari man with flame attacks, and the other a human woman with some sort of domain that serves to reduce the effectiveness of healing skills. Around that time, we reach our first named lurkerof the same race Rat used to be, the name of which I still don''t know. Its a humanoid with gray skin and long, slim arms and legs. [Reanimated Corpse - lvl 307] I reach him before Jean can, and activate my Mana Wavelength Iris. The ever-present mana moving around the creature making itself known to my sight. I feel like I can see it all. I see the ambient mana floating in the air, mana seeping from the bodies of the people around me, the structure of the skill the lurkers trying to activate. The amount of information that strained me before, even before undergoing the strengthening process, now flows smoothly into my brain, which accepts itall with an ease that feels almost like cheating. The lurker uses my shadow which expands, becomes three-dimensional, and takes on a shape unlike any animal or monster Ive ever seen. Its eyes glow red, and six powerful limbs reach out to grab me. The mana in my crown spins and destabilizes, releasing a disrupting pulse, returning my shadow to its normal state. At the same time, all the shadows around me erupt with monsters, wolves with six legs and no tail, humanoid figures with snake heads, lion-like animals with elongated maws and six eyes. Each one a pitch black shadow given form by mana. Another wave disrupts them all. I weave a javelin from my mana and launch it at the lurker, who bursts like a bubble in a flash of shadowy substance. Wraith Dance brings me closer, and my eyes read through the remains of his skills. [Eclipse] activates in the same fashion as [Resonance]. My mana overpowers the lurker, and I connect to his skill, teleporting along with him. I form a barrier in front of me, incepting a barrage of attacks, ripples of force rolling through the surface. More and more of that shadowy substance leaks from the lurker in an attempt to encapsulate the area around me. It floats like water, covering an area wide enough to take out a city block and spinning like a whirlpool, sharp edges grinding the surroundings to dust: whether it be the remains of buildings, trees, or stones. I create a projectile and launch it through, piercing his defenses with ease without slowing down in the least and opening a gaping hole in his barrage. The lurker''s barriers crumble under my attack, and he finally stumbles back missing the left half of his body. Every shadow in the area moves like a living thing, surrounding himand giving form to a pitch-black figure the size of a multi-story building. Its head looks like a lizard''s and it has four arms, two thick legs, and a long tail to top it all off. Each step is fluid, the surface of the lurker''s creation rippling as it moves forth. The huge figure opens its mouth, and pours forth a white flame, quickly narrowing the stream until it''s condensed into a beam about as thick as my arm crashing against my barrier like a laser. That flame roars as it pierces through the air, burning everything in its way; without even sparing the mouth of the shadowy black creation before me as the shadow substance evaporates into nothing. I give it a bit longer, but the lurker doesn''t seem to have any secret trump cards in the mix. Overall, I''m pleasantly surprised. That kind of skill combination wouldve probably managed to wipe out a big city or two, and it''s somewhat fitting for someone at level 307, I think. My own mana explodes from me, surrounding me in armor the size of the beast facing me. The barrier disappears, and the white flames crash into the chestplate of the blue armor Ive enclosed myself in, right in front of me. I weave it denser and denser, until I feel happy with the integrity, noting that its not even putting any strain on my mind. Kinetic energy explodes from me, and my armor moves faster than ever before. The shadowy figure gathers the surrounding flames into its hand, a sword made of white flame forming there as it swings against me. I further weave and compress mana and let the sword crash against my forearm. There is no damage, and the sword breaks into flames which rapidly dissipate into the air. Before it can move, I take a step. My eyes locate the body of the lurker, and I burrow my arm into the mouth of the shadow from whence the flames emerge, grab the lurker, and squeeze. [You have defeated Reanimated Corpse - lvl 307] [Lvl 297 > Lvl 298] I deactivate [Eclipse] and my mana threads before boosting myself into the air with kinetic energy and quickly catching up to the two feylith. The highly specialized lurkers attack again, their mental attacks crashing uselessly against my passive, while my mana control is much too great for them to disrupt, allowing me to finish them quickly. Two more notifications ring. Quickly, I move from body to body, grabbing any useful items and reading through the descriptions. Looking around, I don''t find any lurkers nearby, so I teleport through the [Ley Line] connecting me to Lily and appear next to her, only to duck down immediately, as her huge axe passes over my head. "I''m sorry! You surprised me!" Lily shouts and moves away at incredible speed. Sensing mana, I look into the air and find a vyssari floating there, blue flames surrounding her with a crown made of fire floating over her head. [Reanimated Corpse - lvl 313] I quickly realize what Lily was escaping from. This fireball composed of blue flames with a white core as big as a small building. Feeling the heat scorching my skin, I teleport again, reappearing next to Tess this time, after sending her a warning through our link of course. In the distance, a flash explodes into the darkness, as blue flames mixed with white burst into the sky, the heat serving to set the surrounding forest ablaze and evaporating anything in their direct path. The shockwave and heat reach even us here, and I watch as the flames swirl and move like living creatures, merging into the shape of a snake seeking out a lonely figure. Jean doesn''t even try to avoid it, and I would bet hes smiling, even now. He throws a punch at the giant flaming snake, which promptly disappears like the flame of a blown-out candle. The immense pressure from Jeans strike blowing it away and tearing the ground apart around him. Flame armor surrounds the flying vyssari, making her seem even bigger than Jean as she landsburning blue armor surrounding her and two enormous gloves made of white flames. She and Jean clash again, burns appearing on the man''s skin, but the flames blowing off before reigniting quickly as Jean hits her once again. The vyssari in flame armor is thrown through the air, setting anything she touches on fire and only coming to a stop after bulldozing through dozens of trees. Jean reaches her surprisingly quickly, his stomps blowing out the fire raging through the forest and then crashing into another battle with the armor which once again finds itself extinguished. He grabs the vyssari by the head and arm, ignoring the burst of white flames ravaging his chest, and pulls, tearing the small body in half. The flames blaze up once more before the vyssari lurker dies. Jean stands there with the flesh burned away from his chest, ribcage clearly visible, along with the organs inside his body, especially that big, powerful heart beating a surprisingly calm rhythm. Slowly, his wounds begin to close, and I can tell Lucien isnt healing him. Even so, his combat abilities dont seem reduced in the slightest. With all the lurkers dead, we exchange a few quick messages and loot the bodies, before heading towards the safe zone once more. "So what do you think of Jean and Lucien?" I ask Lily, matching my speed to hers. "I could beat him if I wanted," Lily immediately says. Now that I think of it, that would be fun to watch, but I don''t say it out loud and specify instead, "You know what I meant." "Well, I can obviously heal better than that boy, I think. He hasnt really done much until now. As for CarrotCake... Jean... I can see why he won the tournament for his round. He might seem hotheaded and dumb, but he is surprisingly effective in a fight." "It''s called battle IQ," Sophie states, joining the conversation. "When it comes to combat, hes hyper aware of his positioning relative to his opponents, and to top it all off hes quick to grasp their abilities." I don''t even ask her why shes been observing him so much. She obviously wouldn''t like someone like him threatening her life. Chapter 505: Three ways to clear this floor We stop for a short break after a few more clashes. At this point, weve all killed plenty of lurkers, so were attracting a lot of attention. As always, the lurkers are going to be the most attracted to the people whove killed the most of them. Even so, the floor itself is huge, so we always have a few minutes before we make contact with another group. Could we move without killing so many? Quite possibly, but even if we were to run into another lurker like Whitey, I don''t think it would cause us much trouble. Surrounded by a circle of trees, we stand there, taking a moment to eat and drink under the cover of multiple defensive arrays and sensory webs. That''s when Luna decides to move in closer and take a sniff of my hand, her nose lightly brushing its back. She opens her mouth, and the sound comes from it. "That mark, that scent has grown stronger, human." "It''s possible." "Why didn''t you bring the one who marked you as well?" "Hes currently pretending to be asleep. And I''m not sure if he could come to the Beyond." "Why would he..." Luna shakes her head and growls as Leticia pulls her tail and joins us. "Don''t be rude, Luna." Luna, apparently deciding it''s not worth the argument, simply closes her mouth and sits down. "Why doesn''t Biscuit talk?" Lily asks curiously. "I mean, he does, but not as much as Luna." I shrug. "You can ask him if you want. I won''t be telling it without him agreeing." "So you know?!" "Obviously." It''s fun to see Lily''s expression. I wonder what she could be thinking. "If youll excuse me, Im going to have a conversation with Soph. She made some really fancy modifications to her web, and it made me curious!" Leticia says, excusing herself, and Luna follows, her movements taking on a very protective mannersomething she does every time Leticia decides to approach Sophie. Taking her place, Tess comes closer after a quick conversation with Jean. "Half a day at this pace and we should reach the safe zone." "Did you learn anything else in the meantime?" I ask her. "A little. The first floor is shaped like a massive circleemphasis on massive. Thousands of tutorials, if not more, run simultaneously, and it''s believed that there are tens of thousands of Beyond attendees at any given timemaybe even hundreds of thousands. If anyone knows the exact numbers, theyre not sharing." "Isn''t that... too much?" Lily asks, glancing between Tess and me in surprise. "Well, if we consider that every tutorial is connected to this single instance of Beyond, I wouldn''t say so. Isn''t that amazing?" Tess smiles. "Thousands and thousands of beyonders. You get 100 people at most from each worlds tutorial, and that means thousands of tutorials running all at once. Each tutorial only takes 5 years and then there is many more included that already ended." "That probably means... there are a lot of planets already in the system," I reply. Tess nods and asks with a smile, "The system is enormous and very old. Doesn''t that humble you, Nat?" "Why would it?" "The fact that there are so many people so much stronger than you." "Why would I care about that? Just give it some time." "Boring," Tess complains and turns to Lily. "And what do you think?" Lily glances at me and then back to Tess. "With my skills, I will probably outlive most of them, so I just need to learn how to help others to do the same." R?aNo??E?? "You can be so cute sometimes, Lily." Tess swoons, pulling her into a hug before asking quietly, "Remind me, how old are you?" Lily once again glances at me and then back to Tess. "Eighteen, almost nineteen!" That almost makes me roll my eyes and Tess notices, I''m sure. "And I''m just a bit over twenty," she notes. "It''s still hard to believe that Sophie is older than you by two years no matter how often I hear it." "That''s rude, Lily. Look at Nat, for example. Hes older than me too, but going by our behavior, who would you say is older?" And at that, our healer, rightly, decides to stay quiet, much to Tess''s amusement. Mana and kinetic energy do the same inside my body, my eyes activating, in a clear challenge to her. A challenge I hope she will accept. (s)sߩ Tacita disappears. My body moves, and the Resonance Flow field surrounds me, slowing anything that moves within it by absorbing its kinetic energy. Within it, Tacita''s movements slow down, but with wild animal instinct rather than skill or knowledge, her field adapts and her movement returns to that same incredible speed. I boost my movement more, and rather than relying on my eyes, I focus on tracking the disturbances in the air around me. The dagger playfully moves toward my neck as I absorb my inertia, shifting in place, absorbing it again, and moving once more. I repeat this multiple times in half a secondsomething that would tear a normal body apart. After all, humans aren''t meant to move like this. As the dagger passes by me, my hand shoots toward her, kinetic energy flowing through my body and my feet sending a burst into the ground to move me to the side. I miss, and so does her strike at my neck. She pulls back, and I boost myself ahead in a surge of quick movement to follow her. I duck under the swing and then use Wraith Dance to bring me back as the dagger passes through the space I once occupied three times in succession. Tacita appears in front of me in a movement reminiscent of Wraith Dance. Her eyes shine under her messy brown hair, and her mouth curls into a smile. Her dagger crashes against one of my own woven out of mana, and I change its shape, causing it to coil around and grab her dagger. I boost my body back, and I drag her with me, trying to pull her off balance. But she lets go of her dagger before I can do so. Her figure blurs and disappears, but I follow her movement and... I release a burst of kinetic energy pushing myself back, then again to the side, and then Wraith Step to move even further away. Another spike of danger raises the hair on the back of my neck, I duck and kick behind myself, weaving mana around my forearm in an attempt to deflect a dagger that seemingly comes from nowhere, managing to slice through my protections, drawing blood and poisoning me. Thermal energy concentrates around the wound, and I let it burn the flesh, the golden flames surrounding my forearm and scorching away the poison in the process. Tacita appears again, the way she was confusing my kinetic movement senses dropping as well. She smiles even more and happily waves the dagger with my blood on the blade. Wow. So that''s how it is? I let my heart beat without trying to calm it down. Armor covers my left forearm once more, and a dagger forms in my right hand again. Part of my Burden Enhancement Inscriptions dissolves, and the kinetic energy immediately starts moving so much easier through my body. This time I allow much more of it to flood me, nearly emptying my Vortex Core, and I take a stance, deactivating my Mana Wavelength Iris and solely relying on my kinetic and thermal senses not to track her, but to watch for the slightest change in the air around us. ? ?? o ?? ? Tacita pulls daggers into each of her hands. One of them has a transparent blade made of crystal and the other one is made from a black metal with blue veins running through it. She lowers her body, taking on a stance more reminiscent of a wild beast than anything a human would take. I know she''s getting more serious too. Before either of us can attack though, a powerful shockwave washes through the area, followed by three more in quick succession. Then I get a hurried message from Sophie. (Nat, we might need help here.) (Oh, come on.) Tacita notices my hesitation, and her daggers disappear back into her clothes. She rolls up her sleeve and flexes her biceps, showing off the small peak of muscle victoriously. "That''s not it," I correct, trying to defend myself, but shes already gone. For a few seconds, I stand there, motionless. With no other options, I move toward the source of the explosions. Chapter 506: Lake City Even though I don''t have time for a full lesson, I make sure to visit the guest whos taken up residence in my mental space. This time I find Whitey seated in a well-kept garden, surrounded by towering, elegant bonsai-like trees. Nearby, cherry trees scatter their pink petals. In the distance, the bamboo thing fills with water before emptying itself with a rhythmic thunk as its base collides with the stone beneath it. The scream of cicadas even serves to round out our exceptionally cliche? environment. Additionally, Whiteys dressed in a white and black kimono. And even these clothes seem to fit him very well, as always. "Are you having fun going through my memories?" I ask, sitting next to him, wondering exactly what anime, movie or show he got it from. "At least as much as you are going through mine. By the way, that human girl, I like her." "Tacita?" "Yes. She moves very well, and even though her technique is lacking, her instincts balance things out favorably. Back then you would have lost against her with kinetic energy alone, you know." "Bullshit. So why don''t you point out what I did wrong." Whitey, always excited to put down my abilities and make fun of me, reaches into his pocket, pulling out a smartphone, and brings up a video of the fight from my point of view. "First, she is, in fact, using some sort of ''field'' as you refer to it, but until she deploys it over a wider area, there still should be signs of movement. Look here and..." A few minutes later, I open my eyes and nod at Lily, whos been keeping watch over me, and she nods back, unable to say anything as she continues to stuff her mouth with some sort of dried fruit. "Noname, I was asking the others, but how many Stay Tokens do you have?" Leticia asks, taking notice of my freshly opened eyes. "I could stay longer than the others if I wanted, but well see. We just started the 7th floor, so I''m still curious about that. So Ill probably only stick around the next 3-5 days, same as them, and just hope we reach the second safe zone." "Seventh floor is pretty good! Luna, I, and the rest of our group are still on the 6th! I think Jean and Lucien are still on the 6th as well." The aforementioned CarrotCake doesn''t seem to be disappointed, and in fact, chooses to clarify. "There are a lot of fun opponents to fight. Plus there is nothing I can do about the Floor Quest, so the others have to deal with it." Lucien, the annoying little twerp, also seizes the opportunity to speak up. "Jean just likes to punch people. And thats not going to help him get out of the Astral Prison." "That''s true," Jean doesn''t have a problem acknowledging that and grabs the back of Lucien''s neck, shaking him. "That''s why I have you and the others, right?" "Fucking brute, let me go!" That causes Jean to shake him even more. Leticia turns to Gareth. "And you?" "We are on the 6th but might be able to clear it soon. I would love to tell you more, Leticia, but I worry the system would only censor it." I don''t say it out loud but I bet Gary here is busy performing countless human sacrifices to free the eye and to escape the floor or something. He mightve even joined the Mind Mages willingly or started bringing deathtraps full of people into the Mana Desert to feed to the thylarin Champion and his bond. "Noname," Lucien calls out to me, seemingly from nowhere, once Jean finally lets go. "What?" "Did you meet Lissandra Hawthorne back on the 2nd floor?" Just like that, we reach the place, and I have to wonder if I really had an authentic experience with my previous expeditions or if we just got lucky or our party was just too strong this time. The safe zone we find ourselves in is simple. An island on an enormous lake full of dark water, too murky to see past the surface. Despite that, something does seem to be swimming beneath the waters, and when Sophie makes her lurkers move closer, the surface ripples, and whatever it is pulls the lurkers down below. We had already heard about it from Leticia, given that she and the others had already made it to this safe zone, so it should be safe - but still, let them move in first. They also mentioned something about fish or fishing, but Im not sure how that connects to anything. Leticia takes a step onto the surface of the dark, almost black lake, and stands on the surface of the water, ripples of blue light pooling under her feet. Jean takes a step as well and confidently continues to walk, his ripples much bigger, reflecting his weight. Its not them using an ability that makes it possible, but rather one of the lakes properties. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch movement - a slim figure darting across the surface like one of those crazy lizards back on Earth that run on water. The lake is massive, and the island lies far off in the distance, yet Tacita crosses it swiftly. Something in me wonders if she could pull it off just as easily even without the strange effect that allows the rest of us to cross. I let my eyes activate and take a step, watching the ripples of water, mana, and moving mana signatures under the surface. No monsters attack us, and despite the fact that weve been walking for a few minutes, no lurkers try to approach. The contrast with the situation, even a few moments earlier, is striking. And its taking us a while to get used to not constantly feeling lurkers prowling just out of sight. "Given the number of attendees and the first floors size, theres quite a few safe zones. This one is called Lake City," Leticia starts explaining. "That''s very original. It also seems too small to be called a city." "I know, Sset," Leticia flashes her a smile. "There are fewer people inside than you might expect, probably a few dozen at most. Though sometimes that number rises to just over a hundred. It changes according to ''season,'' and more natives and attendees come to this safe zone when it''s time to ''fish.''" Tess asks, "How do natives get here and what are they fishing for?" "Once or twice a year they pay a lot of shards to the top 100 guilds who send them a few B or A ranks who help them fish and to get here safely. They even share part of the catch." "Are you going to tease me longer?" "Hehe, it is fun, Sset." Leticia ignores Luna who quietly bumps her leg. "Theyre hunting for a fish that eats mana. These fish also tend to eat weapons and items from the lurkers who get pulled into the lake, but more importantly, when they eat mana it crystallizes inside of that fish''s belly and makes mana stones favored by the larger guilds!" "Is the fish tasty?" "I''m sorry, I don''t know, Jean." "I understand." "By the way, Sset, are you guys planning to join any guilds? Luna and I are still on the fence, and weve got a few offers, but we might also be waiting a bit longer for a better one. Apparently, the better guilds don''t tend to bother with newbies until theyve made it to the second floor. Its pretty rare for them to take an interest in anyone from the first." "Were going to wait and see as well. Is there any reason to? Noname told me a few things, but he only had one source so I want confirmation from someone else. I remember something about longer stay tokens, better prices, and salaries." "Well, that''s mostly it," Leticia giggles. "Top 10 guilds can double the duration of your stay tokens and top 3 can probably triple it? But don''t quote me on that. Then theres the salary, you can join Beyond events as a guild member, better prices in certain shops, you can also find new party members and get information on the floors which can help you a lot, and they usually keep things restricted to guild members only. Bonuses, salary, items. And occasionally they run expeditions to the surface as well." "Thanks for telling me, Leticia." "No problem, Sset! Im sure youd do the same for me. And no matter how grumpy Luna can get, shed share too, right?" Luna stays quiet, glancing away without denying it. Then lets out a bark as Leticia tugs on her tail, which only makes the young woman smile even more. Chapter 507: Fish Chapter 507: Fish Lake City turns out to be quite basic. There are no walls or protections, there arent many locks on the houses though I do spot a few rudimentary arrays to prevent break-ins. It seems like no ones even considered the possibility of a lurker attack or an assault from the monsters in the lake. All of the houses are made out of a material reminiscent of ice, but it''s not cold and there are no sharp angles. Instead, it feels oddly comfortable and warm to the touch. Some of these houses are unlocked, likely serving as lodgings for the attendees, while the locked ones probably belong to the assorted guilds and natives who move in for the local fishing and trade seasons. You have reached a safe zone! Congratulations! The next time you enter Beyond you will appear here instead of the Entrance Floor until you reach a different safe zone. Looking to the center of the city, I also see a teleportation array and two thylarin, likely natives staying in the small house nearby. "Let me guess, the guild runs the teleportation array and charges 10k to move to the Entrance Floor," Lily notes with clear annoyance, likely already missing the shards she had to pay just to reach the same entrance outpost as us. Just imagine how many pets she could buy from Luna with all those shards. "Yes. Starting now you can teleport to this safe zone or out of it... if you have shards," Leticia confirms. As we pass by, Luna growls at the men. That makes me wonder what experience they could possibly have had with this mode of transport. After a moment of looking around, we split up, Tess, Leticia, and Lucien heading to the merchants to find out what they can get for the items we got from the lurkers and if we might get more selling them to the system shop. There we even have a couple of damaged arcane items, though nothing to really hold my interest. Meanwhile, the rest of us follow Luna, who has been leading us towards one of the bigger houses, which we enter. An entire wall on one side is transparent, opening out on a view of the dark lake. The view isn''t perfect but its certainly better than nothing, and I create a manablock chair and sit there. Lily and Sophie also get one each and sit nearby. "What''s your problem with me?" Sophie asks Jean out of nowhere. The bulky man looks at her. "You''re nothing more than a temporary nuisance." "Do you think I mean to simply hide behind Noname? If you come at me, Ill be the one to fuck you up." At that, he shakes his head. This calm, focused behavior runs completely at odds with his prior demeanor. "You have no chance against me," he says and turns to point at Lily, "you have no chance against me." Lastly, he points at me, "If we fought, you would lose. I hold myself back because of the promise I made to Leticia, but even if I dont kill you now, the opportunity will come in the future." "Even if you do hate mind mages, Soph hasnt done anything to you, you know that," Lily says in an attempt to defuse the situation. Instead of Jean, it''s Lucien who answers. "Don''t bother, once he gets like this he won''t change his mind." Sophie doesn''t answer, but I can see that look in her eyes. If it comes down to her survival, she won''t hesitate to play dirty or even kill him before he can do the same. I know she won''t. Then theres the other thing Ive noticed: Lunas been avoiding Sophie as much as possible. It seems like even the others from Earth are learning to fear and hate mind mages, which I consider very reasonable. Sensing a familiar presence outside, I stand up and make my exit through the door. As expected, it turns out to be Duncan, the young man carrying the massive bag on his back, following close behind a small group of natives and attendees. I do take notice of a few Royal Blue B-rank identification emblems on a couple of the attendees. Demons. The group seems like a powerful one, likely visiting from a deeper floor. A few eyes glance my way, towards the crown especially, but no one tries to probe my bodys mana capacity or anything like that, given the offense it would cause. Though one of the demons does try to probe my heart but he doesn''t linger on it for too long. Duncan looks towards me as well, but overlooks me for a moment before his eyes snap back to me in surprise and a big smile takes over his face. He quickly makes some excuse to the native next to him and leaves the group to come rushing my way. "Noname! I didn''t expect to see you in Lake City! Congratulations on reaching the safe zone. It''s been a while since I saw you, so I thought you might have died or gone deeper." "Hey. Thats just how it worked out. We just got here a little while ago and now were planning our expedition to the second safe zone." "Oh, you seem to have found a nice group this time," he then looks around as if he were worried about being overheard. I form a barrier around us and add [Eclipse] to the mix, making sure no one can eavesdrop. "You always were quick to understand," he smiles. "Listen, Ive got some pretty nice info, 1,000 shards and it could be yours. If, after a while, you find it has some value or leads to some nice earnings, you can tip me, so you could even say I''m being generous. What do you think?" "Done planting death flags?" Lucien gripes, impatiently interrupting the pair and turning to me. "So you want us to help you fish?" I nod. "I paid five thousand for the information and ten thousand for the lure. I also made it all possible, so Ill be taking 50% of whatever we make. The rest can be split among the group." "I''m up for it," Tess replies before Lucien can interrupt, and when he looks at her annoyed, she shrugs and smiles. "Soph, Grumpy?" "I don''t mind." "I don''t mind either!" "Luna and I also think thats fair." "Leticia... we could get more, you know," Luna complains. "It''s fine!" Seeing that Jean doesn''t complain, Lucien just sighs. "Fine, damn it." With that last confirmation, we watch as the group sets the lure. Even though I''m not using my senses to the fullest, I can feel them compressing mana, likely in an attempt to increase the lures efficiency. It feels lacking. After a minute of tense waiting, the surface of the lake near them ripples, and a blue light flows through it. They make a formation, allowing the natives to move out of the way. There are 3 fresh B-ranks and the other 6 consists of D- and C-ranks. The dark water erupts, and a fish climbs out onto the lakes surface. The lakes unique properties allow it to stand on the surface, just as we do. And yup, climbs. The fish is reminiscent of a salmon with three pairs of human arms. Its about the size of a small house and its scales are gray with pale blue edges. "Oh, they got pretty lucky," one of the natives nearby mutters to the man sitting next to him. "Looking at that color, I would guess 80 years." "At least 110! Just look at the size and the length of the arms!" "There is no way..." I observe that monstrosity as it uses its arms to maneuver across the surface of the lake and uses jet-like water based attacks. "No, even kids know the fewer colors there are and the paler the fish is, the older and stronger it is!" the native raises his voice at his friend. As I move, the rest of the group moves as well and we break out into a run across the surface of the lake. When I think we are far enough, I pull out the weird fruit, Within my arm an orb compresses, its color turning dark blue really quickly, and soon a mix of light blue and purple flows througha tricolored, very densely compressed mana. I stare at it for a moment. Then I shrug and push further, turning the orb pitch black as it begins to reverberate in my hand, struggling to escape my control. I squish the fruit and the juice within reacts to my mana; flowing around and encapsulating it, before shining a brilliant white and dropping to the surface of the lake. It only takes a few seconds for the vibrations to roll through the surface, the ripples rebounding all the way to the opposite side. Something moves under the surface at an incredible speed and an arm pierces the surface. Human-like, enormous, and thin as a spire. The fish pulls itself outrevealing another salmon-like creature with six pairs of red eyes and three pairs of these creepy arms. That fish is twice as big as the one the others lured, and its scales are of a single color only: pale blue. [Fish - lvl ???] Chapter 508: Our fish Even before it fully climbs out, I find myself sliding into [Focus] as [Eclipse] activates, reaching out for the fish while Ley Lines crisscross their way through the area, the pressure just feels that strong. Sophie deploys her webs; Luna grows to the size of a horse, nudging Leticia and prompting her to climb on her back as she begins to form a bow of mana in her hand. Lucien quickly repositions, and Tess grabs him as she runs by, both of them keeping their distance. Gareth steps forth, his armor taking on more bulk as the silver light condenses around him. He lifts his shield just in time as a stream of water erupts from the fishs mouth, striking the shield as if drawn to it, though its difficult to tell whether the effect originates from man or fish. Gareth holds his ground, using both hands to fend off the assault. Jean runs by him, and the fish turns to shoot that stream at him, but in quick succession, multiple lightning-charged javelins pierce it and make it miss. In one smooth movement, Jean reaches the body and strikes the fish, only to be thrown back with incredible force, his body skipping across the lakes surface like a stone. I immediately recognize the skills similarity to [Reflection, and lift myself higher into the air before launching a few mana javelins at it, which hit the body. Does that mean it only works on physical attacks? Lily reaches the same conclusion, so the axe stays on her back and coats her fist in [Disintegration] instead before throwing a punch of her own. The attack would almost seem gentle were it not for the gray mana eating a huge hole in the fish''s body. Moving surprisingly quickly given its huge size, the fish turns to her, swatting at her with one of its arms, only to be struck by a series of lightning javelins moving at incredible speeds, throwing the attack off course as Lily''s punch takes a huge chunk out of that arm. The fish moves again, two arms moving, but they freeze mid-air, held by Sophie. Seizing upon the opportunity offered by the immobilized fish, Leticia showers it in a barrage of arrows, leaving some kind of corrosive effect in their wake, and Tess does the same with her javelins, both of them focusing on the eyes. The surface of the lake moves unsteadily, a huge wave rising in the wake of the fish as it moves, turning its jet-like stream on Sophie, only to be blocked by Gareth once again. This time I notice the attack bend slightly in the air as if pulled towards the man. That same stream eventually moves up, targeting me, but I form a shield to intercept the stream in its entirety. Having finished my preparations, compressing a projectile as long as a bus and as thick as a tree woven from condensed mana and kinetic energy. It erupts forth at high speed, piercing through the monsters skull, gouging out massive chunks of flesh, leaving a big hole in its wake, wide enough to see through. The creatures blood begins to drip onto the surface of the lake and for a moment the fish wavers, just before its six arms reach out to stabilize it. With incredible speed, the wounds healexcept for those inflicted by [Disintegration]. The flesh sizzles and bubbles as it regrows, rapidly mending the damage. Two more pairs of arms emerge from the fishs back in an eerie sort of twisting motion. Then they clap, sending vibrations through the air along with a powerful disrupting wave, weakening any mana-based skills in the area. Not mine, though. [Mana Domain] protects my body, and [Eclipse] drains the color from the air, making the varied hues of mana even more vibrant by comparison. At that moment, Jean reaches the fish again, and I launch more projectiles its way, which pierce through its body, tearing the arms from its back. Then Jean punches it again in an even greater show of strength than before. This time, he isnt immediately thrown back. A wide grin spreads across his bloodied face as the fishs skin ripples at the point of impact, inflicting a fresh set of woundsbefore Jean is hurled away with even greater speed and force than before. RA??BE?S As the fish regrows the arms and claps again, I release more of my mana, countering its attempts at disruption with [Eclipse], as more and more of the surrounding colors fade away under the spreading effects of my skill as it envelops the area. Six huge arms form from the mana surrounding me, each extending forth and reaching down towards the monster, reaching out to me in turn with the pair on its back. The six of my arms grab these two arms and pull them off, the blood exploding from the monster. Then the arms grab it to hold it in place. The water swirls around us as another wave prepares to wash over the group, but Sophie moves her arm, causing the water to follow the gesture and roil in place before bursting forth in a series of pressurized streams, bombarding the fish with a myriad of imitations of its own attacks. Even then, Noname doesn''t seem to hesitate or be worried, "I don''t know, man, you might just suck at fishing." Like most of our group, I can hardly believe this blatant provocation. I try to convey with my expression that he should stop, that provoking the demon like this is a bad idea. Noname, however, simply glances at me before turning his attention back to Myrril. "Your heart is weak, too," he adds. As he says this, his expression remains blank, only making the words hit harder. "I bet baby demons have stronger hearts. Yours is probably worse than the pets of the royal ladies." Ripples spread across the surface, and the fish being fought by the group battling in the distance is all but forgotten. Myrrils smile widens, his eyes glowing a darker shade of red as his black hair rises, fanning out around his head. A powerful thump echoing through the area, resonating from his heart. I take a step ahead, just to try, "Myrril, can" The words freeze in my throat, my movement held at bay, and I find myself unable to movenot to blink, not even to breathe. "Damn, the little baby demon got an ouchie. Did I hurt your feelings?" I wouldve expected Noname to at least change his expression or even to smirk a bit, yet his face remains the same, and that only makes it worse. Myrril takes a step towards him, and incredible vibrations rumble through the area as his powerful heart generates an incredible amount of energy. "Human, I will enjoy this very much." "Sure. If you take another step, you will die." The confidence in Nonames words makes Myrril hesitate for a moment, but he simply smirks and takes another step. "What now?" Noname shrugs. "Kill him." Before anyone can react, another figure appears by Myrril''s sidea human girl, slim with eyes peeking out from under her brown hair. That powerful demon heart only manages to beat a few times as Myrril turns towards her, energy exploding around his body. Then, it falters. The energy dissipates, and the demon stumbles. At that moment, his head begins to slide down his neck, falling toward the waters surface landing with a splash before coming to a stop. The light in his red eyes slowly begins to fade, surprise etched in his expression, and as the last glimmer of light vanishes, his head sinks beneath the surface. I lift my eyes to look at the woman once again, but she is gone. A panic ensues in the group as they stand in formation, skills deploying around them. The two remaining B-ranks separate from their formation, coming to a stop beside Myrril''s body and grabbing it before it can sink beneath the surface. Both of them are demons. The one who grabs the body is K''len, and the other, Janryc, activates his mana, leaving a tracery of blue tattoos in its wake as it crawls across his skin, eventually reaching his horns and illuminating them in its pale blue light. K''len stretches and looks towards the group still fighting in the distance. "Which member of your party should I kill first?" A lot of anger seeps into his voice. He and Myrril were close and he doesn''t seem to be thinking straight at the moment. Then Noname''s own heart releases a loud thump, much like the demon he just had killed. K''len and Janryc both take a step forward, their eyes filling with bloodlust as their mouths twist upwards in a pair of dangerous smiles at the obvious challenge. Wave after wave of kinetic energy radiates from Noname, along with his mana. It increases more and more, the crown over his head spinning slowly as a golden shine appears in his eyes. The amount of mana pouring off him is incredible, crashing over us in waves, flickering around his body, emitting its signature blue light as the pressure around us increases, and this time, I''m sure, the colors are losing their hues, making his mana shine. No more words pass between them, and K''len attacks first. Chapter 509: Pale blue I hope Ill never be as easy to provoke as this guy. Now that their strongest member is dead, this should be doable without losses on our end. I sidestep using Wraith Dance, bringing myself in line with the path of the demon carrying the corpse of their leader. I switch to Breaker Style and release the kinetic energy Ive been collecting. He, in defense, thrusts the body he holds into the path of my attack, and with its lowered natural defenses it explodes into flesh and bones but blocks most of the force. The demon grabs a thigh bone and a rib bone into his hands, oscillating mana coating them in addition as he uses kinetic energy to move towards me. My crown releases a pulse, disrupting all his mana, and before he can reactivate his skills, [Eclipse] cancels them out. The bones in his hands find themselves colliding with a pair of daggers woven from my mana and boosted with his own kinetic. Two arms made of mana take shape, extending from my back and reaching out to grab him, but he moves incredibly quickly, avoiding them and attacking me again. I dodge with Pulser Style, and he takes the opportunity to pursue the group still fighting the fish.@@@@ I teleport through one of my Ley Lines and then use Wraith Dance, catching up to him and absorbing the kinetic energy of his movement. But he modifies the field protecting him and pushes through, turning his attention back to me after launching one of the bones at Lily, who simply raises her axe to deflect it as I send her a warning through our link. I grab the demon''s wrist, kinetic energy roaring through my body as I pull him to me, and my knee crashes into the arm he lifts in defense. His fist becomes coated with violently oscillating mana, but [Eclipse] disrupts it again, just as it does with every other skill he tries to activate. Time after time, I forgo efficiency, disrupting his skills before they can fully form, my reserves showing no sign of strain. He hisses, and something pierces the hand I use to hold his wrist. There are sharp bones growing from underneath his skin, stabbing into my arm. I hold on tightly and pull closer, driving my knee into the arm he raises to block the attack. His skin ripples as sharp bones begin erupting from his forearms, knees, chest, and shoulders. He strikes again, using his own bones as a weapon, eventually managing to pierce the hand holding him in place. I slam my head into his nose, breaking it and drawing blood. But that makes his smile broaden as he licks away the blood pooling on his upper lip and spits it in my face, making me move to avoid it. He makes another desperate attempt to activate skills in a last ditch effort to unleash something powerful, at least going by the way he tries to manipulate the structure and flow of his mana. But I don''t let him; I ruthlessly push through his natural defenses, destroying them, obliterating them with the sheer amount of mana I use. And as for his kinetic energy, It''s nothing I can''t match. He doesn''t even come close to the white-haired demon I normally spar with. Gradually, armor starts to form around my body, woven from dense threads of mana that his bone attacks just can''t seem to pierce. His arms, pierced with extremely sharp and durable bones, keep slamming against me, breaking and healing, each attack showing incredible physical stats, regeneration, and bursts of kinetic energy. And yet I maintain my grip on his arm and grab the other as well. With a strong pull, I grab it and tear it off. His desperate attempts at activating whatever strong skill he may possess intensify. Even in this state seems to be cycling through all his options, running through every skill he has. But theres nothing he can do. [Eclipse - lvl 12 > Eclipse - lvl 13] His mana pool can''t compare to mine, and I''m drawing on it like a bottomless well, with no concern for efficiency, just to disrupt even the earliest sign that he might be activating a skill. R?aNo?Bs?? I pull off the other arm as well, and he staggers back. Even now, he fails to show even the slightest hint of hesitation and continues to laugh, even with the situation. Instead of restoring his flesh and bone arms, he skips the flesh entirely, choosing instead to weave a web of bone from the ends of his stumps. He doesnt run; instead, he attacks me again to the same result as before. Before his arms can regenerate, I pierce a hole in his chest with kinetic energy, his own failing to counter the strike. As he stands there dying, he doesn''t lose that maniacal look in his eyes. "That was a beautiful use of kinetic energy..." he coughs up blood, "For a human." As his eyes glaze over and he falls, he steals a final glance at the remains of the demon Tacita killed, sinking into the lake. Fixating on that sight, he takes his last breath. Pale Blue Core (Arcane)-A spherical core within a fish''s body that pulses with mana. This core serves as the source of its power, capable of amplifying mana fields or fueling high-tier constructs. Some of them shout in excitement, and the older ones start bickering about when the last time they saw such a big Pale Blue Core was. Apparently, there are even bigger ones, but they tend to be different colors. For example, one can also find Pale Purple Cores, Pale Golden Cores, and Pale White Cores, which seem to be the rarest. This one still has a lot of value, though, with Pale Blue Cores tending to go for around 200-500 thousand shards, depending on size, age, and other parameters. Not bad at all. There are also some upper epic materialsmostly the flesh, tendons, scales, and bones, plus more besidesbut there are a few more valuable ones as well. Pristine Mana Stones (Arcane)-Naturally formed gemstones found within a fish''s stomach and refined by its unique processes of mana consumption. They are highly sought after for their purity and potency. Reflection Membrane (Epic)- A layer of semi-transparent tissue near a fish''s torso that reflects physical and mana-based attacks. Ideal for crafting shields and defensive barriers. Energy-Hardened Skeleton (Epic) - The durable skeleton of a fish, laced with absorbed mana. Its fragments can be used to craft high-tier weapons and mana conductors. Overall, our fish is estimated to have a value somewhere between 300-700 thousand shards at most. For a converted value of 3-7 low arcane weapons or 1-3 mid arcane. For a fish. Sure, it took ten of us to take it down, but I''m sure we could pull it off with less, and if you could catch a few in a row, you would certainly end up with a decent amount of shards. And from what Ive heard, some of the more powerful B and A-ranks have been known to take out similar fish on their own with minimal effort and damage to the materials. The problem is that even Pale Blue fish are extremely rare, not to mention the higher tiers of them. I want to see it. I want to fight more of those guys. I want to try hunting a fish on my own. And now we find ourselves standing around that loot, splitting the parts amongst ourselves based on their potential usefulness. I even got some Pristine mana stones and a few pieces of membrane out of the deal, and Lily got some more bones, as usual. She also got the body of the demon I killed, along with a few small pieces from the other demons body. That makes me wonder if a lurker could still grow from the pieces left behind after we take our share with us when we leave. Is there a minimum amount of material required for the process to take place? Or does the process start the moment someone dies? Im not entirely certain its the latterthat would probably be governed under the authority of the system, that means that whatevers in the middle of this floor probably needs some pieces left over to rebuild a body in the first place. As usual, the questions never end. Jean juggles the Pale Blue Core in his hand, it being as big as a basketball, and tapping on it with the tip of his finger. "So how do we sell it? I did my part, so I better get paid." Leticia takes it from him and holds it for a moment, seeming surprised by its weight. "If it sells for around 400 thousand, that means Noname gets 200, and each of us will get around 20 thousand. When we factor in the other items, it should climb to somewhere between 30 and 40 thousand each while Noname will get away with around 300 to 400." "He didn''t even help that much in the fight against the fish; he just floated there and attacked a bit! I saw him watching us," Lucien complains. I''m almost amazed by the degree of his shamelessness; this little shit barely did anything and basically just focused on healing Jean toward the end. Gareth steps forward. "We made a deal, and it would be dishonest to change the terms now. Think of it as an extra influx of shards you didnt even expect in the first place. As for Noname, without him, we wouldnt have even attempted this. He even held the other guys off while we fought." Lucien just snorts in response, but he doesn''t complain anymore. So this time it''s me who grabs the core and puts it into Duncan''s hands, but it falls to the ground as the native finds himself too weak to even hold it. He giggles nervously and quickly rolls it closer to him while checking for damage. "It''s nice." After that, he attempts to roll it to me, but I stop it with my leg. "You sell it and the other items. You can take five percent for your trouble." For a moment, a look of surprise flashes across his face, but then he smiles. "Ten percent, or you can do it on your own." Chapter 510: Reanimated Remnants Duncan starts ordering some natives around and threatening them not to steal anything. He promises them bonuses paid in shards or materials, all drawn from his 10%, which will also cover various fees along the way. It all seems too easy. He smiles, he curses at them, he threatens and offers bonusesall while quickly reacting to anything the natives have to say. He even uses the presence of our group to his advantage. I think they might be scared of Lily, who is already digging into the body of that demon. Even so, extroverts sure have it easy. I think it was Tess who told me that some people actually gain energy from interacting with others rather than being drained by the experience. I can see it, I can understand the theory, but I don''t get it. "Does Hadwins presence in the Beyond community mean trouble?" Gareth asks, moving in closer, scratching his well kempt beard as we watch the natives move. "Yup. But I''m also sure the First Beyonder is a lot of trouble, so what''s one more on the pile?" "I meant for us. For Earth." This is something I have already thought about for a while, yet even now I''m not sure. What if that crazy cockroach really does get out of the tutorial? What if she ends up on Earth? "I dont think shed go out of her way to kill the weak, but she probably wouldnt lose any sleep over it if something were to happen. It''s difficult to say." "I understand, but arent we all on track to reach the same level of power? Weve all seen what Champions and Absolutes can do." "I guess. But she might be a bit of a special case. Shes the kind of person you tell stories about to scare Absolutes and some of the weaker Rulers, thats what well be dealing with once she regains her powers." "Haaa," Gareth exclaims, letting out a noise somewhere between a sigh and a huff. "We better work hard to keep up with the others. It''s our planet, so it''s up to us to defend it, right, my friend?" My answer is somewhere between a nod and shaking my head. POV Myrra The tunnels are enormous and continue their downward path just long enough for me to start getting bored. "Little kitten, your orbs." Quickly, I refocus my attention in a rush to keep the terrifying things from exploding in my face. From previous experience, I know how rarely she gives warnings. And just how close I must have been to putting myself in a dangerous situation. Were they about to blow me apart? I feel cold sweat running down my neck. "I''m not so old that I don''t understand the youths desire for excitementto discover something new, to fight, and to have fun. But such a loss of focus is inexcusable." ??????bS@@@@ "I''m sorry." "Don''t apologize. Do better. I promised that I would declare you a Champion candidate. A true candidate, not like the pathetic imitation you were before. And, little kitten, never in my life was I wrong when I made the declaration. You lynthari like to mess around, so you have to demonstrate the proper dedication before I give my approval." Knowing she will only get annoyed if I apologize again, I simply nod and return to my training. The monsters here arent even bothering to attack us, or maybe they are and Lady Lissandra is just killing them before I can notice. But after what seems like days, we finally reach the bottom of the tunnel, and the area around us changes. We stop in front of a very long bridge, and she steps onto it, walking with confidence. I feel my heart beating; I can hear whispers and movement below us. I can feel vibrations rumbling through the hair of my ears and tail. Am I scared just because of some height? A bit of darkness? All of my emotions feel amplified, and my memory of them feels stronger, especially sadness, anger, and fear. I accept them all, I feel them, but I don''t let them control me. They are mine, and that means I have to control them. Eventually, I even begin to enjoy them. The taste of my fear, and that sense of desperation I felt when the matriarch died, and I knew my world would never be the same, or the beautiful expression of happiness on Nathaniel''s face when we fought juxtaposed with the despair of being left alone on my dying world until this human woman came along and saved me. The bridge comes to an end sooner than I expect, and she looks back at me and nods in acknowledgment. Then she reaches into the air and grabs a patch of pure darkness hanging in the space beside her. For a moment, something screeches, and then there is silence. A pulse of mana erupts from her, scattering the material darkness that once resembled smoke, leaving it lifeless and hollow. Without a word, she continues through another bridge until we reach a platform framing a deep hole at its center and find a blue skinned thylarin man, missing five of his arms, at the bottom. We find him down on his knees, head lowered, and he seems almost hesitant as he rises from his bow. "It is an honor to be in the presence of such power as yours." Even in this state, my instincts are screaming that hes still oh so very dangerous. I can see it in his eyes; all my senses are warning me to stay away from him. Even imprisoned as he is, hes still a threat. As always, Lady Lissandra dismisses his attempts at flattery with a wave of her hand, and after a moment, she opens her palm, letting a small handful of white sand drift down into the hole. No! the thylarin screams, leaping to his feet and pressing back against the wall. "Yes." Not long after that, we leave the safe zone, making our way through the slowly changing scenery. There is less damage to the surroundings, and it opens up more, with fewer ruins around. The land is mostly grassy flatland with hills once in a while and tall forests in between. The rock covering the ceiling changes as well, becoming lighter in color with enormous crystals giving gentle, pleasant light. Once in a while we encounter enormous stone pillars connecting the ground and ceiling which seem to provide support as well. The sizes range from the width of a football stadium at the smallest to truly incomprehensible monstrosities. Apparently, they often have caves and, rarely, veins of precious materials. Tess flies up in the air, trying to map our surroundings and compare it with our simple map. Like any other place in Beyond, the gravity here tends to be stronger than it is on, let''s say, the 7th floor. I also feel a constant pull on my mana, dragging it downwards towards something at the bottom of the First Dungeon. Sometimes my curiosity takes over, and I let it happen, watching the way my mana gets pulled away and study the effect that causes it. I compare it to other skills I''ve seen that were capable of absorbing mana and to the effects of my black mana. The black mana wins for the time being. That insane thing actually managed to nom on the mana of a quarter-Champion eye, so obviously it would. But how will it compare as we reach the lower floors of the dungeon? Looking at the rankings, it would seem that the only person to reach the 6th floor in the past millennia or so was that guy Adrienat least since the last reset. I have seen some of the memories Whitey had of the guy, but they only come in short flashes as the demon refuses to show me more of them. And even that much makes me very curious. It doesn''t take us too long to meet our first enemies: skeletons of monsters that used to live here and that millennia and millennia ago the first attendeesmaybe even Rulers themselveskilled, and since then they are reanimating. [Reanimated Beast - lvl 326] [Reanimated Remnant - lvl 311] [Reanimated Remnant - lvl 320] [Reanimated Beast - lvl 310] [Reanimated Beast - lvl 291] Theyre all built from skeletons that clearly cant have belonged to anything friendly, even in life, and they move with unnerving ease, their bones grinding and shifting as if they still bore some semblance of intellectbut they dont. Whatever force animates them is giving them a strength far beyond anything those brittle bones could handle on their own. They charge with brutal efficiency, no hesitation, no fearjust pure, mechanical intent to kill. The beasts'' jaws snap closed with a terrible sound and enough force to crush metal, but its not just raw power. Their movements are precise, almost too precise for something so clearly dead. I cant help but wonderhow much of the original monster remains? Remnants are different. They arent whole monsters, not even close. Each one is a unique patchwork of skeletons, cobbled together like some childs nightmare of a puzzle. Each step they take is jerky, almost clumsy, but theres a disturbing unpredictability to them. A spine from one beast fused to the ribs of another, claws that dont match the attached limbs. Its like something threw them together in a hurry and still made them work. Fortunately, we learn about them long before they get close, so were ready when they do. Gareth and Jean taking the front, while Sophie, Leticia, and Luna handle the defenses, and Lucien cowers behind Tess. That leaves Lily and I to do whatever we see fit, and Tacita... manages to be somewhere else once again. As the highest-level beast in the approaching group attacks, it tears through Jean''s body, freeing his organs and taking a piece of his leg with it before Gareth bashes into the monster. Jean heals incredibly quickly thanks to Lucien, but dark-red scars trace paths across his skin, gleaming wetly as the wounds reopen despite Luciens efforts. As Gareth finds himself tossed aside, Sophie steps in to halt the monster in its tracks while Lily moves in with an incredible burst of speed, intercepting one of the beasts trying to outflank us, and Tess bombs each monster in turn. Stones are torn from the ground around her, each thrown at incredible speed at the monsters. Jean, having finally recovered, lets out a hearty laugh and rushes back into the fray with glee, muscles bulging dangerously under his skin. The fight takes much longer than expected, but after what feels like an eternity, the reanimated monsters finally lie dead, leaving our small group to lick its wounds which still refuse to close, the attacks of our opponents leaving behind red scars even with healing. Despite expectations, the bonk strategy seems to work, and Jean finished the level 326 Reanimated Beast all on his own without outside help aside from the healing he got at the start. I also went hard and helped to kill the remaining monsters. I can even happily say that without me it''s highly possible that somebody would have died. I even get recognition in the form of a word of thanks from Leticia and a happy tap on the back from Gareth. It feels awkward so I ignore it and they leave me alone. Another day passes, marked by countless clashes with the monsters. I push myself to kill as many as possible on my own, testing the limits of my mana and my new skill. There are a few things that give me an edge, but these creatures are formidable nonetheless. They''re incredibly durable, and their razor-sharp attacks easily pierce through barriers, plus, they have some kind of anti-healing effect and even employ their own scouts to track us. Still, after the first few battles, things do get slightly easier. We start adapting to their fighting patterns, and losing a limb or two feels like a small price to pay for such excellent progress. Though at some point, something inside me starts to wonder if Jean might be level 300, but I dont quite think he is. But it wasnt so long ago that I was saying level didnt matter much. Well, I might have lied a bit, because right now, I care a lot. For one simple reason. [Lvl 299 > Lvl 300] Well done! You have successfully reached level 300. You may now select a new Primary Class. Available classes and their rarity are based on your actions and performance up until now within the Tutorial. Specifically this system message and the five options its currently presenting. Let''s see what the system has for me. Chapter 511: Primary class upgrade It seems like arcane Primary classes are on the menu, and I''m here for it. I might have been hoping for something along those lines, but the fact that none of my options are below arcane means... Well, a lot of things, really. I relay the message through our link and ask Tess to keep an eye on surroundings while I look over my options. Mana Reforger (Arcane) An advanced class specializing in augmenting and transforming ones body and equipment through precise energy manipulation. Mana Reforgers push the boundaries of physical and magical enhancement, all the while forging powerful artifacts and refining themselves into dangerous combatants. Your dedication to self-improvement is extraordinary. You''ve modified and strengthened your body beyond your level and crafted multiple mid arcane items. You have modified your body extensively. Acquired Bone Knitting. With Mana Manipulation at level 60 and a mana stat exceeding 1,200, you''ve showcased exceptional skill in enduring and reshaping both yourself and your tools. Your fortified physique alone allows you to withstand attacks that would be fatal to others. Mindshield Guardian (Arcane) An advanced class focused on mental fortification and resilience. Mindshield Guardians possess unparalleled mental defenses and are therefore capable of resisting mental manipulation and enduring the strain of powerful abilities and advanced mental calculations. Your mind is an unbreakable fortress. With passive skills like Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) and Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane), you''ve strengthened your psyche to withstand any assault. Your level 60 skill [Focus] allows you to wield potent abilities without faltering. Primordial Kinetic Master (Arcane) An elite class specializing in the mastery of primordial kinetic energy. Primordial Kinetic Masters harness primordial forces to perform feats that defy conventional magic and physical limitations. Your journey through the study of primordial energies sets you apart. Under unique teachings, you''ve begun to master primordial kinetic techniques, demonstrating remarkable degrees of control and understanding. With skills like Eclipse and constructs such as Vortex Core, along with your mastery of [Mana Manipulation], you''ve unlocked a set of powers that few can comprehend. That already makes for a good start, and while they don''t compare to the latter two, I still like reading the descriptions. Particularly with the system being the way it is, even these small bits of information tend to contain some important clues. Though it leaves me wondering if it''s supposed to be this way, lining the offerings up from worst to best to hype me up as I read through the increasingly exciting list of primary classes. One of these days, the system is going to present me with three offerings and extort me for shards with the promise of more, lest I be forced to wait out a timer. In exactly the sort of vile cliffhanger, this asshole system seems to love. Anyway. Its easy to see how I wound up with Mana Reforger. The system must have really liked my body modifications and crafting experiments. As with every class Ive been offered thus far, I cant help but wonder what skills and passives I may be passing up. Then theres Mindshield Guardian, which is interesting in its own right. Seemingly an intensely specialized class built around straight-up mental enhancements. I don''t like the name very much, but the description clearly hints at a powerful mana-based class with extreme mental resistance. That also reminds me that Ill have to ask the others how many arcane classes, if any, they were offered when they reach level 300. With all the shit I went through to get here, it had better be less than me. Anyway, Mindshield Guardian very nice, but maybe next time. Primordial Kinetic Master sounds more interesting. Though Id probably like it more if I were Whitey. Hell, it even sounds interesting to me. Defy conventional magic and physical limitations? What kind of man wouldn''t be enamored with that description? I want to defy physical limitations. It would seem I have Whitey to thank for this one. For the system to acknowledge him that much... the guy must have had a truly incredible talent for kinetic energy, and so far, I haven''t met anyone close to him. And I still have two to go over. Options I never would have expected to see. Kinetic Mana Harmonizer (Unique Arcane) A unique class granted to individuals who have taken their first steps towards harmonizing kinetic energy with the manipulation of mana, enhancing their magical prowess through kinetic augmentation. Kinetic Mana Harmonizers utilize kinetic forces to refine and empower their mana-based skills, achieving feats surpassing conventional applications of magic. r?A?N??s We don''t head back; no, we delve deeper, and the moment I go to reread the descriptions, Tess shouts a warning. Screaming through the air over our heads, a bone javelin two times the length of my body passes by with a red light glowing inside. The incredible amount of mana packed within begins to expand as cracks spread across its surface. A quick teleport brings me in range, and I grab it with my outstretched hand. The colors of the world fade around me as the red light shines ever so much brighter. But even that light starts to dwindle, pulling back and dying off as my [Eclipse] surrounds and suffocates it, as my Mana Wavelength Iris observes the whole process. When I finally let go, the javelin crumbles, mana potent enough to equal my tricolored orb explosions fading to nothing. My kinetic energy surrounds me, and another javelin slows to a crawl. I fly towards it, grabbing it, surrounding it in [Eclipse] once more, as the mana within fights back, threatening to destabilize around me, but in the end, even that dissipates into a mist of fine particles. When I grab the third one, the light simply blinks, slowly changing and beginning to glow a pale shade of blue. The javelin becomes mine, and I throw it into the air, boosting it further with kinetic energy. It only takes a few seconds for me to see the explosion rippling out from the place the javelin came from. Resonance Flow expands even further as I fly just behind our group, covering a wide area around us, slowing six more of the bone javelins slowing to a halt in mid air. More and more mana funnels its way into [Eclipse], and my eyes move to read the wavelengths of each incoming weapon. I modify my frequency, adapting to theirs, and then I take over, overriding the enemys control and making them my own. Ley Lines connect to each of the weapons, pumping each one with an increasing flood of mana as I return them to sender, severing my connection in the process. Six more explosions ring out, still miles away, but this time, I can feel the vibrations of the explosions even without the kinetic senses. [You have defeated Reanimated Marauder - lvl 306] [You have defeated Reanimated Marauder - lvl 301] Seeing no more javelins heading our way, I boost myself in the direction of the others, catching up to the group after taking a moment to deploy some traps triggered by mana threads, along some extremely dense mana threads to cut through the weaker monsters while snaring the stronger ones for a bit. Landing near Tess, I boost my body with kinetic energy and break into a run at her side. "Theres another group to our left and a smaller one ahead of us," she warns. "Is something attracting them like it was in the previous zone, or is this normal?" "I already asked Sophie, Luna, and Leticia to look into it, but they couldnt find anything, and Leticia said there shouldn''t be anything attracting monsters like we attract lurkers. It seems like they have scouts tracking us and sending them our way." Then, she speaks through our link to keep the others from overhearing. (Are you going to upgrade your class?) (To be honest, I''m already starting to get impatient. I already have my choice all lined up. But I don''t know if it won''t give me some stuff that could make me unconscious in the process, and I don''t need a new class to deal with these guys.) (So yes?) Damn it. (Yes.) Chapter 512: Bye Bye Focused Channeler We hide inside one of the huge stone pillars connecting the floor to the ceiling. They turn out to be surprisingly durable, and it takes a great deal of effort to carve our way inside, with Sophie manipulating the stone to close the way behind us while I use one of my tiny black orbs to destroy any trace of our mana before allowing it to crumble away. With our signatures hidden and the area shielded by a multitude of webs and arrays, we take a moment to sit around the gentle light of a normal candle that burns surprisingly bright in the dimness of our hidey-hole, keeping our usage of mana to a minimum. The hideout is cramped, and the air within is stale and heavy, carrying faint traces of the dust shaken loose by our excavations. The walls, smooth yet imperfect, hold an eerie stillness, their muted gray surfaces serving to absorb the flickering glow of our single candle. It casts elongated shadows that stretch and twist across the stone in an unnerving manner. As we settle in, so too does the weight of our exhaustion. Every breath feels heavier, every sound rings louder in near silence. Even the candlelight feels fragile, as though the oppressive darkness might snuff it out at any moment. Put simply, the morale has never been better. After a day of running and fighting, we all seem to have leveled up, but after having to heal all that damage and disintegrate these unhealing wounds, Lily, now with short black hair, is running out of her mana. So, currently, we sit here waiting for her to recover. "I''m sorry, Grumpy," Gareth apologizes. "Ive been working on modifying my skill so I can do more to help you next time." "It''s fine! I can heal a lot; I just want to have some reserves in case things go to shit." She says, tapping her backpack. Thankfully, no one asks what she has in it; it would be difficult to explain. Also, what''s up with her language recently? (Will you keep watch for me?) I ask Tess. (Go for it,) she confirms. So I pull myself further into my corner and close my eyes, hoping that the process of upgrading my class won''t make me scream or anything. That would be awkward. I have an image to maintain. First, for good old times'' sake, I check my previous class. I know I haven''t been giving it a lot of attention lately, but its served me well. Focused Channeler (Epic) Active Skill: [Mana Domain] - Establishes a limited area, granting the user a heightened degree of control and influence over the flow of mana, providing various tactical advantages. Active Skill:[Tether] - Anchors the user''s mana to a specific location, enabling quick return or other location-based effects. Passive Skill: Mana Reservoir (Epic) - Allows the user to slowly and gradually store mana beyond their natural maximum, effectively increasing their total mana pool. Bonuses: Constitution +20 Mana +100 I still have [Mana Domain] even now, and Im hoping to keep it because of the applied effect of Pride to it. I used [Tether] in a skill fusion to create [Ley Line], a skill I still explore and have great expectations from, and lastly, the passive skill Mana Reservoir, which Ive since upgraded into a unique epic passive. Well, thank you, Focused Channeler, and bye. Congratulations! You have chosen the Primary class - Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane). In the future, you may be able to upgrade your class or exchange it for a new one, befitting your actions at that point within the tutorial. Another window pops up: Congratulations! You have acquired a new Primary Class: Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane) Active skill:[Empyrean Lance] - A luminous spear of refined mana, charged with harmonic frequencies that resonate with both matter and energy. The lance punctures its target, releasing concentric waves of destabilizing force that disrupts the targets structure, causing a cascading breakdown as mana vibrations radiate outward. This overwhelming attack leaves a residual field of unstable energy. ra?No??B?? Active skill:No available slot detected. Passive Skill: Mana Wavelength Tyrant (Mid Arcane) - The wavelength of the user''s mana imposes itself on the surrounding environment, forcing ambient mana in the vicinity to harmonize with their energy, creating areas of heightened mana density. This synchronization creates a natural pull that gradually collects energy. This field expands outward, drawing ambient energy into a controlled and harmonious stream centered on the user. Bonuses: Mana +500 Active skill slots fully occupied. Performance check initiated. Unique class classification confirmed. Champion Candidate status identified. Body modifications detected. Beyond attendee designation confirmed. Winner of the First Tournament, fifth round, detected. Additional personalization parameters unlocked. Four options generated for selection in place of the Second Active Skill.@@@@ Passive skill combination token (mid arcane) Active skill combination token Active skill evolution (will not apply to high-grade active skills) Trait evolution (will not apply to high-grade traits) Note: Any of these options will be influenced by the Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane) Primary class. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Lvl 301 Strength: 189 Dexterity: 181 Constitution: 361 Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1609 + 1609 Primary Class:Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane) Sub-class: [Adept of Pride] Active skills (10/10): Focus - Lvl 60 Perception - Lvl 55 Redistribution - Lvl 58 Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 57 Mana Crown - Lvl 51 Mana Manipulation - Lvl 61 Ley Line - Lvl 44 Bone Knitting - Lvl 25 Eclipse - Lvl 14 Empyrean Lance - Lvl 0 Constructs: Reinforcement (Construct) Thermokinetic Mana Heart (Construct) Mana Regulator (Construct) Mana Sovereignty Mantle (Construct) Vortex Core (Construct) Passive skills (5/5): Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic) Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic) Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane) Mana Wavelength Tyrant (Mid Arcane) Tokens: Beyond 3 day stay token Beyond 3 day stay token Beyond 1 day stay token Beyond 1 day stay token Beyond 1 day stay token Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes Shards:97,939 Chapter 513: I will crush your pride I rest against one of the huge pillars and apply pressure with my hand on the wound on my stomach with my hand in an effort to keep my organs where they belong. There arent any more healing marks that I can activate, so I focus on cycling thermal energy through my body. One day, I will finally find the person who caused my healing passive to be left behind at only mid epic grade. The most annoying part is that I can''t even use proper armor at the moment or try to weave my mana due to the spike in my mana and the fact that my mid-arcane passive has yet to apply. I think I might have been warned about my absurdly high mana because of situations like this. Maybe all those people knew what they were talking about. "Healing?" Lily asks, moving closer. "No need." She takes a moment to confirm, then rushes off to heal the others, even reattaching a leg that Sophie lost during one of the fights. Gareth''s wide-area healing aura helps me enough for my passive to finish the rest. Plus, I let some of that pain reach me. It helps me to focus and serves an important function as a reminder. I want my mind and my body to feel what will happen should I lose control, which could happen at any time. I was fortunate enough to live through it this time. For the moment, most of my constructs are working properly. Well, "properly" might be too strong a word, but at least Ive gotten them patched up. My increased mana also causes fewer problems now, moving such big amounts of it feels somewhat familiar. There were always situations where I had a lot of mana flowing through my body or was using a lot of it at once. This is just an extension of that, Im just having to deal with it on a constant basis. My mind isn''t the problem, its this body of mine, its a weakness I know about and have traded in for all these things I can do that others cannot. (You might want to stop whatever youre doing there, Nat. Your mana affects surrounding mana too much.) Sophie says, sending a message through our link. (What do you mean?) (Your mana feels like it''s taking control of the mana around you, even the ambient one. Ive been feeling it for the past hour, and its only getting stronger over time. I think Leticia can feel it, too, shes just not letting it show.) (Ill check on it, thanks.) With that, I take a moment to focus on what my passives been doing until now, which I would have done before had I not had other problems to deal with, and it would seem that the passive involves more of a gradual application. Even now, I feel the pain serving as proof of that. As Sophie said, and as the description shows, it seems to be helping me impose a strange sort of control over the surrounding environment. It''s like a weird mix of [Eclipse], [Mana Domain], and my black mana. And while each of the new effects is much weaker than their active counterparts, it has the same sort of feel to it. Its Something Ill need to play with when I have some free time, along with the active skill I still haven''t had the opportunity to use so far. Following Sophies recommendation, I turn off my passive, knowing that Ill just have to find a more fitting time to explore its effects. With it turned off, the pain lessens, though it never truly fades as the skill applies. Then we have to move again as Tess issues another warning, catching sight of the monsters before even Luna can sense them. Two days. That''s how long it takes me to fully adapt to the changes and for the pain to fade. It seems like this passive is stronger than my other mid-arcane skills, plenty stronger if the pain is anything to go by. rA????E?s? Tess''s scouting and Lily''s powerful healing are probably the only reasons no one died. I think every one of us has finally come to realize just how unprepared we were when we entered the zone between the 1st and 2nd safe zones. Confident after reaching the 1st safe zone with so much ease. Especially so after killing the fish. We thought we had all the information we needed and the numbers to pass through without challenge. The entire time, we haven''t seen a single lurker; theyve all been skeletal monsters. Extremely durable, possessed of a multitude of skills and mana, or whatever it is the creatures been using to slow our healing and leave such lasting wounds. Their attacks cause powerful explosions. Powerful at range, engaging in concentrated attacks, launching powerful bombardments, and possessed of an extreme sort of durability and sharp bones to act as claws at close range. I''m sure the next time I come through, itll only get that much easier, especially knowing what to expect after getting used to my powers, but just for now, Im perfectly happy to enter the safe zone with others who think the same. Lily and Gareth are the most exhausted out of all of us. We are happy, but nobodys willing to let their guard down. The second safe zone weve reached is called the Sphere and probably accounts for one of the weirdest things I have ever seen. The overall shape is that of... well... a perfect sphere made out of black stone with an amazingly smooth surface. "Yes, I have been preparing them the whole time we were fighting, you little shit." "Did you pick Noname because ''No-Talent'' was already taken?" "Yes." The answer makes him hesitate for a moment, just long enough for Leticia to move closer and drag him into a hug. Which makes him blush as he tries to push her away while Luna comes to a stop in front of me, giving me a judging look in the meantime. I avert my eyes and recline in my mana-block chair while letting them have fun, theorize, and plan for the future. Tess has always been good at those kinds of things, so I just let her handle it. Gradually, the time approaches for everyone to return to their respective floors. Plans are made, promises exchanged, and pleasantries shared. And well wishes echo their way through the group, carried by the relief of a somewhat successful end to the expedition. The promise of the shards from the fish likely serving to lighten the mood further. After the goodbyes, people begin to leave, one by one. Luna and Leticia disappear first, followed by Gareth as if they had used their Stay Tokens to arrive before the rest of us. Then Lily, Sophie, and Tess disappear as well. But I stay behind, having just used a one-day stay token to extend the duration of my stay. Straightening from my leaned-back position, I return the chair to its original shape, fixing my eyes on Jean. He quickly picks up on it. I wouldnt call him the smartest, but there are definitely times when he can be surprisingly quick to catch on. So once Lucien disappears, Jean is still there, expending a Stay Token much the same as I did. Neither of us says a word as we finish healing our wounds with our regeneration and collect our strength. When the time feels right, I stand up and head out, Jean following behind. We pass under the water sphere, pass through the tunnels leading to the safe zone, and make our exit, jumping down to the grassy surface. After another minute of walking, I stop and turn to him. "I would declare a challenge and wager, but you rejected the Candidate title." "My word carries more weight than anything that could be enforced by the outcome of a challenge," Jean declares. And I trust him. "Good, then, if you defeat me in the future, I won''t stop you when you try to kill her." That makes him laugh, but at the same time, he is stretching, warming up his body, "Some friend you are. Are you saying you would just stand there and watch?" "Does it matter? I''m not going to lose," I tell him. He nods seriously, "Then one of us will have to die." "Maybe," I bring his attention to me. "If I win, you can''t go behind me to attack anyone in my group. But I will be happy to face you anytime you want. It doesnt matter if you decide to wake me up at midnight or if you challenge me at a moment when I''m missing half of my body. Youll still need to defeat me to get to them." He pauses for a moment, then shakes his head with a hint of curiosity in his expression. "You really mean it, dont you?" "Yes. Because you will never beat me, and if youre not careful, you will die." I let my mana flow through my body, the air around me seeming to hum with tension. "I will crush your Pride," I say, my voice calm but deadly. "I will fuck you up." Chapter 514: Jean Durand Flashback Jean Durand A young man, no more than seventeen, victoriously thrusts both arms into the air with a loud, primal scream. His muscles tense as he basks in the exhilaration of winning, of competing, of putting everything on the line to push the limits of his body. That feeling of victory, the reward for all his effort, etches itself deeply within him. And he knows that hes found something to strive for the rest of his life just to have that experience again. Three white lights illuminate the judges panel nearby as the referees confirm the validity of his final lift for the meet. His heart beating wildly, he steps off the stage. He doesnt even head backstage; instead, he takes a seat nearby, waiting for his only competitor to make their attempt to match his lift. He watches, a sense of elation flooding through him as he sees his efforts affirmed, watching as his opponent tries and fails to deadlift the weight, struggling to even pull it to his knees. As if the bar had been glued to the floor. Jeans brother and sister rush to him, hugging and congratulating him. Its not often you set a national record at a mere seventeen years old. The stage is bigger this time. The referees seem less friendly, the lights more revealing. Every step feels unsteady, and the weight that felt so light in training now seems unbearably heavy. But not for Jean. The ever-present big smile fades from the nineteen-year-old boys face as he scratches at the beard hes just begun to grow. He adjusts his belt, applies a final dusting of chalk to his palms, and slaps them together, sending a white cloud of chalk bursting forth. The slap echoes sharply, and with it, all other sounds fade away. A few short steps. Pause. Adjust stance. Deep breath in. One last look at the audience, at his sister, his brother. The referees. Then, there is only the weight. And it moves. It moves so easily. His muscles tighten, his skin hugging them tightly. His grip on the bar remains secure, and in one smooth motion, Jean pulls it up, waiting for the signal. When it comes, he gently releases the weight. Three white lights. Jean raises his arms into the air in a triumphant gesture. But this time, his shout isnt nearly as primal or excited. Hes a bit surprised. Was it supposed to be so easy? Why hadnt anyone else lifted it? He shrugs it off with a smile. Its time to celebrate, not ponder useless thoughts. There must be more opponents to draw his focus. More records to break. At twenty-four years old, Jean Durand retires from powerlifting. He built his body to compete in the open category and lift the heaviest weights. Every record he sought, he has broken. Every opponent he aimed to defeat, he has conquered. There is nothing left for him to accomplish here. Striving to relive that first taste of victory, Jean gives up the sport and turns his attention elsewhere. Strongman. Sports like rugby, hockey, football, and golf may get higher ratings, but Jean doesnt care. He never liked team sports to begin with, and hes declined offers from more teams than he can count. No, he relies solely on himself. Money doesnt matter; hes only interested in chasing that feeling of victory, even after all these years. And the title of the worlds strongest man has a nice ring to it. At twenty-seven years old, Jean Durand becomes the Worlds Strongest Man. After three fruitful years of learning, adapting, and growing ever stronger. After mastering every event and facing an endless parade of strongmen. After losing his first strongman competition. After placing second in his second competition. He finally secures the win. ?a?????O????? Surrounded by cheers, Jean looks down at his hands. Covered in calluses, theres even some bleeding. He stares down at them as the blood mixes with the white chalk. Thats it? Did he do all this just to end up in the same place as before? When his brother and sister rush to him again, he forces out a loud laugh and gently scoops them up, being careful not to hurt them. Next year will be different. Then he stands before me, punching my armor. The kinetic energy of his punch flows through its structure as I activate Counter Flow and take the blow head on. The resulting flood of energy winds up being much higher than expected. Far more than anything, hes demonstrated so far, but I manage. I accept it, redirect it, and then I attack, throwing it back at him. His body is flung through the air, skipping across the ground like a flat stone on a lake. Wraith Dance brings me closer, and I maintain the stance until I reach him as he finally recovers and begins to stand. My fist meets his, and he punches me in the chest again. Counter Flow takes it all in, and my attack returns it. The forest behind him is torn, trees find themselves uprooted and sent flying, but he endures it, holding his forearms crossed in front of his body. He punches, and I absorb it again, but this time, its stronger, and a crack forms in my armor. I restore it quickly, but before I can throw another punch, he hits me again, doubling the amount of energy Ive absorbed. My attack sends him flying and crashing into one of the pillars, burying his body within. Quick Wraith Dance brings me back into range. I slow into walking, rolling my shoulders to warm up as I clench and unclench my fist. Jean falls out of the pillar, covered in dust, scratches, and bruises. He moves his arm, and my head snaps back as he hurls a stone at my helmet, driving it with immense force. The man smiles at that and pounds his chest, the dust falling from his clothes. Well, I dont like using these skills, but what else can I do if youre too scared to get close? he smirks, reaching a hand toward me. Pull. My [Eclipse] triggers multiple times, fighting the frequency of his skill, but my body still moves toward him at incredible speed. I cancel it and focus on absorbing my own inertia, coming to a stop right in front of him. I duck under his swing and punch him in the chest, releasing kinetic energy as I do. Then I dodge an incoming kick and punch again, moving to the side to avoid another strike, delivering two of my own in return. Each of his swings leaves a noticeable degree of damage in its wake. That incredible pressure wouldve surely torn my body apart without my armor and kinetic energy to blunt the impact. Pull, he repeats. This time, Im ready to disrupt the effect, managing not to stumble for more than an instant. All the debris he pulled in with me crashes against my body. Resonance Flow activates, absorbing the energy of their motion in midair. But Jeans already gotten a hold of my left arm. Got you. He declares, squeezing down and crumpling my armor like tin foil, crushing flesh and bone in the process. Its always the left arm. What? Before he can ask more, I compress multiple tricolored orbs inside it and cut it loose, then kick him away. Teleporting through a [Ley Line] and searing the wound closed with thermal energy and recreating the arm from mana. Something crashes against my armor at incredible speed, radiating a powerful mana signature. It''s my severed arm. The moment I recognize it and teleport again, my arm explodes somewhere behind us, the shock waves crashing over me in rapid succession. I allow my body to be pulled by Jean again and expand my armor around me, crashing into him at a speed boosted with kinetic energy. Two more arms form from my back, reaching out to restrain his arms while I press the attack with the remaining two. Even so, I cant hold him. That incredible strength swells inside his body, and he throws me off balance before punching me again, drilling a hole through my armor and body. I shrink my armor, make it denser, and form a sword in my hand, slashing at his arm as he lifts it. The blade pierces his flesh only to stop as it comes into contact with his extremely durable bones. A number of projectiles form above me and burst forth, each creating a booming shockwave as I boost them with kinetic energy. They pierce through his body, staggering him backward. But there is no look of defeat to be found on his face. None at all. In fact, he just seems to be getting warmed up. Chapter 515: Tournament winner against Tournament winner Mana seeps out of my body, and for the first time in a long while, I let it, in fact, I even help the process along with Mana Cycling. Starting with my bodys reserves, doubled by my attribute upgrade.@@@@ Bolstered by my Reservoir, which triples those reserves. And further expanded by the mana from my crown. Jean isnt breaking easily as most people do, and for once, I dont need to be worried about any teammates who might get caught in the crossfire. My mana floods out in waves, swirling, radiating into the area, and crashing against his body in a display of raw force. And something about his body resists. Maybe theres something about his bones or some aspect of his psychology thats just different. It isnt a skill, it isnt the power of his stats, but something about him just seems inherently resistant to mana-based attacks, reducing the impact they have on his body. Jean pulls himself from the debris, and I send a tricolored orb through a [Ley line,] forming it right next to his head. He notices it and lifts his forearms to protect his face. Compressed mana expands, and that process generates heat and a shockwave, followed by a powerful implosion pulls everything toward the center of the orb, squeezing everything in the blast radius together. It damages his body, pulling him in and compressing him under the force of the resulting vacuum and stray debris, but when it falls to the ground, Jean climbs out of it. Under the artificial sunlight cast by the crystals in the ceiling, his exposed bones and bare skin reveal the powerful muscles beneath. Hes wearing barely any clothing, and his terribly damaged body is already beginning to regenerate. He withstands the pressure of my mana with ease. Never mind that, Im certain that kind of force wouldve driven Lily, Tess, or the twins to their knees, gasping for air and on the verge of passing out, and yet it barely seems to bother him. Jean takes a deep breath, lifts his arm, and then closes it into a fist before smashing it against his chest, sending a shockwave crashing through the area. He repeats himself, creating another shockwave to blows away the dust weve kicked up. Is that all you have? Thats all he says. And so I reply in my own way. My hand rises, palm open, as mana gathers around me. The light surrounding us dims, the raw brilliance of my mana surging into form. Threads of luminous energy weave themselves together, layer upon layer, condensing into a single radiant lance that hums with immensely compressed mana. [Empyrean Lance - lvl 0 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 1] [Empyrean Lance - lvl 1 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 2] [Empyrean Lance - lvl 2 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 3] [Empyrean Lance - lvl 3 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 4] [Empyrean Lance - lvl 4 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 5] The lance manifests in mid air, floating over the palm of my hand, and the air surrounding it shimmers with a seemingly volatile charge. The lances tip glows with blinding intensity, pulsing in sync with the resonance of my mana. R??????bE?S Threads of energy weave together, glowing brighter with each layer, forming a luminous weapon that virtually seems to hum with mana. Its core radiates a deep, golden-white light, while its edges glimmer with streaks of pale blue and violet that ripple and pulse like the heartbeat of a star. I launch it forward with every ounce of focus I can muster, and the weapon streaks through the air like a comet, its path inescapable, leaving behind a prismatic trail of afterimages. The very space it passes through vibrates, the air bending and warping as if the spear itself were defying reality. The streaks of white, gold, and blue flare brilliantly as the spear hurtles toward Jean. Jeans body jolts as all that mana resonates through him, tearing at his structure. His skin ripples unnaturally, his bones vibrating under the assault, and for a moment, even his incredible regeneration begins to slow. The unstable field lingers around him in a chaotic storm of energy that continues to crackle and spark, leaving behind a scarred and fractured structure. Yet as the light fades, Jean still stands amidst the destruction, His body smoldering as steam rises from his skin and he steps out of the epicenter of the blast, his muscles tense and his expression unwavering. The left side of his body is nearly gone, only the bones remain, held together by whatever tendons and pieces of sizzling, bubbling, and flesh as his regeneration starts to kick in. He opens his mouth to speak, but the lower part of his chin is gone. Only the bone remains, his tongue and the surrounding flesh having been stripped away. Even so, he squints his eyes in a deranged form of a smile as wrinkles form in the corner of his eye. He reaches his hand towards me and Pulls. But this time, he pulls himself. His body launches itself at incredible speed toward me, but the moment he enters my reach, he comes to a stop mid-air, his arm reaching out, his bones showing even as his flesh continues its regeneration. I see, so that thing of his resists mana. The air wavers and the colors around us start changing and growing hazy. I take a deep breath. And push. Jeans torn-apart muscles give in, his arms snapping open, and my knee buries itself in his belly. A barrier forms around my face, and I slam it into his head, making him stagger back. He pulls on me, but four massive arms form on my back, stabbing themselves deep into the ground and holding me in place. I take a step towards him, compressing my arm made of mana, weaving the mana within, I focus on the path of my strike. And I attempt to mimic the structure of [Empyrean Lance]. Miserably failing, something that can barely be called an imitation takes shape. My mana prosthetic begins to reveal a faint glow, a pale shadow of the lance''s brilliance, as I drive my fist into his face once more. [Mana Manipulation - lvl 61 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 62] The explosions bloom towards him instead of pouring out on all sides. A stream of concentrated mana-generated heat throws the man away from me while blowing off my mana prosthesis. It explodes three times, each blast stronger than the one prior. Mana moves around me, pulled through my body and into my crown as I cycle it once again. My heart beats, generating thermal energy and burning everything around me, fighting hard to keep me alive. Wraith Dance erases the distance between us, and my armor reforms, and a sword forms in my hand as well, ready to strike. Just a palms thickness from his body, I stop. Jean isnt moving. He isnt dead, his powerful heart is still beating, though his body is regenerating much slower, but he is unconscious and incapable of fighting. Ive won. I close my eyes, savoring the sensation as I replay the fight in my mindthe danger I faced, his abilities, the techniques I think I have a chance to replicate, and the things that could use testing and improvement. Then I look at him again. The winner of the 1st round, 1st tournament. I could kill him. I could ensure that he never threatens my group again. I even conjure a sword, aiming it directly at his head. His Community alias, CarrotCake, suddenly comes to mind, and I stop. Old me would probably do it. The 1st floor Nathaniel wouldnt hesitate, not too much. But the person I am now doesnt want to. Because I dont want to taint this beautiful sensation of victory. Im stronger now, no longer so afraid. Im confident I can face him, no matter how many times he comes after me. And Im certain hell keep his word, if he tries to harm anyone in my group, hell come for me first. Finally, I want to face him again. I want him to grow stronger, so that he can push me to become even stronger. My mana seeps from my body, and I surround him in it, aiding his regeneration while observing the process. Is it a trait? A unique passive? Surely, it has to be one of those things allowing him to recover like this. Plus, whatever strange aspect of his body makes him so capable of resisting all mana-based attacks. What a ridiculous base, and it will almost certainly grow stronger. I confirm once more that hes unconscious and cut off the tip of one of his fingers, slipping it into my pocket. Itll be something Lilly and I can examine later. Then, just to be sure, I cut off two more. Hell regrow them. Jean is also heavy as hell, so I strengthen my body, which is now, for the most part, entirely composed of mana, filling in for all the missing pieces just so I can function and move. Both of my arms, a piece of my leg, theres a patched hole in my belly and a missing eye. I carry him into the safety of The Sphere and throw him on the ground while I sit on the stone bench under the water sphere. My mana continues flowing into him, keeping his regeneration active while I feel like I barely have the energy to mana-manabloc a chair instead of this uncomfortable bench. Then, I grab the arm Jean tore off and Hold it to my shoulder, fueling my passive to get it to reconnect. Its just faster than relying on my passive regeneration, which seems to struggle with rebuilding bones. Especially after all the bone knitting Ive done. Tacita is still here, sitting nearby and observing the sphere in much the same way I saw before. Curious, I spare some of my mind to give it a look at it as well. I give it an hour, two hours, three, but there is nothing of interest that I can see. The group of natives and attendees that are watching it seem to be the types with low mana, so maybe its something useful for someone with a build based on physical stats. For the remainder of my stay tokens duration, I focus on regenerating my body and some light training. By the time Im about ready to leave, Jean is fully healed but still unconscious. As he disappears back to his floor and group, I look at Tacita one more time. Even now, she stares up, eyes wide, as her pupils track the movements of the particles in the giant sphere of water. Then I feel the pull of my return to the 7th floor. Chapter 516: A mercenary group called Angry Kittens Chapter 516: A mercenary group called Angry Kittens The setup of the 7th floor is fairly interesting, especially since we can leave at any time. Taking into consideration there are two ??? rewards in the floor quest it surely means these rewards may even end up being 1 shard, knowing the system. Its been a week since we returned from our Beyond expedition and weve taken the time to gather enough information to know that we should be able to move and do stuff without much chance of a Champion rank monster popping up and killing us all in a single attack. The event here isnt even a Pairing, rather, a powerful Absolute grade monster apparently managed to move to this planet without the local Absolute noticing. And while I would like to bash the guy, this planet seems to be fairly new in the system and their Absolute hasnt been around very long. With the enemy being more powerful than him, all he can do is to protect what territory hasnt been taken by monsters and stop the monster Absolute from wiping it all clean. Theres clearly more to it than that and I still have questions, but its nothing that would be available to lowly chumps like us. Around 20-30% of the planet has been overrun by monsters, and thats where we come in. Mercenaries are being hired from the surrounding planets to help in the battle against the unending horde. This planet seems to be a member of a coalition, making this response possible. There are limits to it likely and the question comes to mind, why wouldnt an Absolute from a different planet just come by and fuck up the invading monster, 2 Absolutes vs one? Is it because something like that would run the risk of destroying the planet? If so, wouldnt that just make it easier for them to suppress the monstrous Absolute? Is there some rule forbidding it that the system enforces? Or would it be too much trouble for the average Absolute to bother? Damn it, I want to know. One day I will find some friendly Champion or Absolute and pull from them all the information I can. The kind of guy who would randomly spoil the ending of a book mid conversation without ever noticing. Then I will drag as much information from them as the system will allow. And then Ill be angry at myself for spoiling it all. Yup, thats how we roll. Anyway, weve registered a mercenary group. We call it Angry Kittens. I dont have the energy to fight it anymore and sometimes I notice myself thinking of us as such. We made jokes, back on the 4th Floor, when we first created our guild, that Angry Kittens would rule over the Earth, but the more floors we pass the more likely it seems. Part of me thinks its hilarious, but obviously, I cant let it show. I have a reputation to uphold. Ive actually been in a good mood lately. What with the satisfying fight I had with Jean, my new class, making some breakthroughs, acquiring a new active skill and a new passive skill, and now Ive unlocked another small reward just waiting for my decision. There are four amazing options waiting for me. This time, I wont rush. This time, Ill take my time to think it through and choose the one that elevates my build as much as possible. Though these options did take the place of the 2nd Active skill my class would have granted me - I do still have to thank my classs unique feature for allowing me to personalize my growth a bit more. It also makes me wonder how the system will deal with the others when they reach level 300 if they dont get offered a unique class. Will it give them something else? Will it pick on its own - or will they have options based on the performance of the attendee? I know that even now there arent a lot of people who have 10 active skills. The average for someone around level 250 seems to be around 6-8 active skills. And group 4 is no exception, despite their high performance compared to most of the other Hell difficulty groups. Is it just me collecting active skills like that? Are you supposed to be more careful about what you train to avoid filling your slots with unwanted skills? Do generations after the 1st, who have no idea what theyre doing, follow a more focused path of gaining skills to reach certain builds? At this point, Im sure of it. Every generation after the 1st will have the advantage of our advice. We are the most talented people in our world, handpicked by the system to be future leaders, teachers, and protectors. Future possible Champions and Absolutes. With that come advantages - access to the system shop, more options to decide our paths. But there are also disadvantages like a lack of information and a higher potential to make mistakes that cannot be undone. Like filling slots with useless active skills, choosing unfitting traits, or opting for classes that don''t suit you. Were essentially forced to rely on our natural talent to push us through, but overall I would say I prefer this over having information and a clear path to follow. Its exciting, its more fun that way, and theres always this great sense of exploration and adventure. Some of us even have access to Beyond where we have the opportunity to meet some of the people we share the system with, along with the chance to form future alliances, and take beyond quests to visit places out of the tutorial to collect these bits of information. The setup is well executed, at least in my opinion, focused on growth, but damn, weve been here for almost 2 years, with the 2nd tournament just a few months away and Im still thinking about this stuff. There just arent many clear answers. Exactly. Knew it. We all did, Nat. Thats just how the system works. So, starting at that moment its up to mercenary groups to make themselves useful. Each gets registration and a 1 year entrance pass, with the chance to leave once a month during scheduled interplanetary teleportations. I have a question. Yes, Min-Jae? Can we move to one of these planets? Stay there while waves pass and reap the rewards? There are a few ways that could play out, Tess responds. In the 1st scenario, the floors setup stops us from leaving that way. While in the 2nd we can leave but we cant return and possibly end up on a peaceful planet stunting our growth and forcing us to leave for the 8th floor. What if we could learn more that way? Gain some knowledge, that kind of thing? Its possible, but I personally would prefer to follow the default settings of the tutorial. So far its helped us progress in a number of ways on each floor. But if any of you want to try, we can come back to it and go on from there, what do you think? Sounds reasonable! Thank you, Min-Jae. So as I said, its up to us to make ourselves useful. We can go to one of the fronts, we can enter monster territory on our own, and hunt while getting paid for each kill, we can stay in the outposts and do things here like trading, crafting, training, and the like She reaches out and picks up one of the mana stones, There are 6 fronts. The 1st and 2nd are not recommended, Champion grade monsters appear there pretty often. The 5th isnt really a good idea either, a monster of similar rank was spotted nearby. The 3rd front is doable but its also one of the most dangerous and its pretty close to the place where this planets Absolute and the Absolute monster clashed for the first time. The 4th front is having a lot of trouble with a myriad of weaker monsters. As for the 6th, its the newest so theres not much information to be had about it. After looking through the stone for a bit longer, she sets it back on the table, Healers are highly valuable here, so we could become Lily ?s bodyguards and make our way through the fronts while getting paid for her healing. We could do something similar with Nat and have him make items to sell. Or we could combine those strategies. It sounds good, but Im worried that Nat didnt say anything. He didnt even try to suggest that we go to the 1st front to check out the Absolute monster or something equally ridiculous. Dennis complains, pointing at me. Im focused on training and improving my skills, I can level up on the front later when the floors difficulty increases and things go to shit. Yeah, that sounds more like him, Dennis says, turning to Tess. You seem to have a plan. Tess smiles. I do. Theres a rumor that Champion Feroy is coming to this outpost on his way to survey the newly opened 6th front. Im sure he wouldnt mind having a skilled healer as powerful as Lily and someone capable of creating mid-arcane items. Oh my, thats more daring than I thought. And Sophie seems to mirror my opinion. Staying near a Champion? Like the ones we just escaped back on the 6th floor? You know, the assholes capable of destroying entire continents? Yes, Sophie, exactly - someone that powerful, with plenty of knowledge and resources to spare, Tess says, tapping on the table. Apparently, he has a specialized team dedicated to maintaining his war armor. Its called Exoria, and some of the technicians responsible for its creation just died on the battlefield. And now the ones who remain need assistants to take care of the smaller tasks. Getting that information and a means of contacting one of the technicians cost me materials worth ten thousand shards, but I feel like it was well worth it. My curiosity, which Tess had been carefully and deliberately stirring, finally reaches its peak, and I sit up straighter in my chair. Tell me more about this Exoria. I know she has me right where she wants me, but I dont care. This is far too interesting. Chapter 517: Lumorans Theres no way a true man wouldnt get excited at the idea of a suit of fantasy mana/energy driven power armor. Weve even seen it before: in the Valorplate we encountered back on the 4th floor, the living suit of armor that took over the body of a dead Champion and used his damaged heart to power itself for hundreds of years. Even now, Im working on plans to create my own when I get back to Earth. Something capable of resisting Champions and the like. Not because I want it as a means to bolster my own power, but because it would be fun. And I will totally name it Regalia. Yes, I will shamelessly steal the name of my old skill to name the item, I dont care how much sense it makes. Or I will use Valorplate. That name was also fancy. But thats still far off in the future, for now, Ive got my eyes set on Exoria. Tess doesnt have much more info, unfortunately, just that the Champion wore Exoria into battle and the enemy waited until he was occupied to attack the base when they managed to kill the technicians responsible for helping him take care of the armor. Apparently, the remaining technicians are either too busy or lazy and therefore find themselves in need of more assistance. Not gonna lie, I would prefer being a Technician over serving as an assistant. Sure, I dont know the difference, but one certainly sounds more important while affording more access. Not to mention that I have my own theories regarding why the hell that Champion would need so many people to take care of his armor. So, we''ve decided to stay here for the next few days and keep close to the outpost while focusing on training. Im also using this time to study the natives. Strangely enough, the inhabitants of this world are lumorans, a race that was rare even in Beyond. Lumorans are humanoid, and their skin is black. Most of them have golden eyes. They have crystalline features embedded in their skin that look like half-transparent crystals. Usually, the more powerful a lumoran is, the more crystals form on their body. It varies based on the individual, but most of the time they tend to form around their shoulders and mark a trail down to their elbows, or travel along the side of their necks, or ring their collarbones. I havent interacted with any of them yet, but from what Ive observed, its clear they take pride in their crystalline features. Contrary to expectations these crystals dont tend to protrude; rather, they lay flush against the skin, resembling a thick layer of paint despite their crystalline composition. They might continue deep under the skin, but its hard to tell. I have a very strong suspicion that they can serve as mana batteries, allowing them to store small amounts of mana, increasing in capacity the stronger the lumoran becomes. Its like a half-baked trait or some bizarre form of body modification, but if Im completely honest, it does fit a certain kind of aesthetic. In fact, the lumorans even seem to favor clothing that highlights these crystalline features. Nat. I refocus my attention on Sophie and the proto-type Logic Core between us. We made it a few days ago. Its a far cry from anything as high-quality as the one connected to Fracture, but its good enough to practice with before I start messing with that evil sword. Yes? I ask her. I can still work on the practice core even with something else on my mind. I know, but Im just curious. How many parts do you have your mind split into right now? Huh. Six. You do realize how crazy that is, right? "I don''t. It''s normal." Her shoulders drop and she shakes her head. Of course you dont. So what are they doing? The first is managing my Mana Cycling. That one is probably the oldest, given that it has to be working at all times, I say with a hint of amusement at the thought, the second one is speaking with you now, while doing most of the thinking, and dealing with people or helping the others fight when necessary. The third is working on the core. The fourth is running a constant scan of our surroundings, mana, kinetic, and heat. The fifth is working on arrays, building their structures in my mind, and keeping them there so I can activate them if needed. The sixth is handling my restrictive training emblem. r?aNO?bs?? Can you make more? I could probably manage a few more if I needed to, but each one would be weaker. Even though I can split my mind a lot, the problem is that my mental power has to be divided as well, decreasing my efficiency. I can work around it a bit and strain my mind; my passives are amazing for that, but there are still limits. One day you will tell me what the fuck that thing about noble ladies pets actually means, she mumbles as she gets back to work. Today should be the day Champion Feroy passes by our outpost, so everyones ready, all our stuff is packed so that we can either run or join him. Hopefully, Tesss conversation with that technician goes well. As I observe the outpost, I think about how well the others are cooperating. There are barely any fights between mercenary groups, much less clashes with the natives. This world is at war, and the Absolute here takes it seriously, his forces severely punish anyone who does anything that could cause problems on our side. Any kind of infighting is punished severely, and the other groups were informed even before coming here. Even demons, though rare here, seem to keep it together and favor going to the more dangerous fronts. There are so many fun rumors: an Absolute Candidate Demon someone spotted on the 1st front; a crazy thylarin Champion fighting on this planet for free; a nameless human man whos been in the war since day one, thus earning the nickname "The Immortal" for surviving countless battles; and the lumoran Champion Owain, a disciple of the lumoran Absolute, single-handedly hunting enemy Champions. Its the kind of rumors that people share to raise morale, whispering in quiet admiration, revered like legends. The kind of things that make you feel a touch of excitement, a hint of adventure combined with curiosity, and a healthy dose of fear somewhere far in the back of your mind. We havent seen the invaders yet, we havent clashed with the monsters either, so all these things may as well be a simple romanticization, like tales of adventure before reality steps in to slap us in the face. No matter what we go through, it always starts this way. Its with these thoughts that I wait in our house near the wooden wall. Its easy to spot the moment the Champions people enter the city. The atmosphere changes in an instant, and they deploy multiple scans even before entering, detecting any and all powerful signatures, counting people, searching for monsters, checking the number of active arrays and barriers, and more besides. The speed and thoroughness on display are incredibly impressive. And its on that note that just three lumorans enter the city, each one bearing far more crystalline features than any other lumoran Ive seen since we found ourselves in this outpost, each one has three question marks over their heads. Leaving them somewhere between levels 322 and 449, as I can only see the exact level of people up to 20 levels above me. One of them seems to take the lead and makes way for the building in the center, with another lumoran following him as a bodyguard as the other one splits off to keep watch while they walk through the city. They all wear simple clothes, but each one of them has a mark made on the inside of their left forearm. The mark itself seems to be made of a material not unlike their more normal crystalline features, forming a simple circle of white and pale blue surrounding an obvious thumb imprint. Tess waits outside the house the two lumorans entered, patiently waiting with Lily at her side. She waits for the leader of the outpost to finish his business with the Champions technician, as they exchange information and requisitions for materials. She gets called in soon enough and enters the building. The rest of the group on the other hand snaps to full attention in an instant, but no signal comes. Just a minute later, Tess sends through the link: (Can you come here? You can teleport.) I do as Im told and move through the [Ley Line] connected to Tess. Inside I find her, Lily, and four lumorans, two of whom are newcomers and two who help form the leadership of this outpost. The one I take to be the technician looks at me, and for a moment his eyes pass through the air, tracing the path of the invisible [Ley Line] connecting me to Tess. He then looks at the Fracture on my waist. You made that? From his tone, its obvious he knows the answer. Yes, though I had some help, I confirm. Good, we will be taking them. Take care of the necessary documents and share the information with HQ. Understood, the lumoran leader of the camp nods and bows. Should I note the destination as the sixth front? No, weve had a change of plans, we will be heading to the second front. Were leaving in 5 minutes, so make your preparations, and we will have a contract ready for you. He waves me and the others off, causing us to stumble out of the house. Oh boy. Chapter 518: Exoria deployment camp Tess, Lily, and I return to our current base, where everyone is already waiting, packed and seated in my trademarked manabloc chairs v3.1. We join them too. I let a minute pass before saying, So, second front? Im thinking, Nat. Tess sighs, waving me off. What do you mean the second front!? Sophie objects, to no ones surprise, You said we would be going to the 6th. I know, Soph. It seems like somethings changed on the 2nd front and they need the Champion there. Tess explains, seeming exceptionally frustrated as she does; she always gets this way when things dont go according to plan. Her frustration making itself known as she begins to fidget, tapping on the back of her hand with the opposing index finger. We could still refuse, or just run away. I dont think they would hunt us down just to conscript us, I remind her. I know, I know. Backing out would be easy too, I could just tell them we were expecting to move to the 6th front. But Im still trying to work out whether or not the danger outweighs the potential gain. Its entirely possible that we wont even need to fight, they might even ask us to stay on base because of the nature of the 2nd front. We could also register as non-combatants in the contract. It would still be possible for a Champion-grade monster to attack the base, Aaron points out. Youre right, Tess agrees, as she groans in frustration. I had everything planned out so nicely, we were going to start with the sixth front, and work our way up to the fourth front over the next few weeks, gathering more information, and going on some hunts in the process, all that. We could always split up too. I could go out and help the technicians, while you guys can go somewhere else, I say. Tesss reaction makes it clear shed already thought of that. She just nods. How about this: we all go and sign on as non-combatants for a few weeks. If we sense any danger, we leave. We can even bail for the eighth floor if it gets to be too much. No one seems to have a better idea. Ill go with you to sign the contract. Sophie stands up. And I swear, Tess, if they try to push us into anything more, were rejecting it. Deal. The signing goes smoothly, and they even offer us a salary, mostly in materials, items, and information. I leave the others to handle it, if only because it sounds boring. There isn''t much opportunity for slacking around as we leave the camp with the three lumorans and head out to meet up with the rest of the Champions group. It winds up taking us 15 minutes to reach it, in what feels like the middle of nowhere. I sense around 100 mana signatures about half of which are comparable to ours, and in many cases theyre even stronger. Ten in particular, stand out as especially powerful, likely approaching or just managing to exceed level 400. All gathered to support this one Champion, all these men and women placing themselves at his disposal. That one signature that shines the brightest within the camp. I dont touch anyone with my senses directly; mostly collecting this information from the air, and the lingering remnants of their presence. In the middle of the camp, we find a huge square tent with a pointy roof, tall enough to fit a large apartment building inside, and damn if it doesnt have some of the best defenses Ive seen until now. Just looking at it with my eyes activated makes my vision start to haze over at the edges. All these mana threads, circuits, nodes, spirals, arrays, layered reactive barriers, and other things I cant quite make out. r?a?o??E?s?? There are two slightly smaller, if still big tents, with dozens of smaller ones filling out the surroundings, all with a similar set of defenses, though not to the same extreme. Much like the larger one, every tent is white and feels transparent despite my eyes telling me otherwise. Its a weird, and unsettling feeling. Leaving me to wonder if theyre doing something to merge into the background. Like to hide themselves or something. I give that a bit of thought but cant come up with anything at the moment, We''ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Sophie comes closer when I gesture at her, and we all put our heads together as I say, Remember as much as you can. Dennis and Aaron, collect and store as much info as you can. Sophie, make your memory pockets, or whatever you call them, and do the same. They probably wont show us the most important parts, but even the slightest bit of information will be helpful. For the Gundam for Aaron, for your golem and bond, Sophie, and for my Regalia. Do you really want to call it Regalia? After the skill? dont you think thats kinda lame? Shut up, Soph, its a perfectly good name! Dennis interrupts, quickly rising to my defence and poking her, which gets an irritated noise from her. He turns to me, Does this mean we will be getting less training? For that, he gets a look full of disappointment from Aaron, who knows exactly how I will respond. Hell no, I reply. Since were in camp and wont be fighting monsters for the time being, well be using this time to train even harder. I have a lot of things I want to test out. As promised, they come to get us a few hours later, escorting us outside and over to one of the larger tents next to the big three in the middle. There are small entrances on either side, and we enter through one of those. As we enter, the bustle of movement takes the place of the eerie silence we heard outside, now unrestrained by the canvas of the tent, and we find ourselves bombarded with the sounds of powerful flames burning, metal clanging, people shouting at each other, chains rattling, and the rush of steam. Theres also a lot of concentrated mana in the air, the temperature is higher, and the air smells like metal, oil, and something hard to describe. Our guide this time is a man introduced to us as level 7 technician Leth, the man we will be working under as assistants. Like all lumorans, he has black skin, crystalline features on the sides of his neck and across his shoulders. His hair is pale yellow, and his eyes are golden. He also likes to smile a lot, excitedly showing us inside the tent. You now have access to this site. Weve temporarily dubbed it Workshop Number Three! Workshop Number One is managed by level 9 technician Ito, and Workshop Number Two is currently for level 8 technicians only. This is where I work, and you will be helping me to the best of your abilities! Sophie, the twins, and I just nod, much to his amusement. Dont worry! The shyness will fade soon. There is no time for that kind of thing here when there is so much work to be done! He gestures for us to follow, and so we do, quickly coming to a stop beside two other lumorans, each accompanied by a small group of their own. One of the groups consists of three thylarintwo men and one woman with pale blue skin, and four very muscular arms, unlike most thylarin Ive seen. Leth, after taking a moment to greet the two lumorans, returns and explains in a quieter voice, The other groups here are mercenaries like you, each led by a level 7 lumoran technician like me. He gestures at the thylarin group, That trio seems very interesting. They have experience working on armament-type equipment, and one of them even possesses a fragment of eternal fire, so that helps! Our eyes move to the other group and Leth continues in a similar manner, That one is more experienced. Weve worked with them before, and even level 9 technician Ito took a liking to them. The group in question consists of a vyssari woman, a human man, and a tall man who is probably several heads taller than even Jean was, clearly a member of that giant-like race I encountered before. I get a sense of competition whenever I catch the gaze of the thylarin party, but the second group seems disinterested and confidently follows their lumoran technician to their corner of the tent. We follow Leth as well until we finally reach a piece of metal that towers above us, reaching for the ceiling of the tent. Its as thick as I am, and the inside is plated in an entirely different metal than the surface. And there are inscriptions etched throughout, each one carved into the metal at the depth of my finger. There are even channels made of mana-conductive metals, leading to nodes of inscriptions. Most of all, it reminds me of a pauldron. A pauldron for something very big. This is just a spare, but lets see what you guys can do! Chapter 519: Cyclist Destroyer Its early morning the next day when I wake up from my usual few hours of sleep. Ever since the body upgrades and everything that came with them, going days without sleep hasnt been a problem. Still, Ive gotten into the habit of sleeping 2-4 hours most nights whenever I can. Ive noticed that Im less irritable, make fewer mistakes, and even find training easier when I get at least some sleep. Surprise, its just like how normal people feel when they get enough rest. Still, when I wake up, I bring a few of my evil pyramids into existence and start working on my usual mana-shaping exercises. Another part of my mind checks over my body and Mana Cycling, only to ramp it up again. I know some Champions like to talk a lot of trash about the mark Lissandra left on me and on Mana Cycling as well. They even call her a fossil. An ancient being, As if she were just some old grandma insisting on driving a 50-year-old vehicle while other people use electromobiles. My thoughts pause there, and I give it some consideration. Did I come up with the perfect metaphor? Mana Cycling is dangerous, even Ive noticed that. The technique was clearly created by someone without the proper knowledge and time. I strongly suspect Lissandra created it during that war she was born into. She probably spent her youth on the battlefield, without the benefit of the time and knowledge to refine it further. For a moment, I imagine her at Isabellas age, constantly fighting for her life and hoping that some Champion-grade being wouldnt just come along and squash her. The technique feels like a true remnant of those times. Far, far from perfect, and I dont think its as simple as a lack of skill, no, nowadays she could easily make it better. Mana Cyclings drawbacks were left there on purpose, requiring effort many times greater than that of a more refined technique. Its just like the car metaphor: Lissandras car would be a 50-year-old, rusty wrecka cyclist-destroyer held together by wire, duct tape, and a few prayers. Like the kind of machine that takes every trick in the book just to keep it running. Meanwhile, modern electric cars have features to keep you from running over cyclists. They give you warnings, sometimes they even park themselves, and come loaded with GPS and all manner of other fancy features. In this metaphor, my body is the cyclist. Mana Cycling allows me to harm my own body, sometimes even unintentionally. When Im not careful, it turn all by itself to run over a cyclist biking on the side of the road. Amused by my own silly metaphor, I lie in bed for another 30 minutes, waking myself up and preparing to interact with people. I try to drain as much energy as I can from the bed to endure the day. The tent isnt very big, so I share the room with Min-Jae, who is already up. He has his eyes closed and sets his metal orbs to float around him on a strange set of erratic trajectories. After watching them for a while, I can see the rules of their movement. Just a slight mistake in positioning would probably cause the orbs to collide. For a moment, I release a burst of mana to scare and test him. He opens his eyes quickly and identifies the source. Im satisfied to notice that even then his orbs continue to move without being affected. Nice. Itll take more than that to affect my training! he says. Not wanting to cool his excitement first thing in the morning, I nod and say, You really have gained a lot of muscle. You used to be so thin. Hes currently sitting on the edge of the bed with his shirt off. Even though hes still slim, his shoulders have gotten wider, and hes even begun to develop some tone in his abs. Looking closer, I even begin to notice that the contours of his face seem to be getting sharper. I know, right? I asked Maya for a training routine and, even though she grumbled about it, she gave me some pointers! Plus Im always using [Gravity Well] on myself, so that helps. Did you see that anime where the character took weights off his ankles and then moved incredibly quickly? Thats what its gonna be like when I finally deactivate my skill! ??O????@@@@ Possibly, I say, turning to Biscuit sleeping on the bed next to me. What do you think, will it be like that? The silly corgi, the best corgi of the six, no, now the 7th floor! He still pretends to sleep, and I sense his ear twitch as I talk to him. But he doesnt answer, choosing instead to continue... pretending. Its incredibly silly, everyone knows hes awake. Im sure hes even heard us talking about it, and yet... With a groan, I reach out and pull him closer, gently tapping his soft belly. I refuse to listen to your belly rumble. Just. Stop. Pretending. To. Sleep. Go and eat something, I say, tapping him after each word. Finally, he opens his eyes and nips at my fingers as I pull back. He sits on my bed and barks softly at me. Upon seeing the life leave the twins eyes, Sophie gives me a confused look, right up until Aaron explains, Something always explodes when he says that. Putting away the blueprints, I jump onto the section of the armguard weve been instructed to work on and give it a tap. The cool hardness of the metal feels nice under my knuckles. Then I reach towards the structure and pull it closer, stretching it over the surface. I find the points connecting the section to the rest of the structure and check the blueprints again. I also make a set of preparations in the back of my mind and let mana collect inside my body. Sophie scratches out some of my changes and makes her own. I do the same, replacing them. She does it again, and this time I just modify them. She changes them again, and I modify them in turn. Each version gets better and better. I test it by sending a few pulses through the structure, nearly breaking it, but the mana still flows well. Then, using the twins [Connection], we start work on inscribing the improved structure, using [Connection] to make everything work in harmony. There are a number of ways we could do this, but weve decided on this method for now. After a few days of working in the workshop and plenty of preparation, the actual inscribing goes smoothly. As expected though, it requires a lot of mana to inscribe it into the section. There are also locks that prevent the inscriptions from fully connecting to the rest of the structure - something only a level 8 technician can handle. There are protections in place to stop tampering, and even the section were working on had to be unlocked and stripped of multiple safeguards. Its fascinating. The more we work on it, the more I learn about how it all fits together. And we succeed, quite easily too, and earlier than Leth expected, judging by his face when he checks over the result. Ever in a good mood, he smiles and says, Great job! There are a few tiny missteps here and there, but thats fine for a replacement part. You guys did well. Still, Ill have to come up with a suitable punishment for your refusal to wait for me. He hands us a few blueprints. Tomorrow, youll be working on a section of the inner plating for the war armor of one of the Lord Champions disciples. When we get back Min-Jae is off training somewhere else, and I head back to our room, close the door, and take a seat on my bed. One last time, I stop and take a look at the trait thats been part of my build for all this time. Level 10? Or something like that? Time really does fly. Mana Circuit CIntegrates a network of mana channels throughout the user''s body, optimizing the distribution of mana and amplifying the power of their mana-based abilities without additional mana consumption. This enhancement allows the user to draw upon their mana more efficiently, resulting in more potent abilities while reducing overall mana expenditure. It shows its age though. Even strengthened, its nowhere near as high-tier an option as Mana Wavelength Iris. So yeah, the decision is simple. Ive also been considering combining some of my active skills, given the way some of them are starting to lag behind, like [Mana Domain], which Ive been using to keep control of my mana. Its still very useful, but its nowhere near as powerful as [Eclipse] and a few of the others. The same goes for [Bone Knitting], but that one is relatively new, and I always planned to use it as a foundation to create something better in the future. Evolving skills? I can handle that myself if I really really want to. But combining passive skills to create a unique passive? Thats very enticing. The main reason Im going for the trait, though, is simple: so far, I havent seen any options for trait evolutions. Not in the Floor rewards, not in side quests, not even once. I strongly suspect its only possible through the advancement of my Primary Class. It even makes sense. Plus, the trait will likely stay with me for as long as I live, while I can always replace a passive with something stronger within a year or two, perhaps even while Im still in the tutorial. I claim my reward and a notification pops up: Your trait Mana Circuit has been evolved! The evolution has been influenced by your performance up until now and by your Primary Class: Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane). The number of trait strengthenings has been reset to 0. Mana Physique - The user''s trait evolves into a tightly woven network that resonates perfectly with their mana wavelength, transforming their entire physique into a finely tuned vessel for their mana. Mana circuits seamlessly integrate into every fiber of the users being, amplifying the potency of their mana manipulation and enabling precise control and immense output. Lets see how much this is going to hur... I black out before I can finish the thought. Chapter 520: Disconnected "Yo, Nat, you alive?" Huh. That sounds like Dennis. I open my mouth. "Fuck off." "Hes fine," Dennis confirms. "He is NOT fine! Hes bleeding all over, and I can feel how hot his body is even from here! I swear I can see something moving under his skin!" Kim shouts. "Kim, my boy," Dennis replies casually. "That... is just Nat being Nat, this is probably his optimal state. Id be more worried if hed gone more than a day or two without hurting himself. Right, Nat?" "Dennis, my boy," I mimic him, voice dripping with sarcasm, "it hurts to talk. It hurts even more to listen to your voice. So, one more word, and Ill put you into my optimal state for a week." Silence follows, and I sense the two of them leaving the room, only for their presence to be replaced by two different signatures: Biscuit and Noodle. Biscuit sits off to the side, feigning innocenceso exaggerated it kind of feels suspicious. Examining my body despite the pain, I notice strange sensations on my nose and belly, as if someone has been repeatedly tapping on them. Even the hair at my temple feels slightly wet, as though something very small had been biting and tugging on it.@@@@ Well played, Biscuit. Well played. Meanwhile, Noodle is lying on the ground near my bed, noticeably larger, his belly bulging significantly. His eyes are closed in a satisfied expression, and I half expect him to open his mouth and let out a burp. Keeping my eyes closed, I turn my attention inward, carefully observing my body without activating any healing marks. Damn. Who knows what could happen if my body started healing while my evolved trait is still applying? I can already imagine any number of horror-show scenarios. That also makes me wonder, how do people with his level of regeneration even handle stuff like this? As always, my racing thoughts distract me from the pain, dulling it bit by bit. I give myself half an hour to assess my still-changing body before stopping. As I thought, the circuits are still there, but now they feel like theyve been etched deeper into my being and there are a lot more of them. Where once there were pathways for channeling mana, there are now countless additional ones: reinforced for moving larger amounts of mana, and narrower for finer control. True to its name, this trait has evolved to reshape my physique, making it even more accommodating for mana than before. The fun part? Now I have to modify my constructs again. A lot of the pain and damage Im dealing with now Is a result of my changing physiology clashing with my damaged constructs. It looks like I wont make it to my shift in Workshop Number 3. Ill need to let Sophie know so she can come up with an excuse. Sorry, Leth, its going to take me at least a day to optimize everything. Overall, its exactly what I expected: an evolved version of my old trait, now heavily influenced by my Primary Class, which specializes in mana. Ill need a few more days to test things properly, but even now, Id estimate it to be at least on par with Mana Wavelength Iris. Slowly but surely, my body is adapting to channeling increasingly insane amounts of mana, while my mana pool grows to equally absurd levels. It reminds me of that Lord from the Bastionwhose heart was used to power the fallen floating island. Surely, Im not just turning myself into the best mana battery ever. A few days have passed, and it''s becoming pretty clear they have no intention of letting us anywhere near Exoria. Were just newbies, after all, and it takes at least a level 8 technician to get close. Even Leth doesnt have that level of clearance, and his boss, Quent, only gets access under the strict supervision of level 9 technicians like Ito. R?A?N??E?S But damn, I want to see that thing. Its already been long enough, so it should be about time, right? Right? I need more access. I want to take advantage of this abundance of equipment and resources they have. While Sophie takes her time speaking with Leth I find myself standing off to the side with the twins, looking over the inner plating of a suit of war armor that belongs to one of Champion Feroys disciples. As before, this is a replacement part. Apparently, Champion Feroy has two disciples. Someone told me their names, but Ive already forgotten. I just know they have their own suits of smaller, less powerful war armor than Exoria. Their names are Praxion and Ardenyx. The inner plating were looking at is Praxions. Judging by the scale, this armor is probably half as tall as Exoria and slimmer, likely focused on speed, though thats just a theory I have. Another pulse of incredible mana radiates outwards and the ground under my feet shifts as the environment around us changes. The mild weather is immediately replaced by harsh cold and loud winds, threatening to blow us away, even with our powerful bodies. Champion Feroy pulses his mana again. And the lights of a defensive array flare up, drawing in even more mana. The wind quiets and the cold becomes bearable, though its still chilling even to me with my thermal energy. The weather is just that extreme. Were sent to our tent to wait while they re-establish the workshops and defenses. On the way, snow begins piling up outside, gathering between the tents and on top of them. As far as I can see, theres nothing but snow falling from a dark, wind-blown sky. Were nestled against a mountain, the rocky wall serving to provide some shelter from the wind, but it remains relentlessly strong nonetheless. Izzy, heat the room, please, Sophie asks before we even fully enter. No one takes their jackets off. Instead, we huddle up in the living area as Izzy gets to work generating heat and Sophie makes a barrier to insulate us. Its getting better as the camp heats up, but not enough to be comfortable, so having Izzy help is great. So I wasnt the only one who was cold, Maya says, sitting next to Izzy and pulling her closer, to use her as a heating pad. Noodle, now smaller, coils closely around her as well. Sophie just rolls her eyes at her sisters antics. Lily, you have the highest constitution here. Could you feel the cold out there too? Yes! I thought I would never feel cold again, but the weather outside is something else! Its probably the work of a Champion, either the lumorans in an attempt to slow the monsters or its coming from one of the monsters themselves, Tess says, sitting beside me and gesturing as she speaks. Ill try to find out, but Im not sure how much theyll actually share with me. With a sigh, I create a thermal pyramidal contraption with empty spaces for me to send kinetic energy through, and in this way, I can now almost perfectly mimic the sound of crackling firewood. Even the light has improved vastly, shifting in intensity rather than providing a constant radiance to give it a more natural feel. I expand it a bit more and pump more thermal energy into it, adding to Izzys heat. Even if they are higher level than us, how do they plan to fight? Arent most of the mercenary fighters here around level 350? Min-Jae asks. Tess reaches her hands towards the thermal cube to warm them up, Theyre probably issued some kind of special equipment. And then they probably only fight for a few hours at a time. Do the war armors have built-in heating? Sophie snorts. At this point, were no better than boot polishers. But honestly, I wouldnt be surprised, it wouldnt even be that hard to implement. But we are goddamn good boot polishers! Dennis cries in an attempt to defend our teams honor as assistant technicians. Isnt it better this way? Aaron says. We can learn gradually and improve before they set us to doing the fancier stuff. Sophie doesnt answer, gesturing to me with a nod instead. Tess picks up on it, Nat, please dont do anything stupid. In response, I deactivate my Mana Wavelength Iris and lean back, We might have no other choice sooner or later. I pick up Biscuit and put him on my lap, then extend a mana arm to retrieve his favorite blanket, wrapping it around him with only his small head poking out. The Champion just disconnected us from the Absolutes web and cut off all connections. Even my Ley Lines leading back the way we came are gone. At the same time, the Absolutes web covering this area started to disappear. Soon itll be gone permanently, or at least until the Absolute decides to remake it. Oh boy, one of the twins mutters. I sense them and Sophie doing their own checks, confirming my words. I continue, Either they tracked us down and were disconnecting to hide, or... Tess finishes my words, Or we were always supposed to disconnect. I nod and lean back, thinking of all the reasons that might be the case. Chapter 521: Training room POV Aaron Dalton Its been three days, and I''m already sick of this goddamn cold. The snow keeps blowing into the camp, and sometimes they send us outside to clear it ourselves just to conserve more mana for the sake of maintaining their war armor. Dennis and I have always preferred warmer weather, and not even the clothes the lumorans gave us do much to help. Sure, the new clothes do keep out the cold, but theyre bulky and difficult to move in. Nat claims its because theyre trying to avoid spending money on us, and despite Leths repeated warnings, hes already started modifying them. Hes adjusted them for each of us, primarily by adding circuits we can power with our mana to boost their heat retention. He said the efficiency was so shitty that someone from Easy difficulty couldve done better, but he has no time to make any improvements. Now he and Sophie have gone full psycho mode, and theyre pressuring Leth for as much information as possible. Nat even started a couple of fights with the other groups of technicians assistants: once with the thylarin trio and another time with the vyssari, the human woman, and the giant. Something tells me he would start fights with all of them if he thought it would help. The clashes are becoming more frequent, as each assistant group strives to prove themselves and move on to more interesting tasks. Dennis groans next to me and tucks his gloved hands away under his armpits. (Am I the only one who thinks that the clothes and heating that Nat made for Biscuit are a lot better than ours?) (My man, that corgi eats better than we do, and Nat was thinking about making a heated bed for him the whole time you were training with Kim.) (Fuck.) (Yeah, but hes cute, so...) (I know... fuck.) Dennis, Aaron, my tiny human friends, a deep voice interrupts, resonating nearby and making me groan. Not this guy, not now. I turn to see Hed, the giant man from one of the other groups, walking closer. And It doesnt help that those thick protective clothes make him seem even bigger. Fuck off, Hed, were not in the mood for talking, Dennis says, putting my thoughts into words. Hahaha. You must be Dennis. Aarons more polite. Aaron is worse, he just doesnt say it out loud. I nod briskly as Hed looks me over, and shift a bit, to use him as a shield against some of the cold wind. "Haha. Where I come from, humans arent quite so... outspoken." He says, as his smile grows even wider, seemingly unfazed by the biting wind and falling snow. Youd love the internet, my man, Dennis replies with a smirk. Dennis, tiny human, I dont appreciate your tone, Hed states, his voice growing stern, without letting even a hint of anger leak into his tone. Do you think we dont know the kind of shit you guys have been saying about us in your reports to technician Quent? Dennis presses. Oh, Hed finally understands, a smile spreading across his face. You mean like telling him about the way you guys are constantly sneaking around, trying to break into workshop storage to grab more blueprints and armor parts? I wouldnt call that talking behind your back, Dennis. Its nothing personal, those are just the rules we all have to follow. rA?NO??BE?s? Try telling that to Nathaniel, I say, joining the conversation. Hearing that he immediately straightens up, looking around as if checking for someone, then turns back to us with a growl. Nathaniel wouldnt start another fight, not after the last time he got punished by Camp Overseer Serabeth. Knowing how it will rile him up, I just giggle, while Dennis adds a snort of his own. I suspect that even she doesnt know why were here. Thats my guess. Simply put, our situation is extremely... precarious. Entering the training room number 3, I activate a panel on the wall and the canvas door closes, sealing the room and shielding it. Its fairly simple: rough gray-black stone floor and the walls are made of even more of that incredible canvas, providing plenty of shielding, and a degree of privacy. Still, Im fairly certain that someone like Serabeth can access the data. Yup, even though I didnt agree to any cookies, my data is probably out in the open for the lumorans to look at. If they are selling it though I would like a cut of that money. But theres nothing I can do about it, and its not like I could do this kind of training in our tent-house thingy. I allow myself to relax a bit and let my mana cycling become a bit sloppier, allowing a touch of mana to come leaking from my body and fill the training hall. A satisfied breath escapes my mouth. Its like coming home and trading your jeans for a pair of comfy sweatpants. If the human race were slightly more advanced, wed wear sweatpants everywhere, free of judgment. Theyre obviously more comfortable than jeans. Just one more thing to do after banning invisibility skills. Ill need to look into it after Biscuit becomes Absolute. Stepping to the side, I activate another panel and a target pops out of the ground on the far side of the rooma metal circular plate complete with shock absorption and a set of fancy inscriptions. This room is surprisingly durable, only numbers 2 and 1 surpass it. And if the rumors are to be believed there''s even a number 0 for the Champion, and damn, how I''d love to see that. Even number 3 can endure my tricolored orbs, but the problem is mana allocation. Theres a set amount of mana for everyone, and if you want more, youre required to use your own. Especially when using a lot of bombardment-style attacks, after all, you dont want Serabeths assistant cursing you or threatening your salary. Knowing this, I activate another panel and a small pillar rises up. I put my hand into the groove at the top and start filling it with my mana. And this time I give it a lot, a really nice chunk in fact. Satisfied, I let it slide back down, knowing I should be able to train more now. [Empyrean Lance] is one of those skills Im still deciphering, and Im quite a ways off from fully understanding it. I form a lance woven from luminous energy, layer upon intricate layer. It radiates with a brilliant glow, quietly humming by my side. After feeding more mana into the structure, it hums stronger. Its core of white and golden light shimmers, and the tip glows with blinding intensity, pulsing with the rhythm of my mana and heartbeat. I wonder, is the white part meant to be like a tricolored orb on the verge of destabilizing, while the gold part acts like a stabilizer? Is it just an evolved version of the tricolored orb? Wouldnt that be too lame for a level 300 primary class skill? I fire it off, and it pierces through the air, leaving streaks of prismatic light in its wake. Theres no extreme shockwave or wasted energy like with the orbs. The lance is much more concentrated and directional. It hits the target, exploding into a blinding light. Id be disappointed that it didnt pierce through if I didnt know how insanely tough these targets are. Even so, theres a small amount of damage on the target. Some of the inscriptions have been weakened, and the material underneath has bent inwards. The floor below has grooves in it that are now filling with some strange liquid that quickly hardens, restoring them. But the target remains damaged. Using my eyes, I notice even more subtle damage. Three of my tricolored orbs exploding right next to it never even made its frequency shift, yet this lance at level 9 managed to do so much more. Someone call the admins. Stepping closer to examine the target, I tap it with my finger and wonder how the lance compares to Fracture. Sure, Fracture is stronger. No question, that sword is evil. But something about the lance feels kind of similar. Especially the way it releases those concentric waves and destabilizes materials and mana reminds me of Fracture, even with Fractures tendency to straight-up erase everything. So the question remains, was the lance influenced by Fracture, the weapon I made? Was it influenced by [Eclipse] with a focus on destabilization rather than taking over entirely? Is the lance more mana based than Fracture with its reliance on [Disintegration]? Or am I just overthinking this when the lance has nothing to do with Fracture? Overall, Id say it feels like a combination of [Resonance] for the purpose of damaging materials and [Eclipse] to mess with mana, all focused in a concentrated area. The most interesting part though is that weird field that hangs around after the lance disappearscreating a small area where mana is harder to use and materials feel weaker, at least from my testing. Its not exactly mana radiation, but its certainly close. This is going to need a lot more testing. Chapter 522: Ardenyx The other day the system probably decided wed been slacking long enough. Warning! The 1st wave is now in progress. Just that message and nothing else. Lifting my eyes from the Fracture in my lap and the Logic Core Im working on, I look at Min-Jae sitting across from me in the living room. You too? he asks. Me too! Izzy says from nearby. We join the telepathic link the twins have been maintaining and exchange a few warnings. After that, I check the Ley Lines connected to the other members of our group. (You might want to come see this shit, guys,) Dennis says before signing off. Locating where he is, I sigh and start putting on these warm clothes. Izzy and Min-Jae do the same. Noodle is coiling himself up somewhere deep inside said clothes. They are better than nothing, but its insane to think that Id even be capable of feeling cold despite the thermal energy I have. So the options are either to use more of it or be more efficient and put some clothes on. Im not the type who normally cares about not wasting mana or efficiency. Hell, I could probably walk outside naked with golden flames sizzling around me, and keep that going for days. But it just feels more immersive to walk around in thick layers of warm clothes even with their terribly inefficient inscriptions woven from thread. Does it make sense that I feel a bit warmer in the clothes even though I could do a better job with thermal energy alone? Its weird and amusing at the same time. Once outside, I join some of the other members of group 4 standing in the cold wind as it blows the snow around us into the air. It only takes me a moment of looking at the piles to know that theyll be asking us to clear it away in an hour or two tops. Someone like Serabeth or the Champions disciples could probably blow it away with the slightest thought, but I guess something like that would just be beneath them. That and they are avoiding using too much mana outside of the tents. So, what... I start, looking over at Dennis. Then I follow his gaze and shut up. One of the three tallest tents in the middle of the camp opens, the canvas flaps of the tent moving to the side pulled by ropes. Revealing a hint of the tents interior, heat and light radiating forth along with the sounds of a smithy. Then the ground shakes. Again and again. Massive footsteps sending tremors through the ground, and just like that a war armor steps out of the tall tent. Ardenyx, Sophie breathes out. It fits the description. The war armor is enormous, its towering frame rivaling a multi-floor building five to six stories high. Its sleek, dark plating is inscribed with glowing mana patterns, intricate lines, and symbols etched deeply into the metal, pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. The armors surface gleams with a polished metallic sheen, built for both speed and durability. The plates overlap seamlessly, designed to redirect impacts and channel mana efficiently through the entire structure. Its head is angular and sharp. The cockpit itself is positioned deep within the chest, protected by reinforced layers of plating and surrounded by conduits of mana. From there, the pilot interfaces directly with the armors systems, controlling it through a blend of mental commands and physical inputs, all powered by the pilot and the mana batteries placed throughout the armor. Ardenyxs back is fitted with streamlined, wing like appendagessleek constructs with sharp edges, humming faintly with energy. The arms and legs are long and proportional, covered in segmented armor seeming designed for flexibility and precision, each joint reinforced and marked with faint mana pathways to enhance movement. Even standing still, it radiates a quiet and deadly energy, as the glow of its mana inscriptions cast their faint light on the snow around it. The suit is quickly surrounded by a handful of level 8 technicians, as they begin running a myriad of checks. The hands open and close, joints twist, and the appendages on its back flex and retract. Brief bursts of mana pulse through its channels, while fields and shields flare into being and fade just as quickly. It''s a process that ends up taking several minutes, and one they appear to take very seriously. My eyes activate and I observe it more, pushing through some of the defensive layers and observing the movements of its mana. A special material replaces the muscles and uses mana to send signals to expand and contract the fibers. A number of places hide mana batteries all over the war armor, humming with the immensity of the energy stored within. Inscription nodes which must be something akin to a Logic Core, allowing it to turn simple signals like walk into a set of orders that shrink and expand these fake muscles, balance the armor, and move the joints. The sheer complexity of this thing is insane. And the amount of mana it probably requires has to be just as insane. And thats without getting into the inscriptions covering its surface. Its bigger than I thought it would be and damn, its only the disciples war armor. You arent helping. Look, I train every day, just like I promised but its not as fun as the testing we do together, my ax, or the stuff Ive been doing with my bones. She likes to spend time with you! Izzy nods seriously as she hugs Biscuit closer. So what else did you try? I ask, ignoring that sentence. Before turning to me, Lily hisses at Izzy and when she turns to me she has a slight blush on her cheeks, I improved my ax and it should be capable of channeling my [Disintegration] without excessive amounts of damage. Ive also been experimenting with making armor from my bones... Skele-suit. Im not calling it the Skele-suit, Nat. Calcium cage. Screw off, she sighs, the blush gone entirely, I dont know how much Ill be needing it with my mantle, but the way you guys have been talking about war armor all the time made me excited to try something of my own. Do you know how horrifying it would be if you made an Ardenyx size mech grown out of your bones and maybe flesh instead of whatever that war armor was using to move? Plus a similarly sized ax! Maybe I could apply my mantle to it too and give it self-healing properties as well. Lily. Yes? Lets try that sometime. It sounds too creepy and scary not to try. Yes! And by the way, I finished examining the finger bone you got from Jean. I think he has a trait, not unlike your Mana Physique. Maybe he got it when he took his second trait like you when you got your eyes. His trait also changes his body a lot but it seems to reject external mana and use powerful bursts of the excess to boost his healing, just like you said. And I think there might be other Physique based traits besides yours and Jean''s. That makes a lot of sense, I note. Can you get anything out of his? Enhancing myself with the same kind of increased regeneration from mana based attacks could be nice. Maybe? But not anytime soon. That Physique is incredibly difficult to grasp, even a little. With you having a similar Physique, then taking his and improving yours while working around its effects... sorry, but it would take likely years if ever. I breathe out, disappointed, and lean back. When Noodles tongue tickles my cheek, I send a bit more of my mana his way while I think and curse whoever caused me to be stuck with nothing more than an epic healing passive and this weird-ass skill [Bone Knitting]. Well, at least I can count on the cockroach to bring me the heart of that Champion. That alone should boost my thermal energy by a shitload, and that should improve my healing as well. Until then, there are a few things I need to work on, one of them being the conversion of my heart into a pure kinetic mana heart, without the thermal aspects. Lily and I have already started experimenting and forming our own theories and now weve brought Sophie in as well. And then, to top it all off, even though its still likely a few months off, Im already starting to wonder. How its going to feel to have two hearts? Refocusing my attention on the room, I reach out to the side to set Fracture in between us as I deploy the protective arrays Ive been working on over the past few days. Maintenance? Lily asks, taking the cue from our prior runs. Yes, I confirm. The materials are degrading faster and the condition of the protective sheath is getting worse, but this time we should be able to do it without twins. Chapter 523: Assistant Nathaniel After the usual keeptheevilswordsleeping maintenance, I find myself serving as one of the many people out here shoveling the snowdrifts. The higher-ups have decided we should do it manually to prevent unnecessary mana leakage, so for now, we can only use mana inside these incredible tents. Naturally, I wonder if theres some fantastic device we could be using to handle these drifts. Is there a piece of equipment that can just blast them away or evaporate the snow with a minimal expenditure of mana? Maybe a blower that barely needs any magical power? Nope. We have shovels. As the Rulers intended. On the bright side, were all superhuman, so we can still move at remarkable speed, even in this shitty weather. Another plus is having that giant-race-or-something guy called Hed working alongside me. Hes got a massive shovel and, if I happen to be near him, I can slack off a bit. After all, I need to look out for my delicate body, dont I? My Mana Physique is sensitive and I''m a weak, weak man. Besides, I still have to adapt my [Bone Knitting] skill to keep up with all this physical effort. Sure, its a pain, but its already risen two levels, which is definitely a plus. Its still not all that useful overall, but Ive got a good feeling about it. Im sure I can evolve it into something powerful, or combine it with some kind of synergistic skill. At least its been pulling its weight by boosting my bone durability to a level well beyond normal, which certainly came in handy in that fight with Jean when my skeleton was forced to withstand a downright ridiculous amount of punishment. At this point my flesh thats holding me back. Dont slack off, Hed mutters, shoving away a pile of snow the size of a small car. Ill make you a low common item if you pick up my slack, I offer. He immediately comes to a halt in front of me, looming like a mountain. The sheer amount of fabric that went into his clothing probably could have made a tent for a full party of humans. Mid common? I ask. Just do your work, Nathaniel, like everyone else here does. Why bother? Its obvious things are gonna go to shit any minute, and you guys know it. My words make him pause. He lowers himself closer so I can hear him clearly despite the howling wind. Do you actually know something more? Do you have a way out? Nope. And also nope. Do you want to leave? A puzzled look crosses his face. He may be huge, but his expressions are exactly the same as humans on a larger scale. Weve worked with lumorans before, and the pay was solid. Their level 9 technicians liked us, so we figured wed do it again. But this? This is nothing like what we signed up for. Did you talk to Serabeth and Quent about it? Of course. They just said the mission requires secrecy and that we dont need to worry about it. We knew wed end up at the second front, but we assumed wed be safe. I mean, Exoria Champion Feroy is rumored to be almost as strong as Champion Owain, and Owain is supposedly the strongest right after the lumoran Absolute. Look, if youre nudging things toward some alliance, go see Tess instead. Arent you the strongest person in your group? Hell no. Havent you ever seen Biscuit? Who? "There should be a death penalty for such an insult. Anyway, I know weve had our share of spats here and there..." ...you nearly tore off my left arm, he interrupts. I keep going. But I think youre a decent guy. I might not be the greatest judge of character, but Im not totally clueless either. Just remember: my group will always come first. He gives a rumbling laugh and claps me on the shoulder, the gesture coming across as surprisingly gentle for someone his size. Human, we velnar are used to that. The strong lead, the weak follow. You protect your own before anyone else. Sounds like a neat code. Any other interesting velnar tidbits? We dont like lazy people who slack off and force us to pick up the extra work. Thats wild. Tell me more. Even if someone cant work as hard as the others, they should at least show some effort. It goes a long way. Thats even crazier. Seriously messed up. Anything else? Thats as far as I get though, because hes already turning to shovel more snow. For such a massive guy, hes surprisingly chill. And Im not the only one whos noticed. After all our groups empath, Izzy already confirmed that Hed was probably the friendliest individual here. Hes also incredibly skilled in his use of metals and inscriptions, better even than the thylarin trio, including the one with the fragment of Eternal Fire. He even outmatches the other members of his crew, a pair consisting of a vyssari man and a human woman. Well, times up. Sorry to bother you. I say as I start to rewrap it. Assistant Nathaniel, he says, a disapproving edge to his voice, do you realize how often Serabeth, the other level 8 technicians, and the Exoria deployment camp guards complain about you? Not really. Hardly ever? Every single day. Must be a different Assistant Nathaniel. A week, he snaps. Technician Leth will administer a test for you and your group to gauge your abilities. If you pass, then Ill grant you access to Workshop number 2 under his supervision. Thats perfect. Thanks, level 8 technician Quent. See you soon! Assistant Nathaniel...arent you forgetting something? Having enjoyed our little game, I finally hand over the piece of chain. He cradles it like a precious treasure and walks off with it. It seems the twins brand of mischief has rubbed off on me. Gotta admit its fun, and now I feel like I may just understand them a little better. Bearing the good news, I head back to our tent, throwing off my outer clothes before stepping into the living room. As usual, Izzys intense blue flame is set for heating, and most of our group is gathered around it. Theyre going to test us for admission to Workshop number 2, I eagerly announce. Me and Aaron managed to tap into the defensive arrays on a few smaller tents, Dennis adds, matching my enthusiasm. With a bit more processing power we might even manage to break into some of the the less secure ones. Perhaps even the storage area! Tess and I just got our asses whooped by Lily in melee combat. Nat, what have you done to her? Maya demands, shooting me a disgruntled look. Even you, Tess? I ask, turning toward the blonde. She doesnt reply, which says more than enough. And I grin holding my arm up for a high five from our petite terminator, Lily, who happily obliges. Group 4,5 wins. Anyway, Im worried things might be even worse than we expected, I say. They were way too quick to let you into Workshop number 2, werent they? Tess ventures. I nod. Its also been several days since Ardenyx left, and judging by the way Serabeth and the others are acting, it shouldnt be taking so long. What do you think, Izzy? Sophie asks her sister. From what I can feel, most of the lumorans here are frightened because theyre in the dark, but they trust their Champion. Theyre following him of their own free will, and they absolutely adore him. A lot of them would die for his sake. So maybe its just some secret mission meant to help lumorans, Sophie muses. Somebody that popular probably isnt evil. I tried to get them to move us away from the front, Tess says with a shrug. But Serabeth refused. Instead, she raised our pay instead. Sophie snorts. They can promise entire cities, but none of that matters if they dont expect us to come back. Maybe you should try requesting payment in materials and info, right now? Great idea. I think Ill do just... Tess begins, only to stop abruptly, as all of us sense a sudden pulse of mana and the camps defensive arrays burst into light for an instant. Were instantly on high alert, but no further commotion follows. Instead, I sense something else, an all-too-familiar presence returning. Ardenyx, I say, the name falling from my lips. Pulling on our warmer gear again, we hurry outside. Just about everyone in camp, maybe a hundred people or more gathers to watch as Ardenyx comes flying in for a landing near the center of the camp. The war armor collapses onto its knees, its one remaining arm plunging into the snow to keep it from crashing face-first into the ground. The cockpit area is riddled with holes. A group of Lumorans rush forward to pry it open by hand, as though it were incapable of opening on its own. They pull the Champions disciple out, releasing a cloud of hot steam to flood out into the cold air, accompanied by several bursts of mana. Moments later, Ardenyx blinks once before going completely inert, as though its batteries were drained, leaving the armor stranded without the pilot to supply it with additional power. Before the delirious pilot can be carried away, I notice him clutching something in his hand, something I cant identify, though it radiates an incredibly chaotic mana signature, as he disappears from sight, and I lose all sense of him. Unable to investigate further, I turn my attention back to Ardenyx. Its in terrible condition: missing an arm, its flight mechanism has been wrecked, the head is gone, and the torso is riddled with gaping holes. When I try to move closer, a lumoran guard blocks my path just before all non-lumorans are ordered back to our tents, which are locked behind us. Chapter 524: Signature Isolation Framework They let us into Workshop Number 2 the next day. No test needed, leaving both Hed and his group, along with the trio of thylarin behind in Workshop 3 even though they are a bit more experienced on the whole. I enter, expecting to find something different from Workshop 3, but its surprisingly similar, the only big difference being the number of war armor parts and level 8 technicians. Even Leth, serving as our guide, seems to have a lot of respect. I look around, hoping to see Ardenyx, but there are only a few of its parts here; most of the war armor was brought to its own tent to be handled by dedicated technicians. The rush here is intense, even more so than before. Parts are constantly being shuffled around, materials are delivered, and the machinery remains in constant motion. I see pieces of the arms, a few fingers, plates from the chest piece, and a few portions of the wings. Hurry, Leth chastens, putting a stop to our ogling before guiding us to our corner, You will only be assisting me today, nothing else. We dont have much time, so I wont be actively teaching you. Leth, why do we not have much time? Im sorry, Assistant Sophie. I dont know much, and what I do know I cannot share. I understand. Thank you. Sophie and Nathaniel will be directly supporting me. Dennis and Aaron, you will take over if either Sophie or Nathaniel makes a mistake. We get to work right away, working on the hand and connecting a new finger to it while repairing a bit of damage to one of the other fingers. Leth works incredibly quickly, using a specialized method and an assortment of items that seem to act as keys to unlock the various parts so we can work on them. The whole experience has the feel of working on proprietary hardware and software protected by passwords, to ensure that only authorized personnel are able to work on it. However in this case its probably motivated by a need for security to avoid sabotage rather than because of greed. Sabotage is a constant worry, and for good reason. Some of the powerful enemy forces are really good at infiltration. They have to be. The Absolute monster is a mimic, and the others are its kin. As Leth worksdespite his earlier warninghe continues to explain his actions in his normal calm tone. He really is a good teacher. Hes not the most talented, as demonstrated by his extended stint as a level 7 technician, its an unfortunate fact that he lacks the skills he needs to push himself higher. But among the level 7 technicians, hes probably one of the most talented and he certainly loves what he does. There is no bitterness at his inability to break through, and I dont need Izzy to tell me what kind of guy he is. Still, even then, he is far beyond any of us. I think we could be considered level 4C6 technicians. Its hard to say accurately since Im not sure how they assign rankings here. Both Sophie and I hungrily take in everything he shows us and almost flawlessly fix the hand, leaving it for a higher-level technician to check over and implement. After all of this, I still feel fresh, but I notice Sophie and even Leth beginning to look a bit tired. Leth because he did the most work, and Sophie because she doesnt have the same kinds of passives I do. The twins are the same, even though they''re struggling to hold on for as long as they can. We continue for longer, and they are sent away after Leth determines that theyre just too exhausted. Then its just him and me continuing on, moving on to different, and bigger parts, helping other technicians as we go. At this point, there are rarely any assistants other than me. As before, I follow Leth and support him to the best of my ability. Its been a while since I activated my Mana Wavelength Iris, and Im fully aware they might recognize it but I just cant bring myself to resist. I reach into my reserves, letting mana flow through my body as my mind endures more and more strain. And I learn more and more, absorbing the information and filing it away in its own place in my mind, keeping it fresh and ready to store in a mana stone once Im done. rNo?BE?s? The proper way to connect the different parts. Methods of constructing circuits so they can continue to function even if some part of them takes damage, duplicate layers, defensive mechanisms, nodes, the proper means of connecting mana batteries, using multiple pathways to deliver mana. I examine more of these artificial muscles they use to move the armor. Theyre made of an incredible material I cant quite comprehend, durable yet elastic and highly sensitive to mana. It feels so flesh-like that some part of me wonders if it might be possible to heal them with the proper application of mana or with help from a healer like Lily. And as the hours pass, I realize Leth is beginning to succumb to exhaustion first, and not just because he did the bulk of the work. Even though it doesnt come up too often, my mid-arcane passive is simply incredible. My Mental Attunement Loop, my experience, my extreme mana reserves, my Physique, my eyesall come together to make me very good at this. Finally exiting Workshop 2, Leth takes a deep breath of cold air, Good job today, Assistant Nathaniel. Please take a good rest; there is so much to be done. He doesnt give me an opportunity to answer before he heads off toward his own tent, and I return to ours. Once there, I find myself greeted by the colder weather in the hall before making my way into the living room, where Izzys flames are keeping the area warm. I noticed it even while working, but it seems like the entire Exoria deployment camp has started using less mana for its functions, almost like its going into some kind of battery-saving mode. So, what happened? I ask, forming a manablock chair before taking a seat. You know theres no way youre the replacement they have in mind, right? Tess taunts, ever the party pooper. But its not like I hadnt thought of that. Its unfortunate, but I agree. I dont even think anyone other than a lumoran could control them, not without an extensive set of modifications. Tess, deep in thought, stands up after a while, So the plan remains the same. Since we cant leave, well prepare for the event that we end up on our own, and worst comes to worst, well head to the 8th floor. I guess that makes the most sense, I agree, moving to sit next to Lily. Try to describe the feelings you got from the thing that killed the pilot of Ardenyx. That night, a group returns, composed of human mercenaries and lumorans. All of them bear the signs of combat. Damaged equipment and that look in the eyes that tells you when someone still on edge, ready to attack. Standing near our tent, I observe the process while noting the way the weather has grown even colder, something I can feel even through the clothes Im wearing, particularly when Im not supplying them with enough mana. Still, I refuse to let it bother me and watch as they go through the protocols that come into play every time someone leaves and returns to the camp. One after another, all the mercenaries and lumorans pass through the array and then step into the circle on the ground. A few lumorans from Serabeths personal unit stand around the circle, other than the Champion and his closest men, theyre the strongest people in the camp. The circle always lights up momentarily, and everyone inside it shows a great deal of relief. Remembering the rules they explained before, I know youll be killed on the spot if you refuse to go through the test. As the tests slowly progress, I notice the mood shift. The last remaining human is acting nervous, which doesnt go unnoticed by the guards who shift and grip their weapons. Mana fills the air. Im not getting in that weird circle. I fought one of them, so some of their blood got on me, he lifts his arm, showing his bloodied sleeve, I wont let you kill me for that. Viden, just go into that damned circle. We saw it before, its safe, one of his friends snorts and turns to one of the guards. Im correct, right? Yes, Mercenary Zale, each Signature Isolation Framework was personally constructed by one of our Champions in collaboration with our Absolute. See, Viden, just get in the circle. Despite these words, the man continues to refuse, and with each denial, the expressions around him grow darker, even those of his friends. As he yells, two lumorans grab him and throw him into the circle. This time, the light doesnt shine. The mans face contorts, half of it twisting as if it were melting, while his body begins to expand. Even his clothes and equipment stretch and grow rather than tearing, their textures remaining intact even as they take on a disturbing resemblance to the flesh. Multiple mouths emerge from the surface of his skin, clothing, and gear, some of which reveal themselves to be about as wide as my arm is long, gaping wide and full of long, sharp, white teeth. One of those mouths disgorges a series of long tongues, each one covered in a sort of slimy saliva that burns anything it touches. A dozen or so eyes sprout across his form, varying in size. Some are as large as a humans, others are bigger than my fist. Each eye glows with an orange radiance framing their black pupils. The grotesque transformation doesnt spare his equipment either, as mouths and eyes begin to emerge across them as well. Even then, the mimic still bears some resemblance to the man it replaced, retaining its humanoid figure, despite its engorged and twisted frame. The mimic doesnt have a chance. Serabeths elites surround him, deploying an array and barrier that cuts off any chance of the mimic sending out a signal or damaging the area. Two guards step inside and rip the mimic apart, their bodies and equipment easily withstanding its desperate attacks. Such is the effect of the array and barrier, that I cant sense so much of a hint of the mana that must be raging within. When the mimic dies, they collect all the parts of its body, including the bloodied snow and pieces of cloth around it, piling it all in a single heap before placing a dark blue orb on top. Inscriptions flare to life, consuming the orb just before a gout of blue flames surrounds the corpse, burning it until nothing remains. Everyone in the group is forced to undergo another test before being led over to the tent where Serabeth usually stays, likely for further examination and questioning. I take one last look at the spot where the mimic died before returning to our tent. Interestingly enough, I noticed the mans level and class name when he was still human. I made sure to check all of them before they left to scout. Even as a mimic, his level and class remained exactly the same. Chapter 525: 7th floor’s monsters Three days pass and the weather only seems to grow colder and harsher; the snow, despite frequent cleaning, begins to collect against the tents. The skies grow darker and many times a person can barely see a few steps ahead of them. Yet we continue as before. Sophie, Aaron, Dennis, and I continue to help in the workshop and work towards gaining access to more and more advanced parts and information all the while absorbing as much knowledge as we can. Lily, guarded by the others, is often called to heal as more and more of our smaller expedition units find themselves stumbling upon mimics near our camp and are forced to fight them. One things for sure, sooner or later the enemy will notice the quantity of mimics dying in this area and send someone stronger to take a look. I also have to wonder why weve been sent here in such a rushed manner why we didnt spend more time in the rear to continue fixing the parts there. Especially since Exoria and Praxion still seem to be damaged in much the same state they were in before we left. Our mission seems to be important, urgent even, Thats the only reason we could have been sent here so unprepared. One of the smaller groups of mercenaries eventually decides to rebel against the lumorans, taking a few technicians as hostages and threatening to kill them. Its a dumb decision, but it speaks to their desperation. They just ask for some equipment so they can leave, nothing else. They know they wont survive in that cold as they are. Group 4 watches with the other mercenaries as Serabeth kills them all without leaving so much as a scratch on a single lumoran technician. The mercenaries bodies implode into small balls of flesh or find themselves pressed into the ground under the incredible gravity, squished into once sentient pancakes. Im going to speak with Serabeth, I tell my group and make for the tent she retreated to after dealing with the situation. What? Now?! I hear Maya gasp in surprise. I pay it no mind and upon reaching the tent that serves as her office, I send a signal. After a bit of hesitation, the canvas flap opens and I enter to be welcomed by a warm orange light and a clean, minimalistic room aside from the two dozen plants littering the shelves in one of the corners. Serabeth is sitting in her chair behind a wooden table and I grab a chair and wait for her nod before taking a seat. So, I begin. Ive been wondering if you know whats going on or if youre like us, left in the dark, and my opinion on the matter just keeps changing. One day I think you know something and a few hours later I suspect you know nothing. What conclusion did you settle on? You have to know something, but even you dont know everything. Theyre probably limiting the number of people who know, just in case a mimic takes over. Its also possible, you being you, that youve been trying not to think about it, that way if you were to fall to a mimic, it wouldnt be able to get the information out of you. Thats a reasonable conclusion. In that case, if you came here to ask any of that... I did not. I want to join the scouts for a few runs. "No. Youre too valuable right now. Even Quent seems to like you, surprisingly enough. Personally, I find you to be a pain in the ass, but the technicians clearly see something in you." rA?No?E?s? I can join scouts in my free time and... "No, this conversation is over. Do you think I dont know about Dennis and Aaron rummaging through our storage? Im aware they took one of the smaller tents and some supplies. I also know about the connection youre making to our array and I saw you examining the Signature Isolation Framework." She leans closer, her golden eyes dangerous. All of this was allowed by me because of the value your team brings to the table and the fact you know so annoyingly well where the line is, and havent stepped over it, Nathaniel. "Im not nai?ve enough to think you wouldnt noticeitd be pretty lame if you didnt. But I also know that heading out with the scouts still stays on the right side of that line." Serabeth groans, and I feel the pressure on me increasing as pale blue mana swirls inside her crystalline features. What do you expect to get out of it? she asks, clearly annoyed. Honestly? Im not sure yet. Disconnected from the twins link and Sophies web and even forced to cut off my Ley Lines, I feel a sense of dread at that sight. My heart thumps and I feel a chill down my back not caused by the weather. How easy it would be to never find that camp again, passing by time and again for hours on end, without ever managing to locate it, and neither my eyes nor my skills would help. Prodded by a signal from the leader, I turn away and keep pace with the group. For some reason, Ive decided to try my very best to keep the leader and any other lumoran that knows the way back alive. The biting wind intensifies the cold, but no one uses their mana; instead, we stick to relying on our equipment as planned. We start walking in a huge circle while a few of the other members send out some kind of special detection frequencies, which I examine. They seem to be an attempt at locating mimics without a host in our vicinity. A mimic without a host can take the shape of almost anything: a tree, a stone, hell, maybe even a pile of snow. The limiting factor is the mimics original size, and the stronger a mimic is, the larger the object it can mimic and the stronger the person it can take over. Some mercenaries in the camp like to tell rumors about Champion-grade mimics being able to spoof entire buildings, such that they simply let people walk inside before devouring them. Without a host, a mimics powers are limited, as is its intelligence. They have dangerous poison, an extremely durable body, and are great at hiding, not to mention their incredibly sharp teeth that tend to possess incredible properties the older or stronger a mimic is. Once a mimic takes over someone, thats it, it cant return to its original form. Thats why theyre so selective, especially when it comes to stronger mimics. Sometimes a powerful mimic can end up taking over a low-level lumoran, thereby having its power limited. In other cases, a weak mimic can luck out and take over a half-dead Champion, and wind up unable to fully utilize the bodys powers. Once the mimic takes over, it has access to most of the hosts memories all the while realizing that it is, in fact, a mimic and acting to advance the mimic cause, or whatever it is. These rules change a lot when it comes to powerful mimics and the powerful beings they take over, with any number of exceptions and dozens of little things serving to influence the final result. The current consensus is that once a mimic takes over, the host is effectively dead, leaving behind only memories that the mimic uses to impersonate them. However, theres a rumor that theres a unit of lumorans that has a theory about reversing the process. Some call it false hope, while others argue that even if it did succeed, the ''person they''ve brought back would just be a mimic with the host''s memories, unaware of its true nature as a mimic. Either way, its possible to resist attempts by a weaker mimic to take over. As for the stronger ones, its best to avoid them whenever possible or focus on taking them out from a distance. So even though its not strictly necessary and Im told I can rely on our scouts, every time we pass by a boulder or a tree covered in snow, I form a dagger and give it a stab. I know there probably should be lines of text with a level and monster name, but at this point I expect the system to actively hide them until we truly locate them. Even though it goes against the rules, the system I know, hate, and love doesnt seem to mind twisting these rules to keep the attendees from abusing them, all for the sake of the intended experience. Thats what I think happened to that mercenary when his class and level didnt change despite having been taken over by a mimic. It makes me think of another way the system twists the tutorial, about something my handler once told menot to abuse Beyond Stay tokens to escape danger. Apparently, the more I do so, the angrier the system becomes, twisting things when I return to punish me for it. I strongly suspect that when I abused it in the mana desert and came back, buried in the white sand and then those damned whales, that was one of these things. So I have to wonder what would happen if I were to do it again. Even so, I know I would still do it if I really needed to. While I think about that, our scouting expedition continues, and my expectations of danger and battling monsters begin to fade after hours upon hours of uneventful scouting. The romanticized life of constant danger, hunting monsters, and evading powerful foes quickly fades into a monotonous trek through the snow in wide circles, stabbing trees and stones along the way. Its the same for the entire 12 hours, not a single mimic, not a single enemy presence in the area, much to the relief of some of the scouts. We return and I intently observe the way the leader locates the camp, remembering the movement of mana around him, its frequency, and the way it affects the ambient mana around us. I even observe the movement of his body and the vibrations emanating from him. All this information is compacted,and kept fresh by one of the 6 parts of my mind that immediately starts turning it over time and time again, [Focus] allowing me to push through that boring task and continue my efforts. I also examine the way the Signature Separation Framework examines my body. For a moment there I wonder what would happen if it just broke and didnt light up. Thankfully it does, and I live another day, as the lumorans calm down around me. There are additional checks to get through before I return to our tent though. And I immediately restart my training and allow my body to radiate some heat causing my muscles to feel like they could melta feeling almost like jumping into a hot bath on a really cold day. With Biscuit on my lap, I open the Beyond Community just to see what Ive missed. Hadwin -little pup, I will be joining you on the 7th floor in one month. Chapter 526: Not lighting up POV The First Disciple of Nathaniel Gwyn, minion Vega You shouldnt do that. Your master tailored it to aid in your growth. The red-haired human woman has appeared again, as she tends to do. Creepy woman! I call out to her. As usual, I cant feel her heartbeat, and she insists its because shes just a projection. But I wonder if shes not really sick and hiding a weak heart out of shame? My master told me never to trust strangersespecially when they act nice. Why dont you come up with a better way of addressing me, she says, jumping up to sit on a fallen tree nearby. All the while watching me with those strange yellow eyes of hers as she speaks. No. The woman shakes her head, and I look back to the mana stone Master gave me. Even the first level is packed with information about these seven stances. Master says he got them from a super powerful demon. I wish I could see him. Hes probably not as strong as Master, since Master managed to force or trick him into giving up his secrets. But it would be amazing to see them fight! Creepy woman, do you know how to unlock the secrets of the stone Master sent me? I ask lifting the stone toward her. Yes, but I wont do it. Ha! Probably because you cant. My Masters techniques are too much! Instead of answering, she only smiles. Tsk. So she hasnt fallen for it? I could try acting cute. Master said Im good at that. Or maybe I could try to play on her sympathies; which worked against Master before we opened up to each other. But the way shes looking at me tells me she wont be swayed. Well, its up to me again. I know the way Im supposed to do it is probably best, but if I could just tweak it, even a little bit, Id feel like I was winning against him. Just a little bit. Does that envious guy still want to hurt me? I ask as I start moving my mana the way I was taught, as I continue to examine the stone. Sometimes. She nods. And Master knows? A little. So hes going to kill that envious guy. The red-haired woman chuckles and moves the hair off her face. Its not so simple. He might not look like it, but he is very powerful. But Master wants to kill him, right? Because that guy said he would kill me, and because hes always messing with him? Yes. Then Master will kill him. Or die trying, the red-haired woman states bluntly. I smile and jump to my feet and leap back onto the tree to take a seat next to her. Yes, I confirm. After another twelve hours of scouting and killing some mimics, I follow our leader. Even now, I cant sense where the camp is, so I just keep my eye on him. As before, he reliably leads us until we pass through the first layer of defenses, then we wait for Serabeths elites to test us with the Signature Isolation Framework. While we line up for the Framework test, a palpable tension coils through the air. One of Serabeths elites mutters something to one of the others, quiet enough that I cant quite hear, and they glance in my direction. It doesnt bother me at first, these elites are always looking for threats, always suspicious. A cold breeze whistles around us, and the other scouts fidget restlessly. Our leader peers over at the technicians manning the control crystals linked to the Framework and taps his foot as if waiting for a signal. Good job this time too, Assistant Nathaniel. To be honest, I was iffy about you, but you did well. I can see why the technicians like you, the lumoran scout leader says, standing beside me as the others pass through the framework. Because Im cheap. He laughs shortly and points at my crown. That too. But also because of that. He says, pointing at my crown. We lumorans have our own methods of storing mana, so [Mana Crown] is extremely rare for us. So you like me because Im a good mana battery. The fact youve acquired a crown shows you have a strong connection to mana, something we also have. Plus, your obsessive nature might anger the technicians, but they like you for it too. All craft-people are a bit weird. I agree, he says, smiling and gesturing me onward. Im one of the last to step into the framework and take my chance, Maybe you could tell them to show me more. I could help... Something in his expression changesfirst surprise, then shock, and finally regret. I follow his gaze to the framework around me. Unlike before, its not lighting up. A sudden hush falls across the area, as though everyone has stopped breathing at once. Before I can open my mouth to protest, Serabeths elites spring into action. In an instant, multiple mana circles blaze to life around me. A swirl of crackling electricity arcs from one side, while jagged shards of ice take form, hovering in midair on the other. Someone hurls a sphere of raw kinetic force straight at my chestno hesitation, no mercy. I react on pure reflex, drawing Fracture in one swift motion. Its blade devours the surrounding air. The first barrage of spells collides with the shortsword. Lightning fizzles, ice shards dissolve into mist. I catch a glimpse of the scout leaders face twisted in regret. But its too late. The rest of the elites move in, each brandishing weapons or spells, determined to finish me off as quickly as possible. My heart pounds in my ears, and my mana surges again, feeding me with power. A thrill races through me; my entire body hums with the influx of mana, as though my blood had caught fire. They attack to put me down before I can retaliate. I feel each assault like a drumbeat, slamming into my barriers and into my passives with relentless force. Yet I hold on for that little bit. The world shifts to black and white, my thoughts racing so fast that even the movement of my mana feels sluggish. Sparks erupt across the clearing as spells collide with the barrier, fracturing it. A harsh wind whips up snow and dirt, obscuring the edges of my vision. In the split second of calm between attacks, my eyes dart around, searching for an opening. The camps defenses activate, and the scout leader acts alongside Serabeths elites. No one waits for an explanation. The Frameworks detection is absolute. I swing Fracture, the blade appearing to devour the very air around it, and I swing it to defend against the onslaught. The mana in the crown above my head compresses, instantly turning pitch-black. It shatters the array surrounding me and begins devouring a dozen extremely powerful attacks, each one adding a surge of mana to my stores. The air grows heavier as the crowns black mana pulls in the surrounding mana like a whirlpool. I lift my blade once more. If they want me dead, theyll need to do better than this. Chapter 527: Four options I open my mouth to try to talk to them, to make them stop, to ask them to wait, or so I can explain, but a single glance at the lumorans faces tells me enough. And I know the rules. There is no talking the moment someone is identified as a mimic. The attacks get pulled into the crown, none reaching me at all, so with eerie efficiency they switchmelee attackers rushing toward me. Some of that absorbed mana channels through me, powering [Redistribution] and halting their movements, providing just the second of reprieve I need to break through. The scout leader, whose name I dont even remember, lets his hold slip. He blocks my way out of the camp, switching from his bow to two daggers, mana seeping from his crystalline features. And he attacks to kill. Fracture devours the mana I hold in my body. Resonating as it always does, all the forces it contains straining to break free. [Eclipse] holds it down, but its more difficult than ever before. The sword has sensed the Mana Crown, and it either doesnt like it or likes it too much. Fracture and clashes with the scout leaders sword, my sword slicing through with ease. Destroying mana, material, and connections. All his barriers, defenses, body strengthenings are for nothing as the sword cuts through his chest just over his heart. [You have defeated Bowbound Seeker C lvl 376] [Lvl 301 > Lvl 302] [Lvl 302 > Lvl 303] Wraith Dance takes me over his corpse and into the snowstorm, leaving the black crown behind to start devouring the defensive arrays of the camp to force them split their forces and hopefully slow down Serabeth. Over and over again, I channel kinetic energy and mana through my body to take myself as far as I can. I cut through every mark and tracking technique they try to tie to me with Fracture. The sword remains unsheathed, its bone-and-white-molten-sand blade fracturing further as black and gray smoke swirl wildly within. My arm holding it barely has any flesh left on it, and the blade has eaten holes into the bone. The healing marks I activate do hardly anything to fix it, and my mana is unable to hold it back. But left with no other choice, I run, I fly, and I use the sword to break through any attempts to slow me down. I regulate my hearts signature. I try to stop any movement or vibrations from passing beyond my body. I regulate my mana and keep it inside. Hour after hour, Im tracked by lumorans and mercenaries trying to locate and catch up to me in the storm. Each would be capable of facing me alone, and multiple attacking at once would easily be enough to kill me. When barely anything of my arm remains, I put Fracture in its scabbard which also cracks immediately. Even though we did maintenance not long ago there are signs of it being worn, along with the damage to the swords handle. I slide against a tree and make snow fall from it, hiding me entirely. More than before, I calm my mana and beating heart, relying on my eyes alone as I watch for any movement in the mana around me. Even though the ever-present movement of the snow and wind is there, I try to use my kinetic senses as well. As I do, I open the Community. Ignoring the wall of messages from Group 4 I write mine. Noname (Hell, Group 4) CI''m fine, just don''t be stupid. Keep checking the number of people in Beyond before you declare me dead. Some of the messages I see are a bit... emotional. Especially from Lily and, surprisingly, from the others as well. After a while, they calm down, likely Tess telling them the same thing I wrote. Noname (Hell, Group 4) Cgonna hide. If things get too dangerous I will go to Beyond. With that, I close the community to avoid getting distracted by the messages and check my tokens. Tokens: Beyond 3 day stay token Beyond 1 day stay token Beyond 1 day stay token Communication with your disciple for 10 minutes All good. I give my arm another once over, realizing that its the most damaged Ive seen so far by Fracture. From previous experience, I know it will probably take a week... or three for it to fully regenerate, even with Lilys healing. Still better than dying. Much better. I told you about it before, but all of Earths rounds of the tutorial have been synchronized, which allows you to take Beyond quests. As your handler, its up to me to use my influence and resources to sort through the available Beyond quests for youobviously according to their requirements and your current rankand thats what I did. Leaving the tutorial for a few days and going on a Beyond quest before returning to the 7th Floor will work even better than using stay tokens to extend your duration. You really want me to pick the second option, right? Crossing her arms on her chest, she leans back in her chair, that smile of hers crawling on her lips. Please, dont insult my intelligence. We both know which option interests you more. And that option just happens to fit into your plans somehow. What plans? Im just a handler. Her eyes meet mine with a challenging look, daring me to respond. Sure, I say, waving my hand dismissively. So what are the options? She stops leaning and picks four papers off the table and taps on the first one. Planet of Cairnthal went through the pairing a hundred years ago. Its fairly peaceful at the moment. Its Absolute created a court where the four strongest families, each led by a Champion, are competing to become the strongest, while the Absolute watches on in amusement. This info is extra from me. So the quest comes from a powerful Champion who is looking for an attendee with a high grade mana based trait. Huh, so my eyes or physique? What do they want? Experimentation? Nope. My handler shakes her head and lifts her hands. The left one uses the thumb and pointing finger to create a circle and the finger of the other one moves to... Okay, okay, got it. Where the hell did you learn that gesture? And no, I refuse. She laughs. Are you sure? The pay is really... No, I repeat. With the same big smile, she continues. The second one is a Champion looking for a teacher for his son who awakened kinetic energy. Wouldnt a few days be too short for it? He can create some sort of mind space to drastically increase the speed of your thoughts. This gives the illusion of more time passing. Its probably only three to ten times faster, but with enough preparation, he can maintain it for a long time. It would probably melt your brain without your mid-arcane passive, but you should be able to keep up. Its the best one so far. Why are they picking attendees instead of searching for people from their planets? It tends to be easier than searching normally, and the system allows them to be sure of what they are getting. Maybe they dont have a qualified person on their planet, maybe they dont have a coalition backing them or dont have access to the coordinates of other planets. It could also be that they cant travel to different planets. And the system likes it too because it allows you to gain experience with the system outside of the tutorial, so it subsidizes the payment. Oh. Got it. So its cheaper for them. Often yes. It also gives you a chance to build connections. Anyone capable of accessing Beyond quests probably has the potential to become a Champion at some point in the future. I see. The third? "The third one is looking for someone with a highly mana conductive body for experimentation. It could help you learn more about body modification, but the risk of death is... well, significant. The pays terrible, but I doubt youd care about that anyway." With a sigh, I stand up and let my chair disappear. So whats the one you really want me to take? Dont worry youre going to like it. Then she tells me, and I really do. Trusting my instincts, I decide to go with the fourth option. We dont wait any longer, and I follow my handler without a moment to send a message to my group. Not that I could do it from Beyond anyway. .bg-container-10448f2396e{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } .bg-ssp-10448{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} .bg-container-10448f61e68{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } My handler waves her hand, and a set of double doors extend from the floor. They even look like normal doors; with no inscriptions or anything crazy like that. I take a moment to look them over before taking the knob and throwing them open, revealing a long, dark hallway. Even though this place is taking me out of the tutorial to somewhere extremely far away, theres no wild surge of mana or even the slightest unsettling feeling. I simply step through and find myself outside the tutorial, in a different place. Just the sheer thought that it could be so easy is incredibly scary, especially given that I now know more about the powers of the beings overseeing the tutorial. I hear the doors close, and when I turn to look, theyre gone. Chapter 528: Warden I continue down the hallway. Even though it seems old and neglected, judging by the thick layers of dust, the floor, walls, ceiling, and ornamentation show not a single sign of wear. As if they had been perfectly preserved. On one side of the hallway, there are doors leading into rooms beyond, each in a different color. Greens, blues, yellows, reds, they all mix in a way that comes together in a surprisingly appealing fashion. The other side is lined with windows, enough to cover the entire wall, though theyre dirty and covered in sand. The fine gray sand is everywhere, piling in drifts throughout the hallway, and collecting on the windowsills, inside and out mounding against the glass, and resting against them. Really a lot of it. I dont check any of the rooms. Instead, I head toward the mana signature I sensed the moment I appeared here, the same one that immediately located me and shines like a beacon even now, guiding my way. Eventually, the hallway opens up, and eventually, a passage opens in the wall of windows, and I enter a garden filled with bone white trees cleaned of leaves. Each one is beautifully shaped, and I cant resist the urge to touch them, feeling a sense of comfort and warmth emanating from their bark. Even here though, the fine gray sand covers every surface, piled against the trees, on benches, and gathered in the corners. I look up at the sky locked away behind a pale blue barrier. The sky is dark and full of beautiful stars, but its also scattered with debris. The moon beneath us has largely shattered into pieces, each one the size of a continent back on Earth, now orbiting what little remains of the original core of the moon. And here we are as well, protected by the pale blue, dome-like translucent barrier shining weakly in the sky, sheltering all thats left from the void of space and drifting debris. For the first time since arriving here, I allow kinetic energy to flow, boosting myself into the air. From my elevated position, I find myself looking over a barrier that stretches across a region the size of a truly massive city. Everything inside has been protected, while everything beyond it is a wasteland of ruin, with massive craters filled with the debris of broken cities. I land back on the ground and head toward the white tower near the barriers edge, which is also near the edge of the rock we are on. The barrier extends just enough to protect the tower; a single step beyond it would take you into outer space, the highest and never-ending jump one could make. The tower door is made of a sort of stone that almost seems to glow in the darkness against gray sand. It opens, and I enter. There is no dust inside; its well lit and well maintained. But its silent. There are no other living beings I can detect save the signature lying in wait at the top of the tower. I take my time, pausing occasionally as I climb the stairs coiling around the walls of the circular interior. In the center of the tower grows a huge tree, the same white kind I saw outside, but this one has emerald-green leaves. It even sways gently in a breeze I cannot sense or feel. Sometimes, water starts falling from a higher floor, droplets splashing against the leaves and creating a soothing landscape of sound. Around the midpoint of the tower, the stairway ends, leading through a wall. I go there, only to find that the stairs continue, but they do so outside the tower, spiraling around as they climb. So I keep walking. There is no railing, and a strong wind pushes my body. My mana dissipates, and I cannot use it. My kinetic energy is gone, my heart continues beating but it fails to generate any. The thermal energy that was healing my body vanishes, and I start feeling colder. And then the mana prosthesis on my damaged right arm disappears too, leaving me with a mess of bones, and the odd muscle and tendon. The higher I climb, the more difficult it becomes. My body, deprived of its usual resources and buffeted by the wind, feels each gust threatening to knock me off the stairway, which is only wide enough for one person. I stop for a moment, bracing against the wall as the wind blows into my face, my hair swirling wildly. I feel my clothes stretch and the cold begins to permeate through my body. The pain Id been ignoring with my skills returns in stronger and stronger waves and the body that felt so light before now feels weighted, harder to move. My senses are so limited. Im so slow. Even so, I place my left hand over my chest, feeling my heart pound like a frightened little bird. I look down and realize how high Ive climbed, the white tower extending below me. Before me, near the open air, is the barrier, which seems so weak against the endless darkness filled with stars. I wonder if I jumped, would I pass through the barrier? Or would it stop me? And is it a prison for the man Im going to meet, or protecting what remains of this moon? And if I fell, would my mana return before I hit the ground? With these thoughts and many more, I continue my trek. Each step takes seconds, my left hand touching the side of the tower. Feeling the cold, rough stone against my fingertips, and the gaps between the white blocks that make up its structure, and a strange vibration I can barely perceive. Step after step. Eventually, I reach the point where the stairs take me back inside the tower. Only after I step in does some of the tension leave my body. My mana and my primordial energies gradually return, bringing my skills back as well, filling me with the power to which Ive grown accustomed to. At another time, I would be furious that everything was blocked so easily. Ive worked hard to ensure this would never happen, and this situation will push me to work even harder. But at the same time, I understand: the man Im heading toward is just that powerful. Maybe not the strongest, but certainly one of the oldest Absolutes. Warden of the Parallax Eyes, Kyralon. POV Maya Jones Ever since Nat ran away, things have gone to shit. It happened right after Serabeth returned, apparently failing to kill himjudging by the fact that the number of Beyond attendees didnt decrease. The fact he isnt talking likely means he ran to Beyond. As before, my body starts to itch and a high-frequency ringing fills my ears. It hurts, but its something I can endure. Im bored, Lady Lissandra, I complain. Train. "I''m doing that, but I''m tired of all this training." "Then keep training until you''re not tired of it anymore." I groan, my tail twisting in annoyance as well. At this point, I really wouldnt mind stepping into a city full of mind mages. I bet I could find some interesting things to do there. Fun people to observe, maybe even someone interesting to bully. Are we going to kill someone again? I ask her. Well be testing your mind defense training in the city while I take over that shoddy Framework they made. Do I want to know what youre planning to do with it? Actually... just tell me, please. Im too curious. You lynthari make for hopeless students, little kitten. Your attention span is too short. Im not sorry. "Of course, youre not. Once we secure your status and before we leave this floor, I will take some time to level up." A bit? "Yes. I will reshape their Framework, the Spatial Locks, and the prison they connect to in a particularly intriguing way." I always worry when you say something will be intriguing, Lady Lissandra. She ignores me, her eyes fixed on the empty space above the city. Ill use it to power my [Singularity]. That should be enough to deal a considerable amount of damage to this Astral Prison. Remaining at level 100 forever is not an option, and this will pave the way for an intriguing Primary Class upgrade. Lady Lissandras fingers tighten around the shard of the heart, the faint pulse within it radiating an unsettling energy. She tilts her head, her gaze never leaving that invisible point above the city. For a moment, I think shes done speaking, but then her voice comes, calm and deliberate. Little kitten, tell me, what would you do if there were no rules? No boundaries? The question catches me off guard, and I blink at her, my ears twitching. I... dont know. Why? .bg-container-10448f2396e{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } .bg-ssp-10448{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} .bg-container-10448f61e68{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } Because thats where you need to exist. Not within the lines someone else has drawn for you but beyond them. Her words sink in, cold and sharp, but I cant quite form a response. The way she speaks, as if the world itself is little more than a puzzle shes already solved. She finally turns to me, her pale eyes gleaming with a quiet intensity. Do you want to play in a city full of mind mages, little kitten? I swallow, my tail curling tighter under a sudden wave of fear. Y-yes. Her smile is faint and chilling. Good. Lets begin. Not a Chapter. Announcement – Book 4 Live on Amazon! Hello, it''s time to shill yet another release of HDT, but first, I would like to thank Kotikomori. She did amazing work on the cover once again! And damn, if I were her, I would have told myself to fck off long ago with how much I bother her over a single book cover. But no one makes Nathaniel look as punchable as she does. This time, we are missing Biscuit from the cover, so I hope Biscuit cultists will forgive me. If all goes well, he should appear on the Book 6 cover. Oh, and many of you asked about the third audiobook. It is planned to launch on April 1st. I swear it is not a joke and you can confirm it here: /pd/B0DY8WP2GX As for the Book 4, what to say, the adventure continues. I think it was Book 3 and Book 4 when people started praising the character development. The start of the series (looking at you, Book 1) was a bit rough, but I like to think I have improved a lot, and I thank you guys for hanging around with me! I also made Reddit posts, so if you have a Reddit account, upvoting them helps a lot! r/ProgressionFantasy: https://www.reddit.com/r/ProgressionFantasy/comments/1j9m924/hell_difficulty_tutorial_book_4_is_out/ I''m already asking a lot, so it''s time to cut it off, lol. Thank you to everyone for reading, reviewing, and commenting, or just chatting on Discord. Also, a big thank you to my beta readers, my publisher, editor, Kotikomori for the art, the guys watering the Mana Tree on Discord, the few who keep reposting cute corgi gifs, and many more. Thank you, and as always, there is more to come! Chapter 529: Beyond Quest POV Nathaniel There are no more stairs as I pass through the hallway illuminated by a gentle orange glow. I ignore the multitude of doors lining the walls, at least until I reach one that stands open. The room beyond is shaped like a half circle, and within I find another open door, set in the wall opposite the outer curve of the room, leading to a vast loggia. From there, I can see into the darkness, filled with the shards of the broken moon and countless stars. There is a strange sensation in the air, so tangible it borders on smothering. Its fascinating. The room itself is tidy, yet the space is practically choked with tables, crystal pillars, statues, boxes of materials, vitrines holding various items, and glass containers filled with odd liquids, along with much more. Every wall is lined with shelves made of black wood, covering every surface of the wall save a slight buffer around the loggias opening. Thousands upon thousands of brilliant, pale-blue mana stones rest on these shelves, each about the size of a grape with a more oval shape. And its next to one of these shelves that I see a velnar man, the same race as my fellow assistant Hed. Like Hed, he stands many heads taller than me, though he appears slimmer and much older than the other velnar Ive met. Gray hair covers his head, and a matching beard extends down to his collarbone. Hes wearing a black, long-sleeved shirt and matching pants. The only adornments are the simple silver ornaments around his collar and the ends of his sleeves. Sensing my presence, he turns fully to face me, and at last, I see his eyes. Parallax eyes, whatever that means. They are deep black, like a night sky without a horizon, filled with a scattering of tiny, softly glimmering lights that shift ever so slightlyas if the stars themselves were watching me. I recognized that technique the moment you arrived, he tells me, speaking in a deep and calming voice. And as he does I think I detect a hint of curiosity in the tone of his speech. A sort of almost childlike curiosity that I know all too well, seemingly retained even at his advanced age. I have mana stones with information that would greatly improve on it, he offers. Information that will help remove the defects. It would make that technique much more powerful. No. Thank you. I shake my head. He smiles. Looking at me with those remarkable eyes, and gives a slight nod. You seem to have understood that persons teachings very well. Kyralon then gestures for me to come closer. I oblige, my gaze darting across the room straining to take in all there is to see. Theres just so much. I would like to ask you a question, I say. Please. There is no need to be overly polite. Your...handler, he adds, smiling with faint amusement at that word, must have told you about my preferences. Well, I wouldnt want to find myself being thrown out of the tower for asking too many questions. Ill admit thats a possibility; there have been people like that before. While I value curiosity, I also value peace from needless irritation. So, let us strike a balance: for every one hundred questions I pose to you, you may ask me a single question in return. That sounds like a good deal for me, so Ill take it, I answer promptly. In that case, I want to restate my rules. Im sure your handler told you, but I prefer to repeat them so there are absolutely no misunderstandings. He leads me out onto the balcony, where two chairs have been arranged on either side of a small table. The tabletop is circular and made of that same black wood. A dense web of inscriptions has been etched into the surface, with what looks like silver metal wire filling the grooves. There are also a myriad of what are literally the tiniest mana stones I have ever seen, each one no larger than a few grains of sand, scattered across the table in a careful pattern. Im listening, I confirm. When Kyralon gestures again, I sit in the smaller chair while he settles into his own. His large frame looms over both me and the table, which is already quite big for me but fits his proportions well. There are no rewards for this quest, he begins. Yes. If you touch anything I have not allowed you to, you will die. Yes. If you try to identify anything I have not allowed you to, you will die. Yes. This next rule is new, but I think weve already reached an understanding: if you ask too many questions, Ill throw you out of the tower. He smiles. That would be understandable, I confirm. Then there are the obvious rules. No stealing, no attacking me, and so on. The punishment is likely death, but that may vary. Understood. Good. Now that weve clarified the more severe rules, lets continue with my request. He straightens his clothing and looks at me. You will be keeping me company for the next five days. You will answer any question I ask without lying. You can refuse to answer, but we will discuss your reluctance should such an occasion arise. Yes. You will also help me with certain tasks on request, but as a rule, I wont make you do anything that would kill you. Thats very nice of you. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. For all of that, I swear upon my life and upon my title as the Warden of Parallax Eyes to uphold an unbreakable vow of confidentiality regarding anything you share with me about yourself, your life, and your circumstances. I will not divulge it to anyone else, under any circumstances, even if my own life should be threatened, no matter how dire the consequences of my silence. That extends to direct communication, indirect suggestion, or coded references of any kind." "Huh, okay?" I say surprised by the change of speech, but he seems to be taking it seriously so I listen as he continues. I further promise that I will not use the information you provide to harm you, your family, your friends, your associates, your community, your organization, your planet, or any aspect of your life, physically, emotionally, socially, or otherwise. I will not let that happen through my words, my actions, or my inaction." He looks at me and I nod. No record will be made of anything you confide in me. No written documentation, no mana stones, no memory crystals, no proxies, no constructs of any kind. The information will reside solely within my personal memory, inaccessible to others. I will never repeat or transmit it by any means, magical, technological, or otherwise, and I will employ every measure to protect it from intrusion or extraction, regardless of how skilled or powerful those seeking it might be." I nod again. No one else will be present, listening, or observing as I receive this information, not through surveillance, skills, mind links, or any other methods. I will not consent to any force, influence, or entity, even those I would normally trust or control, having access to this knowledge. Even if I die or am rendered incapacitated, I will not pass on this information by inheritance, legacy, or any posthumous mechanism. Should my ability to honor this vow come under threatby external forces, incapacitation, or the unforeseenI will sever the knowledge from my memory before I allow it to be compromised or weaponized. This is my vow, binding and absolute." The honesty of that long declaration is confirmed to me through the system, as well as my title as a Champion candidate. It appears to be a variation of the declaration or perhaps a challenge. And I believe it. He has taken the system itself as his witness, effectively inviting it to kill him if he breaks this oath. Kyralon continues, Im not entirely shameless, so your reward will be one answered question in exchange for every hundred questions I ask you, as well as anything else you might learn or gain here. I agree to all of that. Perfect. Kyralon claps his hands together with a gentle smile. His gaze does not leave me as he asks his first question: Please, tell me the name of your planet. We call it Earth. Im not sure if itll get a fancy new name after joining the system, or if itll stay as it is. Interesting. What is your planets population? About eight billion humans, give or take. How did you learn that information about the population number? I heard it on TV. What is TV? Um, just so you know, dont expect detailed scientific explanations from me, but Ill try, I give him a small warning. TV can be of various sizes. Its mostly a thick sheath of plastic, glass, and electronics. It changes what it displays by lighting up internal components. Speakers vibrate to create sound, recorded or broadcast live. TV is connected to a planetary network that allows people to share information. Very interesting. Who manufactures it? What are electronics? What do you mean by lighting up lights? Who makes these recordings? And what is that network? Also, how do most people live? Cities, villages, or settlements? How large are they? Why do you share information? He punctuates each question with genuine enthusiasm, his immense frame leaning in while those Parallax eyes remain fixed on me. I can feel my energy drain at such a barrage of questions, but I press on. The reward is simply too intriguing. I recall that he will answer my single question after one hundred of his, and the information he might reveal will likely not be censored by the system. And, after all, hes an Absolute. Someone even my handler said he is among the oldest. Usually, companies make it. Honestly, its some kind of molten rock, I think, and they run electricity through it to create certain effects. Look, like I said, I didnt pay too much attention in school, and its not really my strong point. By lighting up lights, Im guessing there are LEDs or pixels or maybe something more advanced nowadays. I know that in the past, TV used to rely on red, blue, and green lights, and by adjusting how they lit up, different colors could be displayed. As for who records the content, mostly companies again, but sometimes its done live, too... its complicated. We have massive cities with millions of people, and I think the biggest city has around forty million. But we also have small villages of only a few dozen. We share that information because people are willing to pay for it. I let out a short breath, unsatisfied by my explanation, but it doesnt deter the curious Absolute before me. Such a civilization is not uncommon in the system, he notes seriously. Tell me more about these companies. Tell me what you think of this electricity. Tell me more about the schools you spoke of. How do you know they used red, green, and blue diodes? Did you learn that in school, or elsewhere? Who gathers such information, and how is it stored? You sound less than fond of these companies. Why is that? What is the currency of your planet? How is your world governed, and what system do you use? So, I begin answering again, carefully keeping track of the number of questions. I do my best to be thorough, partly because I want him to answer me in kind, and partly because, strangely, I find this entertaining. Hes asking questions about things Ive known for years but never really thought about deeply. At last, when I finish answering the one-hundredth question, I look him in the eye. That was one hundred. Kyralon nods. Indeed. Please, go ahead and ask yours. You said you recognized the technique Im using. Tell me about the person who created it. He smiles and nods approvingly, as though verifying something about me. Then he reaches for a small pouch on his belt, just large enough for him to slip two fingers inside. The pouch is simple, crafted from a white leather I dont recognize, worn with age, and fastened by a red cord woven from several threads of the same color. There is a single pattern upon the leather: a faint black silhouette of an open hand. Kyralon withdraws two glasses from the pouch, one that is huge by my standards and another smaller, meant for me, followed by a bottle of pale-blue liquid that seems to sparkle. The bottle alone is far too large to fit into that pouch under normal logic. He notices my eyes lingering on the pouch and asks teasingly, Have you already settled on your next question for another set of one hundred answers? .bg-container-10448869e4d{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } .bg-ssp-10448{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} .bg-container-10448f61e68{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } I nod, earning an amused look. After pouring drinks for us both, he takes a long sip before speaking. Lissandra Hawthorne, the first and only Absolute of Eladore. She lived so long ago that only a handful of the fourteen Rulers remember her personally, with just a few more Absolutes and other beings. She left her planet after it fell to internal strife, accompanied by the lone survivor, her disciple, Absolute Candidate Ruby, whose surname is unknown, likely due to her upbringing as an orphan. Those who still remember Lissandra Hawthorne call her by various names: Eladores Shadow, The Absolute, but most often, The Ancient Monster. She and her disciple are remembered for going on a rampage and killing the Ruler of Greed, the Ruler of Humility, and the Ruler of Wrath before Lissandra Hawthorne finally perished during her challenge against the Ruler of Pride. He finishes that statement and looks at me as if gauging whether I consider my question answered. Though I want to learn more, much more, I hold back my curiosity. Given how generous hes been in his responses, I interpret it as a sign of goodwill on his part. After all, we have plenty of time left. There will be more opportunities to ask. Chapter 530: Among Us How do you obtain food on your planet? Usually by purchasing it from a store. Ah, and you pay with the dollars you mentioned before? Kyralon asks. Yes. Though some people are more self-sufficient and choose to raise animals or farm crops to provide themselves with food. I answer question after question, and anytime I think he might be ready to slow down, he somehow manages to dig up another. He must have heard some of these answers several times over, especially if hes been putting up requests for a whilewhich seems likely. Yet Kyralon still asks, instead of presuming the answer. What is the primary source of energy for your civilization? What is the dominant species on your planet? How many intelligent species live on your planet? What are the primary languages spoken on your planet? How do you travel long distances on Earth? And on it goes. Then its my turn to ask. What was that pouch you took that tasty drink and glasses from before? I ask. Having anticipated my question, he reaches into his pocket and pulls it free. This is my Spatial Cache. This is a smaller model, with a storage area about the size of a big room, and was personally made by the Ruler of Diligence. The ones with the larger storage areas are made by... someone else, he teases. In one way, Im sure hes just like me, curious. And this fossil of the Absolute has no qualms about using that against me, likely because he knows how he would feel. Currently, I know of only three or four beings capable of creating a Spatial Cacheassuming hes still aliveand its likely there are only a few hundred Spatial Caches within the system. What? Doesnt that number seem low? There are a shitton of planets, and the system has to be tens of thousands of years old. That should help you imagine the value of these items. I have a vial that allows me to store water and other liquids, and in much larger amounts than could fit in a room. Let me guess, its an Aqua Arcanum Vial from the old capital of the 4th floor? Yes. There are vials and other items that can store large amounts of liquids or gases, but unlike Spatial Caches, they cannot hold other types of materials. While Caches generally cannot store living things, they can hold almost anything else. Additionally, Caches offer several advantages over items like the Aqua Arcanum Vial, such as being nearly indestructible and thats just the beginning. Understood. Then, I will continue my inquiry. What is the average lifespan of your people? Are there any major differences between the different groups of people on your planet? How do you resolve conflicts between individuals and groups? What is your planets most common natural disaster? How do you prepare for and deal with natural disasters? Once again he presses the attack with more questions, and I take a deep breath before answering. This round takes longer than the previous ones because some questions are tricky, but I finally finish up. ... but some prefer doing cardio before working out instead of afterward. Those people are maniacs, and they should be avoided at all costs. Understood. That was the hundredth question, so ask yours. Tell me more about Ruby, Lissandras disciple. I apologize, but I cannot. Even that non-answer mostly confirms what I thought for a while, but just in case, I ask more. Tell me about the Ruler of Greed. Right away, the mood shifts and the air feels still. Each breath and heartbeat slow, akin to a mountain resting on my chest, weighing me down. Everything else fades away except for those black eyes full of sparkling light. Attendee Nathanie, please do not mistake me for the shadow of someones true self existing within the tutorial. Im not a tool to be tricked into giving answers, even without explicitly responding. Each of these sentences reverberates through the air. Softly spoken, but akin to a declaration. So allow me to ask you. Do you insist on an answer to that question? He asks me. No, in that moment the word sounds alien, and I barely recognize my own voice. Thank you for understanding. I do value curiosity, so I forgive your misstep, but be aware that there will be no more warnings. I understand and I apologize. Noted. Now then, I consider your question wasted, and its now my turn again. What are the dominant beliefs and philosophies among your people? How do your people govern themselves? How many governments rule over your planet? What kind of animals are most common on Earth? My turn comes once again, and I can finally ask my question. Its something Ive had the time to think about, and there are so many things I could ask. About skills, the system, the tutorial, my abilities, and other knowledge. But there are also questions Im sure I would regret asking, if only because the answers might send me down a path other than my own. Im sure Lissandra is stronger than this man, shes a fossil even older than Kyralon. Hell, that crazy cockroach managed to kill multiple goddamn Rulers. Since I can try to pull information from her, I dont think Ill be asking Kyralon about any of it. There are a few questions I have, but Im not sure if you can answer them or would even want to. If your questions are about the tutorial or what comes immediately after, Id prefer you not ask them. The tutorial exists for a reason, and most such questions will either be answered in time or their answers need to be earned. Others out on Beyond quests might provide answers, but I believe its better not to seek them that way. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Got it. In that case. Whats up with your eyes? My handler called you Warden of the Parallax Eyes. That title seems important, prestigious even. My eyes are a trait hereditary in my bloodline. They went through three trait strengthenings and then further... improvements. At any one time, only a single person within the system can possess Parallax Eyes. I wont tell you what they do or go into more detail. In exchange for not fully answering your question, I can tell you that yes, there are more of these similar, special traits. Unique traits that can turn your bloodline into something truly remarkable. I sigh. Why is it that anytime I actually get answers, I feel like I know less than I did before? He laughs briefly. Its always like that. As he stands up, he gestures for me to do the same. Im sure youre curious about this place, so you can have a moment to explore a bit while I tend to my own tasks. You can go anywhere you want, so long as you dont open any doors or enter any areas that have been blocked off. We will continue in one hour. I do as Im told and leave the loggia and then the room, heading back into the hallway. Then I stop for a moment. The only way out of the tower seems to be the stairway coiling around its outside. I hesitate just for a moment before shrugging and heading outside, where I start climbing down the stairs. Once again, all my mana, primordial energies, and abilities vanish beyond my reach, and right then and there I plop down to sit on one of the steps. With a growing feeling of discomfort, I punish myself by sitting with my legs hanging over the edge of the stairs and my back against the wall. Thats what cowards get. Feeling the wind tug at me, I stare into the distance. Watching the huge, continent-sized hunks of rock slowly float around, and gazing upon the shimmering barrier and the never-ending darkness beyond. I know its the ruins of a moon that once had life and cities on it, a sight that either killed an unknown number of beings or left them homeless, yet a part of me still finds it weirdly beautiful. Slowly recharging my social batteries after answering so many questions, I begin trying to look within myself, observing my mana heart and... well... trying to figure out where my mana and primordial energies went. Its either an effect caused by some sort of field the Absolute decided to put here, or some quality of the tower, though there could be something beyond the wall Im resting my back against. Something that requires this kind of powerful field. There is no chance in hell for me to break through it. Im still far, far from the level of a Champion and Im even further from being able to face down an Absolute, but that wont stop me from trying. And I do just that. At first, it feels silly, as if my pre-tutorial self tried to use force or telekinesis. Something Im sure a lot of kids tried. Maybe even most kids, no matter how silly it looked. No, Im sure nearly all the little boys tried to awaken those powers when they were young. Surely it is to the point of being considered normal. Not me though! I would never do something so silly. Never. Anyway, Victoria had better keep her mouth shut. POV Tess Hansen Ten humans and lumorans die after being identified as mimics by the Signature Isolation Framework. Only then do they stop using it, as do the other units. The information isnt being shared freely, but its safe to say that at least two or three of those people were not mimics. Just like Nathaniel. Part of me wonders if he was just that unlucky, or if it was timed that way to get rid of him. Did it have something to do with his eyes? His abilities that could help fix it? Or maybe it was because he was on the list of names for the replacement pilot for Ardenyxas Sophie recently learned from Leth. I feel a presence behind me, and soon after, Sophie puts her hand on my shoulder. Tess, I thought of something. I tried it with Noodle and my bond, and they couldnt do it. But dont you think Biscuit would be able to sniff out a mimic, maybe? Min-Jae, who is nearby, answers in my stead. Unfortunately, no. A day ago, I saw Biscuit accepting food from a mercenary without a care in the world, and not long after, it turned out he was a mimic. An actual one, tentacles, dozens of mouths and eyes, and all. Sophie groans in frustration. Well, that hope is gone then. I just found out that theyve pretty well given up on Ardenyx and are focusing the technicians efforts on Exoria and Praxion, so I was able to leave my bond... Blackie! Izzy shouts. ...Blackie nearby. We did some interesting modifications with some help from the twins. "Should I be worried?" "I''m not even sure if it will work." Sophie shrugs. How much time do we have before they send us away, Tess? Maya asks me. It should be two hours, but theyve moved things up. Well be leaving the camp in thirty minutes. Until then, well all stay inside the tent. I dont think we will have to wait that long, Sophies voice turns serious and her mana starts filling the tent to activate her web. Then I feel it as well, an eruption of immense mana near the center of camp and a dozen or so powerful signatures rising to meet it. Our tent starts collapsing under the weight of the attack, and as we grab our prepared items, we rush out. I keep an eye on everyone, but they stick to our plan. Another attack hits the ground near us, throwing us to the side. One of the tents in the center disappears, and a suit of war armor steps out. It gleams silver for the most part, with the occasional streak of blue paint. Unlike Ardenyx, it doesnt have wings; instead, its very bulky and extremely armored. Praxion takes a step and attacks the main tent where Exoria is. (Stop looking! Run the way we planned!) I send through our link, and I move to take point. There is a mimic in our path, in its pre-host state. Its as big as a room, with dozens of swirling tentacles. Before it can even rush us, it implodes in on itself, and another one attacking a different group to our left splats into a pile of flesh under the immense force of gravity. Serabeth hovers over her tent, mana and gravitational forces radiating around her. Briefly, my eyes meet hers, and Im sure she can see me, so I nod in gratitude. She is then forced to put her attention elsewhere and disappears from my sight. Another explosion reverberates through the air. Five or so lumorans start attacking the camp, joined by Praxion and outside forces. I can see it even through the falling debris as we run away. Lily and Maya clash against a mimic, and Izzy rushes to support them. The twins and Min-Jae deal with another one while Sophie continues to shelter us from their attacks. I keep observing it all, jumping in to help whenever someone finds themselves being pushed back. Another powerful mimic erupts from the ground, a swirling mass of tentacles, acid-coated mouths, and countless eyes. [Greater Mimic - lvl ???] I channel my primordial energy, narrowing it into a concentrated stream, powerful enough to crack one of my javelins. The weapon shoots forward, shattering the air as it pierces through the mimic''s grotesque body, only to return and strike again. Across the camp, the mimic''s toxic saliva drips like rain, its tentacles swatting a lumoran guard aside as it rushes toward us with unstoppable force. I fly into the air, drawing more power from my crown, just as one of the main tents collapses. From the wreckage emerges the barely functional Ardenyx, its frame battered and missing limbs, the appendages on its back barely holding together. There is no pilot. Instead, black smoke swirls ominously around it. Sophie groans in pain, collapsing to her knees as blood flows from her ears and eyes. Izzy screams, and Noodle reacts instantly, expanding his form to shield her. Blue flames flicker along his scales as he fends off the onslaught of lesser mimics. Ardenyx takes to the air briefly before slamming into the Greater Mimic. The two massive figures crash together, rolling through the camp in a chaotic explosion of violence, shredded armor, and severed body parts. And when I glance back for a moment, the main tent finally disappears. And Exoria stands in its place. A suit of war armor not much taller than Ardenyx or Praxion, but nevertheless I cant take my eyes off it. Out of all the suits of war armor weve seen, its the least human-looking. Its head is nonexistent, the chest and head molded into one. It has long, thick legs and slim arms with huge forearms. While Praxion and Ardenyx look advanced, Exoria looks more like a prototype than anything else. Its black surface is so scarred, dozens of damaged areas showing silver metal beneath the black color. Some parts dont fit at all, painted in different colors, or possessed of varying lengths. .bg-container-10448ed3ed0{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } .bg-ssp-10448{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} .bg-container-10448f61e68{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } Yet, every mimic freezes the moment Exoria moves, and all at once, they all start running away like they didnt expect Exoria to come into play. A domain deploys around the camp and then stretches further, much, much further. Even with my eyes, I cant see where its shimmering edges end. Attacks screaming into view from beyond my sight start colliding against it, attempting to reach our camp, each one a strike bearing what I can only describe as a city-destroying amount of force. But the Champion Feroy in his armor holds them all back. He doesnt allow them to reach us, his domain protects what remains of his people along with those who are fleeing. I take note of the attack origins and adjust our course to avoid them, especially two massive concentrations of mana that are disturbingly similar in power to the lumoran Champion. The battle between the lumoran Champion and the two mimic Champions is about to begin, and we need to get as far away as possible. Chapter 531: Questions Chapter 531: Questions What is your name? Nathaniel Gwyn. Do you have family and what are their names? Sister Victoria and mother Thalia. Your father? His name was Robert. Hes dead. I just noticed your mood shift and your body tense when you spoke about him just now. Did you have a bad relationship with him? Also, you can refuse to answer these questions. Theres no need. And yes, our relationship was bad most of the time. Do you hate him? I probably do, but the more I think about it, the more I feel like I understand him. At least somewhat. It doesnt excuse anything he did, and I wouldnt change what happened to him, but I can see how he ended up that way. What did you come to understand? He and my mother were both minors when they had my sister. They were in love back then and decided to keep her instead of going for another option. Its crazy to think they were younger than me, actually younger than some of the others in my group . Do you blame them? Not really. Watching my group has taught me that people can be illogical from time to time, and even the best of intentions can end terribly. One of the people in my group killed one of her friends by mistake back on the 1st floor. She still hasnt forgiven herself, and Ive noticed how it holds her back from taking full advantage of her skill. Any other examples youve noticed? Theres another member who could have gotten our group killed because she was desperate to improve our groups bond. Another one would have sacrificed all the others just to keep her sister safe. And the brothers would have done the same, all because they felt like they could only rely on each other. I saw another one who bullied others, and I could sense his satisfaction whenever he felt hed proven that he was stronger than the others around him. Then theres the young girl who killed real people, attendees just like us, on the third floor when her sister manipulated her mind and walled off her fear. Ill count that as five answers. Thank you. Youve opened up a lot and answered my questions without a lot of complaint. Is that because of the vow I made? Yes. I also find it surprisingly calming to tell you this, knowing that you dont care about me personallyonly about my behavior as a human being and my answers. That makes me sound like a really cold person. You never said I was wrong. No, youre not wrong. When you reach a certain age, it starts to get... harder to truly feel sympathy for another person. At least in my case. Now, let me ask: How did all that experience change how you see your parents? I think my father really did love us and my mother at first, but he was very young. The best years of his life passed away while he was forced to look after kids. He lost multiple jobs. His parents died. Our first apartment burned down. I think all of that broke him, leading him to seek relief in alcohol and someone to blame. And your mother? I think she got stuck in the past. Like me or you she is also the main character of her own story, and in her story, she was deeply in love with my father. She... shes the kind of person who cant help but be faithful to anyone shes loved, even once, even when they change and hurt her. It was tough on her, too. Her mother disowned her and bad things just kept happening. I believe she wanted to live in the past and that led her to try and take everything on herself, if only to keep us safe. But she failed? She did. Do you hate her? No. I love her. Even after all that happened to you and your sister? Yes. Dont you find it fascinating how, no matter the race, our thoughts and actions can so thoroughly lack logic? I do. That was your hundredth question. It was. Please ask yours. Tell me about yourself. That doesnt even sound like a question, but Ill humor you and answer. I was born a long, long time ago. It was so long ago that I wasnt even an Absolute when Lissandra Hawthorne and her disciple Ruby raged through the system, killing Absolutes and Rulers in their path. I belong to a bloodline that carries the Parallax Eyes, and ever since I was young, it was expected that theyd awaken in me once my father died. I hated my father and that responsibility, but I also understood it. Sometime later, I even welcomed it. Now, after all these millennia, Im thankful for that trait, though I had to survive so many attempts in my life. So many people eager to claim my Eyes for themselves: The Last Elf, the Magi himself, the Ruler of Envy, and more besides. Ive had my fair share of adventures. Do you like supplying me with answers that only make me want to ask more questions? That itself could be considered a question, but Ill let it pass. And yes, I find it satisfying to see that frustration and curiosity in people, the same curiosity Ive dealt with my entire life. On Earth, we call people like that assholes. Please keep such thoughts in your mind unless you want to be thrown out of the tower. Ill keep that in mind. As for me... What else is there to say? I fought. I was betrayed. I made friends, and I lost them. I outlived the rest of my bloodline. I was hunted. I walked on planets you could only dream of. I fought wars that laid waste to entire worlds. I spoke with Rulers and beings older than even them. I witnessed artifacts I still cant fully comprehend. I lived a beautiful life. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. That sounds... nice. Indeed. So, once again, here we are at question number one out of the next set of hundred. Up to this point, youve only asked questions that would satisfy your base curiosity. Most of the attendees before you didnt care, all they wanted were ways to improve their abilities and accumulate riches, things like that. I know thats probably what I should be asking for, but I cant help myself. Besides, I can get stronger even without your help. Ah, to see such pride in a mere Champion candidate. Did you ever come close to dying before finding yourself in the tutorial? I dont think so. I almost got hit by a car a few times, and when I was younger I fell from a tree Id climbed, that might have killed me if Id hit my head. So how are you dealing with the constant threat of death inside the tutorial? At first, I used a skill to help me handle it, to cut off my emotions so I could think more logically. You dont do that anymore? No, I dont. Why not? If I had stayed on that path, I would have never changed. But I want to grow, to keep moving forward. One day, I want to look back and see how far Ive come. Do you dislike who you used to be? No. Are your answers so brief to get me to ask more questions? Yes. Smart. Do you have a problem with being asked so many questions? Theyre all pretty simple, and it can be fun to think about the answers. So I wouldnt say I dislike it, but I do find it draining, and the more time goes on, the more I feel myself getting frustrated. I see. So, do you want to change because you dislike your past self? Please dont answer yes or no. Maybe. Haha. I guess I deserved that. So what is the real answer? Ill count it as two questions this time. "I''ve done things that could make someone want to punish me or even kill me. But for now, I''ll keep going as I am and face the consequences when they come." Wouldnt you rather avoid putting yourself in those circumstances? Nothing is ever perfect, and theres always a price to pay. Its the struggles that make happiness meaningful. Did you come up with that yourself? I read it somewhere. I see. What is your favorite color? Id say gray or black. If you could have spent a day doing anything you wanted before the tutorial, what would it have been? Id sleep in as long as I could, take a morning shower, and start the day with a good breakfast. Then Id go for a run or get some exercise. After that, Id take another shower, maybe stop to pet a few cute animals on the way home, then eat something good while watching a movie. Id spend hours online, getting lost in an endless stream of fascinating but useless facts. Finally, Id stay up late while everyone else is asleep, enjoying the quiet, and maybe even take a short walk through the sleeping city. What would you do if you became an Absolute? Thats pretty random. Yes, it is. I have no idea. I''m not even sure what the title really means. Its probably different for everyone. I''ll need to learn and experience more before I can understand it. Would you stop if you ever did reach that title? I dont know. Probably not. Why? On Earth, things dont tend to be very fair. You can try your hardest and still watch someone else claim the reward. People with better looks often have advantages. Someone might be born with a stronger body, or into a wealthy family. Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, someone else beats you because they have better information or resources. Even the country or city youre born into, or the color of your skin can affect your entire life. Thats true. But with the system, those things matter less. The First Generation is getting a huge advantage, something no one else from Earth will ever experience. Yes. And its the same with skills. Some people are always going to be better at handling them, or they may even awaken more powerful variants. Thats true. But I dont think there will ever be a truly fair system. Youd need everyone to be identical. There was an elf who said something very similar. Youre making me curious again. Anyway, the point is that I dont consider myself the most talented. Ive seen plenty of people who need only a fraction of the time I do to learn something. And yeah, a person trained by Champions and Absolutes will have an advantage. Much like the system we have on Earth, but I still think that if you put in the effort, you will reap the rewards. You can see the results of that effort in your stats and skill levels. And the system is something nobody can truly control or exploit. Though, maybe the Rulers can influence it a bit... and I imagine there are others? You can try to ask that next time you get to ask a question, but I wont answer it. So what does all of that have to do with your choice to continue beyond the rank of Absolute? Why would I stop halfway? ... Dont call me weird. Enough people have done that already. I wont, Nathaniel. Another question: Whats your favorite food? Pizza. Oh, you mean the round flat bread with toppings. I see. Are there people you would die for? Probably. Id need to be in the situation to know for sure. You seem to enjoy switching between silly and serious questions. Do I? Does death scare you? "Dying itself doesn''t bother me, but the thought of my life ending does. I feel sad knowing I wont get to live longer or experience everything the world has to offer. Theres so much I still want to see." You said Earth has four seasons. Which is your favorite? Either the end of summer or autumn. If you could steal my Spatial Cache storage and face no consequences for itneither to you nor anyone you care aboutwould you do it? No. Why not? Youve treated me well thus far and havent shown me any ill will. I have no reason to betray your trust. Do you dislike betrayal? I think its disgusting, probably one of the worst things you can do. Have you ever betrayed someone? Yes. Do you hate betrayal because of the way you grew up, because of your father? Its likely. "If you were told you would die unless you betrayed someone, what would you do?" "I see where you''re going with this. I guess there are levels to it, and I''d only know in that situation." "What if you had a strong bond with someone who had only ever shown you goodwill, and your only choices were to kill them, cause them terrible harm, or die?" "I would die." Do you really hate the idea that much? Imagine all the things you would miss. All your friends and family would have to live without you. My answer doesnt change. Chapter 532: In the middle of the ocean I have a skill called [Empyrean Lance]. Do you know anything about it? I ask Kyralon while sitting on the ground with my legs crossed. Fracture sets on my lap, resting in its cracked sheath, and its dangerous energy is beginning to leak through. Ive wrapped it in my mana in an attempt to slow it down at least somewhat, but without the proper materials, I dont think I can fix it much. Plus, my right arm isnt helping. Sure, its happened plenty of times before, I can always surround it with a coating of woven mana and move it easily enough, but it still requires a bit of effort, and its frustrating how much time it takes to heal. I cant even blame my passive; the wounds inflicted by Fracture are always like that. Fascinating. Skills with Empyrean in the name should be nearly impossible to learn naturally. You must have acquired it either by combining powerful skills or maybe through a Primary class upgrade. Primary class upgrade. Well then, your class must be something special. Though Ive never heard of the exact skill, and I cant tell you about other skills or their owners, as silence binds me the same way it does with your answers. What can you tell me? Anything with Empyrean in the name is very old, from a time before any of the current Rulers were even born. Old doesnt mean strong or useful. Ill have to agree and disagree with that assessment, and I''ll explain why. The system itself changes over time. It shifts in reaction to how people use it, to avoid abuses and to better fit its role. Empyrean skills originate from an era when the system functioned differently, meaning the system and anything connected to it may interact with them in ways that differ from modern skills. An answer and then more questions, right? Thats how it goes. The huge velnar says, smiling at me. Even though its function might appear limited by its name implying a lack of versatility, you should never underestimate a specialized skill like that, especially given the presence of Empyrean in the name. I know my answer might be lacking because of my vows, so I will expand. Ive met people who had skills that seemed limited by their meaning at first. For example, there was a man with a skill simply called [Sword]. He was one of the most terrifying individuals Ive ever encountered. Absolute Kyralon. Yes? I honestly love and hate the way you answer my questions, and I know youre doing it on purpose. He seems surprised for a moment, but then only nods, his smile becoming a bit more genuine instead of sitting there as his facial muscles twist into a grin. I do enjoy it, he confirms. Another hundred questions later, I ask again. What is the maximal skill level? Kyralon pauses from where he stands, near the black wood shelves full of mana stones, and scratches his beard. For a moment, his star filled black eyes, though they lack pupils, clearly turn toward me. Still, without pupils, its hard to say exactly where hes looking. I think I can answer that one. Its rumored to be level 100, though very few Rulers have even one level 99 skill, and the rest generally hang around level 98. Absolutes usually have skills around level 90. Champions start around level 80. After level 50, it becomes difficult to level them further. After level 60, its even harder, and it continues in that manner. I had someone warn me not to level any skills to 99. On the first floor, or during Beyond trials? Ehm, yes. Then it must have been the Ruler of Envy. He does like to do that. But why? If level 99 is comparable to being on the level of a Ruler why would he say that? The chance of any newcomer reaching that high in the first place is pretty low. Thats just how he is, but dont underestimate the impact of words spoken by someone truly powerful, especially when spoken to someone new to the system. Even if you dont notice it, they often leave a lasting effect. A scene like that tends to stay with you. Even the slightest hesitation could be enough to stop you from breaking through from level 98 to 99, simply because advancing is that difficult. Thats stupid. So, you dont believe me? I dont think youre lying or anything. I just cant see it working. Thats not all Envy does though. He builds on these moments. Whether you see him as pathetic or weak doesnt matter. Never underestimate someone whos risen to the title of Ruler. Anyone whos reached that level has survived countless dangers and stands among the most powerful beings in the system. Now, show me that sword. That request catches me off guard a bit, but I dont hesitate long and hand Fracture over to him. He takes it into his massive hands. To him, my short sword looks almost like a dagger, which is kind of comical. Kyralon examines it, and the longer he does so, the wider his smile grows. A few times, he even shakes his head, and I hear him snort. After that, he returns it to me, and I inspect it. Nothing has changed. What was that about? You didnt even do anything, I remark. I did not. I wanted to confirm something. I swear everyone with some power likes to act so fucking mysterious all the time. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Once more he fails to reply letting a simple nod speak for him. We stop mid-question, and I leave to go to my usual spot outside of the tower on the stairs, well, slightly lower now, so I have access to my mana. Only then do I allow myself to fall back into that special space in my mind. This time, were in the middle of the ocean, not a single island or patch of land in sight. The sky is clear, but the waves are dark and mercilessly rock the boat were on. And its not just a boat either, all around us there are dozens of aircraft carriers. The kind that takes six thousand people to operate, and one of them stands under my feet. Its deck lying empty, devoid of the jets that would normally take off from its surface, and Whitey is standing right in the middle wearing a simple olive-green camouflage uniform and heavy black boots. You really are enjoying this arent you? I note, coming to a stop in front of him. I look down and find myself wearing clothes similar to his own, and it must be quite the combination: me with my mana crown floating over my head and Whitey with his white hair, red eyes, and horns. I got stuck in a shitty humans mind, so this is the best I can do to entertain myself, he says, his smile and tone slightly different from the day before. The mood around him feels more threatening. Its not hard for me to understand why. By now, its safe to say I might know Whitey better than he knows himself, and he knows me just as well. Other than certain memories weve elected to keep private, we can peek into almost everything. I take a few steps back, remove the heavy black shoes, and kick them away, standing barefoot as I roll up the sleeves of my shirt. Whitey does something similar, tearing one of his sleeves and using it to tie back his long white hair. Theres something deliberate about the way he does it. A breeze sweeps across the empty deck, carrying the scent of salt and steel. Beneath my feet, the aircraft carrier shifts slightly, moving with the waves, but all I feel is the steady rhythm of Whiteys heartbeat, a low, pulsing vibration, echoing through the metal beneath my feet. I shift my weight, testing my footing on the deck. Whitey tightens the knot in his hair. Then it starts. Unlike before, I dont reach for my kinetic energy. No, this time I allow mana to flow through my body. I ensure all of my passives are active and make a slight adjustment to the settings on my Mana Regulator. Mana Wavelength Iris activates right away. Whitey vanishes, and I use Wraith Dance to shift out of the way as the air itself trembles with the force of his attack. A Barrier forms around me, one Im sure can stop Needle Point. Im wrong. Needle Point pierces it, driving through a point literally as thin as a needle, piercing through my chest, only to be followed by a dozen more such attacks, before I can move away with that unpredictable style of movement he drove into me. [Ley Line] stretches away, then more threads appear. Mana weaves around me, forming armor, as I add a few Ley Lines to the mix. Whitey reappears in front of me, his face nearly touching mine. His red eyes look big, unblinking, and wide open, and his mouth formed into a wild smile. He punches me in the chest. The armor absorbs some of the blow, [Redistribution] handles more, and my passive reduces the impact as well. Even so, a wisp of kinetic energy reaches my heart, creating a tear in one of the walls. My mana radiates from my body, pushing Whitey away. [Empyrean Lance] weaves itself into existence, a stream of prismatic light trailing it as it flies after him with an incredible burst of speed, stabbing past Whiteys side. His attempt to hold it in place with kinetic energy fails. The array Ive been testing deploys, and my armor expands, growing until Im three times my height, towering over the white-haired demon. All that mana floods through my body and the armor, making it more dense, as the threads weave themselves together. A different part of my mind takes over as the world fades to black, whit,e and the unmistakable hue of mana. I stomp toward Whitey, but he sidesteps, and I miss by a hairs breadth. Standing near my leg, he chuckles and punches it, channeling an insane amount of kinetic energy into the blow. It deals no damage, so I grab that energy, redirect it, and stomp again, releasing everything. The surface of the carriers deck explodes. Chunks of the runway freeze in midair as Whitey deploys his field, jumping up, locating my body, and punching the armor directly above it. I feel my body shake, and he punches again, shifting his application of kinetic energy. Using a huge amount of my mana, I boost my [Redistribution], and his body halts in midair. My armor bursts open, transforming into dozens of limbs that I manipulate with my [Mana Domain]. All of them reach toward him while I create another [Empyrean Lance]. Even though he doesnt stop completely, he slows my mana-arms, just like he has in all our previous fights. I move quickly as his Needle Point trails after me, piercing needle-thin holes through the carriers surface. Whitey breaks through my hold and moves again, dodging all my arms in a way that would be dizzying for anyone else. He lands on the surface and charges, each burst of speed using the bare minimum of kinetic energy. We both switch to Breaker Style. Our palms meet, and an explosion of kinetic force hurls us apart. The aircraft carrier cracks and starts rocking in the sea more violently than the waves alone could ever account for. As I pull my mana back to me, Whitey leaps into the air and then boosts himself, running across the surface of the sea. The area around him becomes as calm as a windless lake, leaving that immense kinetic energy to course through him instead of the waves. I fly into the air, weaving dozens of mana javelins and hurling them with kinetic energy. Each one thunders through the air, belting out a sonic boom as they go, tracking him and piercing the water around him. Then I compress the remaining spears, converting them to their tricolored variants, and fire them off in much the same fashion. Now they explode, unleashing shockwaves, heat, and pressure, tearing apart the calm surface of the sea. Yet he manages to boost himself out of the way each time, moving so quickly its almost like teleportation. Whitey lands on the surface of another aircraft carrier that begins to shake as my tricolored javelins continue to rip it apart. I fire off the [Empyrean Lance] Ive been compressing, sending it off even faster than the javelins. It pierces the ship in front of him, slicing through the entire length of the carrier as if it were nothing, leaving little more than scraps of torn metal in its wake as it explodes beneath the carrier, then the flickering field it releases begins to seep into the air, the explosion alone rocks the aircraft carrier and sends a huge ripple through the sea. Another javelin streaks past, trailing a [Ley Line] behind it. The moment it strikes the ship, I manipulate the javelin and force the [Ley Line] to materialize. A shimmering, pale-blue thread drops toward the water, cutting through the ship like a hot knife through butter, splitting the carrier in two. Both halves of the vessel tilt and sink beneath the sea, sending a towering geyser of water into the air. The water halts midair, and I sense a shockwave rippling forth from the area. My armor surrounds me once more, just in time for Whitey to reach me. Three consecutive strikes destroy my barrier and armor, and I barely manage to block the last strike. I open my hand and let a destabilized orb drop. It explodes immediately, and I teleport away, reappearing on the deck of one of the remaining ships. .bg-container-10448869e4d{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } .bg-ssp-10448{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} .bg-container-10448f61e68{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } .bg-container-10448222eb6{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } A white blur rushes out of the explosion, and Whitey lands next to me without creating a single shockwave. There are only a few burns on his clothes, and his bound hair has begun to escape its restraints. His heart is pounding with excitement, and he doesnt bother trying to hide it. Whiteys grin widens as he takes a series of slow, confident steps toward me, kinetic energy swirling around him in a clear challenge. A short laugh escapes me. Fine, if he wants to see more, I wont hold back. The half-ruined deck beneath my feet groans in protest as I brace myself, mana crackling through my veins. Chapter 533: Demon vs human Its amusing how much of my arsenal doesnt work on him, as he doesnt even bother to use mana beyond whats absolutely necessary. Almost all of it is turned into kinetic energy. I deploy my own field with Resonance Flow, and a large section of the seas surface immediately settles, and Whiteys field and mine collide against each other as we fight for control. He remains in Pulser Stance, while I launch mana projectiles at him and conjure exploding orbs, while creating lances that almost seem to scar the air itself, leaving fields of shimmering air in their wake. The surface of the aircraft carrier beneath us cracks more and more as we both direct kinetic energy into it. This time though, I dont hold back. My mana surges through my body, to the point where Whitey goes pale, the sheer amount threatening to knock him unconscious. But the demon holds up. His red eyes shine, and the rhythm of his heart changes at an incredible speed. Needle Point, Pulser Stance, Wraith Dance, Resonance Flow, Steelroot, Counter Flow, Breaker Style. He uses all seven techniques in an incredible display of mastery over kinetic energy, employing them to their limits in an attempt to counter my own output, which keeps growing. My attacks are explosive and even a partial hit would be enough to kill him. Yet he dodges, avoids them, and strikes back in turn. A materialized [Ley Line] cuts the aircraft carrier apart again, but the ship doesnt split. Whitey holds it together with his kinetic energy, absorbing all of the massive ships momentum. But I know he can''t handle that for too long. Hes not a brute like me, he just cant handle such a massive output. There''s a reason for that. He flings it at me, forcing me to block at the last second and sending me flying off the ship until I crash into the waters below. I teleport again, appearing behind him, water dripping off me as he turns to face me. Our fists collide, my Needle Point pierces his leg. An explosion sends him rolling, followed by an [Empyrean Lance] which quickly closes in and explodes, but Whiteys already gone. I track his movements and detonate the floor under my feet, diving into the hangar below. Whitey hurls a jet at me, boosting it with kinetic energy. Armor forms around my body as the jet collides with me, erupting into a fireball. With a burst of kinetic energy, I fling the mangled remains aside, and the flames burn out as I absorb their heat, and send a laser thin stream of golden fire shooting forth, slicing into the metal above Whiteys head as he ducks. Molten metal drips from the edges of the cut, red-hot and glowing. Whitey charges me again, and I opt to release a powerful surge of mana, no technique, no specific skill, just a colossal blast in one direction, something Ive done before during the original challenge. Unlike his Lurker self, Whitey reacts with incredible speed, using Wraith Dance to slip aside. The kinetic field around him shifts, his entire body vibrating, letting my attack pass through him as though he werent even there. Well, thats new. I transform all of my mana into golden flames that blaze into the area around me, heating the surrounding metal to glowing white luminance and raising the temperature in the hangar. Whitey blasts through a nearly molten wall with a surge of kinetic energy, sending droplets of molten metal flying, and I follow right behind him. I saw Specter doing something like this in your memories. It took me six months, but I found a way to do the same with kinetic energy, he answers smugly. My lance pierces the wall next to him, unleashing a dozen [Ley Lines] that materialize for a split second, slicing everything apart before another explosion of golden flames floods the corridor in Whiteys wake. Wraith Dance propels me through the flames, then through the hole, until I land in the calm patch of the sea surrounding Whitey. Before you ask, I dont think youll ever manage to pull it off. Youre more of a brute than the type to use more refined means of control, he teases, stomping down. Kinetic vibrations slam into a barrier I throw up in reaction. At the same time, the destroyed carrier behind me collapses onto the sea, kicking up waves that freeze in midair, along with the ship itself. I reshape all that energy and release it through Needle Point. Its thicker than a mere needle, nearly as large as a train, ripping the very air, churning the sea, and blasting past Whitey before piercing yet another carrier, which starts to shudder. Both of us charge, my armor stretching around me as flames surge across my body. Whitey strikes me, snuffing out the flames with a single powerful gust. He ducks beneath my follow-up attack, vibrating his body so that my arms of mana simply whiff past him. He slams a fist against my chest, but a thick layer of mana thwarts the blow again. He phases once more, passing through a stream of flames, absorbing the train-sized surge of Needle Point and compressing it into a single strike. The world around me slows as I enter a deeper state of [Focus]. Barrier after barrier forms ahead of his attack, shattering and reforming, steadily slowing and weakening it until it finally collides with my armor, vibrating through its form and tearing into my heart a bit more. He tries to phase again, but I deliberately reverberate the kinetic energy in a similar manner, not to mimic him, but to disrupt his phasing. Whitey switches to Steelroot, and I halt the attack I was about to unleash, all that immense mana frozen mid-flow, as I grab his left hand instead. Before he can attack or attempt another phase, I yank him closer, driving my knee into his chest and releasing a tremendous amount of kinetic energy which hes forced to absorb. Then a blast of mana follows, sending Whitey flying; leaving his ragged arm hanging in my grip. I teleport to the anchor I placed on him and duck under his kick. He phases through my [Ley Line], and when he rushes me. I unleash a torrent of flames that boils the surface of the sea. Whitey punches, diverting the heat off to the side where it melts part of a nearby ship. He tries to land another blow, but I teleport again, reappearing behind him making use of the same mark as before. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Before he can strike, I teleport once more. Taking a short breather, I gather enough mana and teleport once more, deploying my [Mana Domain]. The sheer density of mana in the air becomes almost tangible, making him hesitate. Even so, a Needle Point bores a hole into my side and another into my leg, these ones thicker than before. I teleport again, and he pursues me, passing through the field left behind by [Empyrean Lance]. Once inside, his heart stutters, his movements slow, and I see surprise flicker through his eyes as the remaining effect disrupts his primordial energy. He drops onto his ass in his rush to avoid my javelin. But a tricolored orb is already there to meet him, glowing brilliantly all the while, Whitey quickly crawls out of the field on all three limbs. Right before the orb detonates, he curls into a ball. The explosion sends him flying, creating ripples across the rough sea as a shower of debris from the carrier rains down alongside the displaced water. Once again, the surface grows still, debris and individual droplets of water suspended in midair, as Whitey breaks through to stand atop the water. Blood drips from his body, staining the surface red. He glances at his left arm which is now nearly entirely gone. His left arm, his left eye, a chunk of his chest, all broken and burned. Why is it always the left arm? He smirks, though the expression is anything but friendly. Its dangerous, like a predators grin. "Tradition demands it," I say, as the mana surges through my body. I feel a grin creep onto my face, not all that different from Whiteys, as I glance at the clear blue sky and take a deep breath. My heart is hammering so wildly, and it isnt just the kinetic energy. The tips of my fingers tingle, and my own mana threatens to tear me apart at the slightest misstep. I apologize for underestimating you. Youre one tough motherfucking demon, I admit. Id thought I would beat him easily, even without using black mana. But this version of Whitey is nothing like the lurker. Its not even close. What had seemed like a slight difference between a mindless beast fighting on instinct and a living being who fights with purpose makes a huge difference. And beyond that... the damn demon has gotten better. He didnt show me exactly how, but he spent over six months in my mind, in this mind space, training every moment he wasnt sparring with me or teaching. I turn my gaze on him, compressing a wisp of mana with [Focus] . A small black orb forms in front of me and shoots toward my crown, which turns pitch-black in an instant. The gathered reserves condense, forming something exceedingly potent. That whirlpool surrounds me, trying to pull in any ambient mana, but there isnt much. Whiteys mana is nearly gone too, most of it having already been converted into kinetic energy stored in his body. Of course, that wasnt my goal. I seize the crown, forcing it under my command to power my skills and fortify my body. Fucking humans, always cheating, Whitey says with a grin, unbuttoning his camouflage jacket one-handed. He shrugs it off and tosses it into the air, where it remains frozen like everything else. Standing there in a bloodied pale-green shirt and camo pants, even the blood seeping from his wound ceases to fall. I didnt realize demons were such complaining crybabies, I reply with a smile, building my mana more and more in preparation. Whiteys heartbeat changes once again, adopting a rhythm Ive never sensed before. Something entirely new. The vibrations it creates around his body send a cold sweat down my back and raise goosebumps on my arms. Once again, I cant help feeling a deep admiration for him and the sheer control he has over his body and his heartbeat, especially given the condition of his body throughout his life. If his circumstances had been different, Whitey might very well have been an Absolute candidate. No more words are exchanged as black mana floods my body, completely replacing my normal mana. Whitey extends a domain Ive never seen him use before, colliding with my [Mana Domain], demolishing it, and halting only when it strikes [Eclipse]. Both of us attack once more. I open my eyes, finding myself back on the stairway outside the tower. Even here, I feel the urge to move, to fight, and I have to take my time to gradually calm myself down. Draw. Standing up and climbing the stairs, I think of that word, replaying the fight in my mind, especially the ending. All the while examining my own feelings. Frustration. Satisfaction. I ascend a few steps. Annoyance. Amusement. A few more steps. Thankfulness. Admiration. More frustration. I reach the inside of the tower, where Kyralon already waits on the loggia, sitting in a chair. After taking a seat opposite him, I say, I want to ask a question now, and Ill answer the questions to pay for it, then a hundred more to earn another question. Please do so, Kyralon gestures. Theres a presence in my mind. Someone I challenged, and I want to try placing them in a new body or something similar. Tell me more. I explain in detail, providing as much information as possible so he can give a well-informed answer. After a moment of contemplation, Kyralon shakes his head. The wording of your challenge will not allow it, nor will the system. Across the long history of the tutorial, there have been many cases like this. Absolutes going rogue, corrupted challenges, and Rulers twisting the rules in unexpected ways. Never, not once, has a native of the tutorial escaped. Sometimes, the system was slow to act or waited until the attendees began their return to their homeworlds, but in the end, no native has ever broken free. I study his manner, looking for any hint of deception. There is none. "The presence in your mind, those memories will almost certainly vanish the moment his lurker regenerates on the first Beyond floor. That is what I would expect from the system for a challenge like this, a challenge that should never have been approved. Even if he takes over your body or finds a new one, he will not be able to leave. So at most, he can kill you in revenge before the system erases him. That, perhaps, is what Envy is counting on. It will make no difference if you try to store the memories in an item or by some other means, the outcome remains the same." I see. .bg-container-10448f2396e{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } .bg-ssp-10448{margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;display:flex;justify-content:center;} .bg-container-10448f61e68{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } .bg-container-10448222eb6{ display: flex; flex-direction: column; align-items: center; justify-content: center; z-index: 2147483647 !important; } Kyralon observes me for a moment. You dont seem surprised. I expected an answer like that. Have I answered your question? Yes. "Then allow me to continue with the questions you owe me." Chapter 534: The last question Not long after getting all his answers, Kyralon stops me, This will be your last question and I wont be asking any more of you. This has come out of nowhere. Yes. Ive changed my mind, and I would appreciate it if you didnt ask why. I wont ask anything of you either and you can spend the rest of your Beyond Quest here in the tower or seated in that spot you seem to like or on the stairs outside of the tower. Nowhere else. There are plenty of questions I want to ask, especially why and what could have made him change his mind. I replay my past answers and behavior, and I dont think I have done anything to offend him. But its not like I can force an Absolute to do what I want, no matter how disappointed I feel. Sure, I may have decided not to ask him anything about my training because I want to grow my own way, and the cockroach will probably be more of a help than he will. But there is only so much information I can gather by myself. Pairings, Earths awakening, the system, coalitions, what is black mana, questions about some of my other skills, eternal fragments. Questions about the different races and their origins after all I already know that the vyssari are rumored to have been created by one of the Rulers. Then theres the Last Elf he mentioned, the Magi he mentioned. Where I can get a Spatial Cache of my own, subclasses, and the influence they have. What causes pairing, the world-devouring wolf Biscuits disciple mentioned, how to become a Champion or an Absolute, and more. Many more. There is no way he doesnt know that, and were still just over a day into my five-day stay. Surprisingly, there is a part of me that is annoyed at myself for being disappointed that he wont be serving me these answers on a silver platter. But there is a strong impulse I feel, my frustration straining to show through. He knows Im annoyed, but Im not some toy he can just do whatever he wants with. Fuck this guy. Thank you. I have no more questions for you. These few words make him freeze for a moment, his eyes widening the tiniest bit in surprise before he regains control, wiping away that minuscule, barely noticeable break in his expression. I understand. You still have some time remaining, so you can ask later if... There is no need. Are you su... I understand. I will be here then. Got it. After a moment of hesitation, he stands up and leaves. Day after day, I sequester myself away in my own mental space, sitting on the stairs within their strange energy suppressing field. However, I also take moments to watch the night sky peeking through the fragments of the moon from the loggia. I follow the rules, never leaving the tower and avoiding prolonged looks at the items around me, knowing they would only fuel my curiosity, with no way to ask questions or inspect them. Within my mind, I build my array and dedicate parts of my mind to keep them active while also working as much as possible to keep Fracture from simply breaking out. There are no questions asked, no answers delivered. And when the day comes to leave, Kyralon, for the last time, opens his mouth to say something before he shakes his head and smiles at me, changing his mind. It was a pleasure meeting you, Nathaniel. Thank you for answering my questions. Hes clearly prodding me to ask my remaining question. But I do not ask. I understand. Thank you for answering mine. We might see each other after I leave the tutorial. One day. I say. That... that would be an interesting meeting. He smiles and reaches his huge hand toward me. He grabs mine while shaking it. Is this not how you greet each other on Earth? Yes, but dont squeeze so hard; you broke something. I apologize. Its fine. It will heal... slowly. See you then. Farewell. Turning around, I open the door that appeared just moments ago, and pass through once again, reappearing in my handlers office. As always, she is sitting behind her desk and immediately asks, Satisfied? It couldve been better. Absolute Kyralon can be like that, she smiles, Since my allowance of information is nonexistent now, there is no need to hold you here any longer. Dont die on me, attendee Nathaniel. I just give her a nod and keep looking at her, even as I feel the pull of the 7th floor. She watches me in return, amusement flickering across her face. Then the cold, chilling wind and snow gnaws away at me once more. POV Warden of the Parallax Eyes, Kyralon Kyralon spends a moment staring at the spot where the young attendee once stood before letting out a long, frustrated sigh. It had been a long time since someone so much weaker than him had treated him that way, carefully skirting the line between reward and punishment. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He waits for a minute before heading toward the loggia where a young woman is already waiting, seated in one of the free chairslong red hair, and yellow eyes, laced through with an array of strange patterns. Lady Greed, Kyralon greets her carefully. Please sit, she states, gesturing to him like she were in her own home rather than his. The atmosphere hums with a slight tension as Kyralon pulls two glasses from his pouch, along with a transparent bottle of golden liquid that swirls like a living whirlpool. He pours a serving into both glasses, whereupon the liquid resumes its motion, and they drink in silence. In the end, its Kyralon who breaks the silence first, He left without asking the question he had every right to ask. Its the first time thats happened. He decided hed rather annoy me than receive an answer to one of the many questions he must have had. The red-haired woman laughs shortly and sips, The great all-knowing Kyralon, treated like an annoying grandpa. Im glad I lived to experience it. That human is petty beyond belief. He decided to waste a question for such a silly reason. From me, of all peopleWarden of the Parallax Eyes, the last of my bloodline and one of the oldest Absolutes in the system! Who does that?! His voice ramps up as he complains, putting his disbelief at the situation on full display. What could you have done to set him off like that? I decided to end our game of questions prematurely. Why would you do such a thing, dear Kyralon? The huge velnar settles into his chair and takes a long sip, watching the golden liquid swirl in his glass. I didnt want to stain him, to feed him all the answers, even if they would help him, or make him stronger... or keep him from making our mistakes. Taking the bottle and pouring herself another drink, the red-haired woman takes her seat once more, And what do you think? Would he be able to serve as the weapon we need? How can a human like him succeed where Master Lissandra has failed? That one who started in the Beyond would be a better choice, Lady Greed. Lyraen and Nyssa also show promise. Any of the three would make a better weapon if you absolutely insist on having someone from that particular tutorial. And thats not even considering the many others already in the system or caught within their own tutorials. But the chances are slim to nonexistent for all of them. That man is too monstrous. No mention of a certain Absolute going rogue? No matter what Masters imitation does, she wont make it out of the tutorial. There were versions that made it further, those closer to the original, with more of her incredible power. Yet all of them failed. I see, youre the same as ever, letting your incredible sight blind you. The red-haired woman nods, seemingly in agreement, despite the slight smile on her lips. Right after, she stands up, Thank you for indulging in this short discussion, dear Kyralon. We will see each other soon. She leaves as if she had never been there, and much like he did with his prior visitor, Kyralon watches the place where she disappeared. POV Nathaniel There are four levels of mimics on the 7th floor. The weakest are Lesser Mimics, then Mimic Spawns, Greater Mimics, and above that, Champion-grade Elder Mimics. Of course, there is one more level, the Absolute-grade Mimic, also called the Progenitor Mimic. Lesser Mimics and Mimic Spawns are no problem at all. I could keep killing these guys for weeks. A Greater Mimic could cause a problem, especially the ones over level 350. In certain situations, or if more of them group up, things could become... interesting. Especially if they found a host that made them stronger and more intelligent. Well, its not like I have to worry about it now. The place Ive appeared is incredibly full of mana radiation and none seem to be around. There are enormous holes in the ground, already filled by the never-ending falling snow. The floors or mountains that used to dot the landscape are gone. Kaput, evaporated. On a whim, I delve into the area with the high mana radiation and rely on [Eclipse] and [Mana Domain] to keep me safe. The experience from the 5th floor certainly helps as well. While doing so, I quickly exchange messages with Group 4, who dont seem to be in anything resembling a good state after five days of fleeing the 2nd front and the battle between Champions that apparently took place here. The Exoria Deployment Outpost is gone, destroyed, along with most of the lumorans who hung back until the bitter end. Their Champion appeared only at the last moment and, according to Tess, utterly crushed two Mimic Champions, both with hosts. Group 4, Heds group, and a few more are currently hiding after a lot of near-death situations and some members of the expedition have been poisoned by something that apparently isnt quite as serious as whatever killed Ardenyxs pilot despite being remarkably similar. Among the poisoned are Dennis and Maya. And then Sophies been unconscious for the past few days after controlling Ardenyx for an hour after the attack started, in an attempt to give everyone a chance to escape. But those guys are scary in their own way, so Im not really worried about them. Group 4 has survived worse dangers. Whats grabbed my interest for the moment is just a whisper of mana wavelength I recognize. My Mana Wavelength Iris spots it even within all the mana radiation surrounding me and the messed-up aftermath of the war. Its the signature of level 7 technician Leth. So I head in that direction, avoiding any areas that seem too dangerous. For instance, theres an area where the snow just doesnt enter. A zone the size of a small city, and the snow swirls around it. Inside, patches of twisted, charred trees stand eerily still, and from their branches hang the corpses of lumorans and Mimics alike. Another such area is a massive crater that melts any snow that falls within, theres a pool of glowing lava at the bottom. And around its edges, lie more corpses, items, and scraps of tents. I even recognize parts of war armor, though I cant tell which suits they came from. To my enhanced eyes at least, these places look about as inviting as a presentation in a class full of extroverts. Though, perhaps they are a bit more inviting, if only because at least theyre interesting, and I cant help but feel a strong tinge of curiosity, but I refuse to let it blind me to the danger. Just the way mana moves and twists around them is enough to convince me to avoid them. Gradually, I am forced to use more and more mana to fight back the radiation in the area, but my body is topped off with mana, as is my crown. Even the damage caused by Fracture, which messed up my mana pathways, and Fractures own rebellion pose no threat to my mind, supported by the effects of my mid-arcane passive. Soon, I catch up and finally lay eyes on Leth. Hes wearing a suit of metal armor that covers the entirety of his body, likely to fight back the mana radiation that I doubt he could endure otherwise. He pushes against the wind, crawling through it at times, each of his steps slow and tired. Very slowly, he approaches a pile of snow and starts digging. I extend one of my [Ley Lines] and tie it to him. Though its more difficult than usual because of the state of the area, but with a bit more focus, I manage to do it. Leth uncovers part of one of the white tents and enters, after which the snow he removed falls back, covering the entrance once more, hiding it from all my senses. To the point that I''m sure Id never be able to locate it unless I stumbled on it by accident. I teleport through the [Ley Line] and appear inside the mostly collapsed tent. The noises outside immediately grow quiet, but its still very cold in here. I now stand in the remains of one of the larger tents, with a few parts of the workshop intact, along with a few sections of war armor I dont recognize scattered about all around us. They have a black coating, and scars on their surface reveal the silver metal underneath. A bit farther away lies the damaged war armor on its back, its cockpit open. Right away, I identify it as Exoria. Unlike Ardenyx, its ugly and it looks almost primitive. But the edges of my vision blur when I try to look too closely with my Mana Wavelength Iris. Leth finally notices me and still wearing his armor, he turns around, pulling a dagger from his waist that immediately becomes covered in pale blue mana. His hand is shaking, and showing me just how weak he is. Yet still he steps to the left, placing himself between me and the unconscious body behind him. The body of Feroy, the lumoran Champion. Chapter 535: A Simple Request I take myself closer with Wraith Dance, coming to a stop standing over the body of the sleeping Champion. [Empyrean Lance] forms over my shoulder, and I fill it with as much mana as I can before pointing it at his head. No! Dont! Leth shouts desperately and tries to run, only to stagger and fall. Even then, he continues to crawl, his dagger already forgotten. Please, dont! After a glance at the Champion, I turn to Leth. The moment he wakes up, hell probably try to kill me and I wont be able to stop him. He wont! Are you sure? You guys already tried to kill me once. I even killed the scout leader during my escape. Please, dont kill him, Nathaniel. I beg you. Hes almost dead as it is, I note. Please... dont, Leth stops crawling. After scanning the tent a while longer, I take in the equipment, the lumoran corpses covered by bolts of cloth in the corner, the unconscious Champion and the level 7 technician slumped against the cracked stone floor, and dismiss my [Empyrean Lance]. Then stepping over to Leth, I help him to his feet. Youre a mess. Im sorry, he apologizes. Its not even your fault. Why are you apologizing? I ask, helping him remove his metal armor until he stands there clad only in his white researchers uniform. And finally getting a look at his black skin and crystalline features I note that he seems fairly roughed up. Hes covered in wounds, his mana is unstable, and he seems like he might pass out at any moment. Grabbing him by his clothes, I guide him over to a pile of blankets laid out on the ground and help him collapse atop them. Sleep. I will wake you up in a few hours. I promise not to kill the Champion. I... Leth, you know me. I wont hesitate to shake you until you pass out anyway. Rest. Still hesitating, he slowly closes his eyes and almost immediately falls asleep. After checking the protective array around us, I confirm its safe and form a few thermal pyramids, moving them around the space, placing a few over by Leth, one near me, and settling the others next to the Champion. Only then do I take a few steps and sit down on the floor in front of the Champion, who seems to have been pretending to be unconscious, after all, he awakened the moment I formed the lance. Hello, I greet him. He opens his golden eyes and slowly sits up straight on the bed, crossing his legs beneath him. "Assistant Nathaniel?" "Yes, that''s me." "It was wise of you not to attack. You would have died." "Are you sure? I dont think youre in any state to use mana right now." I let my Mana Wavelength Iris flash, the golden circle appearing around my pupil before fading. "I can sense the state of your heart and mana." He stays silent, and I dont push it. Instead, I glance around and ask, "Did everyone else die?" Everyone who decided to stay and fight alongside me. "So, most of them, then?" I say. "Ive seen and heard people talking in the camp. Most followed you with near-blind loyalty." "I never deserved that kind of faith." "Things like that are rarely up to you," I say with a shrug. "People can be irrational." "Yes." "Anything else I can do to help? Well probably need you to get out of here. Im not sure, but I think there are still a few powerful mimics hanging around nearby." Leaning back against the bed, Champion Feroy replies, "For now, help the technician, Leth. He knows what to do. Ill do my best to save him at least and I promise to help you as well." With these last tired words, he closes his eyes and falls asleep again. His heart, and the crystalline features that cover more of his body than any other lumoran Ive seen, both acting erratically and I dont think its just from the fight he just went through. Theres something I dont know yet. Observing him for a bit longer, I stand up and begin examining the defensive array, the equipment, and the materials and the components of the war armor Exoria while the lumorans sleep. Leth is awake and feeding the lumoran Champion like a baby. The Champion seems accustomed to it, slowly taking the small cubes of food from Leth before chewing them and drinking water prepared from melted and filtered snow, hopefully not the yellow kind. For some reason, he makes sure not to touch Leth throughout the process. Anyway, these cubes appear to be a special kind of food for high-level beings. Ive encountered it before, though not in this form. By now, I doubt normal food is enough to provide the level of nutrients someone so highly leveled needs. Our bodies can survive a week without food on their own, likely months at higher levels or in extreme conditions by consuming muscle or using mana as fuel. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Thats something Lily and I are still working on, trying to figure out how it all works. An average person should be able to live on around two thousand calories a day. Professional athletes and huge, muscular strongmen or powerlifters likely consume around six thousand a day. There are even viral videos of them eating ten thousand or more. By now, Im sure even I, with my feeble body, require far more than that. Thirty thousand? More? Perhaps on the level of a gram of uranium which, at least on the internet, is rumored to contain twenty billion calories? Will we see a bunch of the most powerful attendees die of hunger, finding themselves unable to consume enough calories, or will they spend twenty hours a day eating like some animals do? Hell Difficulty attendee mukbang videos would be something else. As for the Champion, the Absolute, and creatures like Biscuit, I have no idea how many calories they could need. I pause as a thought flashes through my mind. How many calories did that Champion deer Biscuit ate contain? I make a few estimates, considering the Deers size, its ability to regenerate, and its level. And though I lack proper data for an accurate calculation, the number still comes out terrifyingly high. The good thing is that on worlds brimming with mana, even the plants seem more calorie-dense, not to mention the meat of monsters or animals, especially the higher-level ones. That, of course, poses more problems. Logically, Earth should be filling up with ambient mana as well, from whatever source produces it, and thereby increase the caloric density of potatoes, fruit, grains, and vegetables. So, what would happen if a level 1 human were to eat a ten-thousand-calorie potato? Some people are going to have a lot to think about and many problems to solve. Not me, though. The lumorans here seem to have solved that problem, at least partially, and as weak as Champion Feroy seems, he probably needs some food so that his regeneration doesnt sap his mana which he seems to be using for something or consume his body itself. There are also plenty of questions: Why is he in this state? Why doesnt he regenerate properly? Are there some terrible hidden wounds causing it? Leth seems to suspect something, but for now, I decide not to ask. At least I have free rein to spend most of my time around Exoria. That thing is beautiful. Rough, imperfect, patched-up, covered in misaligned parts, its akin to fixing something with duct tape, or an ugly piece of code you wrote that worked but was too late to rewrite from scratch once youd gained new knowledge. Instead, you add more code that fixes one thing, breaks another, rinse and repeat. In the end, you wind up with a monstrosity that only one person truly knows how to operate, and that person is likely more important than the CEO of the company relying on that code. Exoria feels exactly like that kind of monstrosity, and Im in love. Its like seeing the history of all the changes, improvements, and fixes made by every generation of lumoran technicians who worked on it. And damn, is this thing old, likely centuries old. But I also notice another very interesting thing, and it answers questions, giving me something to ask the Champion about later. So for now, I examine the open cockpit and survey the damage all over. There are smaller issues that I can fix. The safety mechanisms have been lifted likely by the Champion and meant to prevent foreign interference and spying. Thats what allowed me to examine it so thoroughly, and as my thanks, I perform all the fixes I feel like I can. I have no illusions that my fixes are perfect or even that they will last very long, but its better than nothing. Seeing this crazy thing only increases my admiration for level 9 technician Ito, who oversaw it and is likely dead. At some point, Leth joins me, and I continue working, this time following his lead. Where he has much more experience and knowledge, I have higher raw power and a more durable mind. I dont mind being his support and relying on him to guide me, I focus on helping him as much as possible and making things easier for him. At first, hes a bit nervous, but weve worked like this before, and he eventually relaxes. Even he has trouble navigating the web of newer and older inscriptions and mismatched parts, but his instincts are good and his calm mind guides him. We work on it for a long time and dont stop until two days have passed, which I notice upon checking the timer. While Leth crawls onto his bed and immediately falls asleep after eating and drinking a bit, I send a message in the Community and get an answer. Sset (Hell, group 4) - Dont worry about us. Youre in more danger than we are. Noname (Hell, group 4) -Has anything happened? Sset (Hell, group 4) - I think some of the mercenaries with us are mimics. One of them attacked Izzy, probably because it sensed her [Empathy], and Noodle ate him. So we think she might be able to sense them if she levels up the skill. Sophie is finally awake and working on some kind of web that has the potential to strengthen and support Izzys skill. Noname (Hell, group 4) - Is it safe? Sset (Hell, group 4) - Ever since Sophie passed out and the web connecting us broke, I havent slept. Alongside Lily, I kept watch over everyone at all times, even if they just needed to go to the toilet, Nat. I had them write in the Community and ran additional tests to make sure none of us were mimics. Im certain were in the clear. The mimic Noodle ate had taken over that technicians assistant from the thylarin group. The one with the Fragment of Eternal Fire, so theres a chance Noodle has it now, whatever that means. Noname (Hell, group 4) - At least thats good news. Did you notice? The system didnt censor your messages. That probably means that there arent any other groups on this floor other than ours. Sset (Hell, group 4) - Thats true. I dont think Tacita could have cleared the 6th floor all that quickly with her specialization and the way she behaves, but Savant? Maybe. We spent over six months there, so he could have been luckier than us, maybe hes already reached the 8th. I have to go. Take care. Noname (Hell, group 4) CYou too. I close the Community and notice that the Champion has awoken once more, and hes watching me. He gestures weakly. Assistant Nathaniel, I have a request for you. Please ask, I say. The crystalline features, once filled with shimmering blue mana are almost empty now, taking on an almost sickly pale color, creating a stark contrast with his black skin. Even his golden eyes seem to have lost some of their vibrancy. Dont tell Technician Leth, but the next time I pilot Exoria, I will die. Though its something Im willing to do. Technician Leth doesnt know it, but within his body, Ive stored something that needs to be delivered to our Absolute or to Champion Owain. No one else can be trusted right now. Does it have something to do with the thing the pilot of Ardenyx brought back? Is that why he died? His name was Hephas. Please dont speak of him in such a cold way like he wasn''t even a living being. He and Naeve were my disciples longer than youve been alive. They were kind people and the best disciples I could have asked for. I hope you never have to feel what Im feeling right now. I... I apologize. Truly. He offers a gentle expression in response. Its not always easy to care about someone you dont know, and I understand that. I dont know what drives you, but I can promise this, if you do what I ask, youll be rewarded handsomely. And I will stake what remains of my life on helping you both escape. Why? For a moment, he seems confused by my question, but then his expression clears, and he smiles, still with a hint of that gentleness. Because Im a Champion of my people. I will do it, I confirm and hold back my question. After giving his thanks he goes back to sleep. No, hes not truly sleeping. Its more like meditation or something like that. If Im right, hes fighting the mimic trying to take over his body, a battle I dont think the weakened Champion can win. That could also be why no mimics have attacked this place yet. Theyre minimizing their losses and waiting for the Elder Mimic to take over. Chapter 536: Champion Feroy The next few days turn into a race against time. Can we make the damaged parts of Exoria functional enough before they locate us? Will we manage it before the mimic takes over his mind? Will he even be able to activate Exoria in his current state? Could we escape now and leave the Champion behind as he is? Leth leads most of the work, and I follow him. Sometimes I try to locate whatever the Champion left inside his body, but I cant quite manage it. What a curious thing. During the few times, Leth actually sleeps, one or two hours at a time. I keep the heating running. I patch up the degrading defensive array, which is slowly reaching a point where I wont be able to repair it. The small damage is okay, but its too complex for me to deal with any larger issues that arise. But I learn a lot both from Exoria and the tents defensive array. And I talk to the Champion. Just like he did in front of the other lumorans, he acts strong in front of Leth. Its something I think I should have noticed before, but I still consider this Champion silly. I believe all the lumorans saw through his attempts and loved him anyway. But when Leth is asleep, Champion Feroy allows his mask to break. Thats when I step in, to offer him a chance to talk about himself, his memories, or anything to keep him grounded in the fight raging in his mind. Slowly, he does so, and his face loses some of the tension thats grown so ingrained in his expression. Champion Feroy is a gentle man. More than talking about himself or his achievements, he speaks of the people hes met, about all the kindness hes witnessed in his life, and about the unfairness that saddened him. He talks about a time before the war, about his older sister, how she loved flowers, and how she loved to dance when they were young. She died back in one of the very first battles when the Elder Mimic attacked their city, nestled against one of the giant trees that used to be in the north. Trees that are now long gone, lost deep in the heart of Mimic territory. He talks about his younger brother, who died on the third front when a Champion grade Mimic made its first unexpected appearance. He reminisces about his brothers brown eyes, rare amongst the golden eyed lumorans. A feature that seemed to make his brother very popular, especially combined with his easygoing demeanor and caring nature. Champion Feroy tells me time and again, just how much love he had for both his siblings, seeming to forget the prior tellings each time. Then he talks about the day he entered a competition, amongst dozens of other talented lumorans, for the right to become the next disciple of a Champion, an event that happened many times over the course of the war. Much to his surprise, he was chosen. His and everyone else''s. Back then, he wasnt a Champion, he was just a lumoran called Feroy, a candidate born with a weak body that no healer could fix because his weaknesses were too deeply rooted. He was just a man who couldnt properly control his mana without tools to help him. He talks about a day he visited a school full of orphans, how he spent the entirety of his monthly allowance from his master to buy them toys and sweets. He talks about how he killed his mother and father, both overtaken by Mimics. At that moment, he almost gave up, but as always, he forced himself to keep going, determined to do better, to push forward. One more time, he said to himself again and again, each time he failed or lost yet another person close to him. He talks about how his master came up with the idea for Exoria, back then it was just a simple suit of armor that would help Feroy channel his mana and cover for his weak body. A tool that for others would only be a crutch, slowing them down, despite how it would come to be so important to him. Over the years though it evolved into what it is now, every addition and expansion tailored to support him as he grew stronger. I listen, only stopping to ask the occasional question or two, especially when he seems lost in thought. When I offer to try and help him, he refuses, telling me he is containing the Mimic. He doesnt want to risk the Mimic affecting me through physical contact. A part of me wants to risk it, to help him, perhaps out of curiosity. But I know hes right. So I listen to the story of his life. His struggles, his failures, and sometimes his achievements, which he mentions shyly and always briefly. He talks even more about the time his disciples, Hephas and Naeve, caught some kind of small animal and dumped it in Exorias cockpit. That scared little creature released a strong scent that filled the cabin for days, impossible to clean out during the training they were doing back then. Its something he seems to look back on with a certain kind of fondness. His first meeting with Serabeth, who broke his nose after misunderstanding his compliment as a pushy pickup line. She did it even though she knew he was a Champion. His first meeting with Level 9 Technician Ito, who was only Level 6 at the time, and the man who created the first pieces of the armor that would become Exoria. A man similar in age to Feroy, with whom he had shared many adventures. Gradually, I piece together bits of information: the rare illness that makes his body weak and forces him to rely on tools to prop up his abilities; the talent that, despite everything, made him the second strongest Champion among the lumorans. Exoria is a tool, a crutch, he needs it just to wield his power without killing himself, even if it holds him back. When he was just a candidate, it made some people look down on him. Even so, he still had his followers, people like Serabeth, Technician Ito, and disciples who still decided to follow in his footsteps and use war armor they didnt need. These war armors were largely funded by Feroy, carried by his influence, even at the cost of postponing Exorias own upgrades. Dozens of lumorans followed this man, and each one had their own reasons: whether it was his gentle nature, his refusal to give up, or his strength. Most of these people are dead now because they chose to follow and help him with the dangerous mission he felt was so crucial to the survival of their people. Even when they had to rush to the battlefield without the proper preparations. Even though the combination of Feroys illness and the wounds from previous battles prevented him from using Exoria. Even though he couldnt use his mana anymore without his war armorand despite knowing that the next time he activated Exoria would probably kill him. The fact that he is alive now after everyone struggled to fix it and he activated it, is almost a miracle. Even before heading to the second front, he expected to die from the consequences of his prior fight, the unhealing wounds he suffered, and his worsening sickness. Maybe his survival is even the result of the Mimic slowly taking over him. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Once a Mimic enters your body, it cant escape. Itll either take over or try to kill you as it dies. The only thing that might change that is probably a Progenitor Mimic, the Lumoran in front of me says out of nowhere. Making sure Im listening, he explains, At first, its like you almost dont notice. They do their best to remove your memory of their entry. Sometimes they fail, but most of the time they succeed. The next important step they take is to maximize your will to live, so youll avoid danger and be less likely to end your own life before losing your will to the Mimic. While speaking, he carefully touches the circular crystalline feature on his left wrist with his fingertips. Then, if theyre not capable of taking over quickly, they try to weaken you, physically and mentally. He thinks for a while before smiling. I believe a strong will and mental defenses are more important than your skills, traits, classes, or passives, judging by my guests behavior. Is it really not possible to remove it? Weve tried many times, even with the Lord Absolutes help. Even the weakest Mimics cannot be removed by us without destroying the mind of their host. Probably because of all the time Ive spent with Kyralon and his questions, Ive started getting just as curious myself, so I ask, Do you mind if I ask you a question? I dont mind. Im grateful for your company and for how kind youve been to listen to my stories. Please, ask away. You wont tell me about your mission here or about the message you left with Leth, right? I hope you understand why. In that case, what keeps you going? Your disciples, your friends, the technicians you spent all those decades with, and the people who were willing to follow you here, even knowing none of you were likely to survive, are all dead. What else remains? He pulls his legs closer to his chest and draws the blanket around his body. Lit by my thermal pyramid, he thinks for a moment. When he looks back up at me, his eyes are clear. First, I want to tell you that I never expected it would end this way. If I had known, I wouldnt have allowed any of the mercenaries to join this expedition. This is our planet''s problem, and I thought we would have more time, but things went terribly wrong. He doesnt seem to be lying, from what I can tell, so I nod. As for what keeps me going, he pauses before continuing, its probably the feeling that its all about to end. Ill die soon while helping you escape, and Ill take down as many Mimics as I can, including the one currently worming its way into my mind. After that, there will be no more watching the people I care about die or seeing my fellow lumorans suffer. I''m so very tired, Assistant Nathaniel, so just this once, I will be selfish. But before that, Ill push one more time and give it my best. So that when I meet those whove passed on before me, I can look into their faces with pride and say, I did my best, and thank them. After that, Champion Feroy doesnt speak anymore. His once-gentle eyes grow colder as he sits and watches Leth and I fix up Exoria. He doesnt eat or drink. And he doesnt sleep or meditate. A day passes like that, and finally, a presence appears in the surrounding area. The Mimics buried in the snow stop hiding and stand up. Eager to welcome the latest powerful addition to their ranks. Waiting for the second-strongest among the lumoran Champions to become one of the strongest Mimics in existenceimmense talent and capabilities taken over, with the Mimic potentially fixing or replacing his body. There is almost a kind of rhythm in the air, a vibration I can feel in my chest and a distant humming noise that gradually grows stronger, enough to pierce through the relentless blizzard. It feels almost like a ritual to welcome the new arrival. Champion Feroy stands for the first time in a long while. His face is thin, dark circles under his eyes, and he moves slowly, almost mechanically. Leth and I watch as he steps closer to us. Almost in desperation, Leth calls out to him with the same love the now-dead Lumorans in this camp once felt. The Champion touches the surface of the war armor, and the humming becomes almost ear-piercing. He slowly climbs into the cockpit, then rests inside and closes his eyes. The new rhythms quicken, and even the blizzard begins to subside for a moment. His eyes open. They are clear and beautiful as he smiles gently. One more time, he says. The cockpit slams shut, and the rhythmic cries of the monsters are replaced by screams and waves of mana washing over the area, and multiple signatures rise to meet it, each rivaling the presence of a Champion. Exoria stands in a single, energetic motion, piercing through the roof of the half-collapsed tent and sending piles of snow tumbling down on us. When his domain expands from the war armor, I act, stretching a multitude of Ley Lines outward in every direction. Even though there are multiple Champion grade Mimics, none can tear it apart, the lumoran Champion wont allow it. The mimics fail to put so much as a dent in the lumoran Champions domain during his last stand. I grab Leth and take us as far away as I can along one of the lines. Immediately, multiple presences reach out, trying to track us, but Exoria takes a step, and the blizzard ceases with a single pulse rippling out from the impact. The sky, ever clouded and filled with falling snow, turns a clear blue as the sunlight begins pouring down on the area, shining down on the tall, black suit of war armor. It almost seems like its absorbing that light. Only the scratches reveal the silver metal beneath. The war armor, like its pilot, is scarred, damaged, and barely holding itself together. And yet here it stands, ready to give its all, one last time. Despite having no wings, it floats into the air, a tremor reverberating through the surroundings. And a huge halo forms over its head, seemingly woven from the essence of light itself. I teleport us again and again, throwing Ley Lines as far as I can by tying them to my projectiles. Leth vomits a few times from all the rapid teleportation, but we need to put as much distance between us and them as possible. Gradually, only a few stronger presences manage to keep pace. All the others being held at bay by Exoria and its pilot in a battle I can sense even at this distance. Theres a terrible screeching. Explosions of light. And earthquakes that reach us even here. The shockwaves send us rolling and vaporize the snow around us. Even from miles away, an immense rumbling shakes the air, while flashes of light evaporate everything in their path. That little black shape with its halo of light, remains, floating resolute against the pale blue sky, even extends some sort of temporary field around us that deflects the attacks of the Mimics still in pursuit. Some of the suits attacks reach us even here, killing some of our pursuers while permanently scarring the area. It continues like that hour after hour. And I can still feel the fight as we continue our flight. Champion Feroy against three Mimic Champions, along with countless weaker ones. Then its one against two. Then just one against one. When only a single presence remains, the world feels peaceful for a fleeting moment, the gentle light holding steady against the blizzard of the second front. One more radiant flash and even that last signature disappears. Chapter 537: End of the Chase [Greater Mimic - lvl ???] [Greater Mimic - lvl ???] The Mimics following us continue to match pace, even now, and they must be excellent trackers unless theyve marked us in some undetectable way. Its hard to estimate their level, but whats annoying is that they seem to have a degree of control over some of the lesser mimics and mimic spawn in the area, causing them to awaken and attack us. After a day of flying through the snowy region, unwilling to risk a prolonged fight with them in case more Mimics choose to join in, I even manage to pick up another level fighting off the weaker ones. [Lvl 303 > Lvl 304] Sometimes I also teleport us, but I dont do so quite as often, worried that it might seriously hurt Leth. At least I know no Champion grade Mimics will come our way, and I know where to head, thanks to a small compass-like device pointing the way out of the Second Front and into lumoran territory. Speed is more important than my frustration with these two Greater Mimics following us. Im sure I could deal with them if needed, but protecting Leth in the process might be tricky. So we fly. I carry Leth like a princess, supporting him with a pair of extra limbs I create out of mana. Heat radiates from my body to keep us warm, and I surround us in a barrier, ready to deflect attacks and shield us from the wind. My mana is draining at a rapid pace, but it also regenerates fairly quickly. The result is that it still goes down between flying, heating, defending, and fighting off whatever Mimics I can kill quickly, but with my reserves, Im not worried. Once in a while, I check the Community, and even though theres plenty of trouble, Group 4 seems to be doing as well as they can. Another member of their evacuation convoy was killed, caught trying to destroy their supplies. It makes me wonder if, given the speed Im traveling ateven with the five days I spent with KyralonI might leave the Second Front faster than they will. Its quite possible. During one of our brief breaks, Leth is sitting in the snow as I expand my barrier to deflect and block the wind. While I keep an eye on our surroundings and track the Greater Mimics, Leth sits there quietly. Hes not crying anymore. He was like an older brother to all of us, he whispers. His body was frail, and his illness weighed on him... but he never showed any weakness. He tried to hide it, he was ashamed to let us see, but we noticed. And the funny thing is, we admired him even more for his determination. From what I gathered talking to him, he seemed like a good man, I reply. Better than any other lumoran I knew. None of the lumoran Champions has... had such loyal people as him. But still... why, why would he... All the answers should be with you. I know! You said that already! I... I just want to know if it was worth it. All we can do is wait and see. A day later, the blizzard weakens, and far fewer lesser mimics and their spawn bother to attack us. The Greater Mimics trailing us push hard and try to catch up, with what almost feels like a deep well of desperation. But theres no way they can manage it and there dont seem to be any Champion grade Mimics nearby, though its entirely possible they simply havent received the message. It seems the lumoran Champion took care of that. Actually, how many Champion grade mimics and hosts could the mimic forces possibly have? Wouldn''t Champion Feroys killing of those last six be a huge loss? One more day passes, and the snow gradually begins to disappear, and the terrain starts to shift, transitioning into a hilly tundra with short, hardy grass and stout, stunted trees. There are plenty of lakes in the area. Weve finally left the Second Front, yet our pursuers do not stop, continuing to trail us as we go. Just a bit farther, and Ill get rid of these two. As Im reading through the Community, I learn the others are still in the snowy region, and thats when we receive a new notification: Warning! The 2nd wave is now in progress. As before, there is no immediate change where I am, but I dont let my guard down. Leth stands beside me as I watch two Mimics gradually creep closertwo massive lumps of tentacles, mouths, teeth, and eyes. At some point, its almost impressive they managed to track me for so long, but enough is enough. I prepare for the fight and fire an [Empyrean Lance] Id been charging, then deploy a simple web of Ley Lines over the area. The lance reaches one of the Mimics in a fraction of a second. Okay, lets follow up and finish... [You have defeated Greater Mimic - lvl 375] [Lvl 304 > Lvl 305] Uh, what? The other Mimic, a stadiums length to the right of the fallen one, stops. I could almost swear it seems to take a moment to look with all its eyes at the space where its buddy once stood. That one now lies dead, unmoving, the lance having torn a hole clear through its durable body with ease. Well, if it works, why not try again? Before the mimic moves, I form another lance and pump more into it to strengthen it. Since Im doing it faster, its not as heavily charged as the first one. It slowly spins on its axis, the golden-white core glowing from within. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. [Empyrean Lance - lvl 13 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 14] The Mimic rushes at us, trying to evade the Ley Lines I materialize in an attempt to slice it or slow it down. Its movement tears chunks of rock and grass, and theres weight behind that charge, like a car traveling at high speed. I know itll try to dodge, so I bide my time, storing more and more kinetic energy. Nathaniel? Closer. Nathaniel! Leth shouts. Just a bit more. The Mimic reaches the spot I want, and my domain expands. With it, [Redistribution] flares into activation, slowing the enemy. Even so, the Mimic retains most of its speed, and I can feel its monstrous strength and powerful body in the weight of its presence. Maybe my first attack was just a fluke. The Mimic changes direction and charges straight at us, dozens of tentacles swirling in front of its body to block any incoming attacks. I get ready to teleport away and release the lance. The shockwave of its lunge makes Leth stagger, but the Mimic itself staggers too. Halted by the hole, as wide as my torso, thats inexplicably been punched through its body. [You have defeated Greater Mimic - lvl 378] Its body keeps moving another second from the momentum, then comes to a stop. A level 14 skill. I let my usual mana projectiles weave themselves together over my shoulders. Then I compress them until theyre dark blue, and launch them at the corpse with the same amount of kinetic force I used with the lance before. Several shockwaves push Leth back while he curses, demanding to know what the hell Im doing. I move closer to the body and examine the damage. The projectiles I made have penetrated its hide and embedded themselves halfway into the corpse. I could probably make them pierce further with a bit more compression, which would somehow, dont ask me how make the mana heavier. In the best case, I could probably pierce all the way through a mimics body. I know how durable these creatures are from my prior observations, and that dumb lance just sliced them apart. Curious, I examine the hole it tore through the beast and the field it left behind, watching the way it interacts with the Mimic. I know this field should dissipate over time, but I think it will last longer at higher levels. Its something I really want to experiment with and maybe replicate for training. The thing disrupted Whiteys kinetic energy, so it fascinates me. I spend a few minutes pulling several of the mimics teeth, carefully avoiding its toxic saliva. Then I store them in a square of canvas, which I bind with thread made of mana, which should last a few days even without restoring it. After checking the Community, I pick up Leth and continue in the direction indicated by the compass. POV Myrra Beatrice! Get your ass over here! I shout toward the tower. Almost immediately, that pink woman rushes outside, followed by her bodyguard. Lady Myrra! Im so sorry for being so slow to respond, she apologizes right away. Sure, sure. My master said- -Didnt she explicitly say that she wasnt your master- Beatrice tries to interrupt. I ignore her and continue, My master said to tell your father to stop messing around. Apparently, his attempts to regain control of the Framework are annoying, mostly because theyre so unrefined and hes not very sneaky. Yada yada, noble ladies pets, a toddler could do better, you know the drill. I... I apologize. There must be some sort of misunderstanding, but Ill speak to my father right away, I promise. Good! Because I dont think therell be a second warning. Under different circumstances, Id probably feel bad bullying someone like this, but these silly mind mages surely deserve it. Even now, I feel her trying to manipulate me. I could probably tell Lissandra and let her handle it quickly, but what am I, a baby lynthari who cant deal with this weird pink human? To push it further, I turn to Beatrices bodyguard, the man who once had a crown over his head, rumored to contain enough energy to destroy this city ten times over if Beatrice died. The crown that Lissandra snatched, leaving all these people floundering like fish out of water. Surely one of my favorite memories. Little fishy, I call, turning to the bodyguard, my master Lissandra is asking how long you spent filling your crown. A year? I... a few decades. I shake my head. Tsk tsk. So lacking. How were you guys even planning to break the spatial locks with such lackluster skills? Before Beatrice can speak, I interrupt her. I have to go, you know. I have more important matters just waiting for my attention. Later then, little fishyand pink bitch. I wave them off, and no words follow. I could really get used to this. I almost feel a weight dropping off my shoulders after the months Ive spent with that silver haired monster. Continuing to juggle the multitude of orbs Im training with, I hop onto a rooftop and then leap to another, sometimes even hopping across the towers, before reaching our own, temporary, home, somewhere around the exact center of the city. I think it used to belong to someone important, but Lady Lissandra took it for us. There are no guards. Not even defensive arrays. She just has no need for them. As before, I find her at the top of the tower, doing all kinds of things I cant comprehend, with dozens of mana stones around her, and the towers surface carved and inscribed. The [Impact Crown] that once belonged to the bodyguard now floats nearby. Its almost amusing, considering what its capable of, to see it tossed aside like a discarded toy. They should stop now, I tell her before taking my usual seat, resting my back against the wall. Little kitten, she says, if they were at least doing something interesting like using their cheap ploy to hide their real plan. But no, these people have no idea what they''re doing. They probably didnt even come up with this themselvesthe prisoner trapped within the Spatial Locks probably had to feed it to them. Is it some kind of inscription master? I wasnt curious enough to check. Lets test something: repeat what I said. 7th floor, 2nd tournament. 7th floor, 2nd tournament. Good. The progress on status transfer is going well, and we should be done soon. There are so many things I want to ask. "Take your time, little kitten. I''ll tell you everything I know." As always, I growl, my tail twitching in frustration, these brutes dont even have proper shampoo for me to use. I believe youll survive. Lady Lissandra. What. She pauses and looks at me, somehow managing to appear vaguely threatening and I know I only have time for one question. What were your two starting skills? "Such a question would be considered extremely rude in any civilized nation, little kitten," she says before turning back to her work. Im curious. Plus, all these Rulers watching us probably already know, how cold I be any worse than them! Thats a terrible leap of logic youve made. [Mana Manipulation] and [Control]. Ive never heard of anyone with [Control]. Wouldnt that be an insanely strong skill? "I thought you would have learned by now that it''s rarely about the skill itself. I''ve met many people with powerful skills, little kitten, but most couldn''t fully control them. They seemed destined for greatness, envied for their potential, yet they hit a limit they couldn''t surpass. Like children wielding swords too heavy to swing." I see. Arent you going to ask me about my starting skills, Lady Lissandra? With a sigh, she turns to me again. What were your starting skills, little kitten? I pretend to be shocked, covering my open mouth with my hand and widening my eyes. H-how could you? Do you know how rud- Before I can finish, a pulse from the crown floating nearby pushes me right over the towers edge. And as I fall through the air, I twist, reorienting myself, and landing on my feet. Then I notice that in that one instant, the silver haired monster managed to modify the orbs Im training with, increasing their difficulty immensely. I plop down on my butt, unable to concentrate on standing while trying to keep them from bursting. Chapter 538: Green, blue, and purple flame Leth and I stop near one of the defensive lines. The web hanging in the sky becomes more dense, and the scans become more accurate. Theres even an exceptionally tall wooden wall with inscriptions, and Im sure there are scouts or guards nearby, ready to rush in at speeds rivaling racing cars. Can you make it back from here? I ask him. After days of traveling, he seems tired but happy to stand on his feet. I can. I know the protocols, and after a quarantine, they should let me in. With all thats happened, theyll probably speak to me even sooner, even if they suspect I might be a mimic. Then they will probably want to ask me about what happened. Ill ask to see Champion Owain and talk only to him. Sounds good. Are you sure you arent a mimic? That would suck after all of this. I... I dont think so? Are you? Me? The last thing Im worried about is another dickhead in my mind. What do you mean? Dont sweat it. Ill be going now. Before I can leave, he calls out to me, Assistant Nathaniel. Yes? Thank you, truly. Once Ive spoken to Champion Owain, Ill ask them to look for you... regarding your reward and... I hope your friends are fine. Sure. See you later, level 7 technician Leth. With that, I propel myself high into the air before arching back toward my starting point. My senses expand as far as possible, I forgo more detailed scans, prioritizing sheer range over precision. Right away, I move faster than I did with Leth and enjoy the wind passing by me as I pierce the air. No matter how often I fly, Ill always enjoy it. POV Kim Min-Jae I launch another projectile into the body of the lesser mimic and then pull it back, along with the hundreds more Ive fired today. Each one boring new paths through the beast until the monster finally stops moving and the kill notification rings out in my mind. Another one charges me, but I use [Telekinesis] to pull my body out of the way and expand the gravitational field around me. The monster slows down, and my orbs slam through its body like the blast of a shotgun just before I pull them back to join the Hundreds continuing to orbit my body. (Help Izzy,) Tess sends through the web. After quickly locating her, I fly through the snow for a few moments and land next to her. A bit further away, Noodle has coiled himself around a mimic spawngreen, blue, and purple flame burning on his skin as he begins to eat the monster, despite how disgusting it looks. At first, we were worried about him, given the way mimics tend to possess things, but anything that enters Noodles stomach doesnt seem to be a cause for concern. Izzy stands on a patch of dry land, having cleared an area the size of a football stadium around her, melting all the snow around her, and her new flames, combined into a single mass of green, blue, and purple, and flickering all around her. When we fight, we almost always need to keep our distance from each other. Thats just how some of our abilities work, needing huge amounts of space to be used at their highest levels. At first, I dont realize what Izzy might need help with, but then I notice a Greater Mimic climbing out of the hole. Fuck. (Just hold it for a moment, Lily will be there soon! Biscuit should be somewhere nearby as well,) Tess sends as if reading my thoughts. Given no other choice, I call to Izzy, (You tank and I snipe.) (Sure!) she calls. Her flames draw in tighter and intensify, taking the form of a massive snake that coils around her as if it were alive. The Greater Mimic crashes against it, and I use my eyes to reach through the gravitational wavelengths I see, especially the ones closer to the monster. And then I grab them, giving them a pull, causing part of the monsters body implodes in on itself, taking a good chunk of my mana with it. The flame snake attacks, targeting the fresh wound while I redirect my field to slow the monster. As burns start to show on its skin, the mimic continues to charge. Its incredibly tough and its body barely slows even as I hurl car-sized chunks of debris at it with all the force I can muster. But even that brief moment of delay is enough to protect us until Lily finally comes soaring through the air and lands on it. And her giant axe flashes with gray mana as she cuts into the monster with ease, slicing through again and again, before it throws her away. A few tentacles reach toward her, but a gray mantle forms around her, and the tentacles disappear, disintegrating on contact. (Yoo, the mana maniac is on his way. He caught one of the high-range mana frequencies weve been sending for him,) Dennis sends out of nowhere, speaking through the general link. (Food!) (Wanna bet he just asked if Nat was bringing us some food?) Maya says, sending a message of her own. (Everyone focus! Sophie and Maya, finish off our Greater Mimic. Dennis and Aaron, help Lily, and Min-Jae and Izzy with theirs. Lets get things cleared up before he gets here.) Tess orders, and we get back to fighting. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. POV Nathaniel By the time I land, the fight is over. My grand entrance isnt happening now, but at the same time, its always nice to see the corpses of Greater Mimics lying around. Im sure they werent as powerful as the ones I killed with such ease, but group 4 seems to be doing alright. And much to my satisfaction, Lily is already looting the bodies for parts. In comparison to the others, who are wearing layers of thick protective clothes, Im thinly dressed, stuck in the same shirt and pants I wore to my meeting with Kyralon. I do not feel cold, and while it does put a huge strain on my mana supply, its only reasonable for this level of comfort. For a moment, I examine these multicolored flames around Noodle and Izzy and head over to greet Tess, deciding to ask about the flames later. Once Dennis adds me to the link I begin to speak, (I think were going to want to fuck off as quickly as possible. I wouldnt be surprised if a few Champion grade mimics decided to show up out of nowhere, at least if they have any left. And we need to find some place to fix up Fracture, Its annoying having to keep it at bay all the time. I swear, any longer and Ill just sell it.) (Its nice to see you too, Nat,) Tess sends back, and I can hear amusement in her voice. (You had us worried for a moment there.) (Just for a moment? What if Ive become a mimic?) (You can still talk in the Community.) (Would you really put it past the System to let a mimic imitate me so perfectly that it can use the Community on this floor? The System could just prevent the mimic from reaching the 8th floor. Or it could simply remove it once all the attendees are dead.) (Fuck, you must have been really popular at parties, Nat.) Maya jeers, smirking nearby, holding her wounded arm out for Lily, who immediately gets to work healing it. (I was never invited to any.) (S-same here!) Lily is quick to add. (With your healing abilities, people will be falling over each other to invite you to many, many parties. Dont worry, Lily.) Tess jokes, giving her a wink before turning to me. (How much longer till were out of the second front?) (Probably a day at your snail''s pace? Itll get warmer soon and there will be less snow.) (Thats good. Our equipment and tents are being held together by wire and duct tape at this point and I don''t want to waste a bunch of mana on keeping us warm while we fight mimics. Sophie, can you take Izzy and come with me to check on the rest of the group? Everyone else, please show Nathaniel around. Well be heading out for the last push in thirty minutes.) After that, she leaves, and Im brought to one of the smaller tents we stole. There are three of them, the remaining two having been occupied by the other mercenaries, a few of whom are probably mimics. (We arent killing other mercenaries just to be sure no mimics try to get the jump on us?) I ask. Min-Jae is the first to answer, (Sophie keeps track of them, and when one moves too far away from us, Tess usually just snipes him. Even in this storm, I saw her throw her javelin over two miles and still kill the Mimic Spawn in one blow!) After sitting down on a manabloc chair, Dennis groans with satisfaction, (Tess wants the lumorans to clear them out or kill them when they start running away. Her goal is to keep the true mercenaries alive in hopes of getting ahold of some valuable information or further rewards.) (She should have been Greed. It would fit her,) I note. Lily giggles, (She was offered Greed, Chastity, and Temperance back then, so you arent exactly far off.) (Now that you mention it, what other options did you get, Lily?) I ask. (Lust!) (Shut up, Dennis! I got Wrath, Charity, and Sloth.) (Min-Jae?) (Envy, Humility, and Greed.) (What about the twin dickheads?) (Fuck you, Nat. Both Aaron and I got Diligence, Patience, and Humility.) (Thats three Blights and no Radiances. Good boys. And you, Maya?) (Patience, Temperance, and Sloth.) (All interesting. I got Pride, Greed, and Patience. By the way, whats up with these blue, green, and purple flames Noodle and Izzy seem to have?) Maya shrugs, (Noodle ate a guy with a Fragment of Eternal Firewhatever that means. Noodle is Izzys bond, so they share some of their abilities. Izzys blue flames evolved or something under the effect of that fragment, which is apparently also blue, green, and purple. Also, here.) I grab the sword she is handing me, the damaged arcane item I got from Beyond, the claymore known as Bloodthirst. (You already got a new skill you wanted?) Maya smiles proudly, (Yup, [Compounding]. The effects seem to be similar to Bloodthirst, but I can apply it to any of my weapons, and it works nicely with [Boost].) (These skill names are getting weirder and weirder,) I shake my head. (We have to test it later. It sounds cool. And take Bloodthirst back, its nearly fixed and at arcane grade. After you get it to Arcane, Ill sell it in Beyond and give you a cut.) (Sounds good!) There is no hesitation as she snatches it away. So, where is Biscuit? I ask, pretending not to see the short tail wagging under one of the blankets nearby. When I say his name, the speed of his wagging tail increases. Biscuit? Where are youuu? I ask, still pretending not to see, ignoring the others as they roll their eyes. I take a few steps and pass by the aforementioned blanket, only for it to be thrown aside as a corgi pup rushes out from underneath, biting into the cloth of my pants with his short, sharp teeth and starting to pull and jerk at the fabric to cause more damage. Oh my god. You got me! I was scared for a moment! (Food!) Yes, its terrifying! He finally lets go and barks, and I reach down to pick him up. Ever since he turned into a pup, he seems to act like one sometimes. But its cute, so he can do whatever he wants. While giving him the pets he deserves, I turn to the others, (We need to hold on for...) I check the timer, (around three weeks, and then well get our own personal, walking, hydrogen bomb. Plus, I can probably get us some nice rewards for this thing I helped with, so we can bail to a safer place and take normal missions for a while.) (Whats your plan?) Lily asks, taking a seat next to me and reaching out to pet Biscuit. (Arent you worried about what Lissandras going to do?) (A bit, but itll be fineee. I need to fix Fracture first. Then I want to see what Mayas skill does. I want to see Noodle and Izzys Fragment of Eternal Fire and experiment some more. Once Lissandra arrives there wont be much time left until the second tournament anyways. So, who here thinks we can set a new record for enduring the most waves?) Chapter 539: Minion communication token Hed, the huge velnar, turns out to still be alive, along with only about six more mercenaries. Of the technicians, only a thylarin and himself remain; the rest are combat-oriented mercenaries who didnt seem to mind following Tess. One of the reasons might be that Group 4, with their combined powers, could easily beat them all up, even if these mercenaries are higher level. If theyre mimics, I have no idea why theyve stuck around, knowing where were heading. Maybe mimics are just dumb. I keep expecting an Elder Mimic to come crawling out of the woodwork as we make our way out of the front, heading for the defensive wall, but nothing of that sort happens. The rest of our trip, following a few less than heated fights in the snowy area, settles into an uneventful hike. Only when we reach about halfway to the wall does a segment of the web covering the area activate. A phenomenon I can only call a highway leading somewhere deep into lumoran territory. That highway is high in the sky, part of the web, and through it a figure is pulled at incredible speed. Right away, I grab Sophies shoulder and give her a shake to draw her attention away from her sister, then point her towards it. Observe this with me. I want to know what it does, I tell her. At first, it seems like she wants to complain, but when she notices the Absolutes web activating in preparation, her curiosity takes over. If Im right, that "highway" lets even those who can''t fly move through the sky at incredible speed. Only one person emerges, crashing into the ground a few miles ahead in an explosion of earth, grass, and shattered trees. Right away, that presence begins moving in our direction, and within seconds the lumoran stops near us. Black skin, white crystalline features collaring his neck and dotting his forehead, forearms, and legs. While from his back, hangs a single slim sword that I can sense pulsinglike the rhythm of a beating heart. [Bound Blade C lvl ???] I estimate him to be over level 400 for sure. Similar in level to Serabeth if not stronger. Tess steps in front of us. We She pauses when the lumoran warrior lifts his hand. There is no need to talk until we confirm whether you are mimics or not. Im here because my master sent me, and Im only looking for one person. A human male with one gray and one brown eye. Did you meet Leth? That human is probably me. I step ahead. "I dont have the specifics. I simply follow my master''s orders. It was Champion Owain who sent me here," he says, stepping closer and looking me up and down. Eye color fits. And theres the punchable face my master mentioned, so it should be you. Motherfucker. Was it Leth, who told his master that? We will be leaving right away. If any of you raise your mana any higher than it is now, I will kill you. If you try to run away, I will kill you. If you dont cooperate, I will kill you. If you give me any reason to think you are a mimic, I will kill you. Understood? His presence is overbearing, and that slim, long blade on his back seems to pulse in time with his emotions. So while everyone affirms their understanding, I, as I want to do, try to work out if I could fight him if it were necessary. The way he moves his body, the strength I feel from each movement confirmed by kinetic senses, the weight of his steps, that weapon as well. The answer is probably no. For now. Then, since he plans to lead us where we wanted to go anyway, we follow him without giving him trouble. One week. Thats how long we spend in quarantine after passing through the wall and then being teleported somewhere else, deep into lumoran territory, though we dont have much opportunity to see any of it. Were the only group is here so we have no idea what happened to the other mercenaries. They dont even give us the usual tests; instead, we simply spend a week sitting in a huge cube thats lined all around the interior in a white metallic plating. There are no visible inscriptions, but a constant stream of frequencies is being sent through the air. From what weve gathered, these frequencies hurt mimics or force them to reveal themselves, and the cube is something theyve designed to reveal even an Elder Mimic. All of this is being done under Champion Owains authority, mostly delegated to his disciple Jareththe lumoran who brought us all here with that fancy sword on his back. There must be a reason they believe this method of mimic detection still works, even after whatever information Leth gave them. Well, it''s mostly a Lumoran problem, but if they struggle to identify mimics, itll make this floor more challenging for us. Though now that I think of it, shouldnt that make the rewards better? Nat, Min-Jae shouts, calling out to me, and so I exit my cubical, one of many placed inside the cube to give us some privacy. What? I ask. Using Sophies and the twins communication link seems to be impossible here, so we talk like... like Easy difficulty scrubs. Did you get the notification about the third wave? he asks. Yup, I say, walking by his side and stretching. It would be nice if we could sit here as long as possible for the highest reward. Really? That would be boring. Plus, at some point, our inactivity will balance out our high wave count and reduce our rewards to shit. Thats true. He stops at our usual spot, and we wait for Maya while stretching. This place also actively disrupts all external mana, so after a week of only being able to do some training inside my body, Im getting very frustrated. Sure, I can form an evil pyramid inside my stomach and do some training while working on other stuff, but there are too many other things I wanted to do. Yes, I leveled up a bit, but this quarantine really, really pisses me off. They also made me get rid of my crown. For a moment it was nice to watch them panic as I simply removed it and let it destabilize before a few lumoran guards combined forces to disperse the mana safely. I think that more than anything made them suspect I''m a mimic more than the others are suspected. They also took Fracture, and damn, I hope that thing eats them alive. Sorry Im late, I was busy, Maya comes running. Bullshit, theres nothing to do, I note. Instead of responding, she turns to Min-Jae and asks. Has he said anything about hoping Fracture would eat the lumorans? Not yet, Min-Jae replies, shaking his head. Yes, yes, I wave it off. Maya smirks gleefully before taking a stance. Min-Jae and I follow suit, dropping into the same stance and then slowly copying her movements. Its something she learned from a lynthari swordmaster on the 4th floor, and modified with techniques she learned from the people of the 6th floor during our six months of separation. She just seems to love picking up all manner of techniques. I would say her fighting style is a mess, a Frankensteins monster of styles she actively works to etch into her muscle memory while relying on her instincts to choose the correct moves in a fight. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. It seems to be something Maya really enjoys. Out of everyone in Group 4, shes the most technical, while most of us act like wild animals relying on our instincts, stats, and skills to pick up the slack. Her way of moving isnt something I truly want to mimic, as I prefer to freestyle, though Ive learned a lot from Whitey too, but Whitey never had any formal teachings; most of his style is just pure aggression and instinct. Still, Im way too bored to do anything but follow her lead, slowly moving my body in time with her demonstration. Working on our footwork, taking smooth movements, and making feints. We even pick up the wooden sticks the lumorans gave us and swing them in sync with Mayas instructions, as if they were big swords like her claymore. Min-Jae seems to enjoy it and hes clearly better at it than me, showing that he and Maya must have made quite the routine of this. As I maintain the "evil pyramid" inside my body and mimic Mayas movements, I find my mind clearing. Biscuit is probably the happiest member of Group 4 at the moment, even after the days weve spent here. Were getting plenty of food and water, and everyones here. No one is leaving him, so he can pick any human he likes to play with at any time. He runs all over the place, he sleeps, he nips at our ankles, andunable to talkhe woofs and barks more often than he ever has before. I watch as he pulls on Lilys hair while she laughs, lying on the ground and giggling, covering her face from his furious attacks. After a while, I look at Izzy sitting next to me. Fragment of Eternal Fire, I say. I still dont know. Izzy, its been at least ten days since you got it; you must know something. I dont know! I didn''t have time to test it! she says almost happily. With a groan, I point at Noodle. You, come here. As instructed, the white snake, about the size of an anaconda and currently unable to change its size, slithers closer and looks at me with its green eyes. What does that thing do? I ask him as well. He looks at me, otherwise unmoving. I also lay back on the ground. What did I even expect? As if sensing a moment of weakness, Biscuit comes rushing over and starts biting at my hair, pulling on it while growling in a terrifying display. Especially given how close to my face he is, I watch him do so and promptly notice the drool hes leaving in my hair. I dont even have the energy to fight back so I just let it happen. Feeling his tugging on my hair, I close my eyes and continue my new training, attempting to expand my [Mana Domain] beyond the borders of my body, even though the effects of this weird cube were in seems to disrupt it. Use minion communication token. Nothing happens. I sigh. Okay, okay, use ten minute Disciple Communication token. The token disappears from my status after I use it. I only have to wait a few minutes for Vega to accept. I expect to hear her voice, but instead, I find myself somewhere else, something like the mental space I share with Whitey. It seems like the dumbass cube cant quite block out the system. Well, obviously. Should I use a Beyond Stay Token to escape it, the consequences and anger of the system be damned? The place I find myself in is entirely white; there isnt a single shape or other color, and even tapping my feet on the ground feels weird, as if I should be falling. Master? I turn around to face the voice. A now likely seven-year-old half-demon girl stands there, her light brown hair still reaching her shoulders, with those short, pointy black horns peeking out from beneath it. Her blood-red eyes match Whiteys. Shes wearing new entirely black clothes and they fit her well. So I wonder, where she stole them? She looks a bit thin, so I ask, Are you eating well, minion? The most powerful shin-kicker I know stands there for a moment, almost awkwardly, but slowly a smile blooms on her face as I open my arms. Laughing happily, she runs closer and stops in front of me, lifting her arms so I can lift her by the waist. She nestles in closer, pressing her head against my chest where my heart is. The familiar feeling of her pointy horns poking the bottom of my chin is there, too. "Your heart grew stronger!" she says happily. "But it''s still my Master''s heart, calm and powerful, with a beautiful rhythm." I improved it a bit, minion, but this is nothing. By the time we meet again, itll be even stronger, and there might be two of them. Two!? she asks, shocked. Is Master a genius!? Her voice sounds so excited, I cant help but smile. After all the logic is simple: what could be better than a single powerful heart? Two powerful hearts, obviously. I bet shes even cursing herself for not realizing it sooner. My minion is just that silly. I might be, minion. People dont always appreciate me as they should. Thats cause theyre dumb, weak, humans! Agreed. She presses her head against my chest more firmly, happily swinging her legs. After listening for a minute, she looks up at me. Are you really going to summon me for the second tournament? I said I would, didnt I? But, minion, the System might not give me the option, so dont consider it a done deal. Okay? Sure! When are we going to be killing the envious guy? We? We! She shakes her head. You are powerful but sometimes very silly! I chose you as my master and follow you because you are strong! And that means your enemies are mine. I see. Well, probably not anytime soon. Who told you about Envy? Carefully, I put her on the ground and sit down, a gesture she returns. That''s his name? Thats so lame. I heard about him from that creepy human woman. She said shes protecting me from him. Greed? Im not sure what you mean! But she did say she was the greediest person ever. How did she look? Red hair and weird yellow eyes. And she didnt have a heartbeat, either. I think its the same sickness most of you humans seem to have. I told you, minion. Humans arent generally born with Demonic Hearts. Yes, because they are sick! Do you know that woman? Yup. You arent surprised. Minion, your master is smart. Hes suspected a lot of things for a while now. Oooh... She opens her mouth wide, then quickly closes it once she realizes it, nodding energetically. "How''s your training going, minion?" I ask, changing the subject. "Very well! Ive also been working hard on unlocking the secrets of the stone you sent me!" "Good. Very good. And how have you been fighting lately?" She tugs at her hair, thinking for a moment. "I use kinetic energy to defend myself and move, and mana to create daggers and make them sharper. Sometimes, I try to disrupt my opponents mana and create mana barriers." "Projectiles?" "Thats too boring! Fighting up close is more fun. I liked the way that scrawny, quiet human fought." "Tacita," I remind her with a nod. "Not a bad way to go about things. And what about your kinetic techniques?" "Wraith Dance is fun, and there are a lot of monsters running away from me right now, so I use it the most to catch them." "What a menace." "Hehe," she grins and moves closer, her big red eyes gleaming as she looks at me. I know shes trying to manipulate me, but I let it happen. She immediately moves even closer, nestling against my chest. She pouts when I tap the tips of her pointy horns with a finger but doesnt pull away. If she were a lynthari, I bet shed be flicking her tail. Checking the timer, we pass the rest of the time in quiet conversation, asking each other questions, most of them are silly, but neither of us seems to mind. Before our time runs out, I take a moment to tell her once more, "Minion, if Im able to summon you during the tournament, theres a high chance the other attendees will be able to summon their disciples as well. Wouldnt it be fun to spar with them?" "I''ll fuck them up!" she declares, her kind smile turning slightly demonic, still happy, but with that underlying aggression all demons seem to possess. "Thats my girl." As the duration of the token ends, I reappear inside the damned cube. Though my mood has improved after the moment distraction with my cute disciple, so I simply get back to training. Chapter 540: Matter of national security A week later another notification pops up. Warning! The 4th wave is now in progress. The only person remaining in the white cube is me. The rest of group 4 has already been let out, likely confirmed not to be mimics. Well, this is getting kinda ridiculous, isnt it? Entering my mental space, I join Whitey, who is now dressed in gray sweatpants and an oversized black hoodie. The kind of clothes you might wear to the gym. And this time I recognize the area around us very well. Were in a grassy field encircled by trees. At its center, within a circular patch of grass, stands a group of 24 demons, all looking visibly shocked and glancing around in bewilderment at their surroundings. Theres also the white-haired demon I couldnt fail to recognize. Hes only a few years younger than the current Whitey. And just like before, he struggles to walk, and his heartbeat is irregular, broken, unlike the rest of the demons here. But the younger Whitey calms down and fixes it as we watch. His heartbeat becomes more controlled and his movement smoother as he forces his body back under control. Then, a wolf steps out from behind the patch of trees. The beasts brown fur is matted with dried blood, its missing an ear, and carries a gruesome scar on its snout. It fixes its unnerving gaze on the shocked demons, eyes glowing with an eerie light. This massive creature is tall enough that its eyes rest at the same height as mine. It growls and takes a menacing step toward the group. A huge, car-sized wolf, with a strange line of text hovering above its head. [Wolf - lvl 2] I sit down to watch the memory, and Whitey sits next to me. How many of you survived the first floor? I ask. Fifteen. Damn, thats more than us. You wouldnt expect a demon to be weaker than a human, would you? He smirks as we watch a group of demons quickly organize and beat the shit out of the wolf, which then tries to escape after barely managing to kill one of them, and getting wounded by the others in the process. They pile on top of it, using kinetic energy, thermal manipulation, even going so far as to use lightning, and gravitational manipulation to damage the poor beast. As the wolf escapes into the forest, a few of the fastest demons follow it with wide grins on their faces. Whitey laughs. Oh, I almost forgot this part. Two out of the four following the wolf will die in the forest. For some reason, I cant help but find that hilarious. Very funny, I confirm. I just find it annoying that the difficulty of the floors seems to stay the same no matter how powerful the races are before the tutorial. Whitey shrugs. So what. There are just a lot of weaker demons and members of the other races that survive this floor because they were stronger than humans before the tutorial. Humans just get culled more. Oh, I say, grasping his logic, so the average level of a human in Beyond or Hell difficulty will generally be higher than the average demon because all the weaker humans died on the 1st floor, while a bunch of sub-par demons survived? I never said that. Humans are pathetic. If a demon loses to one of them, he was weak to begin with. Sure, sure, I deflect, waving him off. For a while, we watch as the group organizes, and a few demons even take to fighting, apparently over who gets to be the leader. The 1st floor Whitey doesnt join any of these fights, which draws a lot of disgust from the usually power-hungry demons who look down on him. But I know how he fights, I know it very well. Out of all the demons there, Whitey is probably the most bloodthirsty, but his condition has also made him patient. I think they must have cleared me of being a mimic for the most part, and now theyre just keeping me in the cube because of you or something like that, I say. It would be fucking funny if they werent able to clear you of being a mimic because of me and killed you over it. His red eyes shine with deep amusement as he watches his younger self. I think it over and end up agreeing. I also think it would be funnyin a twisted, deeply unfortunate way, but funny nonetheless. The 20th day inside the fuckallthelumoransgetmeoutofhere cube finally passes. [Mana Manipulation - lvl 62 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 63] [Mana Domain - lvl 58 > Mana Domain - lvl 59] [Focus - lvl 60 > Focus - lvl 61] [Eclipse - lvl 18 > Eclipse - lvl 19] [Perception - lvl 57 > Perception - lvl 58] If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. [Bone Knitting - lvl 32 > Bone Knitting - lvl 33] There were some level ups, all gained by using skills that can be used inside my body or otherwise directed inward. It is also the day I decide to use stay tokens to go to Beyond. Fuck lumorans. Screw my handlers warning. Id rather deal with the systems anger than wait this out any longer. That also makes me wonder how the floors natives would react to me disappearing like that and then appearing again in a day or two. Part of me thinks theyd notice and burn me at the stake all the while screaming, Witch! or in this case, Mimic! Another part of me thinks the system would probably take care of it somehow. Though, if it did decide to punish me, itd just let them do whatever they wanted. Yeah, that sounds like the system I hate. As I lie on my back in the exact center of the cube, staring at the white metal ceiling, I watch the timer tick down over the next few hours. Thats when I finally hear a voice, an hour and forty-three minutes before I plan to leave for Beyond. Human mercenary Nathaniel. You will follow me now. Just those simple words spoken by Jareth, Champion Owains disciple. For a moment I think about ignoring him, but I stand up and head toward the place where the rest of group 4 exited. The door that had once made itself indistinguishable from the white wall now stands open, and the tall, slim lumoran stands in the opening. Hurry up. Because of you, we had to call in one of the Lord Absolutes disciples to examine you and the Signature Isolation Cube. So dont waste my time as well. So Im not a mimic? Apparently not. Dont ask me for the details; I dont know any and didnt ask for any. I only follow my masters orders. Damn, that guy almost sounds like a reasonable person. Maybe I should be nicer to him. Anyone who avoids the responsibility of thinking as much as he does cant be that bad. Good then. Immediately after I step out, I create a [Mana Crown] over my head and start storing mana. I also reactivate my Restriction Training Emblem, now free of the interference generated by the field, and form two evil pyramids to follow me. I feel an immediate wave of relief. He glances at my display and shakes his head. After a few more steps, he stops and turns to me, taking a more formal pose. Human mercenary Nathaniel Gwyn of the mercenary group Angry Kittens. Due to your achievements, you and your group will be placed deep within our territory for your safety. You are to be granted half a years furlough there. You shall receive a villa to live in comfortably. You will be given resources, within limits, which you may discuss with the lumoran technician to be assigned as your liaison with lumoran forces. You will also receive a monthly allowance at a level proportional to the services you have provided us. I let him talk. There is no one else around, just a few buildings and one tall tower in the distance. All of it is in a valley between two mountains. Jareth continues, For the time being you will not be permitted to leave our planet. Instead, we will reward you in whatever manner you find fair so long as we consider it appropriate, in light of your services. You are not allowed to discuss what happened. Any breach of secrecy will be dealt with severely, as befits matters of national security. You will not be given any more information about what happened, but know that you have rendered a great deal of aid to the entire lumoran race. Even though it wont be publicly celebrated and must remain secret, you have our Lord Absolutes thanks, Champion Owains thanks, and my own as well. Thank you. After that, he lowers his head in a formal bow. He does so without hesitation or shame but nevertheless maintains an air of dignity. There is no fanfare, no one to thank me other than him, and honestly, I dont feel like I truly did all that much. Sure, Leth would never have survived escaping that place on his own. The cold, the abundant mimic spawn, or even the lesser mimics would have killed him, never mind the two Greater Mimics. But hey, Im not going to mention that. Sounds good. How many resources will I get? He starts walking, and I follow him. I assure you, the amount of resources will be adequate, given your substantial contributions. I wont say more because its classified. I see, I see. And my sword? That evil thing? We had a few of our technicians fix the sheath so the forces it contains wouldnt leak out or breakthrough. Weve respected your ownership and did not touch the blade itself. If you have any complaints about the level of interference, please mention it to the head technician, and we will compensate you. Its fine. Just give me some materials. Please discuss that with the head technician or with the technician assigned as your liaison. Sure, I say, giving up and just following him through the seemingly empty base. Part of me wonders if this half a years holiday in their inner territory is just a way to keep us locked down by giving us some luxuries. After everything that happened, I cant believe theyre one hundred percent certain about their mimic-detection methods. We reach a teleportation array inside one of the more highly defended buildings, passing through multiple insulative and protective layers. Even here, I dont see any other lumorans, giving me the impression that they may have been sent away so that they wouldnt see me. Only when we finally get to the array do we meet another lumoran, who activates it without a word. Connecting it to the Champions web with what Im sure is an insanely intricate set of checks. I grab Fracture and my belongings from the table nearby, then we step into the teleportation array. This happens two more times, each array growing more and more fortified, as they send us deeper into lumoran territory. An entire castle is dedicated to this purpose alone. Part of me tries to gauge how far were traveling with each teleport, estimating mana requirements. Hundreds of miles? Thousands? After the last teleport, we continue on foot, running at speeds rivaling race cars. Jareth even has to hold himself back a bit so I dont lose sight of him, even with all the kinetic energy Im using. Its not often I meet someone capable of that kind of speed. Hell, Im sure he would still be faster if I flew while he remained on foot. After a while, he stops and leaves me, but not before pointing out my destination and giving one final warning not to leave the area, which seems to be the size of a small country. From what I can see, theres no obvious spying infrastructure, so Id guess they just have alarms set to alert them in the event that we cross a boundary. Theres also a high chance they put tracking marks on us, which would be more sensible and easier. But overall, I think well have at least some privacy here. After our time in the cube, we definitely need it. I pass between two towering mountains and step into the valley. Rising to the top of a hill, I take in the sights stretched out before me. A massive waterfall thunders down into a wide, clear lake, with a river snaking its way out and carving a path through the valley below. The hills around me are covered in a dense mix of trees swaying gently in the breeze, colorful flowers blanket long stretches of ground, and the green grass shines with a vibrance that almost seems unreal. One hill in particular catches my eye, at its peak lies a huge, polished stone circle, clearly reinforced for sparring. Not far from the lake, a manor comes into view, tucked neatly between the hills. The buildings are simple and made of a sturdy sort of wood, yet the surrounding area only elevates their charm. A number of gardens dot the landscape. The largest one, right at the center, is dominated by a towering tree. Its bark is smooth and white, and its leaves shimmer in shades of yellow and gold, as though the tree itself were bathed in perpetual sunlight. Its a view straight out of a fairy tale. I move closer to the cliffs edge, sit with my legs dangling, and wait. Not long after a mana signature makes itself known to me and its owner appears before me, reaching me with a few nimble jumps, as her sharp canines stand out in her bright smile as she lands at the top of the cliff. Her long white hair contrasts with her golden eyes, while her gray ears and tail add to the striking look. A deep but healed scar runs horizontally across her nose. Long time no see, feral one. Chapter 541: Playground Chapter 541: Playground Little kitten, I greet her. Myrra sits beside me and shoulder-checks me, Not you too, my feral angry kitten. Ive had enough of that nickname. Are you looking for a fight? We can fight if you want. Let our fists do the talking. So uncivilized. Typical lynthari. Go fight Lily. "That petite black-haired girl? Fuck no. I already had a match with her and she hurts herself more with those weird moves of hers than I ever could." Thats our Lily, I nod. Youre early. That tends to happen when the person youre following nearly detonates an entire moon. Damn, who knows how many levels she gained from doing that. She just got me Attendee Status and didnt want to stay there, so we moved sooner. Sounds like a reasonable thing to do. Tutorial attendee, 7th floor, floor quest, crazy lynthari, side quest. I can hear it all now, she says, her tail flicking from side to side. It would seem I still feel the urge to pull it. Im a weak man, truly. Im glad you made it, I say. Ohhh? Is that a hint of genuine emotion? Has the feral one grown accustomed to people? Should I start calling you the tamed one? Yeah, typical lynthari. Ignoring her question, I jump to my feet, and Myrra does the same. As usual, she enjoys being an entire head taller than me. Tsk. Are we gonna fight? she asks, excitement clear in her voice. Have I made you angry? Not really, I say, and jump off the cliff. And Myrra follows close behind. We both start walking slowly along the forests edge. The golden light pierces the leaves and covers us in a shifting cloak of shadows as the branches sway. Does Lissandra know how hard its going to be to escape the tutorial? I ask. Is there anything that woman doesnt know? Myrra snorts, plucking a leaf from one of the trees and sticking it in my hair where it remains. I ignore the leaf and ask again, So she has a plan? Obviously. Nodding, she places another leaf in my hair. And obviously, shes refusing to tell me. If I ask, shell probably make me guess for hours on end before leaving and calling me a fool. I would do the same in her place. Are you really picking a fight, feral one? Fight me if youre not a coward. Ill show you what Ive learned. Later. If you want to beat out your frustration from your months alone with Lissandra, look somewhere else. Damn it, she mutters, deflating. Maybe you really have become the tamed one. The old you would already be going for my throat. Sure he would. So, how did your round of the 6th floor end? She only answers after putting another leaf and two small branches in my hair. We went into the Mana Desert. She tested the Champion there, and he died, so she complained that he was too weak. Then we made our way to a city full of creepy mind mages. She took over the Framework there and complained about how weak they were, same as usual. After that, she did something crazy and truly fucked up to the Framework. Something about an experimental form of mana destabilization, she mentioned forcing the Frameworks spatial locks open, triggering a cascading mana backlash through its core. Something about destabilizing the mana stores and the underlying psychic network, creating a runaway spiral feedback loop that fed on itself until everything ruptured, blah blah. At this, she waves her hand in a vaguely confused gesture. Anyway, then a creepy giant eyeball appeared so she killed it. Then something exploded and it started getting really cold when a lightning spear came out of nowhere and tried to kill us, but Lissandra caught it and threw it back. Then some kind of lightning dwarf woman appeared and tried to kill Lissandra. Portals started opening and the prison guards appeared as well. Feral one, it was a real shitshow. I almost died more times than I can remember. But it was fun all around. As I listen, I can only nod in agreement, it really does sound fun. So you left after that? I ask. Yes. When we got here she noticed your group''s mana signature lingering in the air. Hell, maybe she can smell them or something, so we tracked them here and arrived two days ago. Then we waited for you. Someone told them the lumorans would let you go soon though I wouldnt put it past her to have made that happen. I bet you would have rushed to save me if you thought it was needed, I say. We exit the forest and continue walking next to the river, across a field full of lush green grass swaying in the wind. There are no more leaves to put in my hair, so Myrra starts pulling up grass to place there instead. Are you sure? I think shed probably say you needed to escape on your own or just stay there. I think about it for a while. It does sound like something she would do. Almost out of space in my hair, Myrra starts putting stuff on the crown floating over my head. She plucks the longest blades of grass she can find, ties them together into rings, then hangs them on the pointy parts. Her tail swishing side to side the whole time, her ears perked up. I can see how much fun shes having. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Figuring Ive let her drop her guard enough, and knowing she wont be expecting it, I prepare. When she bends to pick through another patch of grass, I blast her with kinetic energy, sending her flying into the river. Water splashes as she twists in the air, landing on her hands and feet before she jumps up. I half expect her to hiss, with the way her tail bristles straight out. Returning her glare, I slowly remove the leaves, branches, and grass from my hair and crown. Then I straighten up and calmly say, Nya. You feral fuck! she hisses and charges at me. Before she even reaches me, I teleport away through a [Ley Line] I extended toward the villa while we walked, knowing she wouldnt notice. And I know that escaping will only piss her off even more. I arrive in one of the gardens, finding the twins sitting on the ground, as they watch Maya and Lily have a friendly spar. Hey, I say, taking a seat next to them, careful not to interrupt the match. Both Lily and Maya notice me but they keep going, too caught up to stop. Lily has an incredibly tough body, but with her [Compounding], Maya actually seems capable of hurting her. The more she draws blood with her mana weapons, the sharper they get, at least against Lily. Its a sort of temporary buff, probably adjusting the frequency of her weapons to Lilys wavelength or something. Honestly, who knows how high-tier skills like that work? I will need to observe it a bit more, but it really seems strong. Hey, are you betting with us on wholl win? And its nice to see you made it. Of course, we never expected anything different. After all, youre a tough motherfucker to kill, Denis says, smiling broadly. Aaron nods. Really hard to kill. Thats true, I confirm proudly. Im betting on Lily. Is Lissandra around? Well, Maya would be sad to hear we all bet on Lily, Denis smirks. Some time ago, Min-Jae, Sophie, Tess, and Izzy tried to bet on Maya, but even they stopped after a while, hehe. That scary woman came here not that long ago with a sassy lynthari. She insulted everyone she could, left Myrra for us to deal with, and fucked off somewhere, Denis says. His brother is quick to correct him though, She insulted everyone but Biscuit. She just stared at him for a minute and nodded once. What do you think that means, Nat? Hell if I know. But damn if Im not happy to be out of that fucking cube. Having finished her sparring match, Maya walks over, wiping the sweat from her brow. Does your release mean the lumorans are going to step back and let us do our own thing? I wouldnt say so, I shake my head. I dont think theyre entirely sure either; only mostly. So our prison got upgraded from a cube to this golden cage. Well get rewards, materials, and more thanks to my achievements as long as we just sit here. That fucks up our floor performance, Maya grumbles as she sits on the ground. Well probably survive a lot of waves, but as long as we sit around doing nothing, the rewards just wont be all that good. Lily waves at me happily and sits down beside her. What happens if we try to escape? Probably nothing good, I shrug. But I wouldnt worry too much about the rewards. As the waves progress, things will get more dangerous. Eventually, the Lumorans will be forced to focus on their own tasks, leaving us free to act when the difficulty spikes. Plus, theres the tournament to look forward to. They get into an excited conversation, and I find myself thinking about it as well. With the tournament so close, I dont care much about this floor overall. Sure, Im curious about the floors of Hell difficulty. I can level up, learn, and gain a lot here and there, and they do tend to be truly dangerous. But after tasting Beyond and the outside world from the Beyond Quest, I find myself wanting newer and fancier stuff. If youll excuse me, I have someone to talk to, I say, interrupting the conversation as I move to stand. Is she back? Denis asks, looking around nervously. It would seem so, I confirm, leaving with a wave. I make my way toward the waterfalls, crossing the river, the opposing bank, and a calm lake before reaching it. Boosting myself into the air, I make a few leaps and land at the top of the cliff where the water cascades down. And though the sound should be deafening, its unusually quiet here. Lissandra sits on a nearby stone, just like before when I met her on the 5th floor. She looks to be my age, her body built like it was designed for peak human performance. Her hair shines silver, and her unremarkable brown eyes watch me with interest. She no longer carries the dagger made from the flesh and bones of the Saint Absolute, but she retains the pitch black one cast from my mana. A single orb of mana floats next to her, apparently part of her training. Something about that orb is deeply wrong, just looking at it makes my brain ache, even with my mid-grade arcane passive, and Im not even using the full extent of my senses. She glances at the crown above my head, at the evil pyramids I use for training, and Fracture strapped to my waist. Even though I cant feel anything from her, and her eyes look so normal, Im sure she can see right through me. Youre early, I say, sitting down on a nearby boulder. Enter your mental space and speak with that guest of yours, she replies. No greetings, no wasted time. Thats just how she is. I do as told and retreat into my mind. This time I find myself in a childrens playground, and Whitey is wearing casual clothes: a bleached-out black shirt and loose blue shorts. The playground is empty and surrounded by a small park. Theres a merry-go-round in the center, a swing set, and a tunnel. Whitey sits on that small wooden horse attached to a big spring. Yo, I greet him. Yoo, he says back. Whats that bitch doing here? he asks, nodding towards Lissandra. The silver-haired woman ignores his words and sits on a nearby bench. As with everything she does, theres an air of dignity about her. Even in this younger version, it suits her. I dont hesitate for long and sit on the other wooden horse next to Whitey. It looks way too fun not to. After rocking back and forth for a while, Whitey finally addresses her: You cant do anything about me. I know it, you know it, and even that cheating mana-bitch-maniac here knows it. Lissandra nods. I thought maybe I could, but you are too different from Myrra. The only way for you to join Myrra and I would be to overwrite the little pups memories. After that, I could make further modifications until you ended up like us. I told you, Whitey says, turning back to me while continuing to rock on the horse. Not even if we moved him to another attendee and let him take over? I ask her. He came about as a result of your Challenge. In this specific case, he cant be moved or separated from you. I see. Whitey smiles brightly. Damn. I guess I really do have to kill you if I want to live. Chapter 542: Champion′s heart Whitey and I sit together on the playground merry-go-roundthe kind with the disc in the center you spin to make it rotate. Moving slowly at first, then gradually picking up speed when Whitey decides to cheat, adding in his own kinetic energy to make it spin faster. Lissandra is still on the bench nearby, watching us. Do you like this floor? I ask her. Not quite, but it suffices well enough for simple training. Are you not interested in the floor quest, the mimics, and all that? "Ive already spoken with the Mimic Progenitor and the lumoran Absolute. I swore an oath to refrain from acting against either side for the next three months, provided neither sets foot in this valley or the lands surrounding it." I take a moment to process and then simply accept it. Of course, she did something like that. So that means youre already operating at the Absolute level? "People these days... content to name anyone they pass on the street an ''Absolute.'' I am far from such a thing." So why would they listen? I ask, absorbing some of the kinetic energy so that the wheel doesnt break, much to Whiteys disappointment. Lissandra taps on the benchs armrest. "From their perspective, which is incorrect, either one could, in theory, defeat me. Yet, should they act against me, I might align myself with the other side. But while they think they could end me, they still fear Id bring down all their Champions before falling." Do they even have that many Champions left? The mimics just lost six of them, some even had hosts, I ask. Little pup, youve been here for a few weeks and still know nothing about the mimics? Here we go, Whitey smirks using my distraction to leap off the wheel and move over to the swings. I let the wheel keep spinning, regaining sight of Lissandra once each rotation. I was busy, I tell her. "Of course you were." She leans back on the bench. "The Progenitor Mimic, as you surely know, cannot create an infinite number of mimics. It is also the only mimic incapable of taking a host, while it maintains a sort of hive-mind connection with all the others. The stronger these mimics are, the more powerful their connection to the Progenitor becomes." So where is it getting so many Champion grade mimics? "There are a few possibilities, but simply put: it can "raise" its mimics to that rank, but they must fight and level to achieve it. This Progenitor seems to be fairly old. Its likely that its traversed a few worlds already, either laying them to ruin and moving on or fleeing them. Going by the strength of its mimics, however, it is not terribly ancient." So it travels from planet to planet, strengthening its kin and building up its numbers. Yes. But with all that bullshit, taking over hosts and staying hidden, that seems like itd be really bad. "Only if the defending Absolute falters, as the lumoran one did. Under his negligence, the Progenitor Mimic managed to infiltrate this place and construct a stable teleportation node." So youre saying that either the Progenitor Mimic found some Coordinates and broke through whatever planetary defenses this place had, then started summoning others, or it crashed here after hitching a ride on a meteor or something. Very likely. The wheel finally stops spinning, and I turn it a bit further so that I wind up facing Lissandra. Off to my right, I hear the swing rocking and see Whiteys legs in my peripheral vision as he swings. "With all these improvements and their ability to adapt to detection methods, how do you ensure you get rid of all the mimics once the war is over?" I ask. "Once it reaches the stage it has here, it becomes near impossible. You would need either a specialized Absolute to confirm or, more likely, intervention by a Ruler to be entirely certain. Without either, the neighboring coalition of planets might very well decide to destroy yours outright as a precaution. That is likely what happened here in the first place." Kaboom, Whitey shouts happily. Yes, yes, kaboom, I reply. Then I jump off the wheel and sit back on my wooden horse, which is closer to Lissandra. So that means the war between the Lumorans and the mimics will likely intensify. What makes you think so? She watches me with interest. Well, after three months, they probably think youll interfere, and they dont know which side youll join, so theyll try to finish it before then. For a fleeting moment, she smiles and nods. Or they might bunker up, prepare, and try to get me on their side by any means possible. I dont think they will. Why? You probably told them not to annoy you, or youd join the other side. Sounds like something that silver haired cockroach would do, from what Ive seen in your memories, Whitey laughs, swiftly skipping closer. He meets Lissandras gaze easily as he sits on the bench beside her. What? Do you think Im scared of you, human? I know about you from his memories and I dont give a shit; at worst you can- Unable to finish, he crumples onto the ground, mouth wide open, body twisted in a painful spasm. Yet he makes no sound, no screams escape his lips. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Some people have to learn the hard way, I guess. Did you get that Champions heart from the pyramid for me? I ask. What do you think? Probably, but that leaves the question of whether you think I deserve it. "If you haven''t improved, it will be of no use to you, so merely seeing whether you can use it will serve as a test in itself. You will find it after we finish here." Weve spent a lot of time thinking about it, and were already prepared for the surgery. Im sure something will go wrong, but I should be able to survive a few small screw-ups. Well need to place limiters on it though and remove them over time so it doesnt fry me immediately. Do whatever you want, little pup. She stands and moves over to Whitey, prodding him with the toe of her shoe. Im very well acquainted with demons. I have faced your Absolutes many times and often had the misfortune of dealing with them." She drops into a squat so she can look into his eyes, grabbing his horns to force him to face her. I recognize your talent and the effort youve put in, but I dont appreciate the tone youve taken with me. And dont mistake my silence for permission. After that, she lets go and disappears. Only then does Whitey slowly begin to move, pulling himself up and onto the bench with a long, painful, sigh. For a minute he sits there with his eyes closed as I continue to sense the pulses of contractions rippling through his body. That bitch is crazy crazy, he says simply. Rocking forth and back on my wooden horse, I nod. When I leave my mind space after fighting Whitey, LissLiss isnt anywhere to be seen. Instead, I awaken to find a human heart being chucked into the dirt at my feet. Its the Heart of the Champion Laten from the 5th floora man who once had command over thermal energy and the capacity to convert the force of his planets largest magma chamber into mana. What a legend. If I recall correctly, people thought he might have had the potential to become the next Absolute of that planet. However, his planet ultimately fell to the Veil, a creation born from the tortured remains of the powerful beast they used as its core. I pick up the heart and try to clean off the dirt, but the moment I touch it, it falls from my hand much to my surprise. Why? I glance at my handits gone. Charred flesh marks the stump where it disappeared, and the burn continues to spread. I feel the intense heat and quickly cut off my arm at the elbow. The limb drops to the ground and burns. Interesting. Why doesnt the ground around the heart burn? I squat in front of it and create a stick of mana to poke at the heart. It instantly evaporates under the sheer force of the hearts heat. So it reacts to mana? But doesnt that mean it should be reacting to the ambient mana in the air? Or is there some limit? Over the next hour, I try picking it up with no success. The heart just lies there in the dirt, beating slowly. I still remember the effect it had on that pool of molten metal and the pyramid as a whole, the heat waves it sent through everything. The fact it only reacts to my touch now probably means Lissandra did something to it, at least partially sealing it. Well, this is going to take a while. Myrra squawks and leaps into the air, her tail stiff recoiling from the burn on her hand, the one she got trying to poke the heart on the ground. Sophie stares at her, almost in disbelief. Didnt she study under that woman she arrived with? Curiosity killed the cat, I say. Fuck off, feral one, Myrra snarls before licking her hand and heading over to Lily. She pokes our healer and extends her burned palm. Lily smiles and heals it. Myrra ruffles her hair in thanks, then rushes back to the heart, studying it more closely. Didnt Lissandra show it to you? I ask Myrra. She just stored it in some box and wouldnt let me see what it was. She said if I wanted a look, I had to get into the box, but I couldnt. Everyone in Group 4 is here. Sophie, Lily, and the twins are all standing over the heart with me. The rest have gathered as well, to do their own things nearby. Tess and Maya are up on the cliff, breaking trees and building a large fire. Theyre setting logs on the ground for us to sit on. Tonight theres no manabloc furniture or thermal pyramids for lighting, just a good old-fashioned cookout with the food weve collected. We could probably move it if we just dug up the entire chunk of ground its lying on, Sophie suggests. I nod. Wanna bet wed burn the house down in the process? Its better to do it here; the weather is nice, after all. Dennis asks, Do you think we can finish it before the tournament? It doesnt look like its going to be easy. Its fine. The heart is for me, so Ill do most of the prep. You can all continue with your own training. I looked it over, and Lissandra did create a base for me to build on. I can use that base to create a set of seals to lessen the hearts output, and theyll only improve once I connect them to the construct I intend to form inside my body. Couldnt that woman do it? It would save us a lot of time, Sophie says, backing away from the heart. She then manipulates a thread of water and splashes Izzy with it. Myrra laughs at Sophies question. It would seem that she knows Lissandra as well as I do. Thats not how Lissandra thinks. Shed rather just chuck it into my chest and watch me either survive and get stronger in the process or die, I say. Izzy, who just got splashed with cold water, flings Noodle at her sister. Surprised Noodle, currently about the length of my forearm, flies through the air before swelling up to the size of an anaconda and landing on Sophie. Sophie falls down laughing, and Izzy charges in, splashing her with water of her own from a nearby stream. Biscuit is there too, nipping at Sophies legs. Myrra watches everything with her cat-like yellow eyes wide, the tips of her ears twitching. Noodle slithers away from the scuffle and moves toward me. I give him permission, and he shrinks before worming his way into my shirt sleeve to hide. Do you want to start preparing the heart or work on fixing the Fracture first? Dennis asks. "Why not both? Besides, Ill need to modify my current Thermokinetic Mana Heart so that it only generates kinetic energy and mana. That alone should increase my kinetic output. Ill also have to consider what Im going to do with the Vortex Core. Maybe Ill remove it entirely and try out some other ideas Ive been mulling over." "Yeah, because having a second heart that could incinerate you with a single beat isnt terrifying enough," Sophie remarks, gently nudging Biscuit aside. "Sophie, this is important. Third Floor Nathaniel created a Kinetic Mana Heart, even though it almost blew him up in the end. I cant let myself fall behind." I turn my attention back to the heart. It rests in the dirt, beating steadily. Even sealed as it is, it continues to radiate a heat that warns me against getting too close. Its a cute, if dangerous little thing, quiet for now, but brimming with the potential to go horribly wrong. And Im all for it. Chapter 543: Waves Tess sits across from me with her legs crossed while I work on the logic core connected to Fracture. Were sitting on top of the hill near the Champions heart, which still hasnt been moved, while the rest of the group goes about their own tasks somewhere in the valley. Myrra is probably annoying everyone she can now that she has some freedom, while Lissandra is... somewhere. My knowledge of the logic core has increased a lot, and Sophies helped with that as well by performing her own experiments with some help from Blackie, and shared what she learned. Still, even though Im sure I could do something pretty impressive right now, Im not in a hurry. I think the logic core can help a lot, hell, it could make a lot of things easier. But at the same time, its just an item, a crutch. I would even call it a shortcut, so Im cautious about applying or using it. Overrelying on it could slow my skill growth and stunt mastery over my abilities. Theres a place for it, yes, but it needs to be used with care. My ultimate goal is to build something similar to the logic core within my mind. The arrays and structures Im storing in my head, ready to deploy, are the first step. If I can make them automatically react to stimuli after I deploy them, that would be perfect. Theres also the possibility of using mana threads to form inscriptions in the air and activating them that way, almost like some kind of rune magic. Ever since that creepy eye thing used it, Ive been trying to figure out how to apply it quickly and expand on it. Right now Im focused on activating that anti flight inscription faster and Im eager to test out some theories later. How many Champions do you think the lumorans have? Tess asks out of nowhere. Separating part of my mind for conversation, I answer, I always thought the planet would have around ten to twenty Champions, possibly more if it went through a few pairings or turned out to be on the older end of the scale. Or possibly fewer if some Champions died during pairing, Tess notes. Thats true, I agree. But for the lumorans? Id say probably around ten, though I dont think theyll tell us. The Mimics probably have more, but a lot of those are Elder Mimics without a host, so they should be weaker than the average lumoran Champion. I have a similar estimate, Tess says, and I also have a theory about the waves. Want to hear it? Tess, you know me. Of course, I do. She smiles briefly and moves her blonde hair out of her face. A Progenitor Mimic somehow got to the planet. It started building the portal without the lumoran Absolute noticing. It summoned a few Mimics, trying not to use too much mana, then sent them off to cause chaos. After that, it grew bolder, summoned a bigger wave, and the war began. Since the planet it destroyed last time served as its base or prison if you prefer, and for the moment its holding back from the front, each activation consumes a significant amount of mana or energy and requires a recharge afterward. Thats what the waves are: each one signifies more Mimics entering this planet. Lissandra basically told me as much, but you? You got information from her and didnt tell me? Look... I forgot. She gave me the heart and then I had to take some time to play with it. Terrible, she says, though she still has a smile still quirking at the corner of her lips. Unlike you, I actually have to spend my time gathering information, after all, I dont have The Ancient Monster feeding it to me. You can ask her if you want. Im sure shell answer ALL your questions. So, do you think that the waves will stop when we go to the tournament? Surviving them is the main objective of the floor. Yes. Once we all leave, the system will probably just pause the floor. Tess says, experimentally launching a small burst of red and white lightning at the heart, but even though it touches, nothing happens. Warning! The 6th wave is now in progress. There goes another one, Tess says, pulling her legs closer and covering her mouth as she yawns. And here we are, sitting in this beautiful valley in a bubble of safety while the war rages all around us. Just enjoy it, prepare for the tournament, and try to annoy Lissandra. If youre ever training in front of her, make some mistakes. Shell know what youre trying to do but still get annoyed and give you a pointer or two. Hearing that, Tess nods and stands up in one smooth motion. Saying she promised to spar with Min-Jae she waves and jumps off the cliff, lightning trailing behind her as she decides to jump and run instead of simply flying. Left to my own devices, I go back to working on the logic core and preparing the Fracture for the fixes we plan to implement in the coming days. Some time ago, I thought I could use the logic core to help me control Fracture more easily. But Ive changed my mind. I think I can use it to increase the swords output. The difficulty of handling will increase, and so will the damage I take. But if you get hurt just holding your own weapon, imagine what it could do to anyone on the opposing side. The following day, I find myself once again sitting next to the heart all on my own, when Lissandra appears at my side. She grabs the heart, examines a few of the small changes I made, then chucks it back into the dirt. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. I know its the heart of a Champion, and even though hes long dead, the heart is still beating, so it has to be extremely durable. But I cant help twitching each time I see that. Which Empyrean skill have you acquired? she asks. Of course, she noticed. I wonder what kind of senses shes using to learn all this. I look up from the Fracture. [Empyrean Lance]. She nods. Try leveling it as much as possible and keep observing how it affects other skills and mana. Dont over-rely on it. As always. Good. Empyrean skills can be very useful in some situations, but there are others where theyre almost useless because of their nature. Same as black mana, I say. ...Do you really still call it black mana? No one ever bothered to tell me its real name. I think you promised to once, but then forgot. Its not that important anyway. Sure its not... You just like to annoy me. So what are you doing these days? We barely see you. "I spent more than six months with that little kitten. I believe I''ve earned a measure of rest." Oh, so were part of your nursery now? It seems like she got to you as well. But I can understand that. You cannot. Oh, the sheer horror. Do you know who Greed is? She tilts her head slightly. Little pup, Ive been aware of her identity since the moment you fled from me on the third floor, tail tucked between your legs. The good old days, when we could still push you around and maybe beat your ass if we really tried. Do not kid yourself, little pup. But Im curious. How do you feel about Greed being her? She doesnt answer, just watches me with an impenetrable expression. With no other choice, I turn back to the Fracture. Another part of me continues working on the construct, occasionally examining the heart and adapting my plans. Have you heard of the Parallax Eyes? I ask instead after a while. A little, yes. I believe its Warden was some ancient velnar on the verge of death, if I remember correctly someone from his bloodline will inherit them. Of course, that likely occurred thousands of years ago. As you know, my information isnt exactly up to date. Yeah, do you have any idea what it does? I went on a Beyond quest and met a guy who has them, Kyralon. Its a thrice strengthened high-grade trait, further evolved as it was passed down through the bloodline. As for its functionlayered perception taken to its absolute peak, likely paired with the ability to observe things across vast distances. Little pup, dont trouble yourself with such trivialities. Traits, passives, classes, in the grand scheme, none of it truly matters. I know, and I agree, but Im curious. I have Mana Wavelength Iris and Mana Physique. Are they good traits? Enough to make you a target ripe for kidnapping and use as a stud slave, should someone desire. After multiple strengthenings, even your eyes or lifeless body could become a prized asset for experimentation. I would have thought people at that level could simply create constructs to mimic those traits. Lissandra, seemingly bored, creates another orb, one I cant even stand to look at, and replies, Traits can be inherited; constructs, almost never. While the system manages traits, adjusting them to your body as you grow stronger and acquire strengthenings or passives, constructs demand manual effort. Without a specialized skill set to ease the process, its rarely worth the effort. There are also many risks involved in doing so. I activate my eyes for a moment and look at one of her orbs. The world reels in reverse, and I barely manage to raise my hand in front of me before I slam into the ground. Everything is spinning, and I notice bleeding in my brain before I activate one of Lilys healing marks. It takes five minutes before I find myself in a state where I can move again, and I sit back up. Lissandra is still across from me, observing the entire time. Overall, would you say traits are stronger than your man-made constructs? I ask. She answers calmly, her voice carrying the weight of experience. "It depends on the strength of your trait. Tampering with your own constructs invites errors, with a very real risk of upsetting the balance of your traits and other workings of the system. In the end, you may find yourself with a lesser trait, jeopardizing your future growth in exchange. Sometimes, the consequences are even more severe. I see. I brace myself, activate my eyes to a lower degree, and glance at that orb again. The same thing happens, but this time it takes ten minutes for me to recover because I looked at it for longer. When I look back up, shes gone, leaving the orb behind. I can tell its a modified version that wont knock me out the moment I look at it, close, but not immediately. It seems like the evil orb got its 2.0 upgrade. Lets see if I can take it further and apply it to my pyramids. The next day, our contact appears: a lumoran woman I quickly identify as a potential Champion. Unlike most Lumorans, she doesnt have many crystalline features growing from her black skin, just a diamond-shaped white crystal in the middle of her forehead. However, her right arm and a large part of her shoulder are entirely made of the same crystal that most lumorans usually spread out. Purple mana swirls inside, bouncing and pausing as if it were a living thing. I emerge from the manor just in time to hear Myrra listing off requests. So, as I said, shampoo and conditioner that a lynthari could use. I dont want any of that stuff for animals. My tail and ears are all itchy from using it. Also, some clothes suitable for my height. Everything I have right now is baggy and small, and dont forget to have them modified for my tail. And some decent food. Do you have fish or fish monsters? Not some year-old normal animals, their meat tastes like paste. Oh, and for the clothes, I prefer pale or pastel colors. No jewelry. And I need a bed, a taller one. A bathtub too. And... She continues for a while. The lumoran Champion, surprisingly, takes it all in stride, writing everything down and occasionally confirming details with Myrra. I would have expected theyd send someone of a lower level, but it also makes sense to send a Champion, if only because of The Ancient Cockroach lurking somewhere in our midst. I shamelessly ask for some materials too, figuring I can probably push my luck due to the Cockroachs presence. And everyone else puts in their own requests, so she gets quite the barrage. Before leaving, the lumoran Champion smiles at us gently. Please, pass this along to Lady Lissandra. There are no expectations tied to it, its just a show of our goodwill. She pulls a simple wooden box out of her bag and carefully hands it to Tess, who accepts it and promises to pass it on to Lissandra. After that, the lumoran departs, assuring us shell return in a few days with the items weve requested. Chapter 544: Just for a few hours Chapter 544: Just for a few hours After hours of trying to open the box, I finally give up. Sophie takes her turn, but she gives up too. For now. The twins keep at it, trying to figure out how to open this wooden box with nothing even resembling a keyhole. I head back to the terrace, the one set in the shade of that huge tree. The moment I take my seat on the couch, Myrra jumps up next to me and lies down, resting her head in my lap. What are you doing? I ask. In response she just smiles brightly and settles in comfortably. So I drop the mana stone in my hand, letting it fall on her head. She curses, moves away, then decides to lie down once more, lying her legs across mine as she complains. Im bored. Hello, bored. Im Nathaniel. What? You wouldnt understand. Thats ok! I understand what youre trying to say, Nat! Lily shouts, joining us and taking a seat on the couch just opposite. And even though shes smiling, her eyes are cold. Very cold, as she takes note of Myrras legs resting in my lap, then back at the white-haired lynthari. Myrra, do you want to spar with me if youre so bored? Lily asks her. Hell no! Ill hold back, I promise. For some reason, Im starting to think Im the only person you dont hold back against. Thats not true! I just like sparring with you. I chime in, Arent you ashamed, Myrra? You trained under Lissandra for months and still cant beat Lily in melee combat. And can you, feral one? Ten out of ten times? I choose to exercise my right to remain silent. Myrra smiles victoriously and kicks me derisively. I thought so. I could use my Aurora Glass and take things more seriously, but Lady Lissandra wont let me at the moment. Some kind of training? I ask. Yes. She made an inscription for me, and I have to maintain concentration for the purpose of training with Aurora Glass. All the time. So she was the one who declared you a candidate? Youre curious, arent you, feral one? Myrra grins, showing her fangs. Im not a fake Champion candidate anymore, Lissandra gave me a true declaration, apparently because Im good enough. I swear, its like she thinks shell lose a thousand points of mana any time she compliments someone. But shes massively powerful, right? Doesnt that make it seem a bit more reasonable? Lily asks. I shrug. You can only say that because she seems to like you and your combination of skills. Did she give you any more pointers? Yes! She had a few ideas for improving my footwork after she saw me trying to mimic yours. Shes incredibly good at close-range combat, Nat. She didnt insult you, Lily? She did, a lot! Okay, I was worried for a second. So what are you working on these days? Hows your ax and mantle? Hmm, Id say my ax is more or less done, and Ill just strengthen it as I grow. Im also training with my mantle, so dont worry. But Sophie asked if it was possible to grow an entire body similar to mine, strength, durability, all of it. Though perhaps without the head. Let me guess: you dont have the mental skills to control it the same way my sister ?s Avatar did during the tournament, and itd be for Sophie instead? Yes! Im terrible at that. But Sophie might be able to use it to defend herself, or maybe Blackie would. Sophie says my body is stupidly strong, which is why she asked me. I experimented with it a bit, but its difficult. Even if I cut parts off my body and reattach them, they degrade over time. The body weakens, and it still seems to count as mine, so its hard for Sophie to control. She can do it, but theres resistance. Feral one, you have a sister? Myrra perks up, straightening her posture and poking me with her feet in an attempt to get my attention. Yes, I do. Youll probably meet her during the tournament. How is she? She doesnt like cats, I reply and turn back to Lily. Theoretically, you could create a body in your own image and then gradually adjust it to look like anyone you want, right? Make it gigantic, give it eight arms, or four legs. That kind of thing? I could. Even now, I can change my height, facial features, figureanything I want. Lily responds, staring at me the whole time. I could swear shes even blushing a little. That could be really useful for sneak attacks, to take the form of someone else. You would probably need a better handle on your mana to mimic their signature but in my opinion, its better than invisibility or that phantom bullshit. Yes... yes, for that! Myrra lifts her legs and swings them over, leaping to her feet. Wow, thats just sad. I cant watch this anymore. Feral one, where is Maya? She asked me not to tell you if you came looking for her. If you tell me, Ill leave you alone for the day. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. I quickly point out her direction, and Myrra excitedly wanders off to meet her new favorite sparring partner. The moment shes gone, I check to make sure, then nod, and Lily smiles brightly. What was with the shy act and talk about changing your figure and body? I ask. Lily just keeps smiling and shakes her head. Look, it worked, she left to annoy someone else. Myrra always gets super annoyed when I act that way. But I didn''t lie: I really can change how I look. I know. You think I havent noticed those small tweaks youve been making? Its like a tiny bit of makeup! What woman wouldnt want to look pretty? Even Lissandra! She could make herself just a bit younger, but instead, she looks like shes in her twenties with the body of an Olympic athlete. Its that much? Shes super pretty! Obviously, you wouldnt notice. Maybe you would if she were made of mana or something. I start to argue but stop. How would a body made entirely of mana work, anyway? Wouldnt my Mana Physique be the first step toward that? Hmm, would I be pale blue like mana, or would I look like my current body? For example, were made of around 60% water, But were not clear like water. Would a body composed of 60% mana look similar? Are you sure we dont need Sophie? Lily asks, reaching out her hand. I place my hand in hers, and she holds it. I dont think we need her for this step. Im just making preparations for the heart. Ill probably mess up a lot, so thanks in advance for all the healing. Its fine! I still have a few of your arms with me, so I can [Sacrifice] them if I need to. Good. Lets start. A few days later, Im watching as the twins and Min-Jae keep trying to open the box the lumoran Champion left for Lissandra. Theyve made multiple attempts without damaging it, and theres even been some progress: like noticing a set of almost invisible grooves even Lily could only feel with her fingertips, weird barely perceptible shifts in weight Min-Jae picked up on, and a set of patterns that only appear at the right mana frequency. Overall, its safe to say everyones curious about the thing and has tried opening it a few times. Something occurs to me. Werent we supposed to give that to Lissandra? Min-Jae looks up from the box, and Dennis takes the chance to snatch it from him, shaking it next to his ear. We did give it to her while you were knocked out after nearly blowing yourself up while preparing your chest for that new heart, Min-Jae says. Im sure it wasnt that bad. So Lissandra didnt want the box? Lily said most of your torso exploded into exposed ribs and spine, the only other thing left was a barrier around your heartthe rest was just gone. Lissandra took the box, opened it, then closed it right away and tossed it aside, telling us to play with it. Dennis complains before I can react, How the hell did she open it so fast? And I bet theres something good inside. We might even be allowed to keep it, seeing how she just threw it away without taking it. Are you sure it wasn''t just a message, or that she didnt just take the contents first? I ask. All three boys freeze, looking at each other. I glance around, making sure Lissandra isnt there, and gesture for Min-Jae and the twins to come closer. I whisper, Lily told me that the girls were asking the lumoran Champion for swimsuits, even something for me and you guys? Beach episode! Aaron calls out with a grin, while his brother nods vigorously. What the... never mind. I shake my head. So she wasnt joking? Min-Jaes expression is solemn as he looks at me. It was Mayas idea at first. Myrra got excited to do something new, and Izzy got Sophie to join in. Then they roped in everyone else and made plans to take a few hours off and sunbathe by the lake. Though Sophie has to reshape part of the bank into a sandy beach and create some kind of field to intensify the light. Weirdos, all of them. Forget it. Min-Jae, you mentioned wanting to test some of the higher-density mana orbs I wove together, so I prepared five types for you. Each one has a slightly different density to help balance the weight, the resistance of my mana, and your control skills. You cant eat that, I tell Noodle, whos begun moving suspiciously close to the Champions heart still lying up there at the top of the cliff. The pearl-white snake looks at me with its green eyes and hisses. At the same moment, purple, green, and blue flames flicker across its scales. I was joking, I know you wouldnt eat it. And youre such a show-off. Come here. I gesture for him to approach. He expands in size until his body is as thick as my leg, bringing his head level with mine. This is a new version I made based on the others you liked. I open my hand and let a golf ballCsized mana orb float out into the air. Noodle opens his mouth and gulps it down. I see it moving inside him through the shifting of his scales and muscles. He takes a moment, then nods three times in quick succession. Oh? That tasty? I reach out, and he nudges his head against my palm so I can pet him. His scales feel surprisingly smooth, cold, and extremely durable, but every so often I still feel a warm pulse running through them. I turn to Izzy, whos apparently decided to visit me as well, yawning and blinking as though ready to fall asleep. Izzy, you must realize how my curiosity is killing me. Tell me more about your Fragment of Eternal Fire. She slowly opens her eyes, yawning again, and I gesture for her to come closer. As she does, she leans against my side with a grateful sigh and closes her eyes. Its a fragment... of fire... that burns eternally, she says. So funny, I say, pulling on her ear. And? I tried to get more information from Lissandra, like you told me. I even acted all cute. But all she told me was that its similar to the Primordial energies and that it existed long before the system. But whats the fragment part about? Did the eternal fire shatter into pieces a person could pick up? Does the flame burn and create sparks that become fragments? How, why, when? Nat, she whispers. As always, shes connected to my emotionsat least the surface ones, which I allow. What? Its okay to take a break. Just turn your brain off for a few hours. Do nothing. Tease Myrra. Goof off with the boys. Talk to Tess or let Lily invite you out on a walk. Be as silly as you want, she says, patting my forearm with her small hand. Or just hang out in your room and stare at the ceiling. Who put that idea in your head? Tess. She really wants you to join us tomorrow at the lake, and she knows youre probably planning to sneak off and train. But Im worried too, youve felt really tense lately, especially with all the training you do. Its like you think you need to keep running without ever taking a break. I can tell. "It''s fine." "I know it is. But it could be finer. Its just a few hours, Dumbthaniel. The others struggle with watching you train all the time, so they try to keep the same pace, but I can see how much it weighs on them. So please, its just for a few hours." "I will think about it." "That''s all I ask," Izzy says, her eyes still closed, smiling softly before nestling in closer and slowly drifting off to sleep. Chapter 545: Beach Episode I forcefully stop myself from training and let my mind rest. The orbs I was using for practice disappear, and I deactivate my Restrictive Training Emblem. I even reduce the effort Ive been putting into Mana Cycling. It all becomes so eerily still. So strangely quiet. Once again, I check the clock on the wall and close my eyes, lying on my bed for a while longer. Only then do I stand up and change into a pair of black swimming trunks. They fit perfectly, ending just above my knees. Theyre very comfortable and fit so well that Im almost afraid to ask where they got my measurements not to mention how. Glancing at the mirror, I throw on a loose shirt before heading outside. The manor is already empty, and its a nice, quiet day. It isnt very hot, but Ive overheard Sophie and the others making plans to create some kind of effect over the lake to intensify the light, making it stronger and warmeralmost like a true summer. Theyve even been discussing different ways they could add a slight breeze. Looking at the mana web over the lake and the way the light is interacting with it, its safe to say theyve succeeded. It feels almost alien as I walk slowly to the lake about half a mile away. I dont use kinetic energy to fly, nor do I run or teleport. I just walk at the speed I once did back on Earth. Inside the tutorial. Here, on the surface of a planet that is just as likely to be destroyed by the mimics, or those responsible for stopping them. A planet where war rages even at this moment. But there are no signs of war here. The suns rays are warm; the breeze is calming and cool. The grass and the leaves sway in the wind. The memory of Champion Feroys recent death feels so distant now, almost unreal. Its so melancholic. He died, and yet there are countless people living here who never met him, never even knew he existed. Just over a month after his death, here we are, taking a day to sunbathe and blow off some steam. And he wasnt the only one. A lot of people died just the same as he did. I dont even use my senses as I pass under the trees. I dont try to read mana or sense vibrations of kinetic energy or heat signatures. Its interesting how, in just two years, Ive gotten used to all these things. I wonder what Ill be like after the tutorial. In ten years? Twenty? A hundred? I push those thoughts away as I begin to hear voices, leaving the patch of trees with a clear view of the lake. The temperature increases immediately. I wonder if they havent made it hot enough to boil a normal human alive. I thought you were just going to keep training? Tess greets me first, walking ahead. Shes changed her hair again, as is her custom. This time she wears it tied back at the top of her head, and dressed herself in a light yellow bikini. I decided this would be good training for my mental resistance with so many people screaming all over the place. Oh, you did? she smiles. Ill be glad to help you then. Together, we head toward the sandy bank only for Tess to take off running towards the water. Part of me wants to start picking apart the methods Sophie used to create all of this, but I stop those thoughts in their tracks. Instead, I remove my shirt and lie back on the sand, and close my eyes against the bright sun. The warmth on my body is pleasant, and soon enough, I hear sniffling next to my ear. Then Biscuit licks my face before running off to do something else. I can hear the twins and Maya talking about the best way to cook some meat theyve managed to get hold of. Min-Jae asks Sophie if she can make the drinks any colder. Izzy uses her enhanced stats to leap as high as she can into the air before landing in the water with a huge splash, laughing in excitement each time. Feral one, I hear Myrra whisper, taking a seat next to me. What? I ask without opening my eyes. Theres a dangerous predator eyeing you, she continues quietly. Im sure there are no monsters around. Its something worse. I can hear the smile in her voice, and I feel sand on my body as she starts piling it on me. Dont worry, Ill hide you, feral one. She continues covering my legs, chest, and shoulders with the sand. Are you having fun, Myrra? A lot, feral one. Even Lady Lissandras taken a moment to slack off somewhere, so why shouldnt I, just for a bit? That little human, Isabella, told me as much herself. She might be scarier than any of youafter Tess. Are all human girls like that? Why Tess? Shes always watching and looking right through people. She adapts her behavior to fit each person, but it never feels fake or like shes putting on a mask. Theres a raw, untamed purity to her, reminiscent of the noble Champions and Absolutes from stories. A queen. A leader. Someone who judges, rewards, and punishes, a person totally unafraid to make the hard choices. What about me? You? Youre feral. At first, I thought you may have been tamed, that perhaps your group was making you weaker. But? But I was wrong. I think youre far more feral than before. You just control it better, and thats scarier. I give it some thought, but I cant imagine being too scary when my head is the only thing poking out of the sand Myrras piled on top of me. I open my eyes to meet her gaze and see her typical fanged smile. Unsurprisingly, shes also wearing a bikini of her ownblack this time. She notices me looking and strikes a pose, emphasizing her figure. What do you think? My beauty was well-known in Virelia. Many would have fallen at my feet with the merest of glances. As thanks for protecting me from a dangerous predator, Ill say you look pretty. Thats certainly more than I expected from you, feral one. She chuckles, patting the sand on my chest before rushing off to browse the nearby table of food. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. I sit up, letting the sand slide off my chest slide, and watch as Min-Jae creates some sort of field around his part of the bank and the lake to help the others jump higher than normal. The field doesnt extend very far though, so they still land at normal speed, plunging into the water with shouts of joy before swimming back to shore. As I stand the twins rush over, one striding up on either side of me and pulling me over to the table. Theyre wearing swim trunks like mine but theirs are blue. I think the twins are around nineteen now, and I notice theyve grown taller. Their bodies are slim, but like everyone here, theres defined muscle. Unlike me though, their skin isnt pale. With their blond hair, blue eyes, and facial features, theyre undeniably handsomemaybe not to the point where you want to punch them on sight, like Channeler, but still. Min-Jae joins us soon, and they start taking an assortment of meat from the table, grilling them on some kind of contraption theyve made. Theyre using no skills, just charcoal. They dont even use magic to light the grill. Help us, Nat, Dennis pleads. We said wed prepare the meat, but weve either burned it all or left it raw inside. Why ask me? I dont know any more than you do. You cant be worse than we are, and you said you made the best pizza ever for your disciple. Thats true, I admit, looking at the pot theyve rigged up with a grill. Arent the coals supposed to turn white before you put anything on the grill? We thought so too, Aaron sighs, but we burned everything. Min-Jae folds his arms across his chest and proceeds to flex his arms in a fashion that looks deeply uncomfortable. I think the problem is that this is high level animal meat, and the coal isnt normal. It needs to burn at a higher temperature to even affect the meat, so I dont think Earths knowledge will help us. I look around, trying to figure out why he might be so tense. Nearby, I spot Sophie and Maya sitting with Izzy, eating some sort of chilled fruit. Mayas wearing a white bikini, while Izzy and Sophie have dressed themselves in a set of modest pale green swimsuits. Mayas gaze sweeps over me dramatically, lingering as it moves from my stomach to my chest. She then winks at me and licks her lips, causing Izzy to giggle and Sophie to scold her, telling her to stop corrupting her younger sister. I shake my head before facing the boys again, focusing on their conversation. Then why the fuck did you tell the girls we could do it? Dennis demands. Min-Jae hisses quietly, Keep it down. Their hearing is sharper than it was on Earth. Well, sorry for ruining your reputation. And why are you sticking your chest out like that? You aren''t a girl, no ones staring at your tits! Shut up, Dennis. Theyre called pecs! Yeah? They didnt help you last time we sparred, you still got wrecked! I only lost because we werent going all out. Id kill you otherwise! You couldnt even locate my real body! I exchange a look with Aaron, who seems to be tuning them out as well, and we start sneaking away while theyre distracted. On my way, I pick up Biscuit and head toward the lake, sitting in the sand closer to the water. (Food! Food!) "You''ll eat later. Have you gained weight again?" (Sustenance! Food!) "Dont give me that, I saw you gobbling up the meat they threw away." Biscuit growls cutely, but I don''t let go, holding him so his hind legs swing in the air, just the way he likes it, as confirmed by his wagging tail. As I expected, Aaron sneaks away too and sits next to me. Youre not using any mana or sending out any scans at all, he notes. Yup, I confirm. Izzy? Izzy, I nod. A twelve-year-old girl, by the way, and shes probably the least messed up of all of us. I think about it for a moment and end up agreeing. Aaron gazes at the lake with a faint smile. Sometimes I wonder if this is all just a dream. Like maybe Im in a coma, and my mind made it all up. Or maybe we actually died in the bus crash and this is our second chance. If this is a dream, I never want to wake up. Yes, Aaron says, his smile broadening. Yes. So, is todays menu charred meat of unknown origin? Tess asks, emerging from the water. Drops roll off her body as she sits next to us. I prefer calling it a surprise meal, Aaron replies. I hear footsteps behind me, and something lands on my head. Looking up, I spot a large straw hatthe kind people wear to avoid heatstroke. Another hat is placed on Aarons head and then Tesss, and then Lily takes her own seat between us. I dont really think we need the hats, but this almost feels like were roleplaying a beach holiday, so I dont complain. Reaching out, I adjust the straw hat on Lilys head and follow her gaze to my left arm, which is still noticeably pale. Then I notice hers is just as pale. Still unchanged. What is this? she asks, touching the emblem on my chest, right over my heart. Restrictive Training Emblem, I explain. A gift, or in some cases, a torture device from Lissandra. She pulls her hand back. I see! Silence descends until Tess giggles. Nat, I think Lily might be fishing for a compliment. She spent hours picking out what to wear. S-shut up, Tess! Lily snaps. I did not! It was a few minutes at most! Tess ignores Lilys anger and lies down on the sand. Ive never gone to the beach with friends. Actually, none of us have, except perhaps Maya and Min-Jae a long time ago. Is this how you thought itd be? Lily asks once shes calmed down. Nope, Tess says, shaking her head. But I dont think thats a bad thing. I just dont think well ever experience things like we would on Earth. Sometimes I wonder if I really want all this, or if Id rather live like a normal human. Work in a cubicle, find someone to fall in love with, get married, have kids, grow old, and die. You wouldnt want that, I say. I wouldnt? she asks. You wouldn''t, I confirm. Before she covers her face with the straw hat, I see her smiling. After that, I stand up and look at Lily. You look pretty today. I calmly hold her gaze. I know shes changed since we left the first few floors, shes built up some resistance. But I keep staring at her until the corners of her lips twitch, and she turns away. Damage dealt. Ive been teased enough here, so I stop in front of her. No compliment for me? I ask. You also look good today! she blurts out, turning her face further away. From beneath her hat, Tesss muffled voice reaches me. Nat, dont bully Lily. Fine, Ill just go for a swim instead. I thought you didnt know how to swim? Tess calls from under her hat again. Yup, I dont. Wading into the lake, I find myself determined not to use mana or kinetic energy, even if I do start to drown. Chapter 546: One month later Ive learned quite a few interesting things during our first month here in the valley. One of them is that swimming for the first time is surprisingly difficult. Even though I can hold my breath for a really long time, its incredibly annoying to stay underwater. Water has a very specific density, and a normal human with normal strength can swim fairly easily. But that changes once your body starts growing heavier and more dense; you have to exert more effort just to stay afloat. If your physical stats arent high enough, or if you dont actually know how to swim, and if, because of your stubbornness, you refuse to use your skills or other abilities to get out, you might find yourself in an awkward situation. Like the time I cut off all telepathic communication, trying to figure out how to swim on my own, only to have a cute corgi pup dive into the lake and drag me out by my hair. These things happen. Even to the best of us. Yup. Being called The Drowning One by a literal catgirl might be one of the consequences of that kind of stubbornness. At least as much as hiring a pair of random twins with top-notch infiltration skills to swap out her luxurious catgirl shampoo for pink dye. Stranger things have happened. But Id be lying if I said I havent enjoyed my time here so far. Its not something I intend to dwell on, but Im certain that some of the memories Ive made here with the others will stick with me for the rest of my life. Even though theres a war raging outside and we still sense the aftershock from the occasional attack somewhere beyond our territory, we still feel safe. That might be because we know a certain person would absolutely destroy anyone who dared to break the deal she brokered. If I had to bet on her or one of the Absolutes, I wouldnt hesitate for a second. Yet alongside that feeling of safety, theres also a sense of regret. Some of the more kind-hearted members of Group 4 feel bad for siphoning resources from the lumorans out there fighting for their lives. Even though theyre still just natives of the tutorial doomed to disappear once we leave this floor, but Ive noticed that were starting to ask less and less from the lumoran Champion with the crystalline arm whenever she appears bearing gifts for Lissandra. Everyone is busy with training and other projects, but we still spend at least two hours together every week. In those two hours, no one talks about training or uses mana, and no one mentions the tutorial or anything tied to it. Instead, we talk about ourselves: our pasts, our hopes, our dreams. We share stories about the silly things weve seen or experienced and the tragedies that have befallen us and the people around us. We talk about our favorite foods and argue about which dishes are better. We complain about the endings of movies we otherwise liked. We joke, we fight, we smile, and sometimes we just sit there quietly. Of course, not everything is perfect, and this isnt some fairy tale. We still argue. Lily refuses to speak to Tess for a week after she takes a joke too far. Sophie starts insulting Myrra over the repeated interruptions to her training, even going so far as to use her [Manipulation] against her when Myrra pushes things too far. Only Min-Jaes quick intervention prevented a bigger fight, though they still suffer a number of wounds from the conflict. Since then, Myrra and Sophie mostly avoid each other. Another time, Maya accidentally injures Aaron during training, badly enough that Lily had to intervene and heal him. Although the twins said they understood it was an accident, I still caught them quietly bad mouthing Maya for being careless when they thought no one else could hear. There have been a few more minor conflicts, all of which are already forgotten. Some of us are worried about being under-leveled, but nobody is anywhere near 300. Reaching that level would be nearly impossible right now, given the situation outside. Most of us, however, are already above 250, so at least weve gained that body upgrade. Lissandra, who comes and goes at her pleasure, once overheard their complaints and decided to give one of her rare lessons. She gave them hell for their flawed thinking, and called them all sorts of names, but she also emphasized the importance of skills, proper mastery, and a solid foundation. She ruthlessly pointed out about ten mistakes for each person. What they were doing wrong, where they were lacking, how suboptimal their training was, and so on. She always seems to know an absurd amount, reminding me of the way she saw Whitey just once in my mind space and still understood so much about him. I cant help but wonder if she has some kind of special sense we dont know about. Im sure shes capable of perceiving things I cant and she probably has little problem reading low-level individuals like an open book. I asked her about it a few times, but her answer is always the same: If youre curious, improve your abilities and find out how Im doing it. Classic Sandra. She barely teaches me anything directly, and most of that consists of updating my evil orb to make my training harder. Im currently at version 3.0. I once thought I could make it even more challenging by changing the orbs shape to pyramids. Nope. At this point, the basic spherical shape is already too much to keep up with. Their constantly shifting frequencies and changing speed make them unpredictable, forcing me to remain on guard. And there are dozens of smaller orbs inside the main one, layer upon layer, that sense when I get comfortable and then activate just to show me how lacking I truly am. To top it off, the Cockroach herself is perfectly capable of using dozens of these orbs at once to train, while I have trouble dealing with even a single one. Other than that, Lissandra mostly just observes my progress on preparing the Champions Heart, a process that, to my frustration, is going nowhere fast. Its been over a month since I started, and I still havent made the kind of progress I find satisfying. All three of my attempts have ended terribly. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The first attempt failed before it really began. The seals Id built over the base Lissandra left on the heart broke at the first touch of my mana, and the resulting backlash melted the top of the cliff, shifting the waterfall and the water flow along with it. The second attempt ended similarly, though the explosion of heat was smaller at that time. The third time, the constructs I prepared within my body connected to the heart and unleashed a terrible wave of backlash that tore through me, leaving me with an assortment of wounds that nearly killed me. It even caused a bit of damage to my Mana Heart. It was a pretty minor injury, but it still took a week of Lilys help to mend everything. It would seem that while Lily can heal her own Mana Heart when it gets damaged, it gets significantly more difficult when it comes to others. None of us truly know anything about Mana Hearts, so Ive begun to see them as a major weakness. Itll probably become even more pronounced the stronger someone gets, and the more evolved their heart becomes. I know some bodily conditions can cause trouble for healers. For instance, Lilys [Disintegration] can slow the healing of wounds or make it nearly impossible if she truly applies herself. Then there was Champion Feroys sickness, which made it hard for him to use mana without specialized tools. Apparently, even the strongest lumoran healers couldnt fix him, and youd think a Champion would be worth the investment. Whitey is another example. Yes, he likely never found healers as powerful as those Champion Feroy had access to, but he still couldnt get his heart or limbs restored in the tutorial or Beyond. I wont lie, Im a bit disheartened. Hehe, dis-heart-ened. Heh. Okay, never mind. After all the preparations, theorizing, and experiments Lily and I have been working on since Lissandra promised to bring me the heart, every attempt feels like a dead end. Each time I find one solution, it reveals even more problems, adding to the cycle of repeated failures over the past few weeks. Its frustrating. It really is. So I do the one thing I was hoping to avoid: I scrap everything and start over. Alone, in my room, I put an end to all my usual training and pour the whole of my focus into this one task. Two more weeks pass like that, and then its time for one of our weekly meetups again. The entire group gathers on the terrace of the manor where were staying. And we can see the flashes of far off explosions against the backdrop of the night, the fighting is deep in lumoran territory now. Yellow and red bursts of light, arcs of lightning, mana constructs detonating in the air all alongside the activation of the Absolutes web. Then there are the counterattacks, humming vibrations we can feel even here, and the echo of explosions rolling over us many seconds after they happen. Yet we remain safe here. As usual, the terrace is lit by a number of mundane items, no one uses mana, no one trains, and no one talks about the chaos we can all see ravaging far off battlefields. It all feels so distant. But, like always, I push all my problems aside and try to appreciate these two routine hours we have. Its a nice compromise. I spend most of my time alone, doing whatever I want in the silence I oh so often enjoy. Then, for one night, I spend a few hours with the others, get my dose of socialization, and slink back into my cave, without leaving, unless of course, I feel like it. Nat, whats the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you? Tess asks. Im petting Biscuit, whos curled up in my lap. Look, Tess, I know some of the others shared their stories, and Ill definitely use that information against them sometime in the future, but you cant seriously think Im going to tell you mine. Glub glub glub! Myrra prods, making drowning sounds from her seat at my right. That might actually be it, I sigh. Fuck you, Myrra. Blub blub blub! Motherfu... Tess waves to get my attention, smiling. When I was around nine years old, I really wanted a group of friends like the Fellowship. So I wrote this Friendship Contract with rules about loyalty, honesty, and even secret code words. I tried to make my classmates sign it during lunch one day. Really? Yep. Damn it, Tess. That''s... kind of sad. She just smiles at me and turns to Aaron. Your turn. He hesitates for a moment, then shrugs, smiling brightly. His brother next to him already starts giggling, probably knowing whats coming. When I was around ten, I went to the school bathroom, and the stall I tried was locked. Youd think, oh, that means someones inside, right? Well, not me. My first thought was: How the hell do you lock a bathroom stall behind you? That shouldnt be possible. Oh boy. Aaron giggles. So, obviously, I tried to crawl under the stall... and yes, someone was in there. I think a part of me died that day. Myrra asks what a bathroom stall is, and a few others laugh. Some are understandably baffled as to why hed do that. Then Min-Jae joins in, unprompted. I once walked in on my older brother watching porn on his PC. He panicked, froze for about five seconds, and then shut off the monitor. Then he spent the next two hours taking his entire PC apart, muttering that something must be wrong with it. Hes a jerk, but to this day, I still cringe at that memory. The laughter this time is even louder. But then Myrra innocently asks, Whats porn? Everything goes silent, and Min-Jae blushes, looking around for help. Oh, thats right, Dennis says. What is porn, Min-Jae? Yeah, tell us what is porn? Aaron joins in. I mentally salute Min-Jaes poor brother for the horrors hes endured. That sort of thing can scar a person for life. While they continue their conversation, I simply sit there, petting Biscuit until he drifts off to sleep. Eventually, the evening comes to an end, and everyone goes their separate ways, mostly returning to training. Maya, Myrra, Lily, and Tess head to the stone circle we use for sparring outside. Sophie returns to her training with the twins and breaks that up by spending time working with Izzy and Noodle. A few hours later, as Im sitting on my bed, focusing on my own training, I get a notification. Your skill [Bone Knitting] has evolved into [Knitting] [Bone Knitting - lvl 39 > Knitting - lvl 24] I reread the new name a few times, feeling utterly defeated, and then lie down and close my eyes. Fuck. Chapter 547: -New plan No one will ever learn the name of my skill, I decide this immediately. I can already imagine their reaction. How the fuck do you even make it sound cool? For example, in combat, I jump in front of the enemy boss and say, Say goodbye to this world. You cannot handle my [Knitting]! Hell nah. More than anything, I wouldve expected the evolved version to be called [Weaving], which would be fitting, given my Primary Class, and my Mana Weaving technique. That technique allows me to weave mana threads into my creations to make them more durable and last longer. I even use it with Ley Lines. But after taking a few days to do some testing, I think I at least somewhat understand the reasoning behind the name. I still hate it, but I get the logic behind it. In fact, I even went so far as to write it all out on the paper in front of me. Theory of [Knitting] vs. Mana Weaving - by Nathaniel Gwyn [Knitting] uses a single continuous thread to create interconnected loops that reinforce each other, forming a tightly unified structure. Key Strengths: Unified Resilience: While it may seem better to use multiple threads (like weaving), given that a single break would carry the risk of destroying the entire structure, its not. Unlike weaving, where each thread remains an independent structure within the whole, knittings single-thread design means the entire structure acts as a unified construct. It distributes stress evenly, eliminating weak points where disparate threads would otherwise intersect. Self-Reinforcing: The interlocked loops absorb force and tension, creating a structure that dynamically adjusts under stress rather than breaking. Durable Under Strain: While weaving may fray or snap under extreme stress due to the nature of interlocking threads, knittings continuous structure flexes, providing added resistance to structural failure. Mana Weaving - Mana Weaving interlaces a multitude of threads to form a rigid and layered structure with an overall improved lifespan. Key Strengths: Thread Redundancy: By using multiple threads one ensures that damage to one part of the weave doesnt immediately compromise the entire construct. Increased Rigidity: Weavings intersecting threads create a dense, immovable structure, ideal for static constructs like barriers and fortifications. Why [Knitting] is NOT Weaker Core Difference: Knitting sacrifices the thread redundancy of weaving in favor of a unified and adaptable structure that weaving cannot replicate. This allows Knitting to maintain performance under dynamic stress and high-strain conditions. Example Applications: Knitting is ideal for constructs, reinforcements, and tools that need to adapt to shifting conditions. Weaving, by contrast, shines in fixed, unchanging applications like walls, weapons, and immovable fortifications. I burn that paper the moment I finish to remove all mention of the word [Knitting]. At this point, all I can do is, as the twins say, cope. In summary, Mana Weaving makes a large number of rigid threads, while [Knitting] uses a single, more flexible thread that I can make much thinner, and thus denser. If I play my cards right then sometime in the future it will likely be more durable than Mana Weaving could ever be. Honestly It should work better with the construct for the Champions heart I have in mind. With some modifications, I might even be able to refine it further, and part of my mind is already working on that while the rest of me still examines [Knitting]. Now that I think about it though, that implies that I should be able to make clothes out of mana if I feel like it. There are so many interesting possibilities. But that name. That goddamned name. Opening the door of my room, I head outside. I use my kinetic senses to detect Sophies heartbeat. Lately, Ive grown to like that approach since its so much harder for mana users to hide the kinetic signature of their presence compared to their mana signatures. Everyones kinetic signature is different: their heartbeats are distinct, as are their steps, right down to the way air moves around them. With enough focus and experience, you can tell people apart by those differences alone. Lifting myself into the air, I float toward the sparring circle, looking out into the dark green sky as it stretches out to meet the horizon in the distance. Flashes of white light streak through the air, followed by bursts of yellow. Signaling yet another clash between the forces of the Mimics and lumorans. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! I land at the edge and form a mana-block chair to sit in, waiting for Sophie to finish her match with Myrra as Tess sits watching nearby, as she normally does when they fight, since our mindblender and catgirl still seem to have quite a bit of bad blood between them. Myrra stands tall and proud, with two long daggers in her hands. One is made of fire, the other of ice. Her Aurora Glass glimmers around her, filling the air with a crystalline material with reflective facets that constantly shift its hue depending on the way she uses the skill. Touching a shard of glass near her, Myrra disappears, stepping out of another shard right above Sophie. As Myrra falls, Sophie immediately senses her. A swarm of hundreds of bee-sized mana creations swirls around Sophie, flying toward Myrra and colliding with her flaming assault. Sophie creates a barrier around herself, and her web activates trying to tie Myrra up. Myrra, with an aggressive groan, pushes through and tears the web apart with sheer strength alone. Only Sophies golem blocks the next attack. The creation is twice Sophies height, made of dirt and stone, with black smoke seeping from it as her bond infuses it for greater control. After the first clash, the golems limbs slim down, increasing its speed, and it crashes into Myrra multiple times as she jumps around, trying to flank Sophie. Meanwhile, Sophie keeps attacking with everything shes got, her swarm, an array of mana projectiles, fire attacks, gusts of wind, and her web. Her arsenal is huge, and she uses all of it on Myrra, who keeps darting around the golem that constantly changes shape from agile to sturdy. Aurora Glass glimmers as Myrra continues teleporting, moving like a wild beast driven by instinct only. Any scratches or even deeper wounds she gets are quickly healed by her powerful regeneration. Myrra ?s fire and ice clash against Sophies barriers and the golem, causing explosions of heat and cold to riot through the area. The daggers extend into two swords that would look massive, were only they held in human hands, though given her proportions they may as well be one-handed weapons. The Aurora Glass shimmering around her changes color, flashing purple, white, and blue as it forms a beautiful suit of armor around Myrra. She lowers her stance, her yellow eyes gleaming dangerously, fangs bared. Sophie returns that gaze calmly, her swarm circling around her while the golem starts radiating more black smoke as it becomes denser and more solid. No more roughly shaped stone and dirt, now its something much more durable. All right, thats enough, Tess says simply from nearby. But the others ignore her as Myrra charges and Sophie continues to pour out more mana. Suddenly, a single javelin bursts through the air, piercing Sophies stone golem like its made of paper and sends it flying. Red and white lightning crackles around Tess as she moves with a speed rivaling even Myrra, placing herself directly in Myrras path. The agitated lynthari still swings, but Tess dodges with a quick sidestep and returns a single punch. Cracking lightning slams through Myrra, shattering the Aurora Glass and throwing Myrra into the distance. A powerful burst of [Psychokinesis] then envelops the area, pressing down on both women for a moment, even through their natural and active defenses. Tesss blonde hair floats around her head, short bursts of electricity crackling in a halo around her and flaring out around her crown. She calmly stares them down until they step back. Its like our group leader is making sure everyone remembers the pecking order. Tess was the second person in our group to start her Beyond Trials. Her talent is undeniable, even if people do tend to overlook her when they see Lilys ridiculous skills. Tess is one of those people who combines immense talent with incredible effort. Even so, Id love to see her go all out. I dont think it would be easy for her to fight Myrra or Sophie, especially Myrra, with her training from LissLiss. But as things stand now, I think Tess could even win in a 1v2 scenario against Sophie and Myrra. To speed things up, I release a single disruptive wave of mana, and all of Sophies constructs vanish along with Myrras skills. I notice that Aurora Glass and Sophies golem, powered by Blackie, require more effort to dispel, and Tesss lightning remains, to no surprise. Its primordial energy after all, plus she took Chastity as her subclass, which only serves to make it purer, not to mention that she also went with Mana Potency. Ill need to compare her lightning to my [Empyrean Lance] some time. Reaching Sophie, I wave my hand in front of her face until she stops glaring at Myrra. What? she asks. I got an idea, and I want you to go over it with me while we run our simulations. Sure, she groans. The golem resting nearby crumbles; and the now-restored Arcane item known as the Golem Heart flies back into Sophies hand, as Blackie returns to her shadow. I wave at Tess and Myrra as Sophie and I walk away, and as we walk I start explaining, New plan. Adding a second heart obviously isnt going to be simple, its not like I can just shove it in and hope it doesnt burn me alive. My Kinetic Mana heart already takes up prime real estate in my chest. Introducing a second heart to generate thermal energy means I need to redesign a lot of my internal layout. Didnt we test that already? she asks. Yes, but Ive made some changes. Im just talking it through out loud to confirm my plans. First, I kni... I weave a specialized cavity for the new heart, reinforcing it with heat-resistant, mana-woven threads to keep everything stable and insulated from the rest of my body. Without that, the thermal energy would burn through my insides like fire through paper. Itll have to take some power from my Kinetic Mana Heart, but Ill make sure I can cut the power feed easily enough and hope the thermal heart can maintain its own threads. It probably wont work, but well see. We reach the lake and continue walking across its surfaceme using kinetic energy, and Sophie using her own brand of mumbo jumbo. I continue, The bigger challenge is going to be creating an entirely separate system for the thermal heart. My mana heart has its own pathways, so letting thermal energy leak into them would be catastrophic because my mana circuits arent built to handle extreme heat. We learned that the hard way. So Ill need to weave a network of thermal pathways from scratch. We didnt do that before because you said it was crazy and we tried using the existing pathways instead, but fuck it. Well layer thermal pathways and mana pathways on top of each other. These pathways will be interwoven with dense, heat-resistant threads, and should act like insulated arteries to carry thermal energy wherever I need it without frying everything in its path. Hopefully. A little bit of damage might be okay since I can still use thermal energy to heal some of it. Ill also integrate heat-dissipation nodes, basically acting as exhaust ports, in a number of key places, maybe my palms and the soles of my feet to vent excess energy before it overwhelms me. How about shooting thermal energy out of your ass as a dissipation node? Fuck you, Sophie. Now, the process of anchoring the heart itself will be just as critical. If its not stable, the heat and stress from the thermal heart could cause a lot of damage or worse. Using my weaving skill, Ill reinforce it with threads to hold everything secure and allow a bit of movement without causing too much damage. Finally, Ill create a control hub near the heart, something like a Logic Core. Itll replace my Vortex Core and function as an interface so I can regulate the thermal flow and keep it from interfering with my mana. It probably wont work because nothing ever does, so Ill come up with a few ideas and well adapt as we go. By the time we reach the waterfall, I propel myself up the cliff to where weve left the heart lodged in the rock, which has begun to melt around it. Sophie joins me with a few long leaps, and we both look at the heart. While staring at it, I say, This isnt going to be without risk. Ive fucked up plenty. Collapsed constructs, overheated pathways, or energy feedback that almost killed me. Its frustrating, but each test brings me closer. And fuck me if I dont get this shitty heart in my chest before the tournament starts. Chapter 548: My way Warning! The 10th wave is now in progress. The moment I get that notification, an aftershock rocks our area. A mushroom-like purple and white cloud blooms far in the distance. So far away, a part of me wonders how tall that mushroom cloud would have to be. Most of the horizon quickly takes on that shimmering purple and white hue, just before the next explosion thunders through the surroundings. It almost looks as if someone drew a dark blue line to the ground from some point in the sky and connected it to the ground just before the mushroom formed. A high-pitched noise rings out, followed by three shockwaves in quick succession as three more blue lines are drawn in about the same area. I look up from my place next to the heart, tracing the horizon with my gaze. Lissandra hovers there, pale blue mana flickering around her feet and hands, looking toward the explosions. She observes as more effects of the explosion expand towards our territory, only for them to be stopped by an enormous barrier. A rush job, set up by either the Lumorans or Mimics to prevent the attack from reaching this place. Even so, I dont think she is satisfied judging by the expression she is making. She lifts her arm toward the sky, and her Mana Heart beats. A monstrous amount of mana floods from her, compressed and held tightly in her control, without so much as touching us or the surroundings. She grabs that mana, molds it, shifts it, controls it. A single pulse expands out in all directions with her at its epicenter, traveling at an incredible speed that only increases the farther it goes. It passes through our territory without affecting it at all, and when it exits, the mountain range surrounding it crumbles. In that moment the tall, rocky mountains remind me of more of a sand castle being blown away by a hurricane than the tall sturdy bulwark they seemed the moment before. And the shockwave continues. The nearby forest. Another mountain range. The massive lake. All crumbling, blown away. Then Lissandra, in one quick movement, brings her arm down and it all stops, the expanding shockwave pulling itself back at even higher speeds with a loud thump and a feeling reminiscent of an implosion. My ears ring, and my body tumbles, as the returning shockwave throws me off balance. Lissandra isnt there anymore. It would seem her warning has been delivered. I take my eyes off the sky and turn back to the heart, continuing to build on the base Lissandra left for me. Just a few more days and I will be ready. Back within my mental space, I find myself appearing in another place I recognize, the 4th floor. This time Whitey is wearing the sort of clothes Ive come to associate with the sort of person whod shout You cant arrest me, my dad is a lawyer. The desert is covered in the bodies of bus-sized ants, and standing in the distance, is the First One, the pitch-black ant whose carapace almost seemed to absorb the light, duking it out with the Fallen Hero. The armor, powered by the damaged heart of the Champion, is in a stance that causes each of his strikes and punches to send shockwaves through the area. Dozens, hundreds of ant bodies litter the ground around him. The First One, though, can receive vitality and strength from the Colony, and that allows it to face him. Somewhere in the distance, another huge army of ants is surrounding a group of demons. Multiple hearts beating and generating the multitude of primordial energies some of them possess. And between them, stands a younger version of Whitey, who, unlike the version of him I saw on the 1st floor, stands tall, and his power surrounds him, even now clearly surpassing the remaining demons. The monstrous bodies freeze mid-air around him, Needle Point snipes the ants attacking at range, and a seemingly undeveloped Wraith Dance takes him all across the battlefield where he proceeds to face the most dangerous ants. We made the First One fight the Fallen Hero. Whitey, sitting next to me, smirks. Fucking ant followed us to wipe us out before trying to head on to Virelia, he thought the Fallen Hero was still miles away. Try to guess how we did it. His red eyes gleam in dark satisfaction, and his clothes emphasize the darkness of his demonic soul further. Whatever, I already have a lot of things to deal with and no mental capacity for this. Lets just fight. Spoken like a true human: I swing stick. I punch. I bite. Ugh ugh. Spoken like a true demon, better at shit-talking than fighting. The desert around us explodes as we charge each other. The lumoran Champion with the crystal arm comes more often now seeming more desperate each time. We already opened the box she brought previously, using brute force, and it was empty. I should have expected that, but in the same way as I feel amused, I feel frustrated. As for the Cockroach, she met with the lumoran Champion only once, all the while surrounding them with a field that made overhearing or seeing anything impossible. It took only a few seconds, but when the field disappeared, the Champion seemed to be in a better mood. Bowing to Lissandra, she then left. Something tells me that the Cockroachs show of power, not so long ago, bumped her up to a higher threat level than they expected. I want to ask what the meeting was about, but I dont think I will get an answer, so I just curse her in my head. Quietly, in case she can listen somehow. Warning! The 11th wave is now in progress. Warning! The 12th wave is now in progress. The waves dont have a schedule; sometimes theres more time between them. We think its because a bigger group of Mimics is being brought in. At this point, its safe to say the war is in full swing. The lumorans still have the advantage thanks to being on their home planet and their Absolute still has defensive mechanisms he can use, but the Mimics have bigger forces now. Part of me wonders if being the Absolute of your planet gives you some kind of advantage on your home planet. Maybe some kind of boost. Maybe even allowing you to enclose the whole planet in your domain through your connection to it as its Absolute. Its one of the things weve taken to theorizing about between Sophie, the twins, and myself while we work on preparations for the heart, which, as it turns out, are nearing completion. Myrra is somewhere else, doing something with Lily and Maya. Lissandra got bored, so shes taken to training them. I can tell its not easy by how they look when they return to the house once every few days. As if the souls had been torn from their bodies. A tired expression that almost makes no sense considering how powerful their bodies are. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. I think its safe to say everyones sparred with everyone at this point. Izzy with Myrra, Sophie against Min-Jae, the twins against Maya, me against Tess, Tess against Izzy, Sophie against me. Etc. etc. The improvements can be seen, as everyone gives feedback and learns to react to different types of attacks. Lily cosplaying as a bulldozer. Sophies mental warfare. The twins illusions. Mayas ever-changing battle style. My aerial bombardment. And no one holds back, so theres no shortage of injuries. Terrible ones and even death remains a distinct possibilityjust a single mistake on either side would be fatal. But thats not something we shy away from. Tess pushes for the experience just as hard as I do. I know I keep saying it, but group 4 is scary. Each and every single member. Even Izzy, who would be expected to be the weakest because of her age and [Empathy] skill. But that same skill allows her to partially predict attacks of her opponents to the level where it is comparable to my kinetic senses that allow me to feel the slightest movements. Sometimes even better, given that my kinetic senses are honestly easier to trick than whatever it is shes doing. And her purple, green, and blue flames are easily comparable to my golden thermal energy. Then there is also Noodle, who counts as her bond. Noodle is very durable and can absorb mana from most attacks. He can expand in size or shrink. He also has an independent store of the mana he consumes, which he can share with Izzy. Plus, he possesses the same flames as her. I could go on in a similar way about everyone in the group, but the point should be clear. And just like that we enter our last days before the tournament, where the 10 rounds of Earths tutorial will finally meet. All the people from Easy, Normal, Hard, and Hell difficulty. Not to mention the Beyonders. Myrra is now one of our rounds Beyonders. The 10th one, the last spot. She refuses to type in the Community, to the point that I wonder what alias she inherited from that Easy difficulty murderers status. Later that night, the process starts. The preparations are done. Weve rehearsed the process time and again and even planned for errors. There are only a few people around me. Lily, Dennis, Aaron, and Sophie. And I would bet that the Cockroach is probably watching from some hidden perch as well. I plop down and slide deep into [Focus]. This time I power it with black mana. The smallest whiff I think might carry me through the procedure, but I dont think Ill be likely to have the freedom to do it again once we start. My mid-Arcane passive helps me to endure it, and there are probably a hundred of Lilys healing marks placed all over my body. There are also about two dozen copies of my left arm laid out in a pile next to Lily. Enough to out heal an atomic bomb to the face. Actually, now that I think about it, would it? I quickly shake my head and focus on my part in all of this, putting together the finishing touches, connecting everything together, and kni...weaving the Ley Lines together. My vortex core is gone. I removed the Thermal component of my Thermokinetic Mana heart the day before, leaving me with a simple Kinetic Mana Heart, again. But an improved one with greater output, obviously. Minion will be happy. I close my eyes and nod while reducing my defenses and turning off my passives. Lily starts immediately, and a portion of my chest disappears, opening me up and revealing my raw, beating heart. For that short moment, a thought flashes through my mind. Just how easy it would be to kill me now or cripple my Mana Heart for years. Then Lily gets to work. The new heart will be placed laterally to the original one and to the right of it. For that, Lily is using space between the ribs and existing organs. It will also keep it separate from any critical structures. This heart wont be connected to my veins at all. Of course, there isnt really much space, so Lily is compressing one of my lungs slightly. Apparently, it should be fine as they have an excess of capacity as it is, and probably even more now with all these stats. She also has to remove a portion of my spleen on the left or my liver on the right. I leave that up to her. When she is halfway done, I get into deploying the structures Ive prepared and stored in my mind. Using threads, I shield the area where my new heart is set to go. I use [Knitting] and Mana Weaving to create something strongly inspired by my Mana Circuits, this time for thermal energy. This new system isnt even close to being anywhere as well integrated as my existing circuits. There is much less of it, which will make fine control a bit more difficult, but these pathways are strong and will allow for effective delivery of thermal energy. I also make sure they go through my body, head, limbs. The rest will be upgraded later, based on anything this early version turns out to lack and according to my needs. I make sure all of it is separated as much as possible from the previous systems. I also dont forget about dissipation nodes just in case I need to dump some stored energy. Despite Sophies jibes, I do not make one near my ass and instead place them on the palms of my hands, soles of my feet, and one bigger one on my back. Throughout this process, the twins continue to help me make sure everything is properly connected to my body, while Sophie continues to monitor my bodys reaction to the process. She also points out any slight mistakes or ideas for improvement. Obviously, my body is getting fucked up during all of this. Lily tries to suppress any flashes of pain as much as possible and any damage I cant deal with, she heals instead. She follows what Im doing, fixing up the damage I leave in its wake, and staunches any bleeding. Once in a while, she steps in to activate some of the healing marks to revitalize me. With the surgery nearing completion, I extend more Ley Lines toward the heart on the ground, now thankfully cleaned. The threads connect to the heart, and I reactivate the structure that seals it up, built on the foundation Lissandra left for me. The threads that touch the heart all burn, and I cut the thread before that heat can reach my body. For a moment, I stare at it. Then I try again. It all burns once more. And again. We make modifications, but the process repeats. When Sophie shares another idea, I cut off the conversation. So thats how it is. I tried to approach the problem intelligently and prepared thoroughly, yet it still refuses to work. Fuck it and fuck you 3rd Floor Nathaniel. More of my mana compresses turning black and seeping into my body, powering my mind and body. My thoughts go into overdrive and the world fades to black and white. Within this state, I find that the heart has just as vibrant a color as my mana. The color of an exploding volcano radiating around it with each heartbeat. I reach out, grab the heart, and chuck it into my chest. Then I use three healing marks to close the wound immediately, leaving the heart inside. I also cut off the remains of my charred hand before the heat can spread any further. Lily screams and reaches to open my chest to remove the heart. The twins also say something, but it all fades into distant noise. All my passives reactivate, especially my newest one, Mana Wavelength Tyrant. I teleport right over the lake and start dropping down, as the water around me immediately starts to sizzle and continues even as I reach the deep bottom of it and sit there. My mind races and continues to deal with the damage. [Focus], [Redistribution], [Eclipse], [Mana Domain] , my passive, all work together to suppress the new heart in my chest, and I continue to redirect all the heat out of my body. Even underwater, the rock underneath me starts cracking and melting. The sheer pressure evaporates the water around me, creating a bubble of air, and continues to evaporate any water that rushes in. And I do it MY way. I reconnect, I weave, I suppress, I build upon. I fucking Knit. All while healing mark after healing mark activates, and my body barely holding together, overheated and burned. My Mana Cycling stops too, and all my mana surrounds me, fighting the foreign energy as well. Slowly, step by step, I adapt, fix my mistakes, and improve on the structure. I suppress that goddamned heart. With my teeth clenched, ignoring the pain and scalding water, and even the molten rock around me. It only takes a few minutes but it feels like hours. When it all ends, the water of the lake is all gone. The bottom of it is covered in molten rock, and new water from the waterfall slowly starts filling it again. I activate my last healing mark, perfectly calculated, and stand up. Then I check my notifications. [Focus - lvl 61 > Focus - lvl 62] [Knitting - lvl 24 > Knitting - lvl 25] [Knitting - lvl 25 > Knitting - lvl 26] [Knitting - lvl 26 > Knitting - lvl 27] [Knitting - lvl 27 > Knitting - lvl 28] [Knitting - lvl 28 > Knitting - lvl 29] [Redistribution - lvl 58 > Redistribution - lvl 59] [Eclipse - lvl 19 > Eclipse - lvl 20] [Eclipse - lvl 20 > Eclipse - lvl 21] [Eclipse - lvl 21 > Eclipse - lvl 22] [Eclipse - lvl 22 > Eclipse - lvl 23] [Ley Line - lvl 47 > Ley Line - lvl 48] Congratulations, you have created a new Construct. Well done! You have acquired Sealed Ignition Heart (Fully Sealed, 3/3) - The Ignition Heart is a furnace of raw Thermal energy, pulsating with a ferocity that threatens its host with every beat. Encased in a fortified cavity knitted with heat-resistant threads, its immense power is restrained by three intricately crafted seals. These seals greatly temper its destructive output, but their release will unlock a force capable of scorching anything in its path, including the body that wields it. Chapter 549: What do you want? My good mood from enduring this ordeal with a mere hundred or so healing marks quickly fades once Lily starts healing me. She points out the damage I still have and the damage thats continuing to worsen even now. I think its been a long time since Ive seen her this worried. Her face settles into a focused expression and she continues to work on healing me, forced to resort to excising parts of my body to restore them properly where her marks have clearly failed. Its okay, I tell her. You always say that! How is it okay to injure yourself this much? Lily. What! Its okay. Its not... It is. I can handle it. I reach out and ruffle her hair. Im not used to people worrying about me, so tone it down. I feel awkward. I... I wish I could help you more. You and everyone else. Humans are greedy creatures, arent they? What youre doing right now is enough, and youll be able to do more in the future, so dont worry about it. After a long moment of silence, I tweak her nose, pulling her head from side to side. After all, she deserves some teasing every now and then. Just in case, I rely on her healing and dont bother to check the state of my body again, using the reprieve to focus on keeping my new heart from burning me and fine tuning my adjustments. For now, I split off half my mind to manage the process. And damn, thats what its going to take, even with all the restrictions Ive already placed on it. Yo, do a check on me, I turn to Sophie. And unlike Lily, she just shrugs and does exactly that. As with everything, it takes a while, and then we repeat the process with the twins. Though the recently evaporated lake starts slowly filling out, so we evacuate the area. I use one of my Beyond-stay tokens to return to the fishing village, ignoring monsters as much as possible. There, I collect the shards Duncan left with one of the city leaders, my portion of the profits from selling the fish. A full two hundred and five thousand shards, bringing my total to 309,939 shards. For now, I resist upgrading my healing passive, deciding to wait for the tournament and see if I can use these shards as an investment instead. Otherwise, my short Beyond visit is uneventful. I use the time until my Beyond token wears off to further stabilize my modifications. I dont meet anyone I recognize, and no one starts a fight with me. Even as Im leaving, my handler leaves me with a simple greeting and well wishes regarding my performance in the tournament and reminds me that a good showing will help ensure that I get better Beyond quests and attract offers from bigger guilds in Beyond. As the timer ticks down, we all gather in one of the gardens. A few bags are sitting nearby, packed just in case the system allows us to bring them with us to the tournament. Lissandra and Myrra are there as well. Everyone, other than Lissandra, is giddy and smiling, excited to meet the people from other groups and rounds. All the training we went through here, all the effort we put in, is about to be tested against the rest of Earths first generation. The generation that has Earths future Absolute and Champions. The most powerful people who, after the end of the tutorial, will change the rules of Earth. They might try to keep the current structure, they might try to make their own kingdoms, or they might try to leave the planet for adventure. Its an exciting thought. Sophie is holding Izzy close, and Noodle is coiled around her arm. The twins and Min-Jae are throwing insults at each other, boasting about how theyll beat each other up. Maya talks with Tess, who to my surprise, is holding Biscuit. The now soon-to-be best doggo of the second tournament licks Tess, then looks at me, his expression taking on something resembling a gentle smile. Lily patiently listens as Myrra tells her some story about her childhood in Virelia. Congratulations on your 2nd year in the tutorial! Tournament preparations have been concluded. For the duration of the tournament, all Floor Quests will be put on hold. The tournament will have a 14-day duration, and each person may decide whether to participate or not. More information will be forthcoming upon entrance to the tournament floor. Would you like to participate in the second tournament of Earth''s tutorial? Yes / No Please decide within the next 30 seconds. Everyones hand moves to press the button, and I dont even feel the effects of teleportation as I find myself in a different place. The bright sun makes me squint. All around me, I hear small birds singing. The sky is beautifully blue, and a gentle breeze moves through the leaves of the trees all around. The air smells like summer. This time, were not separated, and everyone is looking around, curious. Only then do I hear that single sentence from Maya. Where is Tess? A brief wave of panic washes over me as I expand my senses and scan my surroundings. Tess isnt here, and neither is Biscuit, even though I saw her pressing the button on the system window visible to her alone. Tess! Lily calls, even though our senses have already scanned the area thoroughly. The Community is also disabled here, so no one is able to send any messages. "You, what''s happening?" Maya steps forward and stops in front of Lissandra. "I talked to her. I saw her press the button. I know you''re really smart or something. You must know something!" For a moment, I think she might grab Lissandra and start shaking her, but thankfully she doesnt. Isnt that obvious? Lissandra tilts her head. The system wouldnt allow someone with a mimic inside them to enter the tournament. In the silence that follows, Lissandra smiles. Its the kind of smile you might make when explaining something to a child. POV Earth General, Ive got the breakdown on the power levels the returnees have reported, and weve decided to change our system from grades to categories and make further edits. So far, the highest levels are still hypothetical and based on what theyve told us about their experiences on the tournament floors and encounters with Normal, Hard, and Hell participants. Then there are those whove been to what they call Beyond. The categories are split into ten levels. This information comes from participants from the Easiest difficulty, so weve increased the scales slightly, to account for the secondhand nature of the intel. Understood. Start with the weakest. Category One, sir. These are the baseline enhanced: theyre generally faster, and stronger than the average person, but not by much. Think elite athletes and special forces soldiers. Dangerous to civilians but no real threat to us. They might demonstrate the odd supernatural ability like creating fire with their mind. Manageable. What about Category Two? Augmented tier. Potentially dangerous under the right conditions, their physical strength is generally sufficient to punch through reinforced doors and flip cars. Still manageable with current equipment, but theyll take out regular squads if were not careful. Noted. Category Three? This is where things get serious. We expect them to be able to breach most walls, tank small-arms fire, and engage entire squads without effort. Still within reason for us to handle, but its a bit of a stretch. Category Four? Superhuman. Leaping buildings, tearing through vehicles, and taking heavy ordnance like its nothing. If one goes rogue, even sending in heavy units might not be enough. We havent seen any such returnees as of yet, is that correct? Yes, sir. Everything is based on the returnees accounts and our observations. We expect Category Four to start appearing with Normal and Hard difficulty. We expect Easy difficulty to place between categories one and three with few possessing the potential to reach that status. After that, the categories escalate fast. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Then lets hear it. Whats Category Five? City-level threats. These individuals could heavily damage a small to midsize city. Flattening entire blocks, destroying infrastructure. We expect Hard difficulty returnees to be about that level. Category Six? Regional devastation. Entire counties are at risk, think massive destruction spreading for miles. This matches the upper tier of Hell Difficulty elites. Weve been considering the addition of three extra subcategories within each category, inspired by the system. For example, low Category Six, mid Category Six, and upper Category Six. And Seven? Nation-level threats, General. These will be the strongest Hell and Beyond elites, we believe they will have the strength to topple nations. Their abilities and strategies are far beyond anything weve encountered thus far. We dont think many people will reach that category, if any. Thats... concerning. Category Eight? This one is purely theoretical. From what we heard from Easy difficulty returnees, we dont expect anyone to reach that rank. It would mean continental destruction, sir. At this level, they would be operating on a scale that makes our military capability seem irrelevant. Im almost afraid to ask about Nine. Capable of planetary devastation. Wiping out all life on Earth. Should have known. And Category Ten? Planet breakers. Capable of not just ending all life on the surface but destroying the planet itself. Our sources have heard legends about such beings, but we dont consider it reliable information. Understood. So Earths still in the lower tiers, but the infection is spreading and Its only a matter of time before we see whats next. Yes, sir. Continue collecting information. Now tell me about Project Moon Spider. Yes! If you look at the document on your table, our army, in cooperation with NASA, has prepared the module, and in a few weeks we should be able to send it to the Moon. POV Earth Im Colonel Jonathan Kane, and its my pleasure to meet you, miss. First, Id like to ask you to state your full name for the record before we start our conversation. You already know my name. Do you need it again because of the recorder you put on the table? Yes. This is a very important matter, and were creating a system to address it. Recording these conversations will allow us to examine them accurately, provide feedback, and adjust our approach. Very well, my name is Thalia Gwyn. Thank you for your understanding. Are you the biological mother of Victoria Gwyn and Nathaniel Gwyn? Yes. Ever since their disappearance two years ago, you havent received any information regarding their whereabouts? None at all. Same as I told the sergeant you sent before. So I wonderwhy is a lofty colonel such as yourself speaking to me? Im afraid I cannot disclose that information at this time. I can only say that weve come into contact with someone who met your daughter Victoria around one year ago, and we have strong reason to believe your son, Nathaniel is in the same location. I... I thank you for this information. Im glad I could help at least that much, Mrs. Gwyn. I have two daughters myself, and though I do not fully understand what youre feeling, I can empathize. Yes. So, what do you want from me? We have strong reason to believe your daughter will be a very... important person in the future. Please dont take this for granted, even we arent sure if shell survive, but its possible she will return in three years at the latest. Once again, Id love to say everything will be fine, but its also possible she wont... I understand. Its better than I could have expected. You seem surprisingly calm about it. Trust me, Ive been through a lot over the last two years. And you could say Ive taken after my kids in some ways. I do not understand. Thats fine. So once again, what do you want? There are multiple things, but firstly, wed be thankful for any information you could give us regarding your son and daughter: their personalities, how they react to different situations, their relationships with people, what they like and dislike. Anything we could use to build a psychological profile and... I see. If thats what you want, then you can fuck right off. I apologize if Ive offended you, but... Oh, I know you werent trying to be insulting. Nevertheless, my answer remains the same. If you, our country, or our army wants to use me against my kids, you. Can. Fuck. Off. That confuses me, Miss Gwyn. Our intel didnt suggest you had a very good relationship with your children. Your daughter was serving a ten-year sentence for the second-degree murder of your husband, Robert, her father. Something she did as a nineteen-year-old. Your then-sixteen-year-old son was also suspected of helping with the murder, but the charges were dropped based on your daughters statements. After that, you havent visited your daughter even once, and your son moved away. I am well aware. And? Maybe we started on the wrong foot. Let me emphasize, the creation of psychological profiles regarding important personages isnt exactly uncommon. Im sure my higher-ups have one on me that includes the details of my entire life. This is a sensitive matter, so we felt it would be appropriate to create profiles for your daughter and son as well. But I understand your hesitance, and we can drop it for now. On the other hand, I am authorized to offer you Diplomatic Compensation to the tune of one million dollars. Colonel, I dont know if you think Im stupid, but you should stop. Allow me to explain, Miss Gwyn. Were well aware of your current employment history and the fact that you were forced to move into a smaller apartment just a few weeks ago. The Diplomatic Compensation is, to be honest, a bribe. We expect nothing in return. Rather we simply hope your children will look more favorably upon us once theyre back. You said theres a chance they wont come back. Yes. If youre thinking in that case the money we gave you would be a waste on our part, were willing to take the loss. I see. Ten million then. I... what? Look here, Mister Colonel Jonas Kane, a man of your rank wouldnt be here if it wasnt very important, right? Ten million, or you can leave. Its Colonel Jonathan Kane, Miss Gwyn. Youve already confirmed your lack of a stable relationship with your children. Thats true. I guess you can just take the risk and leave. However, I might mention it to them. But our relationship isn''t very good so it surely won''t come back to bite you in the ass. Are you blackmailing me, Miss Gwyn? Yes. Well, thats a first for me. An interesting experience all around. Understood. I can increase it to ten million. If youre willing, we can even relocate you to a safer location, as we have reason to suspect things might get dangerous around here. Of course, youd be able to come and go as you please. Ill think about it. When you send the money, make sure its all there, I dont want half of it disappearing because of taxes or some processing fee. I... I understand. We will make sure nothing like that happens. Thank you, Colonel Jonathan Dane. Ill make sure to remember your name and put in a good word for you. Its Colonel Jonathan Kane, Miss Gwyn. Sure. POV Earth The cat-sized ants in Africa ate an entire village. Did you hear? the friend asks another boy next to him. Yes! There were a bunch of leaked videos, but someone keeps taking them down. I also heard something about huge wolves, a massive white bear, and a pod of sharks as big as ships! Do you think its some new species? Probably. Maybe some kind of tunnel to the center of the earth opened, and released all these weird animals are coming from, he laughs. Heh, so youre saying Luna came from there too? Luna? The fucking spider on the moon. Oh, are they calling it Luna nowadays? Werent they calling her The Moonster? What the fuck, haha, I hadnt heard that one. POV Earth Boss, we broke another diamond-coated drill on that damned rock, a worker in a yellow hardhat says as he exits the tunnel. He walks up to his boss standing near the entrance where the giant machine is digging away. These things are fucking expensive. Fuck. Did you at least get the results from the samples of rock that broke the drill heads? Theyll come in today, but the lab guy told me hes never seen rock like this in his life, he whispers. Dont tell anyone, but he was saying that their lab is getting a lot of samples like that, new metals, new rocks, plants, and the like. Or old ones that are suddenly more durable. Its insane. The boss takes his helmet off and wipes the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. Id give a good amount of money to know what the fuck is going on. POV Earth Standing at attention in a dimly lit room, a soldier in the uniform of an Asian country continues giving his report to his leader. There are no electronic devices present in an effort to ensure that nothing can be leaked. The Americans recently got at least one group of Easy Difficulty returnees two months ago. In that time, weve found no signs that any other country has received any additional returnees. According to the returnees in our employ, it may have something to do with the second tournament. After that, we should expect more groups. Do we have any information on the higher-tier returnees? So far, only Easy difficulty, but we still expect the earliest Normal difficulty participants to start appearing sometime in six months to a year. Good. What do we know about that group of Easy difficulty that tried to take over Cyprus? All eight of them were assassinated. Five of them by poisoning, and the remaining three were taken out with anti-materiel sniper rifles. Weve collected some information, and it seems like all the shots went through the eye, they were probably worried the skull might deflect the bullet. That poison must have been quite something. The leader continues to tap on the table with his finger. Do we know who did it? We suspect China. All the bodies went missing as well, and we only have photo documentation. But we think there was a submarine nearby to support the operation. Understood. You can leave. Yes, sir! POV Nathaniel So you knew and didnt say anything? Maya shouts, continuing her tirade against Lissandra. After the bomb she just dropped, Im sure Maya would be charging the woman if Lily and Sophie werent holding her back. And even they seem angry. While Myrra stands by her side, Lissandra answers, It wouldve been strange if I hadnt noticed. That gets her another round of curses, but she seems inclined to show a bit of understanding and doesnt retaliate. Instead, she catches my gaze, as if urging me to say something. I know her well enough to sense there''s more to this, but Im deep in [Focus] now, trying to steady my emotions. Even so, my hand clenches. As the others continue hurling insults and questions at Lissandra, I take a step forward. What do you want? I ask. All the words cut off, and the remaining members of group four jump in between Lissandra and me. Lissandra just looks at me, still smiling. I can help that girl. Ive been observing her. The mimic hasnt taken over; it hasnt even started. Theres a reason for that. As for your bond, I dont know why he decided to stay with her, but he doesnt have a mimic. Good. So I ask again. What do you want? "Its simple, truly, little pup. If she survives these two weeks on the seventh floor until our return, I will remove that mimic. If necessary, I will even force the Progenitor Mimic to assist methat much I can promise. I can also promise that if you fail to fulfill what I ask of you, I will let her die. Do not expect otherwise, not even for a moment." Lissandra steps forward with purpose, her smile giving way to an unshakable calm, "I want you to win every event in this tournament, little pup. No, not just win, I want you to obliterate everyone in your way. Do that, and I will save your friend." There is only one answer I can give from my place deep in my state of [Focus]. Consider it done. Chapter 550: Start of the 2nd Tournament POV Kim Min-Jae We''ve been told over and over that once a mimic gets inside you there''s no getting it out. Even Tess kept reminding us like we didnt already know. I still remember those days when we were running from the 2nd Front. The cold biting at us, her eyes always watching, making sure none of us got infected. She never let her guard down, not even once. Thats what I thought. Even then, I noticed the toll it took on her. I should have put it together. But I didnt. Not because I couldnt, but because it never even crossed my mind. Any of us could get infected, sure. But her? I thought she was too strong for that. Too smart. Too careful. And now, I feel like Im about to break. I dont know if I should cry or just sit down and stop thinking. It feels like the airs been sucked out of my lungs, and I cant do anything about it. I cant lose her. Not Tess. Not another friend. I look at the others, but no one says anything. No one has to. Its all over their faces. Fear, doubt, that awful sinking feeling that we might already be too late. No one wants to say it, but I know theyre thinking it. Im thinking about it too. I wonder if Tess knew. If, for even a second, she realized it before we did. Then I hear Nathaniel talking to Lissandra, and she makes her offer. She says she can save Tess, even if it means going against the Mimic Absolute. She says it like its nothing like its already decided like she can bend the world to her will. Like she knows everything will go her way no matter what. And for a second, I believe her. But theres a catch. Nathaniel has to win the tournament. To win all of the tournaments events. Against the winners of tournaments from the other rounds. Against the Beyond attendees like him. Against the future Champions and perhaps even Earths future Absolute. Against the best Earths First Generation has to offer. I try to picture it, him standing against all of them. The best fighters, monsters in human form, the ones who also went through the same dangers we did. Even knowing how strong he is, it seems impossible to be sure he can do it. Hell be up against people whove trained for this, people whove struggled through these last two years to reach the top. People who wont hesitate, who wont care that someones life is on the line. Because to them, this is just another fight. I cant even imagine what that pressure must feel like. Knowing someones life depends on you. It would bury me. It would tear me apart before I even stepped onto the battlefield. And Nathaniel? He just answers without hesitation. "Consider it done." Same tone as always. Same calm expression. Like its just another task to check off a never ending list. Like hes never even considered losing. Congratulations, you have fulfilled the requirements to raise the level of your subclass! [Initiate of Envy] > [Adept of Envy] He makes it look so easy. Like winning is just a matter of deciding to do it. A shaky breath slips out, unnoticed until now. My fingers tremble, tightening into fists, but the shaking doesnt stop. What am I even doing here? Nathaniel moves forward without hesitation, already planning his next step, while everything feels stuck in place. Watching him, its impossible to tell if its admiration or resentment that drives me. Maybe its both. I cant even be sure which one it is anymore. POV Nathaniel I turn away from Lissandra and look back at group 4. Damn, these guys, they can be scary as fuck but what would they do without me? They were about to start flailing about like headless chickens, hell they might even have tried to attack Lissandra. I mean, I would love to see it, but this isnt the time for that. Maybe later though. Sophie and Maya, you will act as stand ins for Tess and deal with the other groups and anything else that annoys me. I... Nat, Tess is... Dont worry about it, Maya. I will take care of it, and Lissandra will keep her wordof that Im sure. Sophie steps ahead. You realize how crazy her demands are, right? Thats totally unreasonable! She could have told us something! Or just helped! Thats not how she works, I wave it off. But dont worry. The moment I even get close to her level, Ill beat the shit out of her for everything. And extra. You are free to try anytime, little pup, Lissandra answers again with that air of absolute confidence, then taps Myrra on the shoulder. After Myrra waves to us, they both leave, heading for the top of the huge hill we find ourselves on. There are already a lot of presences in the area farther away from us. Similarly to the first tournament, they also climb toward the top of the hill. Looking around, I take note of a nearly invisible barrier surrounding the entire hill. Its clearly the systems workI can tell right awayand it seems like it wont let anything pass through. As it turns out there are several other huge hills way off in the distance, each rising to large flat areas at their peaks. Smaller hills sit atop that space, along with an array of forests and a vast multitude of houses. They almost seem like perfect copies of the first tournaments common area and our hill. It seems that each round of the tutorial has its own hill, enclosed by a barrier that prevents us from mixing with other rounds for now. As I start walking toward the top of the hill, the others follow me. The tournament is a competitive base, but also an opportunity to meet other tutorial attendees from your planet. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The events will begin in one day; please wait in your common area until then. There are no monsters or natives, this should allow tutorial attendees to greet each other and continue to build on their relationships. Death is currently impossible on the tournament floor. Enjoy your second tournament! Even the notification is nearly the same as before. It would seem the system is being lazy as always. So, just like last time, I check the number of participants in this tournament. Easy Difficulty - 13,961 Normal Difficulty - 7,021 Hard Difficulty -2,100 Hell Difficulty - 269 Beyond - 74 That allows for a good comparison to the other rounds, as our 5th round ?s stats look like this: Easy Difficulty 1299/2000 Normal Difficulty 853/1000 Hard Difficulty 222/500 Hell Difficulty 36/250 Beyond 10/10 There are two numbers that interest me more than the others. One is the current overall number of people in Hell difficulty for Earth: 269, nice. Each round started with 250 people in Hell difficulty, so overall Earth started with 2500. Out of that 2500, only 269 are still alive. Close to 90% of the people in Hell difficulty died. Probably closer to 80%, accounting for the people who might not have joinedjust like our round is missing some people from Hell difficulty, that mysterious group or groups. Our round, the 5th, has an above-average number of Hell difficulty survivors. If we had to split it evenly, each round should have 27 people at the moment, yet our round has 36. There is also one more telling number: the amount of people in Beyond. I would have expected it to be around 85-90, given the hard limit of 10 in each round, but its lower than that, leaving us at 74. Myrra and Lissandra are likely counted as Beyond participants, even though they havent completed their trials yet. That could be throwing the numbers off. But still, the 5th round having more than expected is hard to ignore. Oh, then theres that guy who started in Beyond. The asshole hogging all the interest from the Rulers. I wonder if he ended up in this tournament if he even can, or if hes stuck sitting on his ass in Beyond. Well, none of it matters that much now. Knowing I cannot die here, I start doing things with Mana Cycling Ive been avoiding until now, or waiting for Lilys help, and then I begin loosening the 1st seal of the Champions heart to see the reaction and get used to the output. Its a strange feeling, knowing theres a limit and intentionally pushing past it. My body screams in warning, but my mind is already set. The next step is clear. I will remove at least one of the seals during this tournament. Because of this, I die twice, before we even reach the common area. Some of the people at the top of the hill are familiar to me. I see some memorable faces from Hell difficulty. I even notice Tacita sneaking around nearby. One of the signatures might be Savant, and another is definitely Gareth with his group. Some guys from Easy Difficulty still have those camping cars with solar panels and there are already some tents set up and even a decent amount of grilling going on. Indeed, the true Easy difficulty experience. I breathe in the fresh air and once again feel my heart beginning to race. I feel the need to use [Focus] to bring my emotions under control. Like a worm eating at me, that feeling of self-doubt continues to gnaw at my convictions. It whispers that I might fail this time. That it cant be that simple. That even back during the 1st tournament, I lost at least one event. So how could I win out now, against all of Earths best? It whispers that even if I succeed Tess might still die over the next two weeks we spend here. I dont let any of this show. Even with how inept I can be socially, I see the others are worried for Tess. So showing them my confident side should help them. But I''m also getting looks with just the slightest bit of pity. Do they pity the responsibility I carry now, I wonder? Taking a few more steps, I find myself reuniting with Channeler. The man is as handsome as beforemaybe even more so. Hes wearing a clean, fitted, stylish outfit and is smiling widely as if he were filling a role in a toothpaste commercial. Theres not really much wind, but his hair still seems to wave as if he were a model in a shampoo ad. Noname! he shouts, greeting me with a smile and shaking my hand. Almost as if he were remembering something, he immediately lowers his excited voice to a calmer pitch. After all, hes always been like a chameleon, that guy. I watch as he greets the others, Immediately distributing compliments. He notices Min-Jaes muscular figure. He mentions how the twins have gotten taller, which visibly makes them happy. He praises Lily, claiming that shes even more beautiful than before, and does much the same with the others. Im curious to see if he will ask about Tess, but even though he must have noticed, he tactfully doesnt bring her up. As expected of such a high-level extrovert. When its all done, I gesture to the twins, and they tie him into our Connection. (Oh, thats new! No one in Easy can do this!) Channeler enthuses, wasting no time in chattering away excitedly in our minds. (No one should be able to listen in on us like this,) I answer. (So, to start: Tess wont be here this tournament. But dont worry, shes okay.) (I... Im glad to hear that, Noname. I wont pry, but if you need anything, Im here.) (Thank you. And yes, I will be needing some things from you. But first, has Easy difficulty begun leaving the tutorial?) He smiles and gestures for us to follow, and we head toward a few benches seated next to a fountain and take a seat. (Yes, a few months ago, as far as we can tell. The people who wanted to return to their families made groups and went ahead. Some were even talking about looting Earth before the higher difficulties could return.) (Thats dumb.) (There are a lot of not-so-smart people,) Channeler answers more diplomatically. (Im on the 13th floor at the moment, and weve confirmed that its the last floor. But I made my group wait so I could speak to you during the tournament, Noname.) For a while, I just look at him. This guy really knows how to handle things. (It''s good you did. But arent you afraid youre rushing things too much? You could''ve spent more time in the tutorial, leveled up, and gotten stronger.) (I did all that, but Easy difficulty doesnt offer as many opportunities as the higher ones might. And... with what weve learned here in the tutorial, Earth might go through some changes. I want to get back and make sure my family is safe.) (Well, in the end, it''s up to you. So to start with, my name is Nathaniel, though you should only call me that when speaking through this link.) (I will do so! Thanks for trusting me, Nathaniel! My name is Rafael Vaughn.) (Thanks for telling me, too. So its simple: Sofie and Maya will be stepping in for Tess to deal with people during this tournament. We wont do much else, as I truly do not care about such things. We only have one objective for this tournament, and I dont think anyone in group 4 will disagree.) As I scan their faces, I catch the small details. The way they shift slightly, the way their eyes focus. A few take measured breaths, steadying themselves. There is no nervous energy, no lingering doubt. Just preparation. I turn back to Channeler and continue, (Before the tournament ends, I will make you an Arcane item that will make you the strongest person on Earth, at least until anyone from Normal difficulty returns. Though its highly possible you will remain the strongest even after that, you might even be able to take on some from Hard difficulty.) Rafaels expression flickers, just for a second. Then he laughs, shaking his head. (You really dont do things halfway, do you?) (If it needs to be done, I may as well do it properly.) I shift my stance, feeling my mana settle. The first event is coming in a day, but time already feels like its moving too fast and not fast enough at the same time. Theres too much to prepare, too much to account for. But it doesnt matter. Because the only outcome Ill accept is total victory. Chapter 551: Events of the 2nd Tournament (Nathaniel, I dont believe its that easy to make an arcane item. By the way, I know you aren''t good with names so you can continue calling me Channeler!) (Its fine, I can make such an item. It won''t be mid arcane, but low arcane should be doable with a bit of effort. For example, the sword on my waist is mid arcane and I made it with a bit... well a lot of help.) His eyes slide to the sword as expected and then back to look at me, (You don''t strike me as someone who really takes to fighting with swords. What does it do?) (It is annoying and it sometimes destroys stuff while trying to kill me.) (Is that some sort of hint that I shouldnt be asking too many questions?) (What? No. What are you even talking about? Now back to the item. Do you still want to work with me?) (Of course I do,) he confirms. (Okay, so Ill make you an item. Ill also be giving you the names and locations of the family and friends of the members of group 4 so you can check on them. Carefully, of course. I don''t think youll be unkillable on Earth, even with the item. Tess wanted to speak with some of the people from Easy difficulty but since shes not here, Sophie and Maya will be going over it with you. They have some things in mind and theyll need to work them out with you.) (Will do!) (Good. I intend to win all the events in this tournament and before everything is done here Ill warn everyone not to pull any kind of funny shit with you; the implication being that Ill fuck them up when I come back to Earth.) (You... I know you may be strong, but can you actually pull that off?) (Yes, don''t worry about pointless things.) POV Rafael Vaughn, aka Channeler Noname, no, Nathaniel has changed since the last tournament. I noticed it right away, I remember his bearing, reactions, and all. Hes colder now, more domineering, and he has this air of confidence about him. Some of that I''m sure is a mask hes put on for the sake of his group. I can see it in their eyes. Something must have happened, something very bad, and they keep glancing at Nathaniel as if seeking confirmation that everything will be okay. I think it has something to do with Tess, but she seems to be alive. Maybe shes gotten herself in some kind of trouble that kept her from joining the tournament? But couldn''t she have escaped into the tournament? Maybe she cant?? Has she decided to do some kind of dangerous training instead? Did something stop her? A wound? A side quest? Is she in Beyond? I know enough to say that it''s probably better not to pry so I stay quiet. As I walk at his side with the rest of group 4 trailing behind, he glances at me with his eyes having that golden circle around his pupils. He picks a mana stone from his pocket and after a few seconds, he hands it to me. Examining it, I notice training instructions much like the ones he gave me before. The ones that made me the strongest member of my group. These new instructions seem to be even more impressive as if he could have assessed my growth by simply observing the movement of my mana. (Thank you,) I answer simply. I know he prefers this kind of simple thanks and feels awkward when people show too much thankfulness to him. Before we reach the center of the Common area where I can already see Gareth, Swordmaster, Samuel, Adam, and others, I reach toward Nathaniel. I tap on his shoulder to get his attention and feel goosebumps when he turns to me with his usual expressionthe one that makes him look disinterested, arrogant, and cold to most people. Out of the corner of my eyes, I notice little Izabella and she smiles at me and nods. (I think you should let me talk instead of you,) I send to Nathaniel through the link theyve recently included me in, (And, nothing against Sophie but people don''t like her much and Maya isn''t very good at things like this.) I smile at Maya apologetically and then turn to Nathaniel, (You don''t seem to be in a very patient mood now either so leaving things to me will probably be for the best.) He stops to think of it for a moment and finally nods. I feel a wave of relief as he does so. With the mood he''s in, this could have ended very badly. POV Nathaniel Would you like to rent Oakheart Refuge and the accompanying facilities? 1000 shards/day I confirm and the house with its facility becomes the new base of operations for our group. Much like the prior tournament, it turns out to be one of the more expensive ones. Its basically a huge oak tree on the edge of the forest and the house itself almost seems to be growing out of the tree just as much as it surrounds it. The facilities are separate, built on the ground. The tree itself is taller than any tree on Earth and thicker. But it''s one of these things you get used to here in the tutorial. Leaving Channeler, Sophie, and Maya behind, the rest of us are here depositing our baggage. I die again and for a moment I close my eyes, resetting the seal on my heart before making another attempt to loosen it. Dennis, Aaron, take all the materials we have out to the smithy outside. Once youre done with that you can take Min-Jae and go out to check on Brainiac and Lootenant. I can already tell you want to. Stolen story; please report. Are you sure? We want to help. We care for Tess just as much as you do, Nat, and... I interrupt Dennis, Youll only be distractions here. If I need anything, I will make sure to ask. Got it, he confirms, as he takes Min-Jae, and his brother to start carrying the materials over to the workshop. Entering the Oakheart Refuge I find the room on the highest floor. Its been entirely formed from the inside of the tree with a huge balcony at the other end and a massive window to let in lots of natural light. I turn to Izzy and Lily, especially to Izzy, I might seem a bit colder for a while so please make sure the others understand. Are you going to be using [Focus] to manage your emotions again? Yes, I confirm, Not all the time, but Ill need to if I dont want to be distracted. As I talk I place a few Ley lines throughout my surroundings and tie a few of them to any members of group 4 that happen to be present. Maya and Sophie already have one. Looking at a shimmering pale blue line that may as well be invisible to just about everyone else, I think, Of course, I will be disabling [Focus] at times. I can use these emotions to push me, but I''m way too pissed off for that at the moment and I have a lot to do. Lissandra? Lily asks quietly. I nod, Anyway, Im about to get started. So I''ll see you later. Sensing the trio of boys leaving the smithy, I teleport over. The smithy is a smaller house made of a darker sort of wood than the main building, having an appearance almost like metal. The house is circular with a cupola-style roof with an anvil set in the center of the room, next to a fireplace and chimney creating a pillar in the middle pulling any resulting smoke up through the roof. Kicking my bags aside to open them, I bend and start pulling out materials: voidsteel, endurium, arcanadium, voidcopper, and more besides. And in a separate part of my mind, I begin preparing the base for the item Ill be making for Channeler. For a moment I stop and redirect a greater portion of my mental bandwidth to dealing with my heart as a powerful heat wave washes over my body. I use [Redistribution] and push it out towards the fireplace rather than allowing it to simply scorch its way through the area around me. My golden flames immediately start burning along the prepared path, spreading their heat through the building. Suppressing the heart, I redirect part of my mind to training with itand set another to the task of training and maintaining the arrays in the back of my mind and split off a third part to work on the item whose base I will now be creating. I wont be able to complete it in one day, but if things go like they did before then the events shouldnt be announced for the next 12 hours. Until then I can at least prepare a base for the item. Taking off Fracture and tossing it into the corner, I grab the materials. Drawing a small amount of thermal energy from the heart, I begin hammering with kinetic energy. At the expected time a notification pops up. Events for the 2nd tournament of Earth tutorial have been decided. They are as follows: 1st event - Clash of Rounds 2nd event - Beast Hunt 3rd event - Chronicle of the Past 4th event - Avatars Gauntlet 5th event - Tyrants Arena The first event will start in 12 hours. More information will be shared soon. I pause my work and reach out through my Ley Line, pulling Fracture back into my hand and proceeding to tuck it into its home at my waist. After that, I leave the item lying there and exit the smithy while reading the notification again and thinking of the events. So once again we have 5 events, leaving Chronicle of the Past as the sole returning event. There also don''t seem to be duels this time but the last event sounds like it''s replacing it. The second event sounds like some kind of PvE challenge, maybe well be hunting beasts for points? It could be anything, a solo event, a team building exercise, a competition between the rounds, hell it might be a challenge for the tutorial as a whole. Who knows. Avatars Gauntlet could make for an interesting event as well but I cant really say for sure until we see how the avatars will be used. As for the first event, the name mostly explains it. It will be either round against round or multiple rounds clashing all at once. I allow myself to slide out of the [Focus] and for a moment I pause to examine my feelings. Worry. Anxiety. Pressure, and worst of all doubt. The creeping doubt that I may not really be able to do the thing Ive set out to do. It''s just a whiff of a feeling. A constant threat lingering in the background and constantly trying to take hold of me. But theres also anger. And prevalent at that. Part of it is directed at Lissandra. For the sheer fact, she would even think to mess with me this way. Using Tess''s life to get what she wants out of me. The anger comes from the fact that she didn''t do anything to stop it from happening. But the larger portion of that anger is directed at myself. For not noticing. For not thinking it could happen. Lulled into complacency by that sense of safety in the valley and my single minded focus on training and the Champion''s heart that now lies sealed in my chest. What a fucking mess. I teleport through [Ley Line] landing in the biggest room of Oakheart Refuge where I find the majority of group 4. Izzy, Noodle, and Sophie are the only ones absent, and going by the explosions I can feel going off outside, they are training, readily abusing the fact we cannot die in this place. The others already seem like theyve been through something similar and have seized the opportunity to take a break. I know I handle deaths here better than most, but from the looks of it, theres no lack of determination. Directing a bigger part of my mind to training, I sit down and grab some snacks from the table nearby. Wheres the cockroach? I ask Myrra. The white-haired lynthari shows her fangs in a smile, Shes probably examining this place, feral one. She said exiting the tutorial should be nearly impossible for her and me and that she needs more data. From the different floors, the tournament, and Beyond. She wants to examine every facet and come up with the best way possible. So does that mean youre not participating? I will do whatever she tells me to, feral one. Because without her I will die. "Did you know?" I ask, gauging her reaction. Myrra stays quiet to that question. With an annoyed groan, I grab a few more pieces of dried food. I turn to the twins, If you haven''t already done it, add Channeler and maybe Miwa to our link. Make a secondary one for Gareth, his guild, and any others willing to cooperate. Standing up I turn to Lily, We might need the others to cooperate at least somewhat as we currently don''t know if we can handle the 1st event on our own. I won''t let others put us in jeopardy with in-fighting over leadership or their petty ambitions. Group 4 will be taking the lead and if anyone complains, kick them around until they agree. I don''t care if it''s WhiteWing, TheGuild, IDK, Samuel, or anyone else. Can you do it? Absolutely! I''m more than strong enough! As expected Lily understands right away and agrees. Thanks, I need to make some money for a new passive so Ill be in the workshop. I teleport away without waiting for a response, retreating into the workshop and opening a window. To be able to sell the items in the tournament shop, register as a seller. Please, choose an alias. It would seem that even this is the same. Would you like to register as "Tent Creep"? Yes, I confirm. Congratulations, you have been registered as Tent Creep, you may now offer the items youve crafted items for sale. I then open up the tutorial shop and start buying the necessary materials. Chapter 552: [King] What starting price do you wish to set for Manabound Javelin (Upper Epic)? What starting price do you wish to set for Ironfang Warhammer (Mid Epic)? What starting price do you wish to set for Bloodtide Cleaver (Mid Epic)? What starting price do you wish to set for Shardspike Glaive (Mid Epic)? What starting price do you wish to set for Tethered Bastard Sword (Upper Epic)? What starting price do you wish to set for Ashenfang Dagger (Upper Epic)? What starting price do you wish to set for Veinpiercer Spear (Mid Epic)? Looking at all the items around me, I take a breather and check the timer. Not much time remains until the 1st event, and we should be getting more information on it soon. As for the items, even I find it amazing that I managed to craft three upper epic items. I still remember how much effort it took to make a single one back on the 4th floor. But now? With my experience, skills, my manipulation of thermal and kinetic energy, plus the fact I can push myself to the point of dyingand actually did a few times, it''s almost laughably easy. I set the starting price at 10,999 shards for each upper epic. Then I set 6,969 for each mid epic. I set the duration of the auction at 2 days. Ill probably get more shards than I asked for, but for now, I may as well lowball them to get as many people as possible to bid on them. If the shop is the same for all the rounds, there should be plenty of people placing bids, and Ill always have the ability to check out the kinds of things the others are selling. Theres just so much to do. Again. Before confirming the asking price, I look the items over one more time. Of course, my personal experience tells me that they aren''t really all that... good looking, but at the very least I can vouch for their performance. I teleport and arrive at the training circle beside the huge tree. Sophie is still there, with the Golem Heart hovering in the air, resembling a lump of shattered clay. Black smoke drifts around it. I''m trying to improve my connection to it through my bond. Blackie should be able to take control and act with a fair bit of independence if I use enough mana, she explains the moment she sees me. I see. Have you taken a look at the barrier around our hill? Yes. We even got Lily to try and damage it, and as it turns out, she cantand it doesnt seem like the other rounds fared any better. Currently, the system wants to keep the rounds separated. Itll probably come down on its own at some point. What happened while I was gone? Well, Lily killed a lot of people. Some of them multiple times. Anyone important? "Samuel, five times, until the guy finally shut up. His guild tried to help, so some of them died too. Apparently, they thought enough people from Hard difficulty could just pile on and take her down together. Lily didnt even have to use her mana." Thats what they get. I guess. Then she killed Adam, Brainiac, BenDover, and Bard. It didnt even look all that much more difficult to her than dealing with people from Hard difficulty, Nat. I think she would have done the same to Gareth if Maya and I hadnt stepped in. You should have let her. Are you serious? Yes. Nat, we are trying to cooperate with these people, not fight them. She puts whatever shes doing on hold and looks at me. I return her gaze, It''s okay. Lily and I will be the bad guys while we make you, Maya, and Channeler look all the more level headed. Some of them probably forgot what we were capable of over the last year or perhaps they thought they just grew faster than we did. I know you don''t care, but do you want them all to hate Lily? Just that much betrays something. I shake my head and grab Golem Heart from the air and put it into her hand, It seems like I know Lily better than you. The 1st event C Clash of Rounds will start soon! In one hour, everyone will be transferred to the event area by round, all difficulties will be participating together. Terrain will be chosen at random from the systems database. The 1st round of the Earth tutorial will face the 2nd, the 3rd will face the 4th, the 5th will face the 6th, the 7th will face the 8th, and the 9th will face the 10th. You, being members of the 5th round, will face the members of the 6th. The 1st event will take place over the course of the next 24 hours, and the contenders will be rewarded according to their performance, time to victory, and points. All participants will be granted the same fortress to defend and 12 hours for preparation. The remaining 12 hours will be taken up by the battle. Your objective is to collect more points than your opponents. The winner will decided in one of three ways: 1st C Having more points than the opponent after 24 hours. 2nd C Fulfilling both requirements: taking over the opponent''s Throne Room and eliminating their [King]. 3rd C Eliminating all of the opponent''s forces. To seize your opponents throne room you must occupy the space for 1 hour. This will net the conquering team 10,000 points. All winners of their round''s first tournaments will be classified as [King]. Defeating the [King] will award you 5,000 points. If the winner of a round''s tournament is not present, the position of [King] will be passed to the next in line based on tournament placement. Points will also be given for defeating your opponents as follows: Easy difficulty attendee C 1 point Normal difficulty attendee C 5 points Hard difficulty attendee C 10 points Hell difficulty attendee C 20 points Beyond attendee C 100 points After reading it over, I wave at Gareth, who seems to be watching me, then glance at Myrra as she moves among the guys from the lower difficulties. I wonder what he thinks about her being here. Id be dying of curiosityhow is it possible that a native of the floors could be here? Plenty of people recognize her as the Myrra from their 4th floor. There are also a lot of Easy difficulty attendees with phones who ask if shell take a selfie with them. Myrra, curious, lets it happen and stares at the screen with wide eyes. She then even poses and makes grimaces to the sheer amusement of her fans. The problems start when some middle-aged guy with a shirt featuring an anime character on it asks her to say, Nya. But that I leave for others to resolve as I move toward the main group made up of our strongest members. Tacita is sitting on a thick tree branch nearby, and even Savant seems like hes decided to attend, though he maintains his distance quiet, as usual, with the same long black hair tied into a ponytail, green eyes, and mole in the corner of his left eye. But he feels different; its hard to explain, and even as I look him over with my Mana Wavelength Iris, I find my scans. Its not in the same method Tacita uses, in fact, it seems to be something even more annoying. Out of everyone here, hes the only one deflecting my probing so easily. Even so, I can tell that his body feels like a mess, the structure is incredibly chaotic, and even more than last time I find myself wondering just how much remains of his original self. Lastly, his Sword of Aeons seems to be in better condition than before. Once known as the greatest mana battery in all of Eladore, the world where Lissandra ruled as Absolute, the blade is still broken with half of it missing, but the rest of the sword is in much better shape. Surely at least low arcane, likely nearing mid arcane. My own Fracture is mid arcane, but a lot had to be sacrificed to reach that level, while Savants Sword of Aeons seems to be progressing differently, taking a slower path. Patience subclass indeed. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. I refocus on the conversation just in time to hear Sophie say, I think this event is here to reflect the pairing in a small way. The king is absolute and the throne room is likely Earth itself or some important place it might have now after awakening. The [King]/Absolute having a worth of so many points likely serves to show the importance of that title. It''s an interesting thought, and I would say I agree with her. In any other situation, I would probably spend more time thinking about the intent behind the event, but I dont really feel the need at this point. Instead, I continue to make my preparations. Leaving a small part of me to listen and observe the meeting. Sophie and Gareth try to take the lead for the most part, as our Hell groups have the most members. Whitewing has 7 and group 4 has 9well, 8 since Tess isn''t here, but 10 with Myrra and Liss. Though knowing that neither of them will be participating, we can scratch that number down to 8. Even if we had the same number as Whitewing, I wouldnt worry about it. Group 4 is clearly stronger, with more Beyond attendees and Champion candidates. Out of theirs, only Gareth has been declared, and who knows by who. Theres Tacita and Savant, each from their own group. IDK, with 3 members, BenDover included. TheGuild has 5; Swordmaster and AnotherOneHere are the most notable. And of course, theres the mysterious missing group. Then theres the fact that during the previous tournament, we couldn''t challenge the avatars of the winner of the 6th tournament since the rounds weren''t synced, leaving us with no idea of what to expect. Obliterate everyone in your way. That''s the price Lissandras named for Tess''s life. And I plan to make that happen. POV Min-Jae We enter and find ourselves in what I can only describe as a throne room. It''s massive, and as far as I can see, only the other members of Hell difficulty are here; the others were likely moved elsewhere. The throne room is square with four huge pillars supporting it. Each of these pillars is delicately ornamented and inlaid with gold. Theres even a thick red and gold carpet leading off toward the throne at one end of the room, while the floor itself is white marble with veins of light gray running through it. While I look around, steps echo through the room as one of the others starts walking. I turn and watch as Nathaniel walks across the marble floor, steps on the carpet, and heads towards the throne. He takes a step onto the elevated platform and sits on the throne, which, unlike the room, is very simplea huge block of pitch-black stone that almost seems to absorb the light, with bits of gold and copper veins running through it. There is a simple line of text floating above his head, a single golden word: [King]. Nat sits there as if it were natural, and his lance forms over his shoulder, just a single one. The one with a white and golden core, swirling with pale blue and violet hues. That lance seems almost alive, pulsating in sync with something unseen. The crown that had vanished from his head when we entered reappears. And he just sits there. And no one complains or tries to talk to him. (Kim, let''s go, you will be coming with me; Maya, you can go with Gareth and make sure Samuel doesn''t do something stupid, as usual. You can let Samuel leadpeople from Hard and Normal difficulty seem to like him, but make sure he knows his place. Lily, you...) (I''m sorry, Soph, but Ill be staying with Nat to help with the preparations. I will join you guys later.) (Okay, do you guys need Dennis and Aaron?) (Not this time.) (Good, Dennis, Aaron, you two will be working with me to set up the defenses. Kim, please look around for anything you could throw later. Since were missing Tess, you will be our sniper and I will be marking the targets for you.) (Sure! I can do that,) I reply. We head out, and the door just opposite the throne opens, a massive two-part door made from what looks like a single piece of dark brown wood, as thick as I am tall. Once outside, we move through the hallways for a while before exiting the building. When I look back, I have a hard time taking in the scale of the massive building we just leftthe majestic, towering stone building that seems like it could stand forever. Passing through the courtyard, we see people from Hard and the other difficulties moving around, and some of us split off to help while I use [Telekinesis] and pull myself to the first of the elevated walkways. It''s so tall, thick, and stretches so wide I don''t think anything like it could even be possible on Earth. Underneath, I see another courtyard that is also mostly empty, and looking down the hill we find ourselves on, I see another wall, even thicker and taller than the last. The area we are in is cloudy, and the sun rarely breaches the clouds, like an ugly day from a snowless winter. I use mana to bolster my sight in a way Tess taught me and observe the exact same place mirroring ours that is a few miles away, also at the top of a hill that is exactly the same as ours. In between us, there is that empty plain where, once in a while, leafless trees and boulders appear, as well as craters adorning the area. I fly higher and notice multiple expressions of envy from some attendees from Easy difficulty. It''s almost to the point where I can feel it. Flying maybe longer than I should, I reach the highest place I can find and land there. A ring of communications for private channels sounds to me, and I allow it to connect. (Kim, Nat says hes going to make some mana projectiles for you. I''ll be making some javelins from my bones, so Ill have some of those sent over as well.) (Thank you, Lily.) (No problem! Theyll probably create a barrier to defend against our attacks, but he said he''ll be breaking it, so I''ll just have to make sure he doesn''t die while doing so. You know him...) (Ill see it done. If he needs anything...) (It''s okay. Lissandras requirements are simple and direct, so it''s mostly up to him. I already spoke to the others, but please don''t be too offended by the way Nat acts during the tournament.) I move closer to the edge of the wall and sit with my legs hanging over the edge much like Nathaniel likes to do when he finds a high place. I ask Lily carefully, (Is... is he okay?) (He is the angriest I have seen him in a long while,) Lily sends back. (Sorry, I have to go,) I reply and quickly sever the connection. Next to me sits a beautiful woman with long silver hair and hazel-brown eyes. She lets her legs dangle over the edge as she gazes toward the second fort. Lissandra remains quiet for a moment, her gaze steady, as if lost in thought. The wind tugs at strands of her silver hair, carrying with it the distant sounds of battle preparations. A faint smile plays across her lipsamusement or... perhaps something else, I cant quite tell. Then, finally, she speaks, Envy directed at a single person can be truly powerful, especially if that person is deserving of it. But at the same time, that envy will crumble the moment that person loses. She reaches out and taps the tip of a finger against my forehead, observing me like a particularly interesting animal. People with envy like that either become the best followers, worshipping the subject of their envy until the end of their days or, given the opportunity, they become the worst of all traitors. I wonder which one you will be, little one. With that, she leaves as she likes to do. I think of her words as I watch Sophie, with the help of the others, form the web. Maya, Gareth, and Samuel organize the others; they even make plans with the help of Savant and the rest of group 4. The doors to the throne room open only once, and Channeler rushes in with a few people from Easy difficulty, and they start carrying out a vast multitude of items: swords, javelins, spears, orbs, arrows, and others. All made from mana and bone. Much of it is eventually brought to me as well. While holding one of these orbs, I watch the last minutes tick down. The world feels frozen, the wind barely stirring the dust along the ground. The sky remains an endless gray, the light dim and cold. Even time itself seems to hesitate, dragging out the final moments. A barrier forms around the other fort. Dark blue mana coiling tightly, its surface covered in shifting inscriptions that pulse with power. It doesnt flicker or waver. It stands firm like a wall of pure will, likely fueled by the efforts of countless individuals. The sheer density of it makes it feel less like a shield and more like an unbreakable fortress. While we hole up in our base, the other round sends a few thousand people our way. They now stand, spaced broadly apart, in the great plain surrounding our base. I count thousands, and there they seem likely to attack in one fell swoop. They are led by two men. Neither one bears the title of [King] hanging over their head, but out of all the people there, they look the strongest. Even if only by the way the others react to their presence. One of these two men has a [Mana Crown] over his head and a long staff with a big mana stone at the end. And the other one has a different crown. This one is bigger, rougher, and it looks as if it''s made of iron, but I don''t think it has anything to do with metal. The crown feels... strong. That man is also wearing black armor with no contrasting color and he holds a helmet under his arm. He carries no weapons, but he clearly seems to be the strongest. 10 seconds remain when the door to the throne room opens once more. I feel a change in gravitational waves and Nat lands next to me. Simple clothes, a calm face, and that lance floating over his shoulder. Just the way the gravitational energy reacts to it sends a shiver down my back. Hey, he greets simply. Hey, I respond awkwardly. Five seconds remain. Nathaniel''s face grows even calmer, his expression untouched by the tension in the air. Below, the two men glance up at him, their gazes sharp, questioning, but he barely acknowledges them. He just gives them a fleeting look before turning away, as if their presence were meaningless. As if they were nothing. One second. The systems barrier around our fortress vanishes, not shattered or overwhelmed, but simply gone, dismissed like an afterthought. Nat fires a single orb toward the enemy fortress, likely stretching one of his Ley Lines along behind it. The moment it moves, they react. Shields flare, forces surge, and unseen defenses lock into place. The air bends as something fights back against him, a final line of resistance, but none of it matters. None of it holds and he simply teleports through. Over the enemy fortress, beyond the dark blue inscriptions pulsing with unbreakable power, light erupts in gold and white, streaked with violet and deep blue. It flashes only once, a single moment of perfect radiance. And then, like glass struck at its weakest point, the unbreakable barrier shatters, its intricate inscriptions unraveling into nothing before the entire structure collapses, fading like it was never there. A notification follows soon after. Noname (Beyond, King) ? Nova (Beyond) +100 pts Noname (Beyond, King) ? Rico (Hard) +10 pts Noname (Beyond, King) ? UltraAlpha (Hard) +10 pts Noname (Beyond, King) ? Baron (Beyond) +100 pts Noname (Beyond, King) ? DuskDuke (Hell) +20 pts Noname (Beyond, King) ? sahgjtxcvdsa (Hell) +20 pts Noname (Beyond, King) ? CatHater (Hell) +20 pts Noname (Beyond, King) ? Hellfire (Hard) +10 pts Noname (Beyond, King) ? SupremeFurry (Hard) +10 pts Noname (Beyond, King) ? xxx_420_69_420_xxx (Hard) +10 pts Noname (Beyond, King) ? StormChaser (Hard) +10 pts Chapter 553: 6th Round POV Nathaniel I deflect the attacks shooting toward me and expand [Eclipse], which continues to drain all color from the area. One of the people in the throne room dodges my projectiles and continues to compress mana for an attack. I reach through [Eclipse], taking over his skill. My eyes feed me all the information I needI read the movements of his manaand find that I dont even need to understand it fully. I just interrupt the process, seize partial control, and feed the skill with so much mana that the guy loses control and it explodes in his hands. Noname (Beyond, King) ? Chump (Hell) +20 pts What a name. I teleport again and then move once more through another [Ley Line]. Their [King] struggles in a vain attempt to suppress my [Eclipse] and picks up a spear sitting next to him. His mana fills the weapon, and a sickly yellow light rapidly envelopes the blade. The winner of the 6th round ?s tournament is a man in his thirties, fit, cleanly shaved, with long black hair that flows freely. He is missing one of his eyes which has seemingly been replaced with a crystalline prosthesis, entirely covered in its own web of inscriptions. He levies the tip of his spear at me and disappears. The air around him wavering as he fades from view. Just before the last shimmering waves are gone I step into his reach using Wraith Dance. Ducking under the toxic looking glow of the spears tip and release a burst of kinetic energy, causing him to stumble for a moment as he rushes to defend himself. He regains his composure quickly though, and his spear begins to shrink and expand as he swings it at me, forcing me to dodge once again. He puts some distance between us and tries to make himself invisible again, but this time I read him quicker, and [Eclipse] disrupts the skill. An arrow from one of his remaining goons rockets towards my head, and I snatch it from the air, even as the lightning around it burns the flesh of my hand. Without taking my eyes off the King, I emit a burst of mana tracing the path of the offending projectile. Noname (Beyond, King) ? Oliver Newt (Hell) +20 pts I form a sword made of mana in my hand and use kinetic energy to charge at the [King]. As expected, he matches my speed using his stats and mana-based reinforcement and swings his spear in an effort to block my sword. I let the sword dissipate and instead absorb my own inertia, change direction, boost my movements, and slam my palm into his shoulder sending him stumbling once again. Grabbing the arm holding the spear, I release another burst of kinetic energy, and send the guy flying, to crash into one of the white stone pillars. Defending against the attacks of the remaining people here, I finish them with projectiles and bursts of kinetic energy and then grab the spear to throw it at the guy. Meanwhile, he rises to his feet, his eyes, both normal and crystalline, fixed on me. The flesh around one of the wounds on his arm sizzles with the same yellowish light as his spear, and his arm rapidly regenerates. Before I can react, the spear vanishes from my grip and returns to his hand. It won''t be that easy, he says as he brushes the hair from his face with a bloodied hand. A web of intricate tattoos begins to trace a set of glowing lines across his body, pulsing with pale blue light. The pressure radiating from him is immense, just a step below Jean''s. And the yellow light surrounding his blade and spear is anything but reassuring, probably some kind of poison, perhaps even something that hinders healing. You won''t be able to hold this place for the whole hour. My guys should already be on their way, all in all, I just need to hold you up for a while, he says while pointing his spear at me. I see, I nod and start walking toward him, but you are wrong about one thing. He takes steps toward me as well, ramping up the pressure around his body. I don''t give a shit about the throne room. Once I''m done with you, Ill simply wipe out the rest of your round. I say. Hearing me, he raises his mana even further, the tattoos even damaging his skin and muscles, and he charges me at incredible speed. He throws the spear, and I barely manage to dodge; only for it to reappear in his hand all over again just for him to throw it once again, forcing me to dodge a third time. We crash into each other, and [Eclipse] condenses, focusing on the small area around us. And for a moment, the light of his tattoos dims, almost seeming to fade away. Shock flashes across his face, but he pushes through, forcing the tattoos to reignite, as he strains to resist my [Eclipse]. But even that brief distraction turns out to be enough. I give his chest a tap, releasing a new burst of compressed kinetic energy, blasting him backward with a ragged hole in his chest. Despite the pain he must be feeling, he twists in mid air as his body rapidly regenerates, evading my projectiles and deflecting any oncoming blasts of kinetic energy. Then his spear shoots past me, aimed with incredible precision, almost like a bullet. I dodge, but the blade, coated in yellow light, grazes my leg. The effects of the poison hit instantly, a mix of mana disruption and searing pain that pushes through my [Focus]. I nearly stumble as I take another step to evade his next attack, the pain threatening to throw me off balance. Keeping my eyes locked on him, I release a wave of thermal energy through my body, forcing it into my leg, scorching my own flesh to fight back the poison. For a moment, the yellow light resists my golden thermal energy until I push harder, increasing the output and compressing it further. The poison eventually burns away, along with a portion of my leg. Even then, the pain lingers, fading only gradually. All this from just a scratch. My mana spins in the crown and reaching a critical point it stops, releasing a disrupting wave I combine with [Eclipse] and reach him using Wraith Dance, each step I take sending pain through my body from where the scratch was. I feint an attack, shift again, halt my inertia, redirect it, boost myself forward, then teleport through a [Ley Line], to finally appear at his side and unleash a concentrated burst of kinetic energy. As two halves of his body fall to the ground, I watch his skill struggle to activatethe same sizzling flesh and yellow light trying to heal him. I even lower the effects of [Eclipse] to watch it happen, activating Mana Wavelength Iris to further observe the process and the effects of his tattoos. The man heals in an instant. His tattoos begin to glow, trying to reactivate, but I''ve seen enough. This fight is over. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Letting my brain process the information from my eyes, I adjust the frequency of [Eclipse] and shut it down before it can take effect. He takes a deep breath, coughs out blood, and rushes to get back on his feet. My kinetic energy blows apart his leg, and he collapses to the ground once again. His skill immediately starts healing him again, and he keeps his spear pointed at me, despite the awkward position. I slowly walk over to him, pondering aloud as I do, You know, I used to have so much trouble with people disrupting my mana. And as Im sure you can see, it''s a really shitty feeling. You can have really strong skills, but what can you do if someone takes them from you? You... you fucker, this shouldn''t be possible at our level. I send another pulse, and the hand holding the spear disintegrates into a fine spray of pink mist, preventing the activation of whatever skill hed thought to use. Unfortunately for you, I''m quite proficient when it comes to dealing with mana. And it seems like I spend more effort making sure it cannot be taken away from me. As I speak he continues trying to activate as many skills as he can. A stronger version of healing, the invisibility he used before, whatever quality linked him to the spear, culminating in a domain of his own. He also skillfully modifies his frequencies, showing clear familiarity with this kind of clash. But its all to no avail. Thank you. I think I may have actually learned something from you. I will I don''t let him finish, opting instead to increase the output of my Kinetic Mana Heart, blasting away the rest of his body and sending the debris littering the room flying. Noname (Beyond, King) ? Hector Valdez (Beyond, King) +5,000 pts Congratulations, you have defeated the King. You are in the throne room. Time remaining to capture: 58 minutes 21 seconds I fly up through the hole in the ceiling at the place where I broke the barrier and high into the air. In the distance, the orange light of [Dawn] surrounds the area. That ever-so-familiar mana radiation stands between me and blocking the way that enemy people might use to return. Landing near Savant within his domain, I walk and stop by his side. On the edge of the domain, corpses of people pile upall fallen during [Dawn]. Well, not all; I also see flashes of Tacita hunting down those who try to move around the domain. Theyre quite disorganized, Savant notes as I stop by him. They had a decent plan at the start and, according to Soph, even some interesting arrays used to combine the mana of bigger groups into a single powerful bombardment. But? I ask. He shrugs, They panicked after you broke their barrier that was supposed to be unbreakable and from where their [King] was supposed to snipe us and poison our defenses. Having said his piece, [Dawn] flickers and disappears, and Savant turns away, walking toward the base of the 6th round. I dont spend time thinking about what he wants to do there; he must have an idea that capturing the throne room isnt needed. Turning away, I fly again, and mid-flight I stop using kinetic energythe flight turning into a big leap, and inertia carrying me into the middle of the enemys backline. There are multiple barriers and defenses layered over their formation, but I can see through them all, resonate with them, and pass through easily, landing in the midst of them. A scream erupts from the people around me after a brief moment of surprise, and a great multitude of people turn to attack me, firing off their skills in unison. [Eclipse] reactivates and expands over a huge area, draining the colors out of it, and all these weaker, out-of-body skills flicker and deactivate. My mind splits into multiple parts as I identify the stronger ones, and my eyes observe the moment of their mana, adapting parts of [Eclipse] to strengthen the area around these people. Hard difficulty or Hell difficultynone manage to resist. Their skills explode, filled with my mana. They hit different areas, then change and turn on their casters. And my heart beats, turning mana into kinetic energy as I charge them all, each of my punches killing someone. Wraith Dance carries me over the battlefield, Breaker Style destroys the stronger ones, and Pulser Stance confuses everyone trying to face me. I show no hesitation at all, and my mind slowly empties until there is only me and my opponents. I jump back, and the earth implodes in front of me. I locate the Gravitational Primordial energy user, and [Empyrean Lance] breaks through the barriers of everyone protecting him and kills the guy in the process. A notification. A punch hits my side. My unique epic passive turns the impact into mana, and my body barely feels it. Using some of that energy, I boost my movements, and my punch explodes his head like a bursting watermelon. Sensing large amounts of mana gathering nearby, I redirect more of my mind to the location, and take over the array, reaching out with a few Ley Lines, before expanding on the array and modifying it. I lift the barrier in front of me, and the array bursts into a fiery explosion instead of a flame ball sent at me. A dozen more notifications ring out. Step to the side. Punch. Notification. Wraith Dance. An arm is torn free and tossed aside, and I finish the guy off with a javelin. I teleport through [Ley Line] and deliver a stomp that destroys the attacks from below me. Three javelins break the barrier. A tricolored orb finishes the job. Another Wraith Dance follows as explosions and screams erupt behind me and pieces of dirt and bodies start falling from the air. All of a sudden, the movement halts, and I expand my field and start absorbing all the kinetic energy around me. It traps anyone from a difficulty below Hell, and even then not many of those manage to push through. A few hundred people are held by my skill. I release all the energy against the man charging me, and he is thrown away, an iron crown over his head and pitch-black armor around his body. Then I see Lily tearing through the ranks, tracking the very same man who starts running away the moment he catches sight of her, only for Tacita to appear nearby and stab him in the legpiercing clean through his black armor. Lily catches up to him. She grabs his arm, and despite her petite frame, she lifts his entire body and slams him back into the ground. The other man with the [Mana Crown] floats lazily in the air and tries to push against my [Eclipse] with his domain. Our eyes meet, and he lifts the staff in his hand as the tricolored, dark blue, light blue, and purple light collects in it, strengthening his domain. At the same time, he lifts the barrier and deflects projectiles shot by Min-Jae from far away and Sophie''s attempts. And that single moment of distraction is all I need to reach him. As his eyes turn back to me, he teleports. I resonate with the signature of his skill, taking over and following him through. As I reappear, I see him smiling, standing right in front of me. His staff is pointed at me, and projectiles swirl around him as well. The remnants of his teleport around me twist, change, and attack me in a great effort to disrupt my mana, stop my teleport, and halt meall at once. An incredible construct. My [Mana Domain] expands further, extending beyond defending my body and blending with [Eclipse]. All the mana around me freezes, halts its movement, and turns against that man. I bend the whole of my [Focus] on the difficult task and succeed. Instead, his mana is disrupted and evaporates in a cloud of sparking blue particles. [Redistribution] then subdues the guy with ease, apparently his physical stats arent all that great. I take a step toward him and bury my hand in his chest, pulling it free along with his still-beating Mana Heart. Before the guy disappears, I take a moment to observe the heart as much as I can. I sensed it immediately, but it''s different from mine, and even if I hadn''t modified mine to generate kinetic energy, it would still be different. It''s likely a pure Mana Heart strengthened by a trait. After a second, the man disappears along with his heart. People are already surrounding me. I lift off, breaking through defensive arrays and raising a barrier to block any incoming attacks. Floating there, I start bombarding the rest of the 6th-round attendees. They try to resist, but it doesnt matter. Their formations collapse, their defenses break, and one by one, they fall. It takes only a few minutes. Soon, they are almost all cleaned out by my and the other ?s efforts. One remains, far away, barely visible. Realizing hes alone for some reason he simply decides to run. I watch as a huge boulder flies through the air, nearly the size of a motorcycle, gaining speed with every second. The running man notices it at the last moment, hastily raising a barrier and reinforcing his body. But it doesnt matter, the boulder doesnt slow at all. With an audible thump, it slams into him, crushing him instantly. The notification rings out, informing me that weve won the first event. Only then do I release the hold [Focus] has on my emotions and let the system teleport me out. Chapter 554: Winner of the 4th Round’s tournament 1st (7,530 pts) - Noname 2nd (1,031 pts) - Grumpy 3rd (922 pts) - Tacita 4th (799 pts) - Savant 5th (650 pts) - Soph 6th (600 pts) - StrongestOne 7th (498 pts) - Gareth 8th (497 pts) - Izzy 9th (450 pts) - Knight ... Congratulations, you have placed 1st in the 1st event C Clash of the Rounds C and you have also achieved the high score for the event C 7,530 pts. You can exchange your points for shards. 1 point = 5 shards = 37,650 shards The reward for placing 1st overall is an additional 10,000 shards. You will receive an additional 5,000 shards for the fastest win in the first part of the event across all rounds. An additional 5,000 shards will be awarded for your performance. You may either receive the shards and choose one of three rewards or forfeit them to choose from a selection of higher quality rewards once the tournament has concluded. I reject the reward, I want to put it all toward my final reward for the tournament, I say, and with that, the window disappears. Congratulations on reaching the 2nd round of the 1st event. For the second halfC the remaining 5 winning rounds C will be placed onto a single map with the same rules and a few slight modifications! The second part of the event will start in 24 hours. In one hour, the barrier around your area will be removed, and you will have a chance to visit the areas belonging to the other rounds still participating in the 1st event. How interesting. So, a first round to reduce the number and get us used to the place, see all the entrapments there could be, and then throw us all in for the highest possible chaos? The fact that we have the chance to visit the other rounds at this point probably means the second event is meant to incorporate an element of politics. Alliances, betrayals, and the like. But that also means a chance to meet Victoria. Theres no way her round didn''t make it. The silence becomes more noticeable, and I look up from the notification window. Immediately, some people start avoiding my eyes, and there is also a clear path through the common area for me. Poor, misguided soulshave they forgotten what this place is all about? In an effort to avoid causing any more commotion, I ensure that I have my mana well under control and rejoin the rest of group 4. Meanwhile, I take the opportunity to go through the rest of my notifications. [Empyrean Lance C lvl 14 > Empyrean Lance C lvl 15] [Empyrean Lance C lvl 15 > Empyrean Lance C lvl 16] [Empyrean Lance C lvl 16 > Empyrean Lance C lvl 17] [Perception C lvl 58 > Perception C lvl 59] [Eclipse C lvl 23 > Eclipse C lvl 24] [Eclipse C lvl 24 > Eclipse C lvl 25] [Eclipse C lvl 25 > Eclipse C lvl 26] Its pretty decent, if I do say so myself. I proceed to the cobbled area around the fountain, when the others finally make their approach. Samuel is there as well, with his signature greatsword on his back. His Hard difficulty group has the most surviving members out of all the Hard difficulty groups, and theyre all dressed in the same style. Almost as if they had taken it upon themselves to create their own uniforms, and the chain of command is on clear display. For a moment, I think he might come to meI even see him taking a step while I tilt my head slightly and watch him, curious what he might want. His eyes meet mine, and he hesitates mid-step. His pulse changes, and I notice a nervous twitch. As I scan through all the little things Whitey taught me to notice with kinetic energy. In the end, Samuel averts his eyes and heads over to Sophie and Maya, who are already talking with Gareth. Lily stops by my side, If the start of each round removes all the healing marks I put on you, well have to keep reapplying them whenever an event starts. It also removed the mana from my [Mana Crown]. Surprisingly, it''s all back now, so it clearly is just for the events. Lily sulks. Taking away your arms is probably because it considered them similar to my healing marks, but it still sucks. I shrug, That''s the system for you. But thats fine; if the rules apply the same way to everyone, I don''t really mind so much. Good job out there by the waywere their Beyonders strong? Somewhat, Lily confirms, but they underestimated me a lot, and I killed some. The one with [Mana Crown] and another one with black armor and that iron crown were actually pretty good. Look at you, already beating the shit out of your fellow Beyonders. I still remember how you used to be such a crybaby. Have you considered that I''m still that same old crybaby? Perhaps Im just hiding it better, Lily chirps, smiling brightly. Was their tournaments winner strong? No idea. I didn''t give him much of a chance to show offprobably yes, against anyone else. But I think you and Tess could take him. The others from our group? Probably not. Lily sighs in pretend disappointment, If not for you, I might have been the winner of the 5th rounds tournament. So are we going to keep playing the role of bad cop while Sophie and Maya pretend to be reasonable ones? I nod. For now. Tess would probably come up with something better, but the rest of us arent smart enough for any of that. Do you think we will be able to form an alliance with the other rounds? Fighting all 4 at once could be difficult. That''s up to others. But I know I can get Victoria and her round to join us. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Lily looks at her feet for a moment before looking back up at me, Youll get to see her in less than an hour. How... how do you feel about that? You seem to place a lot of trust in her. I''m not certain yet; Ill have to meet her to be sure. Then I glance up at the branches of the tree hanging over our heads. Tacita lies there, clearly listening. c( ?_?) Sure. I just shoot a few orbs toward her, and she flings them away with her hand coated in a skin-tight mana barrier. Then Lily notices her as well and shouts, Taci! I could swear the messy brown hair of the silent assassin rises up in a way similar to goosebumps, and she rushes away with Lily following her. Noticing Min-Jae looking at me, I wave at him and he waves back awkwardly before I teleport away, taking refuge in my workshop. I died twice while speaking with Lily. Thirty minutes after I start working on the item for Channeler, Miwa comes to visit. The same as when I met her the first time and waited for her to finish her work before talking, she also waits for me to finish mine. I just sense her entering the area around our space, and proceed to the workshop I''m in. She does so quietly and takes a seat in one of the manabloc chairs Ive made, which retains the design of plastic monobloc chairs. Ten minutes later, I finish the next piece, pull back the heat Ive filled the room with, and let the item cool. Miwa is sitting there, smiling brightly. Her skin is red from the heat, and shes covered in sweat. Oh, maybe I should have reduced the output when she entered. Its crazy to think that you can work with such high temperatures, Noname, she says, smiling, then stands and gives me a short bow, It''s nice to meet you again. I return the gesture and nod toward the Fracture lying in the corner, You can look at it. There is no way I wouldn''t notice her gaze locked on the mid-arcane item and the new piece I''ve been working on. Her smile broadens, and she gives a quick series of nods before rushing, barely hearing my warning not to draw Fracture from its scabbard. She hasn''t changed much. Even though she must be somewhere in her forties, she looks closer to her thirties with that typical youthful Asian face and slim figure. And it even seems like no ones stolen her right arm. Yet. The arm is made entirely out of metal with a pinkish shine and entirely covered in inscriptions. It even moves more naturally than before. It also might just be me, but it feels almost stronger, as if Miwa had learned to harness more of its power. Maybe it''s a sign that I should stea... borrow it for examination. I bet she wouldn''t mind. I could let her hold Fracture for a few minutes in exchange. In the next ten minutes, Miwa moves from Fracture to the unfinished arcane item and even takes a moment to examine some of the materials and items Ive started preparing to sell. Why did you go with Tent Creep? I was shocked when I saw you on the ranking with that name! she says, with great difficulty, as she puts the Fracture back in its place and turns to me. With a shrug, I explain, I just felt like it. You felt like it? Yes. Why? she asks, not seeming to understand. It is silly and lame, but I thought it would help my group feel better. Don''t ask why. I...Alright. So what did you need me for? Is Adam still trying to get you to work with him, and do you still have a problem with it? I ask. I remember from the previous tournament that Adam, a man in his sixties who generally prefers to wear a suit and serves as one of the members of WhiteWing, had a habit of pestering her. The man, apparently some kind of rich German guy, isn''t used to being refused. Miwa confirms, Yes, he does, and I continue to refuse. Good. I want to give you the same offer, but slightly different. I want to learn more from you and, in exchange, Im willing to show you all I know and help you as much as I can. I will notify you each time I go to work here so you can come and observe and helpif you want that is. I also want to extend an invitation for you to work with group 4. We would protect you against anyone too annoying, and in exchange... well, I don''t know yet. You can talk to Channeler; we gave him the same offer. Soph and Knight will have more for you. The heat is still pretty high, and would likely be causing trouble even for most non-specialized Hell difficulty attendees, yet she handles it much better and carefully thinks over my words. Her answer is simple, I will think about it. I nod, and as she is leaving, I notice her glancing at Fracture in the corner. POV Lily Chen The barrier has been removed. The following rounds may now visit each other: 1st round 4th round 5th round 8th round 10th round The second part of the 1st event will start in 23 hours. Even though they won''t be able to participate, the non-participating rounds will be able to observe the event from their respective common areas. The barrier that even my [Disintegration] couldnt touch disappears. (Teleporting) comes the message from Nat. He does that when teleporting near me, only because I attacked him a few times when he appeared next to me out of nowhere. Not like he can complain! Everyone would do that, and I even think some part of him is proud of me for that. I think so. (Sure,) I send back, and he appears next to me. There is still heat lingering around his body, and his mana is leaking slightly, and even that little is enough for some Easy difficulty people nearby to be affected. They have such weak bodies. It constantly reminds me to be careful. Just a playful punch from me would probably be enough to kill a weaker one. But at least we from Hell difficulty seem to be much better at controlling our powers. Nat notices it as well, and his heat, as well as his mana, disappears as we watch people jumping or flying from their hills and heading to the unlocked areas that will participate in the 2nd part of the event. These hills are even marked by a huge green orb that floats above us, while those that lost have a red orb floating over the hill. There are even some people heading our way. Strengthening my sight, I see a figure jump high into the air over their hill, and from her, a few flashes appearone heading even in our direction. I prepare to defend in case something happens, but after seeing that Nathaniel doesn''t react, I do nothing. Then a finger plops onto the ground near the center of our common area; some Easy difficulty people there scream in shock and move away from it. In a blink, a figure grows from that finger. It materializes with clothes on it as well. It''s a beautiful woman with a calm expression on her face, wearing simple clothes and not seeming to have any items at all. Even her clothes aren ?t enchanted at all, just simple gray pants and a black shirt with sleeves rolled up comfortably. From there, I see how she turns to the people around her and calmly addresses them, I would like to talk with your tournament winner if possible. After a moment of surprise, some people around her start looking around, and some find Nat and stare his way. She follows their stares, and the moment her eyes lock onto his, she freezes. Recognition flashes across her face, and I notice her fingers twitch at her sides as if resisting the urge to move. Then she does. A blur of motion, far faster than expected. In an instant, she stands before him, searching his face with wide, unreadable eyes. Her hand lifts, hesitant at first, then steady as her fingers brush his skinlight, fleeting, as if confirming he is real. The speed she moved at is far quicker than I remember from the first tournament. Much quicker. That image of her is still burned into my mind, along with the pain of being torn apart by her. Now, standing in front of Nathaniel, she watches him closely, just as he does her. A stunning woman, slightly older than Nat, sharing his slim build and height. Her black hair is identical in color, and one of her brown eyes is a shade lighter than the other. Even their faces carry a little bit of similarity. Nat, on the other side, has his gray and brown eyes and wears equally simple clothes, black pants, and a white shirt rolled up in the same manner. As she touches his face and an incredibly gentle expression appears on her own. She whispers something I cannot hear, ending with a question. Nat nods in answer. Then he smiles at her and whispers something as well. Victoria Gwyn lets out a brief laugh, a beautiful, genuine sound of happiness. Another laugh follows, softer, hesitant, and almost shy, as if unfamiliar with the act yet filled with joy. Nathaniel opens his arms and pulls his sister into a hug, an act of closeness he rarely initiates on his own. Chapter 555: Sister I''m here with my own body now, Victoria answers my question after she lowers her defenses, and I teleport us to the living room of Oakheart Refuge. No one else, leaving us a free place to talk. What is your skill? I ask curiously. [Duplication], it allows me to create duplicates of my body, but the mind is shared. After I met you, I canceled the ones I sent to the rest of the rounds so I can focus on you. Thats a terrible mistake, Vic. You need to talk to these people and make alliances, I joke. Victoria turns to me and smiles before looking away from me and exploring the room curiously, I don''t care about these people at all. I have my nosy, curious brother to spend time with. She moves through the room and sits in the armchair opposite me. You didn''t seem as surprised as I was. During the 1st tournament, we challenged the winners of the 1st to 4th rounds, and I saw your avatar there. Victoria tilts her head the way she does when she is amused, You were always good at abusing the rules, Natty. What floor are you on? 7th. You? 8th, starting skills? [Focus] and [Mana Manipulation]. [Duplication] and [Intent]. Natty, you seem different and... tense. Has something happened? I lean back in my armchair while Victoria waits patiently. Shes always been really good at reading me. What do you mean by different? I ask first before answering the question myself, knowing she won''t mind. She pauses for a moment before saying, "You remind me of how you used to be when you were younger, just a little. Do you know what I mean?" I nod, A lot of things happened. You, on the other hand, don''t seem to have changed much. "Didn''t you used to say Im perfect just the way I am?" she says, her calm expression returning. "I''ll tell you as much as you want. Don''t worry." Even though she isnt smiling, and no one else would notice a difference, to me, it feels like shes happy in a quiet way. Damn, Vic. It''s so nice to see you here. But before we start, do you remember Tess? "Young Tess Hansen, smart and a little naive in an endearing way, pretty blonde? Of course I remember." Well, she is in my group and stayed on the 7th floor. Apparently, there is a mimic inside her. There is someone who can save her, but that person gave me a condition: I need to win all the events of this tournament and... I got it. Don''t worry about it. Thanks. I feel a wave of relief wash over me. I knew she would react this way. I was absolutely sure, because I know her just as well as she knows me. But hearing her say it out loud... Victoria is someone I trust completely and love unconditionally. She has always been my older sister who took care of me, always calm, even when she was young, and always taking on so much instead of me. I owe her a huge debt, but at the same time, the weaker part of me is glad I can rely on my older sister, even if just a little. Even the thought of that brings comfort. Damn, maybe I shouldn''t tease Sophie so much for how much she loves Izzy. Victoria gets up from her armchair and nudges me aside just enough to squeeze into my seat, wrapping an arm around me before resting her head against mine. For a while, we stay just like that. "Who was that pretty petite black haired girl, and why did she seem scared of me for a moment?" "That''s Lily, our healer who sometimes doubles as a bulldozer. She fought your avatar in the first tournament, and you tore her apart. Literally, Vic." "I see. The way she looks at you..." "Yeah, I know. It''s just a crush because I saved her back on the 1st floor. Shell grow out of it." "Natty, not to insult you, but youre not exactly the most knowledgeable about these things. How long has this crush lasted already?" "Huh, about a year and a half, probably?" "Youre a disgrace to the family name, little brother." "Vic, not to put myself down, I know I''m somewhat good-looking. I take after Mom and my beautiful sister. But Ive rejected her a few times, and its not like a crush can last that much longer." "Did you ask her about that?" "I... uhh." She then proceeds to gently slap the back of my head. Vic and I spend hours catching up. Some of the questions are silly, asked just so we can hear each others voices. I even notice myself training less. For a little while, I let myself relax. A few hours later, the living room fills with people. Naturally, the entire nosy Group 4 is here. Most of the time, everyone keeps stealing glances at Victoria, their eyes occasionally shifting between me and her. Victoria listens to their questions politely and patiently. The smile she showed me before is gone, and she once again wears that controlled expression as she sits with her clothes fixed and her stance straightened up. It feels surreal to see her there, sitting just as she did on Earth, so most of the time, I barely listen to the conversation. Instead, I focus on petting Noodle, whom I stole. I can feel his scales beneath my hand and the pulsating heat of the Fragment of Eternal Fire. So it will be just our rounds against the rest? Sophie asks, surprised. Victoria nods, That''s what we decided on. Me and Nathaniel will be enough. I don''t think that''s a good idea. How can you be so sure? Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Waiting for Sophie to finish, Victoria then looks at our mindblender. That moment stretches longer until I notice Sophie feeling uncomfortable, and after a bit longer, its Sophie who breaks eye contact and looks away. He is my brother, Victoria says as if that explains everything. My round will take care of one of the rounds. Your round will face the other two. "Well, fuck, I don''t even have to ask who came up with that idea," Maya says, looking over at me with a shake of her head. I shrug and feed Noodle another mana orb. Maya sounds even more annoyed. "Are you sure?" she asks me. Yes, I confirm. You know what is at stake here, right? Trust me, Maya, I haven''t forgotten. Damn it. Fuck that silver haired bitch. Fuck this situation. If you ever get stronger than her and beat the shit out of her, take a video of it for me. "I''ll try to. In 4K. How many times have you died so far, Maya?" Five or so? I''m doing that Mana Weaving you showed me and trying to channel and hold bigger amounts of mana. Do I want to know how many times youve died? A few more. I stopped counting after 20. Monster... Sophie interrupts the conversation, Okay, so it will be the 5th round and the 4th round against the 1st, 8th, and 10th. Jean, CarrotCake is from the 1st round, right? Leticia and Luna are from the 8th? Nope, I shake my head, Leticia and Luna are from the 7th; Derick and his primordial lightning wifey are from the 8th, but you haven''t met them during our expedition. Derick is the tournament winner? I nod, Red hair, tall and slim, has some very good tattoos. It is either a trait, item, or passive; no idea, to be honest. He is very good at close-range combat and disruption. Noelle uses a bow and primordial lightning, but she isn''t as dangerous as Tess. Jean has a physique that rejects mana, and it''s really difficult to damage him with mana. Even if you do, that physique absorbs a chunk of that mana and increases his regeneration. Plus, he has a skill that allows him to pull people or himself, likely all in his Strength stat. So we currently only don''t know about the 10th round tournament winner. Min-Jae jumps in, "We could pretend we''re trying to form an alliance with them, observe their people in the process, and learn what to expect." Look, we all know Tacita is likely already moving around the other rounds hills and stealing shit. Me and Aaron could do the same. Dennis slaps his fist against his leg and smiles brightly. Victoria looks at him in a mildly confused manner, Nathaniel described some people for me. Isn''t Tacita the girl up there? She points at the ceiling, and all eyes follow her, finally noticing the girl they had overlooked. Tacita is perched on a timber beam, where she has remained hidden since the meeting began. Now that all eyes are on her, she wears a look that makes me half expect her to hiss. Her gaze darts around, searching for an escape route. I hear a creak, and all eyes shift to Min-Jae as he slowly opens the door. He shrugs under our stares, but when we glance back up, Tacita is gone. Without a word, he closes the door again. For a few seconds, no one says anything. "O-okay, Aaron and I will try to sneak in. Nat, can you put Ley Lines on us? If anything happens, you can teleport us away and come save us," Dennis offers. Sure, I confirm and make sure these Ley Lines are as undetectable and firm as possible before both of the twins leave outside. I notice they have the box with Lilys [Disintegration] orb with them. They also cut off the connection to our web, as such telepathic communication links can be tracked more easily than my [Ley Line]. I''m sure they also recreate one just between them. Then, the situation I was worried about happens. Myrra, who is also here, moves closer and sits on the armrest of the armchair Victoria occupies. The tall lynthari seems to enjoy that she is towering over her, even more so when she shows off her height in front of me. Smiling brightly, Myrra pokes Victoria, The look in your eyes pisses me off even more than the feral ones. Myrra sniffs and shows her fangs, Feral one hides a lot of emotion inside him and rarely shows it, and that makes it fun to try to get a reaction out of him. Meanwhile, you seem like you barely have any emotion. Thank you for telling me. I would also like to ask you to please stop touching me and sit somewhere else, Victoria answers calmly. I lean back in my chair and observe what is about to happen. I know Myrra will be pushed by such an answer, and I already know how Victoria will react. I think it also might be the right time for them to get to know each other as well. "And if I don''t?" Myrra asks, as expected. Victoria glances at me, and I just raise an eyebrow. Then she looks back at Myrra. "I remember you from the 4th floor. Even then, you were acting the same way, and I ended up killing you. Id rather not do it again, since youre part of my brother''s group. So, even though I dont usually do this, Ill give you one more warning: please stop touching me. I really don''t like it." I don''t want to~ Myrra barely finishes her sentence before Victoria grabs her hand. Even though shes expecting it, she cant resist. Victoria overpowers her, pulls her in close, and slams her forehead against Myrras. The lynthari stumbles back, and Victoria stands up. Blood runs from Myrras nose, the wound already starting to heal thanks to the tournaments no-death rule. Victoria pulls her in again and slams their heads together once more, sending the lynthari stumbling back. Myrra''s torn-off arm stays in Victoria''s hand, and she throws it on the floor. You will have to pay if you break something, I interrupt as I notice Myrra raising her mana to answer with skills. Myrra hisses at me, her fangs showing as her tail moves in an annoyed manner before she turns back to Victoria, who just moves and sits back in her armchair after fixing her clothes. She intertwines her fingers, rests her hands on her crossed legs, and looks at Myrra. "As far as I know, I have shown you no ill will. In fact, I look at all of you favorably because of my brother. As his sister, I love seeing him surrounded by people he cares about." As she continues to talk, it becomes clear that her words are not meant only for Myrra but for every other member of group 4. "I assume we will be spending time around each other due to our shared connection with my brother. That is not an issue for me. Unlike my brother, I also do not mind speaking with people, so if the situation allows it and you would like to talk, I will listen. I do not find it bothersome. Whether we speak frequently or barely acknowledge each other, the outcome is the same for me. I leave it to you to decide how much interaction you prefer. Either way, I will adjust accordingly." Vic, I call to her. Yes? There is no need to be so formal. "Nathaniel, some things are better when people understand them properly, so I try to choose my words carefully." "It makes you sound incredibly punchable, Vic. I know because people say the same to me all the time." In that case, I would defend myself, Nathaniel. I try not to go out of my way to provoke or attack people. I always try to treat them with reason and without prejudice. It is not too much for me to expect the same. I''m not saying Myrra isn''t super punchable or didn''t deserve it. I understand, can I continue? Please, I answer. Poor group 4 just sits there, confused, and Myrra, with dried-up blood on her face, still stands. Victoria addresses them again, This reminds me of something I read once. She adjusts her posture slightly before continuing, A study on repeated conflict. It suggested that people who engage in small, frequent disputes often build stronger long-term relationships than those who avoid conflict entirely. That tension, when controlled, forces a level of understanding that politeness alone does not achieve. She exhales lightly. It is why people who push against each other often end up working together more effectively than those who avoid confrontation. Maya raises an eyebrow. Are you saying you and Myrra will become best friends if you tear her arm off often enough? My precious Victoria takes it seriously, unaware it is a joke, while Maya looks too afraid to explain. Victoria nods. If repeated conflict strengthens relationships, then yes, it could apply here. Though I assume tearing off limbs would create a more lasting impression than most disagreements. Watching that, I stay quiet and feed Noodle another mana orb. Myrra sneaks closer and sits on the armrest of my chair. Leaning in, she whispers, "Feral one, your sister might be even crazier than you. I need to see her meet Lady Lissandra." I feed Noodle another mana orb, pretending not to hear her. Somehow, I get the feeling Myrra enjoys the chaos a little too much. Chapter 556: Come again? Out of nowhere Victoria says the last thing I ever thought Id hear come from her lips, and as she does, never once does she deviate from her usual calm demeanor. "Come again?" Sophie asks, gaping in disbelief, straining to process the words she just heard. Myrra pokes me, Feral one, what are thermonuclear warheads? I ignore Myrra and ask, Where the hell did you get them? One of our Hell difficulty groups consists of soldiers from a submarine. They got into the tutorial with a bunch of missiles that had warheads on them. Around 120 warheads in total, but they lost over 90% of them on the early floors. Holy fuck, Sophie mutters. Victoria glances at her before turning back to me, They used a few to level up, primarily on the 4th floor against the Colony. But during the tournament, when the system made it possible to die, one of them sacrificed himself and used one in an attempt to kill me. So, I took the remaining warheads from them. Currently, there are 9 in my possession. You mean to tell us you surv... Feral one, what are thermonuclear warheads? Tell me! Myrra shouts, interrupting Aaron. I will tell you later, Myrra, or ask Min-Jae, he should be able to explain it to you. I wave Myrra off and turn to Vic, Can you use them? I cannot. They were several floors in before they found a way to use them. Apparently, the warheads disarm themselves when you remove them from the missiles. There is a built-in detonation system in the missile specialized to arm and trigger it, plus a safety system to prevent misfires. But they found a way around it with some kind of inscription or skill. Nat, do not... Sophie starts. I pay her no mind and ask, Inscriptions, you said? Can you give me one? I will send it to you once I return to my common area, Victoria confirms. "As if you even need something like that," Sophie sighs in defeat, turning to my sister. "Victoria, you said they used one against you?" "Yes. They didn''t like the way I went about things and found themselves incapable of dealing with me any other way." How the hell did you survive that? I apologize, but I see no reason to tell you. I hope you understand. ...Got it. Thank you. With that, Victoria stands up and turns to me, I will be heading back to the area for my round. Nathaniel, you can visit me anytime, but I understand you are a bit preoccupied at the moment, so I will be stopping by every now and then. Ill see you in the second part of the 1st event then, Vic. I stand up as well and open the door so she can exit; we then head downstairs. What kind of Hell difficulty groups did you get in your round? I ask curiously. "As I said, those soldiers. Then, we got a bunch of professional archers who got taken during their training, some were apparently preparing for the Olympics. A group of millionaires who were spending their weekend on a superyacht. Some of them even survived. And a few smaller groups that seem content to lag behind on the lower floors." About that warhead... I start, lowering my voice when we are far enough. Victoria nods, Don''t worry, I will send two. Love you, Vic. She reaches and ruffles my hair and, for a short moment, smiles at me. As we exit the tree, I see the guy I sensed entering our area. Jean, tall as always and probably even more muscular than before. And that little shit who called himself... Spacepup? Something like that. Hes here as well. The last time I saw Jean, he was pretty close to dying after I beat the shit out of him during our last Beyond expedition, just to make sure hed have to go through me in the event that he decided to kill someone from my group. So, I''m curious how hes going to behave this time around, especially knowing hes following the path of Pride, the same as me. Noname! he shouts happily, the loss he suffered seeming not to bother him. Though hes just as overbearing as before. Immediately, I feel my energy start to drain away. Later then, Nathaniel, Victoria says, waving to me as she passes by Jean, who tracks her movements until she jumps with incredible force, almost seeming to fly into the air, as she heads back to her area. Jean just shakes his head in the end and turns back to me, I came to challenge you! Yeah, no. I won''t take that for an answer. You dont have a choice, I say as I start making my way to the workshop. After a moment of confusion, he rushes to my side and starts keeping pace. We made a deal, and I promised to hold up my end of it, and I intend to continue doing so. My requirement.... I know, I concede. Trust me, beating the shit out of you could be fun and would distract me for a while, but I have much more important things to do now. Why don''t you spar with Grumpy? That tiny black-haired girl? I nod, You lost against me, right? And I didn''t even go all out, so you have to prove yourself worthy of challenging me. Defeat my underling, and Ill fight you. I know this maniac wont miss an opportunity for another fight, so this should be plenty to distract him. And Lily herself said she was curious about how she would handle herself against him. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Okay! Jean replies and starts heading toward the tree, calling out the tiny girl with the huge ax. Well, that was easier than expected. Lucien watches his group member walking off, sighs, and then shudders. As he leaves, I see him shudder again and hear him muttering to himself as he takes a quick look around himself, Fuck, why do I feel like I''m being watched? Having solved things, I send a message to Miwa inviting her to join me, and then I shut myself inside the workshop. For a moment, I sit down on the bench nearby and relax a bit. Doing so, I look at my hands. Both of them are shaking, and the tips of my fingers are twitching. My breathing grows haggard, and I feel like vomiting. That sense of fear, the thought of another death caused by my own training regimen, rises up inside me again. I feel so tired, not physically but mentally. Not even three days have passed, and I have already died more times than I did over the entire duration of the week long 1st tournament. The heart, my black mana, Mana Circulation testing, orb training testing, splitting my mind into so many parts. Sometimes, even that kills me. Then there are the movements of kinetic energy I''m testing, so dangerous and volatile that they trash my insides. Testing my abilities while deactivating my mid-arcane passive, storing oversized mana structures in my mind, and more. I test the limits of my body and mind over and over again. Outside, it would be dangerous, but here, I can do it while only risking temporary death. And damn, some of my limits reach much further than I thought. I knew I had built an amazing base and that some of my abilities synchronize very well, but even Im surprised at how far I can push myself before dying. And that line is pushed further and further with each hour. I know I handle dying here better than most of the others. Someone from Easy difficulty wouldnt even think of it. People from Normal might die once and stop, needing days to recover. Someone from Hard might push themselves multiple times during the entire duration of the tournament, and Hell difficulty might accumulate a dozen or so deaths. But for me? A dozen deaths is something I sometimes go through in just an hour or two. Sensing Miwa approaching, I take a deep breath in. A slow exhale follows. My hands stop shaking, and I stand up and fix my clothes. Then I slide into [Focus] a bit and call for her to enter. After hours of working on the item for Channeler and creating more mid-epic items to sell, I''m taking a short break. Close to the end, Miwa started helping more actively, often giving me advice based on her experience as a smith on Earth and the things she learned back on the 2nd floor. She is polite and puts effort into everything she does. She is also talented and hardworking. From what she told me, she had no problem finding teachers as she climbed the floors with her Hard difficulty group, often even using her metallic right arm as a conversation starter with the many blacksmiths shes met. There''s also something more interesting she''s telling me. I can''t believe you haven''t heard of this. It''s already been two years since the tutorial started! As she talks, I feel like a student being cussed out by their teacher. And no, I''m not making fun of you or lying. Its just like I said, if you create an item and sell it, or give it to someone and that person kills a monster with that item, you get a tiny share of experience from the kill. Look, I''m too tired to try to excuse myself. How tiny a part of the experience? Very very tiny. But imagine you make thousands of items, and they get used in combat. Over the decades, it can net you a decent number of levels and might even level up your skills or give you passives or traits. Okay, I stop her, imagine you live for 200 years. You make tens of thousands of items that are then used. Wouldn''t that make it possible for you to level up quite a bit? Possibly, but at a certain point it tends to taper off quite a bit. It''s hard to imagine someone becoming a Champion this way. But you have to agree with me that it makes a lot of sense. Sure, a lot of crafters level up by buying live monsters from hunters and killing them themselves or hunting on their own, but it''s nice that the other option exists, too. Nothing for armor? Nothing, as far as I know. Maybe it influences your passive offers, traits, or skills, but I don''t think theres any leveling tied to it. While thinking about it, I move toward the table and start heating up the metals I had set out. So, as always, it''s all about killing. The molten metal moves through the air, manipulated by my mana radiating and the arms I form with it. Unsurprisingly, the way of leveling you just mentioned probably doesn''t work very well inside the tutorial. You can make a lot of weapons on one floor and sell them for use. But the moment you enter a different floor, that floor will vanish along with your weapons, taking your chance at leveling with them. The alloy you are making isn''t merging very well; try to cool that darker metal a bit more. It bonds better with the endurium at lower temperatures. And I agree with you, that''s why I made a lot of weapons and brought them here. Miwa smiles and moves closer to observe the process, They might not be as sought after as the ones the great Tent Creep made, but I will sell all of them, and our dear colleagues will help me gain levels. After Miwa leaves, I continue for a bit longer before I call it a day and put seven more items into the system shop. Who would have thought that being able to push myself literally to death to make items could shorten the production time so much? While the workshop cools down from all the heat I generated, I close my eyes and enter my mental space. This time, I find myself on top of the tallest of the Giza pyramids. Whitey and I are dressed like British adventurers from the turn of the last century. Light colored trousers, sturdy boots, and loose shirts tucked into belts weighed down by pouches. A vest and a wid brimmed hat complete the look, all kind of clothes once worn by those who looted artifacts for museums and personal collections. I don''t have much time at the moment, so do you have any fancy tricks you could teach me? I ask as I plop down next to Whitey. A few, but you will need to improve your mastery before I can even show them to you, he replies, his reaction as usual. Your output is good; after all, youre a brute and can handle huge amounts of kinetic energy. But your fine control is still lacking, and your movements aren''t natural and intuitive yet. Im just a human, after all, I sigh. A thief, a cheater, and a maniacal little shit, Whitey confirms. Sounds just like me, I reply and stand up. To prove my point, I redirect most of my mana toward generating kinetic energy. The first heartbeat shakes the top of the pyramid weve found ourselves standing on. The second one sends vibrations through the air, and the sand collecting on the stones rises up. The third heartbeat makes the air around us vibrate, and Whitey stands up as well. On the fourth, I actively channel more of my bodys mana and reservoir through my heart, damaging it in the process, but its not like I have anything to worry about here. This mind space and all the training with Whitey, all the deaths, might be one of the reasons why I can push myself so far during the tournament. A few more heartbeats, and I feel like I cant handle even a drop more. The vast amount of kinetic energy flowing, bouncing inside of me, held at bay by effort alone. Fucking brute, Whitey sighs and jumps back. He doesn''t even bother trying to counter it. He cannot handle that much kinetic energy. I stomp, and the pyramid detonates. Each stone fractures and shatters midair, flung outward like shrapnel from a bomb. The shockwave ripples through the desert, sending dunes rolling like waves, carving trenches into the sand as if an unseen hand were carving through the landscape. The sky itself seems to ripple, dust and debris hanging suspended in the air. All that remains of the pyramid is a chaotic storm of stone and dust floating in the air, held in place by my will. Then I charge Whitey. Just a short clash before I return to the reality of the tournament. Chapter 557: Enormous Back in the living room, I find Dennis and Aaron sitting by themselves. They seem to be working on their training, but thats not what catches my eye. Its the two items on the floor that theyve clearly taken pains to keep their distance from, as if they were worried that the slightest misstep might set them off. A gift from my beautiful sister. Two thermonuclear warheads, each in its own wooden box, each standing around half my height and about the width of my arm. Glancing at the twins who are carefully watching me, I move toward the box and then kick it. Immediately, they shudder and leap to their feet. Jesus fucking Christ, Nat! Dennis shouts in a tone Ive never heard from him before. So I kick it again, eliciting the same reaction. A bit of my stress fades, soothed by seeing their reaction, but I also notice a different part of me, hoping it does explode. Vic said she survived one, right? Could I do the same? Ive already thought of a few ways I might be able to face-tank them, but for now, they remain only theories. Dont worry. Vic said they werent designed to be used without the missiles that carried them, and it took months for those Hell difficulty soldiers to come up with a way. Yup, that didnt help one bit. Aaron shakes his head. I shrug and open the box. How did Lily and Jean do? That muscular Baldie? Well, it ended up 1:1. Lily lost the first one but beat him in the second one. I think she wouldve won the third bout as well, but that little shit Lucien grabbed Baldie out of nowhere, and they left, Dennis explains. Aaron nods, Lily and Jean totally destroyed the sparring area. I think a dozen or so people from Easy and Normal died from the shockwaves, and they werent even anywhere close. Did you record it? I ask. Yup! Dennis confirms. We did as you asked and bought as many cameras, phones, and memory cards as we could. We even offered a bunch of upper-rare and low-epic items to any people from Easy who still had some, and I could just about swear their eyes almost dropped from their sockets, heh. There was a bit of a problem with Adam trying to do something similar, but Gareth made him stop before Lily could get to him. Im just surprised they still have any. I finally get the box open, revealing a compact metallic case. Its made up of smooth, reinforced, thick plating and a lot of warning labels. I try to lift it up, and I can, but its surprisingly heavy. Probably as heavy as Jean? I can use that man as a metric for weight, right? I close the box again. Aaron exhales in relief, We think most people from Easy difficulty wanted to keep their phones and cameras, but the further we get into the tutorial, and the more they see of it and the abilities of the people from Hell and Beyond the more it seems like theyre trying to create a good impression and join the stronger groups. At least Channeler said so. It makes sense, I agree. Do you need more items to trade in? Not for now. We already have plenty, and Channeler got his harem to record everything so he can blackmail our beautiful country when he gets back. Something along the lines of: You see this shit? Kill me or mess with me, and this crazy guy will make a living hell out of your existence. Dennis giggles. Aaron smirks as well, I told him to just give it to the media if our country doesnt want to cooperate, and he said he might leak some things here and there if he feels the need. Sounds good. Nat? Denniss voice becomes a bit more careful. Is there even a need to hide our names anymore? People were recording stuff even during the first tournament, and sooner or later, especially once they get out, Im sure theyll be able to match our faces to our names. I wouldnt be surprised if it already happened. But we dont really gain anything by going by our real names at the moment, and using aliases will just lower the chances that others find out. I think we should keep them hidden, at least until the end of this tournament, so Channeler and others can have a chance to return and protect our friends and families, and when the third tournament rolls around, you can do whatever you want. Sounds reasonable. By the way, do you want to use a warhead during the tournament? His trust in me, believing I can find a way to activate it in just a few days when it took the entire group months, warms my cold heart, but I still shake my head. Even if I could, I wont. These babies will be going back with us to the 7th floor for further examination. This time, I slam the top of the box with my palm, making both twins jump up once again. While listening to their immediate string of curses and complaints, I cant help but revel in the sound. The second half of the 1st event will start in 1 hour! The rules will remain largely unchanged. All five rounds will take place on a single map, each with its own fortress to defend. The event will span 24 hours, divided into 12 hours for preparation and 12 hours for the battle. Your objective is to either eliminate all participants from the other rounds or accumulate the highest number of points. The winner will be decided in two possible ways: 1st - Only one group remains standing with no other round member alive. 2nd - The group with the most points after 24 hours have passed. Note: Any round that has its King killed and its throne room captured will be eliminated, and its members will be removed from the event. To take over your opponents throne room, you have to hold the space for 1 hour. Doing so will see you rewarded with 10,000 points. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it All winners of their rounds first tournament will be classified as [King]. Defeating the King will award you 5,000 points. If the winner of the tournament isn''t present, the position of [King] will be passed on to the next in line according to tournament placement. Points will also be given for defeating your opponents as follows: Easy difficulty attendee C 1 point Normal difficulty attendee C 5 points Hard difficulty attendee C 10 points Hell difficulty attendee C 20 points Beyond attendee C 100 points Just in case, I reread the rules to see if theres anything Im missing and head toward the center of our common area. Just in time, a notification that the sale of my 1st wave of items has ended rings. Congratulations, your items have been sold through the tournament shop! You have gained 93,264 shards. Ten percent will be taken by the system. First, fuck the system and its 10% cut, and fuck the rule that only lets me use materials from the system shop to sell items. Second, the next wave of items should bring in similar numbers, and after that, I can shorten the auctions duration. There seem to be plenty of people interested in my items, and just from checking, there is no one pumping out even half as many of them as Tent Creep. Even Miwa is in 5th place at the moment. Im in first, but Id say its thanks to the sheer number of items Ive produced; the second one is someone called Mateo, and last I checked, he only had four items in the shop, and each of them is upper epic. The last one was placed there, likely a few minutes ago. Unlike me, his auction duration is set for 1 week. Curious strategy. I will do something similar with a few of my better-performing items. Noname, Samuel prods, sliding closer to walk by my side, jarring me from my thoughts, can we talk? I glance toward the center where the last meeting is currently taking place, then stop and turn to the former soldier guy. If you could be quick about it... I gesture at him to continue. Thanks. I wanted to ask if you could talk to Grumpy. Ever since the start of the tournament, shes been... Its at this point that I decide to interrupt, I know, I told her to do it. Samuel blinks a few times, You... did? I nod, Yup. If it were just up to me, she would be worse. But hey, you cant have everything. Plus, its good for you as well. If it werent for her, it would be me. You do realize we have to work together to beat the other rounds, right? Look, I wave at him and start walking again, if Sset were here, she would be going about things differently, just like in the 1st tournament. I would scare people, and she would use me to threaten the others. But Im not Sset, as you can see. As the twins would say, your wannabe coalition, other groups, and whoever else are all swinging their dicks around to see whose is bigger. But Samuel, group 4s dick is fucking enormous. I stop walking. OK, that might have sounded weird, but you get the gist of it. You probably have some info on me, and maybe you know a thing or two. But as long as you dont provoke us, Ill just do my own thing, but you should realize that in this tournament, Im going to be real easy to provoke. It would be different if it were me who was in danger, but this time, its someone I care about. Samuel sighs, We got it. Your group is pretty tight-lipped, but we figured something had to have happened to Sset. Who knows? Just enjoy your tournament and dont do anything to could cost us the event, and well all be good. Sure, we can drop this subject here. I also wanted to give you a warning. Some of my people checked in on the other rounds, and a few have some fairly skilled veterans. They even spotted a highly modified set of anti-materiel rifles, inscribed and made with altered metals, theyve likely been enhanced with skills and special bullets as well. I expect that theyll tear through barriers with ease and move far faster than standard ammunition. Got it. Thanks for the info. After that, he separates, and I reach group 4, who are slightly to the side, together with Brainiac and Lootenant. Both of them are noticeably stronger than before and even seem a bit older, even though not much time has passed. Especially Brainiac, who actually doesnt feel much weaker than Gareth at this point, likely sitting somewhere around Min-Jaes level. Is this the [King] in the flesh?! Brainiac shouts excitedly, grinning brightly, How the fuck did you break that barrier? They spent 10 hours on it and had dozens of people powering it! Acting like his handler, Lootenant pokes the young man, but Brainiac ignores it. Immediately, I can see why the twins, Min-Jae, and these two spend so much time together. Trade secret, I answer. Sure. By the way, you remember that thing where we were paying you to teach some of the others from our round, right? I think you wanted ten thousand shards to teach 10 people for an hour. Well, I think I could find plenty of people willing to pay now! Is he naive, or what? This world is cruel. I answer, That was back then. Now I would have to ask somewhere around... I pause to calculate the value of my time based on the amount of trading and training I could do while giving lessons compared to crafting. Then, I also consider the mental damage I would take from said interactions, and the price jumps by a lot. Probably around 10 thousand shards per person per hour. What the fuck! Thats 10 times more! Dennis and Aaron said theyre getting lessons mostly for free. But you arent Dennis or Aaron. Fuck. You know whats crazy? I think I still could find some people whod go for it. That makes me shake my head. Just who the hell would pay that much? Did you guys learn any info on the remaining tournament winners? I ask, turning to Dennis and Aaron. Dennis nods, Yup! The 1st round is CarrotCake, obviously. By the way, did you know that even though CarrotCake may be the strongest, hes probably like 5th in rank when it comes to decision-making? Aaron giggles, Even that little shit you call SpacePup has more say in his decisions, though CarrotCake doesnt seem to mind as long as he can find someone to fight. It seems like they have some smart people, or at least people more reasonable than CarrotCake, though thats not exactly a high bar." "He and the 2nd [King], that redhead in armor with the giant ax, fought, but he won in the end. She apparently has fairly high strength, but seems to have some kind of strange skill. Sometimes it looks like fire, sometimes it''s more like smoke or some kind of liquid. Its blood red and sticky, likely mana-based, and it corrodes everything it touches, and it seems fairly difficult to remove. She also has this extremely fancy suit of armor and collects a lot of equipment. Apparently, she was using axes, bows, swords, and daggers. Were still trying to find out more!" For a moment, I feel a rush of pride for these two. They truly are good at this kind of thing. What about the other rounds? Dennis looks around and checks on the barrier I made to keep people from listening in. Your sister threw one of her fingers into the enemy fortress, captured the throne room, and killed nearly all of their Beyonders and Hell difficulty fighters by herself. Meanwhile, the enemy [King] was taken down and killed while attacking her fortress, at the same time she attacked theirs. There were rumors about him being tricked or lured into a trap. Aaron waves to get my attention, and I turn to him. "It seems like the 3rd round [King], who went against her round, uses void energy, something to do with disruption. It''s apparently much stronger than normal mana-based disruption and can even interfere with primordial energies." Yup, another thing I want to learn about is disruption that isnt mana-based and can affect primordial energies. Count me in. I want to see that. Chapter 558: Villain in your path What about the 8th round? I ask them. Oh, that! Dennis perks up. You hadnt told us, but apparently that guy Derick is super strong. He barely uses mana for anything other than body strengthening, and has some kind of strange tattoos that disrupt mana, and they work super well. The guy we asked theorized that tattoos are either from a powerful passive or a trait. There are also rumors that Derrick recently acquired a Fragment or Primordial energy of some sort that isnt one of the common five. Aaron waits for his brother to finish. They also said hes really good in close combat and very technical about it. He used to be a top-grade martial artist on Earth or something and he only continued to improve in the tutorial. He also seems to cooperate very well with his wife, who does nothing fancy, just primordial lightning projectiles and a bow, but at a high level. Dennis nods, and both of them fall silent. The mood sours a bit as if they dont want to talk about what comes next. 10th round? I ask. Seeing Dennis not answer, Aaron sighs, We werent able to get there; they only let tournament winners in, so Jean and Derick went there. Your sister didnt go, and clearly, neither did you. We got killed two times when we tried to sneak in. Happens, I wave it off. So Jean, along with the majority of the 1st round, are Canadian. 2nd round? No idea, probably Europe or something. 3rd round tournament winner is that shadow-skill void energy boy, right? Yup, that round is probably made up of people from Eastern Europe, Russia, and India. The 4th is Victoria, and she said they have people from all over the world. Ours is mostly American. And the 6th seemed like South America. Yes, Tess said she spoke with Leticia, and thought that the 7th round seemed to be from Western Europe, and that she thought Leticia might be from Spain, but she said there were also people from Britain and Africa. Derrick is Irish, so his round could be mostly drawn from the UK? Likely, Dennis nods as he turns to look at Sophie. Sophie, joining the conversation, shrugs. Derrick and Noelle sound like Irish names, but I could be wrong. So its safe to expect that the 9th and 10th rounds are mostly centered around Australia, China, Japan, and Korea. I nod. Probably, but you can look at our round. Gareth and Whitewing were flying over Europe, and they mostly came from Germany, Poland, and those areas. As were wrapping up the conversation with that interesting fact, I notice Channeler waving at me, so I create an opening in the barrier, allowing him to enter before I redeploy it. He looks around a bit awkwardly, suddenly finding himself surrounded by group 4, but he quickly regains his composure and smiles. I found three people from Hard difficulty who have a heart-based trait that are willing to let you examine them later, he says, looking toward me. Maya glances at me and then at the handsome man. Really? You needed to tell it to him now, just 30 minutes before the event? Channeler does not seem bothered; he smiles playfully, and I notice Mayas heartbeat skips a beat as he does. It sure must be nice to be so handsome. So good for him. Maybe I should send him out to fight an enemy King in the 1st wave? Nathaniel told me to tell him as soon as possible, so I thought I would do just that, Channeler explains. Did you explain them everything? I ask. Not skipping a beat, he confirms, Yes. The examination might include opening up their chest and reopening the wound repeatedly so the systems effects dont out heal it. I also mentioned that we have a healer who can reduce the pain a bit. Of course, most of them refused outright, but when I mentioned you would buy items for them, made by Tent Creep, some of them actually changed their tune and agreed. I see. You know, Tent Creep is getting famous again, Channeler says with the same playful expression as he watches me. A lot of people have been saving up their shards in hopes of buying some of their items, but it looks like the other rounds were also quick to notice the items. Unfortunately, and I quote, theyre ugly as fuck, like a kid molded them from clay, but their properties are just too good. You asshole, how long have you known? Ever since the first tournament. I have a good memory, and sorry, its not like you did a very good job of hiding it. Plus, you mentioned making an arcane item for me, you know. Oh, thats true. Well, if this isnt awkward. Nat likes to play around with secret identities. He thinks its cool. Dennis smirks. Secret identity crafter, and he may have mentioned a secret identity as a melee fighter called Noname in Beyond. There might be a pattern, Aaron snarks, nodding seriously. Sure, sure, I dismiss, waving them off as I create a manablock chair to sit in. The conversation continues without me, and Channeler easily keeps it up. It seems so natural. Asshole. Izzy moves closer and shyly taps on my shoulder. When I look at her, she smiles softly, pulls a dagger out of her clothes, and hands it to me, making sure the others cant see. I made it, she declares proudly. The dagger is simple, and I see burn marks from her flames on the blade, which has melted in places. The rarity is mid-rare. Ive noticed her trying to make stuff for a while now, but this is the first one shes shown me, despite the many lesser attempts she must have made. I can tell shes very proud of it, and I cant help but find it adorable as I see the shy expression on her face. Izabella, despite being able to read others well and know their emotions with an eerie degree of accuracy, even without her skill, is terrible at hiding her own emotions. Its amazing, I say, as I take a moment to look it over. Each second I take makes her happier. When I finally slide it back into its sheath and hand it back to her, she immediately hides it in her clothes. I know its terrible in comparison to what youve been making, but thanks! It is? I ask curiously. I dont think there are many people in Hard difficulty who can make rare items like this, and some of them are super specialized for crafting. Her mood improves markedly, to the point that if she were a lynthari, I bet her ears would be twitching. Liar, she snorts. Am I? Why dont you check my emotions to confirm? Phe, she snorts again and leaves without doing so. So silly. After a while, I start feeling a bit awkward. Im the only one sitting, but its too late to dismiss the chair now, at this point it would just look lame, so I continue to sit there until the event starts. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Then, a few seconds before we get pulled inside, I slide into [Focus]. Appearing inside, I take a deep breath of air, noting the hint of salt on the wind, along with the sound of the sea and waves crashing against the rocks nearby. The throne room is exactly the same as the previous one, aside from a number of large circular holes in the wall. I lift up, fly, pass through one of them, and rise a bit higher. Our fort isnt much different from the previous one; its just smaller and has a huge wall around it. Inside that wall stands a single tall tower, with my throne room at its peak. Flying a bit more, I land on the roof and look around. As far as I can see, there is only the sea, and in the distance, I can see more forts, each seemingly in the middle of the sea on a not-so-tall rock platform. After a while, I notice that the waves arent actually all that tall. Each wave only rising to about half my height, and I can see through the crystal clear water, down to the yellow sand underneath. The sea, if one could truly call it that, probably only rises up to my thighs. Even though this view isnt quite the unearthly vista Ive come to expect, it is beautiful, the clear sea stretching on as far as the eye can see, contrasted against the calm sands below, and the clear blue sky above. As planned, I shoot one of my thermal orbs high into the air and let it explode. In a similar way, a yellow orb explodes over another fort to our right. So thats where Vic is. Just as before, I form an [Empyrean Lance] over my shoulder and start feeding it my mana while reactivating [Mana Crown]. Even though no mana goes into my crown, having it activated helps me control my mana. Meanwhile, even though I want to create another lance, I cannot. Even the one requires the most of my concentration. It also might be a rule that only one can exist, or it might just be a lack of understanding regarding the skill. Another thing long since added to my to-do list. I sit down on the roof, and most of my effort goes into the lance while I think. So, Derick, Jean, and that mysterious mystery guy from the 10th round. I wish things were simple, and I could say each of them was stronger than the [King] they faced, but things just arent that simple. You can counter people, you can have your Beyonders help you, so even though they lost and cant participate, I dont think I should underestimate them or the 6th round [King] I beat. Plus, there are also people like Tess, Lily, Savant, and Tacita. Each of them is likely strong enough to become a tournament winner if things went their way. And its very possible the other rounds have [King]-level individuals of their own. Hell, theres always the possibility that the [King] in question hasnt improved very much in the past year, and there are plenty of people stronger than them. So far, I havent used black mana. I still havent removed even one seal on the heart. Even my passive Mana Wavelength Tyrant is still deactivated, and its been that way for months. That incredible mid-arcane passive I got with my primary class upgrade just sitting there unused, so it doesn''t mess with my training and make everything too easy. Not to forget the all-powerful [Knitting]. Then, I could also use Ley Lines to launch inscriptions in a similar way to how the Eye Champion of the 6th floor did. It could be said even now, Im still far from going all out. Its not even close. But at the same time, things feel like theyre spiraling out of my control. There is nothing I can do about Tess, whos busy doing who knows what on the 7th floor. I have to rely on Lissandra to keep her word, and theres still the chance of her interfering with the tournament further. To send away these useless thoughts, I say, Status." Name: Nathaniel Gwyn Title: Champion Candidate Difficulty: Hell Floor: Tournament Floor Time left until forced return: 2y 361d 23h 54m 1s Traits (2/3): Mana Wavelength Iris 2/3, Mana Physique 0/3 Lvl 305 Strength: 240 Dexterity: 231 Constitution: 429 Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1621 + 1621 Primary Class: Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane) Sub-class: [Adept of Pride] Active skills (10/10): Focus - Lvl 63 Perception - Lvl 59 Redistribution - Lvl 59 Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 59 Mana Crown - Lvl 53 Mana Manipulation - Lvl 63 Ley Line - Lvl 49 Eclipse - Lvl 26 Empyrean Lance - Lvl 17 Knitting - Lvl 29 Constructs: Reinforcement Mana Regulator Mana Sovereignty Mantle Kinetic Mana Heart Sealed Ignition Heart (Fully Sealed, 3/3) Passive skills (5/5): Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic) Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic) Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane) Mana Wavelength Tyrant (Mid Arcane) Tokens: Beyond 3 day stay token Beyond 3 day stay token Beyond 1 day stay token Beyond 1 day stay token Shards: 384,133 I pull my knees closer to my chest and watch the fortresses over them, as each round starts building up their defenses. Some build things similar to Sophies web, salting them with barriers and other structures made with the help of items. They really spend a lot of time pouring a lot of mana into all of it, and with the help of my Mana Wavelength Iris, I can see it all. The structure of the defenses, the movement of mana, the more glowing mana, the denser it becomes. I even start to see tiny particles of ambient mana floating around and reacting to their manipulation. As always, the world I can see through my traits is so pretty and ever-changing. It is a constant stream of information, enough to fry my brain without a lot of help from my passive. I look to my right and see Lissandra sitting there as well. Her eyes are on me. She feels like a natural disaster to me and always has. A disaster that can destroy an entire planet. But just like a natural disaster, Lissandra isnt cruel; shes just cold, uncaring when it comes to normal human struggles. I will kill you one day, I tell her. Have I stepped over the line, little pup? she asks. I wouldnt say a single word if you were just messing with me, but now youre putting someone I care about at risk. Im not angry because you didnt help, even though you could have. It was our fault and our lack of skill that led to this. What I hate about all of this is that youre holding it over us with every intent of using her as a tool. She sits there and listens as the small waves continue moving outside in the wind. I do not care if it ends up well or if you did it all with the intention of helping Tess and me grow stronger. If you slip up even once, I will kill you. Lissandras smile lingers, calm and composed. Good, she says, standing while the wind stirs her silver hair around her. Her tone grows softer, but the weight behind her words doesnt fade. Its thanks to you that I am who I am. You pulled me out of that rotting stagnation and brought something back to life in me. And for that, Im grateful. For that, Ill stand as the villain in your path. And for that, if you ever become strong enough, Ill gladly die by your hand. As I stare at her, she simply says, "You are not allowed to use your passives during this event." Then, she turns and leaves. Still watching the spot where she sat, I deactivate my passives one by one. Phoenix Embrace (Mid Epic) Mana-Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic) Mana-Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane) All get turned off, adding to Mana Wavelength Tyrant, which I had turned off previously. Then, I sit there, gazing into the distance at the other forts as they build up their defenses. Ours is the only fortress that doesnt set up any defenses at all. Chapter 559: I don’t know to do it any other way I use the following 12 hours to get a handle on my abilities. Without the Mental Attunement Loop, the amount of pressure my mind can handle is severely limited, restricting my use of [Focus] and making it more difficult to maintain Mana Cycling. The first thing I notice is that the mana Im used to hiding begins to leak out as I redirect my brainpower to different tasks, leaving less available to manage the overflow. My resistance to mental attacks also drops immediately. And I no longer have the benefits of a passive that absorbs blunt attacks to feed my reservoir with mana. In fact, even the reservoir is gone, limiting me to the mana in my body. As I handle everything, I think about her reason for placing these restrictions. When I limit my resources, I tend to push myself harder. I fight more desperately and with more cold cruelty. In these situations, my mind becomes sharper, having no choice but to compensate for the lack of extra resources I sometimes lazily rely on. From that point of view, one could almost say Im more dangerous when Ive been stripped of resources and forced to use what I have more effectively. That might be why. So, as the hours tick by and I prepare, no one bothers me, and I dont connect to the link they made. Our plans have already been discussed and are being carried out by people far better and more reasonable than I am. Finally, the timer reaches zero, and the 12-hour battle begins. I boost myself into the air and exit the area surrounding our fort now that the barriers are gone. As I land on the water, I stand on the surface, mimicking the way of doing so that I already saw plenty of natives using. Each of my steps sends small ripples through the water, and the tops of the waves wash against my legs. Disliking the feeling of wet shoes, I kick them off, pull down the socks, and continue on barefoot. When something plops into the water in front of me, I reach out and snatch it before it can sink and put it in my pocket. Our fort empties as well, with everyone splitting into two groups. One is being led by Gareth and Samuel while receiving support from Sophie, Izzy, and Maya. The other is a smaller group with Lily, the twins, and Tacita... probably, heading in the opposite direction. I have long since noticed the way Tacita seems to have attached herself to us. The reason is simple: Lily. Even though Tacita seems frustrated with Lilys aggressive attempts at befriending her, she doesnt attack her. And damn, how she could. Instead, Tacita simply runs away. Ive seen her kill dozens of people during this tournament who got too close or tried to touch her. She doesnt do that to Lily, likely something to do with the way Lily saved her life after Tacitas duel with Savant nearly killed her, leaving her struggling to crawl back into her hideout with her last breath. I would call it a silly strategy to befriend that catlike assassin girl. I even mentioned it to Lily. Back then, Lily just smiled at me and said, "I know how it looks. Grumpy was just like Tacita, and I did the same thing then as Im doing now. Back then, I was young, and my father told me I needed to give him space and that he would open up to me in his own time. But I didnt. I did it my own way, and I think Grumpy appreciated the effort. Even though he kept hissing, scratching and biting me, gradually, he accepted it and even seemed to enjoy my presence. I got hurt a lot by him, but I think he liked having someone who showed him that they wanted to be with him and was willing to go through so much effort." She looked straight into my eyes. "I know there are people who would find me annoying. Theyd call me childish, tell me to grow up, and say I bother others and do everything wrong. I tried to change, but I dont know how to be any other way. This is me. Stupid, annoying, naive, and, as you like to say, bulldozer-like me. Me, Lily." And I asked, "As far as I can see, Tacita isnt, in fact, a cat. It might not work on her." Her smile changed with confidence shining through. "It will work." I remember how those words gave me goosebumps back then, along with the way she looked at me. For a moment, you think you know people. Who they are and why they do what they do, and then they surprise you. Over and over again. With that fascinating memory, I break into a sprint and head toward the fortress on the left while sliding deeper into [Focus]. To focus more, I filter out useless emotions and extraneous visual details like most colors and some sounds. Pushing deeper, I then suppress the sensation of pain and smell. A lot of information that my upgraded, far more powerful, and sensitive body usually collects is removed to free up processing power for the fight. In a flash, I spring to the right, dodging a barrage of flaming projectiles that were trailing me, each one piercing the air and heating everything around it. When they hit the water, they explode and sizzle, evaporating into an obscuring cloud of mist. A few domains expand and collide, their clashes seeming particularly wasteful as they act in opposition to each other, even though their main objective is simply to hit me. I jump into the air, attracting even more projectiles. A water stream, an arrow, orbs, stone-like missiles, pure telekinesis. I boost myself again back toward the water. As I land, no ripples expand through the surface as I perfectly absorb the impact. Whitey would be proud. More kinetic energy flows through my body, and I use Wraith Dance repeatedly to avoid more powerful attacks, each one sending a shockwave behind me that propels my body further ahead. Finally, near the fortress, I shoot [Empyrean Lance]. The spherical barrier, composed of a multitude of hexagonal panels, each a slightly different shade of blue, is pierced, and the lance continues on through, striking several people in its path before crashing into the buildings behind them. It pierces through them as well and exits the barrier on the other side. This barrier is different from the one in our first clash. A damaged segment disappears, the surrounding segments weaken slightly, and a new one forms in its place. But before that can happen, my [Ley Line] passes through, and even though the barrier closes, I know I can still use it. First, I send a tricolored orb through to let it form at the end of the line. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Noname (Beyond, King) llllllllllllllll (Hard) +10 pts Noname (Beyond, King) DoorOfStoneWhen (Hard) +10 pts Noname (Beyond, King) Aidan(Normal) +5 pts ... Then I teleport inside, appearing in the middle of the crater, surrounded by pools of molten stone formed by the explosion and a mass of compressed material created by the nearby implosion. Using Wraith Dance, I move to avoid an incoming attack and actively defend my mind against a series of stun attacks crashing into me. There are attempts to seize control of my mana, but they cannot. It is, after all, my mana. Two men standing on a nearby wall fire a series of projectiles at me. To avoid wasting mana, I dont defend against them, only dodge after tracking their trajectory. Wraith Dance brings me to them. They react too slowly, noticing me too late. One tries to flee while the other turns to attack, but with a quick strike from Needle Point, both vanish into clouds of fine blue particles. Noname (Beyond, King) NotGristletock (Hard) +10 pts Noname (Beyond, King) Monsieur (Hard) +10 pts Ley Lines stretch through the area, where some of the people, likely Beyond attendees, seem to have sensed them. They attempt to tear the lines apart, but all to no avail. I detect the most impressive attempt and teleport through a closed [Ley Line], using Wraith Dance to cover the remaining distance. I come upon a young woman surrounded by a barrier. Another man with a shield and sword stands beside her. For a moment, I activate my eyes, adjust my frequency, and then pass through her barrier as if it wasnt there. The man jumps into my path, slashing his sword at me, but I duck under and throw him off with my movement. Absorbing my inertia, I shift in an unexpected way and make my way over to the woman. She is painfully slow, but she still has a remarkably powerful mana signature, one of the strongest Ive felt from an Earthling thus far. Yet despite her talent at handling mana, her bodys movements and instincts are still lacking. I dont waste mana creating weapons; I simply slam my hand against her head, exploding it and turning her into blue particles. Noname (Beyond, King) Eliana Yankova (Beyond) +100 pts Ducking under the sword, I teleport somewhere else, sensing too many signatures converging on my location. A group of people appears, screaming as they turn to attack, and I teleport once more, leaving a tricolored orb behind. Notifications ring. A group of five rushes my way. I dodge an awkward attack from the first person to reach me and kick him in the chest, sending him crashing into the opposing wall. Noname (Beyond, King) Woojoe (Normal) +5 pts I grab another one''s axe, breaking his hand in the process, and swing it at him. Noname (Beyond, King) Ellimist (Hard) +10 pts The woman charging at me screams, mana surging through her limbs as she vanishes and reappears mid stride. Her spear twists unnaturally, splitting into mirrored afterimages that strike from three angles. I pivot around the thrusts, absorbing momentum into my stance, and lean just out of reach. I boost up and over, landing behind her. Before she can turn, I grip her spine and snap her forward into the ground with enough force to crater the surface. Noname (Beyond, King) Kirin (Hard) +10 pts The last two nearby try to synchronize and attack me at once, but I dodge both. Each vanishes after a short burst of kinetic energy. Noname (Beyond, King) Jtscuba (Normal) +5 pts Noname (Beyond, King) Monkeh (Hard) +10 pts Spotting another Beyond attendee, I head his way before more of them can muster to rush me. There are hundreds of people waiting when I finally arrive. The Beyonder is a man standing atop the roof of a nearby tower, the same one I sat on while watching the other fortresses. He stands alone, with two daggers in his hands: one radiating a blood-red light and the other black with a hint of purple, infused with void primordial energy. My senses narrow, with kinetic awareness dominating. I sense the vibrations from his steps and the beating of his heart; I even feel the air reacting as his body moves. Then I duck and sidestep, avoiding two thrusts aimed at me. And though a third comes from an invisible third arm, I dodge it as well. His void energy pulses in an attempt at disrupting my skills, unlike anything Ive sensed before, aimed at disturbing my mana and kinetic energy. It partially succeeds, making my energy more difficult to control. He strikes out at me again. Once at my head, once slashing for my neck, and once aiming to pierce my heart, and I continue to evade. And all the while, he displays an incredible degree of speed; every movement is deadly. But he just cannot compare to Tacita. Instead of dodging the next attack, I let his void dagger pierce my palm and grab his hand, locking the dagger in place. This disrupts my mana and kinetic energy, giving him an opening to move quickly and finish me off before I can counter. Then, I release the thermal energy Ive been holding in reserve. It passes through his hand and into his body, with golden flames melting through everything in their path. He reacts quickly, attempting to escape as his effort shifts from disrupting me to saving himself. As he does so, I use kinetic energy to keep pace and release a stronger burst of thermal energy. Just a tiny bit, I open the seal on my Ignition Heart, and he crumbles into a fine ash even as he struggles to escape. Noname (Beyond, King) Georgiadis (Beyond) +100 pts I pull the Ley Lines back to me and hurl them out again to avoid the traps they''ve already started setting. Releasing kinetic energy through my bare feet, I stomp, breaking a hole through the roof and dropping through to land in the throne room. Immediately, an arrow made of compressed red and white lightning crashes against the tricolored barrier I form, breaking it and slicing my cheek, drawing blood. Someone tries to enter through the hole I just made, but I fire off a mana projectile that pierces his head and kills him instantly. When another attempts the same, I repeat the process. Noname (Beyond, King) Kiara (Hard) +10 pts Noname (Beyond, King) William Fairfax (Hard) +10 pts Then, I turn back to my opponents. "You are bleeding," says the 8th rounds [King] from the throne. I follow his gaze to my palm, the one that was pierced by the assassins void dagger. Even now, it continues to bleed, healing more slowly than it should. There are no healing marks on me this time; even my healing passive is deactivated. For a short moment later, I watch a droplet of red blood flow down my palm, onto my finger and fingertip, before dropping onto the white marble floor. "Just a flesh wound," I answer to Derick Kelley. His wife, Noelle, stands beside him, bow drawn, and its string of mana nocked with an arrow made of primordial lightning. Then I charge them. Chapter 560: Five Kings Observing Noelle and tracing her aim, I predict the trajectory of the incoming arrow. Even so, I remain cautious, just in case shes capable of bending that trajectory. And she does. The arrow comes quickly, and follows it with a second one at a higher speed, ensuring that both will hit at the same time from different sides. I release two short bursts of kinetic energy to change their paths just enough to allow me to dodge without having to use mana for defense. As the next three arrows reach me, I do the same. Just a few steps away from the throne, five arrows reverse course and make their way back at me. At that moment, Derick moves as well, his tattoos lighting up all across his body. I feel a powerful disrupting effect, especially centered around his fists, elbows, and shins. His mana glows vividly in my vision, separating itself from the stark black and white world I see. He dodges my Needle Point and sends a burst of mana washing over his body to disrupt my attempt to halt his movements. Next, his fist crashes into my left forearm as I move to intercept his strike, and cracks the bone. The disrupting effect on his fist shreds all mana based defenses in the small area of contact, sending out a powerful, brief vibration that further damages the bone beneath. Even though it is cracked, I do not worry about it. With [Knitting] strengthening them, my bones will handle much more. The lightning arrows reach us at the same time, and I teleport away as they pass through the spot where I had been standing, only to reappear in the same place. I release the collected kinetic energy and take a smooth step toward Derick. This time, the tattoos on his forearm light up as he projects energy in front of him, forming a shield-like barrier to block my attack. I immediately switch tactics, grabbing his forearm. Boosting myself, I pull his forearms apart and unleash another quick burst of kinetic energy. This time, though, he simply redirects it with a smaller shield wrapped around his free arm. Thermal energy floods into my body as I move to pass it through his forearms, but he reacts quickly. In one incredible movement, he frees himself, takes a long, quick step around me to reach my side, kicks against my shin, and strikes my shoulder. This makes me stumble and nearly fall until I release another burst of kinetic energy to steady myself and throw another punch at him. He ducks under, delivering two quick strikes to my chest, both landing just over my heart, and shoving me while kicking at my feet again to make me lose balance. I stagger backward again, dropping the barrier that shielded my heart from an attack that would have surely damaged it. Dodging two lightning arrows from Noelle, I form and boost two javelins in return. She moves in with quick, long strides even before I release the javelins, effortlessly avoiding both and firing more arrows at me. Each primordial lightning arrow forms in her hand before she latches it onto a string made of mana and releases it at incredible speed. Derick closes in again to draw my attention while Noelle moves to flank me. He ducks, sidesteps, and leaps over my projectiles, deflecting one of my arms of mana with his glowing tattoos, disrupting a large portion of its structure before it can reach him. So he prefers making strong attacks over a small area, I conclude. I duck under his swing and use Steelroot to bolster my defenses as he kicks at my feet, trying to make me lose balance once more. He clearly likes to use his opponent''s inertia against them. As he shoves me, I absorb my inertia, redirect it into another movement, and punch him as he moves to duck under the anticipated strike. When he takes a step back, Noelle attacks with two quick arrows, once more causing them to arrive at the same time. I duck under one arrow and grab the second with my bleeding arm. It also takes a short moment for his tattoos to power up; he clearly cant channel mana as quickly as I can. I boost my body, redirect my movement, let him land a punch to my side, and swing to stab the arrow in his neck. Derick smiles as the lightning arrow vanishes from my hand, but his smile falters when a mana stake appears, hidden below the arrow until now. At the last moment, he lifts his glowing forearm to block it. He expects his tattoos to disrupt the mana, but they do not. My stake buries itself in his forearm, expands, glows, and pierces through the entirety of his arm, heading toward his neck until he kicks me, sending me backward while he also dodges the projectiles I shoot at him. I have observed his tattoos and modified the frequency of my mana. Even though I am sure he can adjust the effect of his tattoos on the run, I can adapt faster. The inertia of his kick carries me backward, and I let it happen, even adding to it, heading toward Noelle, whose mana surges in response, and her movements pick up an incredible amount of speed as she fires a dozen arrows within seconds. Not even bothering to avoid them, I teleport through a [Ley Line], placing myself in a location closer to her, lowering my body to further increase my speed as I charge at her. She drops her bow, and the arrow in her hand changes and twists into the shape of a saber made of primordial lightning. Derick is close, though, following hot on my heels, threatening to intercept me at any moment. My mana explodes and expands, creating a spherical barrier around the three of us and trapping us inside. I open my mouth and spit out an orb filled with a mix of thermal energy and mana. Then I teleport myself out of the throne room. I once again feel the sea breeze on my skin and smell the air as I wait, but there are no notifications. However, what I find outside is interesting in its own way: most of the people from Easy, Normal, and Hard difficulty are gone; only a few from Hell and Beyond remain. And there is another surprise. Two people have the word [King] over their heads. When Derick finally exits the tower through the hole in the roof and lands on top, that makes it four of us. Derick is wounded; burns mark his forearms and face, and in some places, bone shines through the holes in his flesh. Yet he still seems capable of fighting and even wears a lazy smile. Jean is down there, too, smiling brightly as he shouts, "Noname! I challenge you to a duel!" The maniacal call surprises Derick and the last [King], who had probably made a different deal with him that didn''t include a 1v1 fight. They should have known better than to think he would act according to their plan and wouldnt just try to duel me. Though they probably dont have as much experience with him as I do. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. While the tension starts rising again, I observe the last [King], the 10th rounds representative. He looks Asian, likely Korean, slim, and tall with black hair. He wears sleek black clothes, and even from here, I sense dozens of mana batteries embedded in them along with a web of inscriptions sewn into the fabric. The whole thing resembles one of the arrays I keep stored in the back of my mind. One of the Beyonders from Derick''s round is here, along with Lucien, and a woman from Jean''s round, and two more Beyonders by the 10th round [King]''s side: a young Korean girl, barely 12 years old, and a Korean man in his 50s. It seems like its about time. I reach into my pocket and pull out the object that splashed into the water as I left our fortress. It is a finger. Specifically, a finger belonging to a woman. As it hits the ground, a figure emerges from it. Black hair, brown eyes with one of which is a shade lighter than the other, and an expression that I believe fits her more than any human alive. Victoria stands on a patch of ground near the 10th rounds [King] and Jean, but she just glances at them and turns to look up at me. She asks a single question, "Which one?" "The bald guy over there, along with the rest of his group, please," I reply. Victoria nods and disappears. In the next moment, she crashes into Jean, sending him crashing against the wall and then breaking through it with Jeans fellow Beyonders following close behind. Before anyone else can react, I teleport over to the Korean [King] with mana oscillating around my hand, taking the opportunity to slash at his neck. Instead of him reacting, the young Korean girl moves to block the attack. I sense no mana from her, almost as if she has none at all. Instead, she relies solely on her physical stats. As my hand cuts into her forearm, she doesn''t even flinch. Her face remains expressionless, the look of someone utterly focused. So, a concentration type skill? The older Korean man moves as well, as the area around me begins to grow incredibly cold. Frost forms on my body, and the ground under my feet freezes. My breath puffs out in a cloud of mist. Derick appears nearby, attacking from the opposite side of the girl. His tattoos glow even brighter with a stark white light, nearly blinding me through my trait as the intense mana attempts to overwhelm my vision. I teleport away and launch a javelin toward the tower''s roof, where it collides with a lightning projectile. I redirect it just enough that it manages to miss me completely. Noelle stands there, the left side of her body terribly burned, one of her eyes ruined, and her left arm charred. She has discarded her bow, and instead, a circle of lightning that spins on an orbit around her. Derick moves to my left while the Korean [King] moves to my right. The girl takes the front, and behind me, another man with a powerful signature appears, betraying his status as a Beyonder, likely from Derick''s round. The old man who had tried to freeze me stands nearby, ready to jump in. Then the man behind me swings a staff he is holding, and it touches one of the invisibleLey Lines Ive suspended in the air nearby. The staff absorbs a piece of thatLey Line and glows as he slams it against the ground. A field forms within the fortress barrier, and all theLey Lines I have placed vanish. Breathing heavily, the man falls to his knees. I try to use [Ley Line] and find myself unable to. I attempt to radiate heat from my body, but it is actively suppressed by the old man, who already seems to be watching just for that. "We have made preparations against you," Derick says as his tattoos shift their frequency again. They change constantly, several times per second, and I can see the strain it puts on him. I return his gaze, "And you think this will be enough?" POV Derick Kelley Even surrounded by all of us, he shows no sign of nerves. His expression remains as calm as before, even colder than it was during our Beyond expedition. Back then, he gave me goosebumps, and that made my decision clear. Noname needs to be the first to go in this event. Weve collected as much information on him as possible. We paid off as many people from his round as we could to share what they knew, and we came prepared. Without Jean, Kang Jiwon, and I are forced to serve as tanks, while Park Tae-sik is tasked with facing down Nonames fire abilities. Noelle provides support. By sacrificing a powerful item, we even managed to suppress his teleportation, which usually seems nearly impossible to stop. Noname disappears in a movement that does not use mana and almost resembles teleportation. I follow him immediately, joined by the girl. He reappears near Kendrick, who is still kneeling, expended after using the staff. Noname grabs the back of his head and smashes it against the ground, turning him into blue particles in an instant. The girl reaches him sooner than I do, but I dodge to the side as she finds her body being flung past me by his kinetic energy. She still lacks experience, even though her talent is incredible. I reach him, bracing myself for the impending attack, but it does not come. Noname moves again, and this time, I can follow him better. I observe his body, taking note of the feints he uses most often, and move almost simultaneously with him. Trailing behind him, I grab his left arm and pull in an attempt to take him off balance and stop his charge, but to my surprise, his arm gives in and remains in my hand. Did he cut it off? But why? Just to prevent me from stopping his attack? That momentary hesitation allows him to reach the man shrouded in that intense chilly aura, so cold I would not even dare come near it. But Noname charges in, gold flames blazing around his skin, and expanding to fill the area. I hear a heartbeat, just one. At the same time, the arm Im holding starts glowing bright white. I barely manage to raise a shield before it explodes, hurling me against the ground and bouncing me off the wall. As I pull myself back to my feet, I redirect the mana flowing through my tattoos into undamaged segments to keep them active. I strengthen my body, clear my mind, and rush back. Noname stands where Park Tae-sik once did, and there is no sign of the man anywhere. The area around us is molten, the heat rising into the air, causing it to shimmer with motion. I notice a golden glow in his gray and brown eyes. Baek, the 10th round''s [King], finally moves. He sighs in his usual lazy manner and shakes his head. The black clothes he wears seem to move as if they were alive, adorned with blue mana stones that shine like stars as they expand. A deep blue suit of armor forms around him, taking on an almost metallic sheen. Sleek and dangerously sharp in design, it solidifies around him. A sword materializes in his hand, made from the same dark blue mana, and gleaming with the same metallic luster. Baek takes a stance and charges at Noname, swinging his sword just a step away from him. A field radiates from Noname, draining all color from the area. Only his crown and small flickers of his golden flames remain, while everything else fades to black and white. The armor around Baek and his sword vanish like a candle being blown out, and his inertia carries him to Noname, who catches him by the neck and smashes him against the ground. A pale blue mana arm grows from Nonames severed limb, and he drives its fingers down, aiming to stab them into Baek''s head. But Noname stops mid-movement and instead lifts Baek, using him as a shield against the charging girl. As she collides with her [King], Noname releases a burst of kinetic energy, sending them both flying. Between them shines an orb filled with golden flames and pale blue mana. Noname tilts his head to avoid Noelles arrow. It hits the ground instead, sending a burst of lightning through it and striking Noname, stunning him for a moment. As the golden orb attached to Baek explodes, I reach Noname and take advantage of the brief stun to bury my fingers into his chest, aiming for his heart, but I''m too slow with all my wounds, and in the last moment, he shifts his body, causing me to miss. Up close, he turns to me, his expression unchanged even as blood seeps from his nose due to the strain and from his mouth because of the wound Ive just caused. Then he spits that blood into my eyes. Surprised and blinded, I feel a sharp pain, and I stagger back to gain time. I notice my arm missing, cut off at the elbow. When I look up, Noname is nowhere to be seen, but a sudden thud in my chest sends me staggering back. As I look down, I see my own severed hand, its fingers piercing my heart. He must have used kinetic energy to boost the throw. The fact that it was my own arm, filled with my mana, likely made me lower my guard, even as I sensed it coming. I try to move, but after a few steps, I see a haze of blue particles and find myself outside in our common area, fully healed and only now realizing how much damage those attacks caused me. Looking around, I spot Kendrick and sit on the bench next to him, watching the event on screen with the others already waiting outside. Chapter 561: 10th Rounds King POV Nathaniel The price to pay for getting rid of Derick is high. A projectile from Noelle pierces my side and burns a hole through me, eating away at the flesh around it. Another one hits the ground at my feet, generating a stunning field around me. Even though I manage to escape even faster this time, there is enough time for that young Korean girl to reach me and deliver a blow to my head. Only my hastily constructed mana barrier saves me from instant death, but it shatters, and though the damage is reduced, I still take the hit. It whips my head back and sends my body flying. I absorb the momentum of my movement, and three lightning projectiles hit where I would have been if I had continued to roll. Then I boost myself to the side to avoid a heavy stomping attack from the young girl, which cracks the floor in the process. For that short moment, silence ensues as I pull myself to my feet, my body swaying before I force myself to stand tall once more. I take a deep breath, then patch my body with mana as much as possible to stop the bleeding. I knit the wounds closed with mana threads or create patches of mana to keep the larger wounds sealed. Im missing an arm, the other is a hairs breadth from being broken. My skull is cracked, and a hole has been torn in my side. Not to mention the hole in my chest that damaged my lungs, among other things. In that time, the [King] of the 10th round comes closer as well. Like the girl, he shows no visible damage from the blast of my thermal orb. He moves lazily, looks me up and down, then sits on a nearby pile of rubble. Kang Jiwon, he calls to the girl, this is too much work; it was supposed to be a quick fight. The 12-year-old Kang Jiwon starts tracing out a circular trajectory around me with the same emotionless expression. She calls to the man, Master, please take this seriously. That man is dangerous. If you make a mistake, both of us are going to die. The man just shrugs and rolls his shoulders, I can''t bring myself to care, Kang Jiwon. It''s not like we can actually die here anyway. Please, master, dont make our round seem like a failure. Sure. Sure. I don''t interrupt and instead stay quiet, using the time to patch some of my internal wounds. It takes a bit of concentration to keep it all up, but it''s better than just letting it be. When I''m done, he turns to me and smiles, Ready? Before he even finishes his question, he moves. The same dark blue armor with a metallic shine surrounds him as he appears in front of me using some form of teleportation. Only now do I notice the mark he managed to sneak into my space to allow for it. Right under my nose, without me noticing. I use [Eclipse], draining the colors from the area and modifying it against his armor, but this time it doesn''t disappear. It resists, and the sword cuts diagonally at me, forcing me to use Wraith Dance to dodge. The [King] follows behind me, each step of his armor tearing the ground under immense force. The constantly changing frequency of his armor resisting my attempts at disruption. The armor itself deflects my bursts of kinetic energy; even if they push him back, he comes charging at me again. After dodging another strike, I let my mana seep out, forming a similar suit of armor which grows to match his before compressing even further. Then a sword forms as well, laced with my resonating mana. We collide, and I get pushed back until I send more kinetic energy through my armor, powering it further and pushing him back. He nimbly dodges my attack and slashes at my body hidden inside the armor. His sword expands in size and stops only against the arm of my armor. In an instant, his armor shrinks until it''s skin-tight, and he leaps onto the chest of my armor and jams his sword into it. I blink as that sword pierces through and stops only a palm''s width away from my eyes. His helmet disappears, and I can see him smile as he jumps back. The armor around him again expands to five times his height. The design stays the same, slim and deadly, but the sword is replaced by a hammer, which he swings at me. A burst of kinetic energy slows the hammer, and I absorb the rest of the force, dispersing its impact as it crashes into me. At the same time, a few lightning projectiles embed themselves in my back. That much should be enough. I release more of my mana; it seeps out of me, swirls around me, fills my armor, and expands until it stands even taller than the other [King]''s. While his armor is slim and deadly with a metallic shine, mine is thicker and affected by my pride; it is slightly ornamented, maintaining a pretty yet functional design. I move quicker than he does, even though I''m still dealing with the greater mass of my armor. My kinetic mana heart beats quickly, converting mana into the kinetic energy I use for movement. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. My fist crashes against his head and sends him staggering back. Then my armor disappears, all that mana turning into projectiles that bombard the top of the tower where Noelle is. Dozens, even hundreds of them, tear the roof apart and follow her as she tries to dodge until one hits, and more of them smash into her. Then the kill notification finally rings. Floating there, I turn my attention back to the 10th round [King] and weave an [Empyrean Lance] . I shoot it at the spot where I sense his body signature. The lance pierces through the mana of his armor easily and reaches his body before a light flashes, and his figure flies out of the armor and crashes into the wall behind him. Right away, I sense that he is still alive, and I fly towards him, in my flight avoiding the Korean girl who jumps from the nearby wall in an attempt to stop me. As I reach the [King], he is already on his feet, still undamaged. In his hand is a sword made of mana. Even though it is cracked, it still holds. He moves quickly to get out of the field created by my lance centered around its impact crater, and I follow behind him. Only after a few steps does he stop and change direction to rush right at me. The girl does the same, and they attack me from different sides. In the last few steps, the girl moves quicker than before, pushing her body over the limit and crashing into me at high speed. As I''m absorbing the force of her attack, the [King] attacks from the other side. I look towards him and allow my eyes to collect more information, straining my brain as I read his mana fluctuations. Instead of falling back on [Eclipse], I send a disrupting wave at his mana sword, which disappears mere moments before it can cut into my neck. I twist my body and strike the girl with an open palm, releasing a concentrated burst of kinetic energy as I do. As expected, she endures the first one, but two more follow in quick succession until they explode a chunk of her body, and she is thrown away. Before I can follow, my foot is cut off, making me fall to the ground. There, I roll to the side and avoid the stab of the sword into my chest before releasing another blast of kinetic energy at him. He cuts through it with his sword, the same metallic shine surrounding it as his armor did before. Then the girl is back and strikes against my chest. I absorb all the kinetic energy from her attack and release it to move faster, stopping just in time to let a sword slash past me and drive my mana-formed hand into his leg. Before I can deal more damage, his sword shortens, and he takes another stab at my head, but I twist my body, and my shoulder takes the hit. I reach through a mark I placed on his leg when I struck him before, and release a good amount of thermal energy, allowing it to envelop him. The girl reaches me again, and I release a powerful burst of flames, impressive at a glance, but ultimately intended to blind her rather than deal damage. Aiming through the wall of flames, I fire off two mana javelins boosted by kinetic energy, and both of them pierce cleanly through her chest, impaling her against the wall. Gazing at me and without hesitation, she pulls them out of her body, one after another, and breaks them in her hands. She takes a few steps towards me before coughing up blood and slowing down. She breathes heavily while watching me with that emotionless expression glued to her face. The man is alive as well, stepping out of the fiery explosion, once more encased in armor, though its much smaller this time, barely matching the size of his body. Are you alright, Kang Jiwon? he asks. Yes. I can attack one more time, master, she answers. That makes him laugh out loud, and he shakes his head, You cannot. See you in the common area. With that, I send a small tricolored orb through the mark I left on her. The explosion sends both of us staggering, and the system chimes out a notification about the kill. Finally, I fully break through that annoying field left behind by the item and throw a few Ley Lines around the area. Surprisingly, he can see it, his eyes moving and gazing over the exact places where that shimmering pale blue line is. I''m Baek Kwaneok, he greets. Noname, I answer back. Haaa, he sighs. Concentration types, all the same. Still looking at me, he says, I wasn''t able to get rid of the mark you placed on me, and I have no intention of cutting off my own leg, so do what you have to do. Even as he says that, he charges at me, and reaching through the mark I left on him, I send another tricolored orb, followed by a burst of thermal energy. The two explosions surround him, but from inside of it he moves out. Four wings made of the same metallic, shining mana extend from his back, and his leg, where I left the mark, is clearly cut off. I move to teleport, but I fail to activate it. In a last-ditch attempt, he takes over what remains of the field they created at the start of the fight with that item and reactivates it one more time. Both of his eyes bleed, and his heart skips a beat and sustains damage under the effort he needs to exert. He crashes against me and attempts to stab his sword through me, but I let it stab my forearm instead and redirect it into the ground as we fall down. I lied, he laughs, and with a huge smirk, he moves to headbutt me, the last of his mana moving to create a sturdy barrier around his forehead. Instead of targeting it, I release collected kinetic energy in front of me, detonating his body and sending him flying back before he can hit me. Noname (Beyond, King) ? Baek Kwanseok (King) +5,000 pts After searching through the area and making sure no one else is present, I take a deep breath and just lie there for a second. Just one. Then I patch up what remains of my body and stand up. I know I''m probably being watched through the screens in the common areas of the other rounds, so I show no hesitation, no weakness. Looking up to where I think the "camera" is, I release my mana, filling the area in a burst reminiscent of a blazing flame that surrounds me and reaches toward the sky. I modify the way I radiate it and its fluctuation, and just that, combined with sheer pressure, breaks the barrier. For that brief moment, I let all my mana blaze at full power to send a message. To her and everyone else. Then I pull it back inside my body and contain it all. It''s my mana, and even after the fight, more than half of it still remains. Chapter 562: A payment for a simple request Victoria (Beyond, King) ? Spacewolf (Beyond) +100 pts Victoria (Beyond, King) ? Maple (Hell) +20 pts Victoria (Beyond, King) ? CarrotCake (Beyond, King) +5,000 pts These are some of the notifications I see in my feed. These probably came through a few minutes ago. As reliable as always, Victoria dealt with them and then went on to do her own thing. Flying high into the air, I observe the battlefield. Now, without the Kings, it should be easy to clean up the rest. The bulk of the fighting is taking place between the members of our round, the remaining forces that make up Derick''s round, and the forces responsible for defending the fortress that my round is attacking. Down there in our fortress, I can see constant flashes of orange light from Savant''s [Dawn]. Our sole defender seems to be fighting someone. The skill, powerful enough at the higher levels to wipe out everyone on Lissandra''s home world of Eladore, continues to obliterate a massive number of enemies, as confirmed by the stream of notifications from the kill feed. On the other side of the battlefield, the strongest combatants are being ruthlessly hunted down by Tacita. Even now, barely anyone has any hope of detecting her, and even if they do, hardly anyone is able to react in time. Not caring about efficiency or collecting points, Tacita just hunts the strongest enemies she can find, swiftly switching between the hoard of daggers in her possession, each with a different effect. I even notice Noodle, as thick as a small tree trunk and longer than an olympic swimming pool, slithering around the walls, devouring any barriers in his path, his scales burning with the green, blue, and purple flame of the Fragment of Eternal Fire. Sometimes, I even catch glimpses of Izzy, shooting the same flame from her palms. Maya, the twins, Lily, Sophie, and everyone else are doing well, but knowing them, its easy to see that theyre still holding back. It appears they kept an eye on the notifications and know the event is likely won, and I did my part to fulfill Lissandra''s requirements. Instead of going all out and collecting a few more points, they seem to have decided to hide the true extent of their abilities. It''s something we talked about previously, and they take it seriously. Passing over that battlefield, I reach the fortress belonging to Jean''s round. Unlike Jean, who seemingly agreed to participate in Dericks plan to take me down, they have chosen to take shelter inside. Even now, they work, stacking up their defenses and preparing any number of nasty traps; something to throw at anyone who manages to breach their walls. And by nasty, I mean really nasty, something powerful enough to wipe out even Beyond attendees. Their barrier is also two-sided, the front purposely weaker. Rather than being an integral part of the whole, it serves as a secondary barrier meant to be broken, allowing people to enter before the rest of the barrier reactivates to trap them. With certain poisons and collected energies activating, this could get interesting. Floating overhead, I expand the Ley Lines in the area and twist them, creating a huge circle which I immediately begin filling with more and more Ley Lines. When I can no longer create more, I weave in dense threads of mana instead. Slowly, I start building up a giant inscription, using all the testing I did previously and the experience I gained with that Bloodroot Devourer on the 6th floor. I separate part of my mind and, floating over the inscription, form an orb as big as a basketball before slightly opening a seal on the Sealed Ignition Heart. With each beat of my second heart, a small stream of that incredibly concentrated thermal energy flows into the orb, swirling inside it. When the orb looks ready to crack and break, I start spinning the thermal energy. It forms a whirlpool of golden flames inside, drawing in the flames I send to it at increasing speed. All that mana within me, the thermal energy I now have to control, all with no passive protecting my mind. I push myself to the absolute limit, knowing exactly where it is from all the deaths during the tournament. I walk the edge, fully aware that a single mistake would trigger a backlash powerful enough to kill me instantly. And that would mean failure of the task Lissandra has set for me. But I do not fail. I will not fail. A high-pitched sound fills my head as mana seeps out of me, passing through the Ley Lines and threads of mana. It lights up and powers the inscription floating in the air above the fortress. Then, silence falls, and the sense of pressure vanishes. At that moment, I look down and see our round and Victoria''s slowly making their way toward the fortress. They wait below like beasts ready to fight, while only small remnants of battle persist within our fortress, with a few smaller fights still going on against what''s left of the other two rounds. The moment passes, and my inscription flares to life for an instant before vanishing. It crumbles away, its threads unraveling into fine particles that drift into the air. With it, the barrier surrounding the fortress shatters instantly. The disrupting wave from the inscription tears through, completely obliterating the barrier along with any traps or activate skills below. My thermal orb falls like a meteor, its surface glowing in golden flames as all that energy tries to escape. It crashes in the middle of the fortress and bursts open like a bubble. From it, a massive wave of golden flames surges forward, crashing against the buildings and sweeping through the passages. Over half of the remaining people from Round 1 die from that single attack. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Then I reach down and pull all the remaining heat from the air back to my body, and, like another wave, Rounds 4 and 5 rush inside to deal with the rest. Turning away from it all, I fly to the side and reach the top of Derick''s fortress. There I sit upon the broken roof that sways as if it is about to fall apart. While waiting for it all to end, I allow myself to slip out of [Focus] and devote my full attention to the process of keeping my body alive and managing my mana. I shudder as I feel as though I have returned to reality, and then I read the notifications. [Mana Manipulation - lvl 63 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 64] [Focus - lvl 63 > Focus - lvl 64] [Perception - lvl 59 > Perception - lvl 60] [Eclipse - lvl 26 > Eclipse - lvl 27] [Eclipse - lvl 27 > Eclipse - lvl 28] [Empyrean Lance - lvl 17 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 18] [Ley Line - lvl 49 > Ley Line - lvl 50] [Knitting - lvl 29 > Knitting - lvl 30] I thought I would get more, and while this is good, it''s not enough to fully satisfy me. As of late, Ive been seeing more and more evidence of diminishing returns. It''s getting harder and harder to show the system that you have enough mastery for it to register another level up. And I have no reason to think it will be any different in the future. The rumors that it may be impossible to reach the level of Champion within the tutorial, which I estimate to start around level 450, are seeming increasingly likely to be true. Maybe at least a decade is needed for it? Maybe two? Probably even longer if you want to become a "proper" Champion, at least by Sandra The Cockroachs standards. Ten minutes later, I see the strongest flash of orange light yet and turn toward our fortress to see what''s happening, only to witness it explode and disappear completely, leaving nothing behind. What the hell? I quickly open the notifications and scroll up a little, finding what I was looking for. Hadwin (Beyond) ? Savant (Beyond) Savi, my unhealthily patient and cowardly not-a-friend, what could you have possibly done to piss off the Cockroach? POV Kang Jiwon As we agreed previously, both Master Baek and I enter the mountain of the 8th round. Expecting us, the guards let us pass, and one of them leads us toward the big house, a short distance away from the central area and near the edge of the forest. We enter the same room as before, and while Master Baek takes his seat in one of the free chairs, I remain standing. Mister Kelley and his wife are already there, sitting next to each other on the sofa. We spend the time in silence, waiting for Mister CarrotCake to join us, along with Mister Lucien. "Greetings, my evil collaborators!" Mister CarrotCake exclaims with a big smile as he walks in, flopping down and crashing into the seat of the biggest armchair in the room, which still manages to groan under the strain of his weight. "Jean," Mister Kelley greets him softly, "I didnt expect you to be so happy after your stunning defeat." "It''s fine, it''s fine," he says with the same smile, waving it off. "It''s all about the process. Just like in the gym, you need to damage your muscles for them to grow. It doesn''t matter if I lose once or multiple times. You know what? I think that''s what actually makes it more fun." "That''s an attitude I didn''t expect from you, especially with your subclass. So, how was she? Were the rumors true?" Mister Kelley asks, his curiosity clear. With his smile growing even bigger, Mister CarrotCake says, "Oh, they were. Like brother, like sister. Or maybe like sister, like brother? You bunch also got the shit beaten out of you, from what I have heard." "That''s too harsh, Jean, even if it is true. But did you know Noname was holding back?" Miss Kelley chimes in for the first time, "He didn''t even heal his body, and we saw his incredible healing during the Beyond expedition. Some of his passives also seemed to have deactivated, and he appeared to be handicapping himself and not using most of his mana." The room quiets, and I look at Miss Kelley, who meets my gaze with a calm, gentle smile. Master has already warned me that she has exceptionally keen eyes. Meanwhile, Mister Lucien looks disinterested, as if the only reason he was here was because someone dragged him along. Mister CarrotCake slams his hand on the armrest of his chair, "Isn''t that obvious? He was clearly sending a message, the same way we heard he did during the first part of the 1st event. It''s a shame I didn''t fight him one-on-one, but his sister was also fun." "Did she live up to the rumors?" Miss Kelley asks. "She could create clones, duplicates, or avatars of herself. Her physical stats are incredible, and I have no idea how you would even go about killing her. As long as she has a piece of her flesh, she can regrow from it, and I couldn''t tell which one was the original. But for now, it seems like the longer these ''clones'' stay alive, the weaker they become, as if they degrade over time. That might change with more levels. She also likely has some physique-related trait and probably an upgraded constitution attribute." I decide to join the conversation, "It''s highly likely that she possesses a concentration-type skill, like her brother." Master Baek reacts for the first time and tilts his head to look at me. I return his gaze, and he sighs, clearly annoyed. Mister CarrotCake, unfazed, says, "So, the sister is an immortal, emotionless maniac wholl gladly rip your arm off and beat you to death with it, while the brothers constantly zipping around like some glitched out ghost, spewing mana all over the place and wrecking everything in sight. Got it. And Derrick, what happened to that silver haired chick? Did she tell you anything else?" The reminder of her involvement pulls my thoughts back to that woman, the one with all-seeing eyes that never seemed to miss a thing, as if she could see everything all at once. Even the way she moved left an impression. Not long ago, she contacted Derrick and offered techniques if he could reel in the other rounds and get them to cooperate. The samples of techniques she left with Mister Kelley for each of the Kings were so incredible that they even caught my Masters interest. "I would recommend that you never speak to her that way, Jean," Mister Kelley warns. "And as promised, she left a mana stone with techniques for each of you." He carefully takes them from his wife and hands them to Mister CarrotCake and my master. Both accept them with care, immediately diving into the stone with impatience. A payment for a simple request from that woman. For us to join forces against those siblings. Chapter 563: Five Beasts Another notification appears as I get outside, after the event ends. More information on the placement in the event. Another 1st place and a lot of shards. And my body is healed by the system in that incredible way it does, seemingly manifesting any missing limbs out of the air itself. As before, I postpone my reward to bolster my final reward for the tournament. The next event is the Beast Hunt, and once again, we now have a 24\hour break before it starts, and well get more information in about 12 hours. Someone tugs on my clothes, and I look to the side, where I find Lily standing next to me. What? I ask. They focused on you directly. Why? I have an idea or two about that, but you don''t need to worry about it. Did you enjoy the event? A little, she says, walking by my side as I make my way back to my workshop, You and Victoria took care of the Kings, but there were still plenty of strong Beyonders and Hell attendees left over for us. The problem was that Tacita was hunting them down, and some of them decided to lead an attack on our fortress, so I had to be quick to get my share. I notice Samuel moving in to speak with me, so I put my hand on Lily''s shoulder, and she lowers her defenses so I can teleport both of us far enough away to continue our conversation. Lily continues to talk as if nothing happened, Sometimes it''s scary how defenseless the people from Easy and Normal difficulty can be when there are no Hell attendees or Beyonders around to defend them. She swings her hand in a mimicking slashing gesture, Just like that, and theyre dead. There is no resistance, Nat. I could kill any one of them by mistake, and even if thousands of them were to pile up against me, it would be all for nothing. Only the Hard difficulty would put up some resistance if they united against me. Is this what people call a humble bragging? I ask. Its not! she shouts, then quickly lowers her voice. It just scares me sometimes. Will I even be able to be around normal people? Will I get to the point where I won''t want to touch them, for fear of hurting them? I shrug, Youre overthinking things too much. To me, it''s simple. If you want to do that, find a way to limit your stats or strength to a much lower level, and that''s it. But that would probably make you vulnerable, so be careful. My answer seems to give her a bit of pause, and she takes a moment to think for a bit, and when we finally come to a stop in front of the workshop, she chuckles softly. Its just like in those stories. What kind? I ask. The ones where the gods have to turn mortal to be able to stay among humans. With that last sentence, she waves me off and leaves, likely to train. Ten hours later, I leave the workshop with another wave of items waiting in the auction, and Miwa on her way back to her own workshop. My plan of cooperating with another crafter is picking up steam. Soon, shell reach a level where people will ask her for items instead of me, hopefully, so I wont have to deal with projects other than my own. Yes, its all coming together now. Sensing a familiar signature in our living room, I teleport there, finding Victoria sitting in the armchair and Lily opposite her. They are alone, and Lily looks as if shes in the process of being interrogated. As Victoria turns her attention to me, Lily seizes the opportunity to escape, after saying a quick goodbye. "Don''t bully my group, Vic," I complain as I push her over so I can take a seat next to her. She looks at me questioningly, I would not do that, Natty. But never mind that, did things go well for you during the event? I confirm, Yes. I mean, that person didn''t come to complain, so that''s a good sign at least. Do you want me to speak with her? Please don''t, I quickly respond. Just the thought makes me worry about the problems that would arise if their personalities clashed. I can already imagine what Vic would do. As you wish. How was your fight with Jean? That man? He is likely the strongest out of the Kings we have met so far. It took a while to deal with him, but it was nothing I could not handle. "I just thought of something, but can you duplicate items?" "Yes, but only those of common rarity. I should be able to duplicate more powerful ones if I try, but I have decided not to spend time training it and instead, I am focusing on other priorities for now." It would be interesting if you could do it, Vic, but you have the right of it either way. Items can be taken away, but your power will stay with you. "That is true. Use them, but do not rely on them, and be ready to throw them away." Is that why you have no armor or items, just these common clothes? Victoria nods, Yes. It began to annoy me after a while, when I noticed people staring at me, so I learned to duplicate my clothes at the very least. Vic. Yes, Natty? Don''t tell me youve been fighting naked. Of course I did, I had to. At the lower levels, my skill would not allow me to duplicate, not even common clothes, and what is there to be shy about when it comes to a death or life situation? If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Who saw? Most of the opponents who forced me to use my skill before I improved it are already dead. Name the remaining ones, Vic. Tell me right now, I will end them all. To that, she smacks the back of my head. As expected, a few hours later, the notification finally comes. The 2nd event, Beast Hunt, will start in 12 hours! Everyone will be transferred to a randomly selected map; all difficulties will participate together. The terrain will be chosen at random from the system''s database. You will be facing the environment and the beasts. The 2nd event will take place over the course of the next 10 hours, and the placement will be decided according to total score. You will gain points for hunting and killing beasts. The more powerful the beast, the more points you will be awarded. Note: A hefty penalty will be incurred for killing another participant. Note: All points for a given kill will be awarded to the person delivering the killing blow. Five special grade beasts will be placed around the map, each within their own territory. Anyone who successfully takes down such a beast will be awarded a huge amount of points. These five beasts are: Stormscale Basilisk: A serpentine predator covered in shimmering, conductive scales that generate lightning with each movement. It is capable of releasing explosive electric bursts and paralyzing its prey with its gaze. Emberhorn Behemoth:A towering, bovine creature with obsidian horns that channel the elemental fury of magma. Its hooves ignite the ground where it walks, and it can unleash devastating gouts of lava. Nightshade Stalker:A feline predator shrouded in shifting shadows, capable of blending into the dark and attacking from multiple directions simultaneously. Its venomous claws may induce hallucinations. Onyxscale Hydra: A multi\headed serpent capable of instant regeneration unless its heads are destroyed in a specific sequence. Each head controls a different element. Has a penchant for launching devastating attacks. Witherclaw: A lanky, fragile creature with thin, splintered claws that break on impact. However, each failed strike and every wound it sustains forces it to regenerate, sharpening its claws and making its body stronger, harder, and deadlier with each battle and the passage of time. The notification disappears, and another appears in its place. It is now possible to visit the common areas of all the rounds. Later, standing in the middle of the room, I patiently wait as Victoria fixes my hair and the collar of my shirt. She takes a step back and nods, satisfied, You always were handsome, Nathaniel. You always could pull off just about any outfit. Before answering, I take a moment to calm down after another death. Victoria notices, so she waits patiently. "I don''t want to go," I tell her. And you think I do not know that? See? You don''t even need me there. First impressions are important. How many times do I have to keep telling you that? If not for yourself, can you do it for me? I sigh, Of course. Good, she says, ruffling my hair and starts fixing it again, belatedly realizing what shes done. At this point, the rest of group 4 are giving me looks that I will need to punish them for later. I still have plenty of conversations Ive happened to overhear and little secrets I can throw around to cause them trouble. You do not have to worry about anything. I will take care of all the talking. But the two of us going there together will send a powerful message and make things easier in the future. Yes, I know, I admit, deflating as I do, but Im holding you to your word, Vic, only 30 minutes, after that I will fuck the hell off, even if I have to beat the shit out of all of them at once. Mind your language. Those who can not control their words or actions are no better than animals, and I would be very disappointed if my only brother were to stoop so low. You know why I''m in such... No excuses. I... okay. Good. Shall we go then? This time, I dont bother checking the expressions of my fellow group 4 members and follow behind Victoria, who also seems to have chosen a bit more formal attire. Nothing too excessive. Where previously both of us wore the kind of clothes you would wear while rolling at home or taking out the trash, we now wear clothes you might put on when going to the city. Well, a medieval age\ish version of that. Were both wearing white button\up shirts and black pants. Nothing too different from the kind of thing Id normally wear, though these clothes are made of a visibly superior material that looks nicer and comes with a price tag to match, yet somehow they''re just as comfortable. Victoria, on the other hand, has her hair brushed back and pulled into a simple ponytail, and where her sleeves hang at her wrists, I roll mine up to the elbow when shes not watching. Well, I''m sure she must have noticed but decided to let it go. Neither of us carries any weapon as I activate [Ley Line], reaching out toward the 8th round''s mountain and teleport us there among the trees. After a minute of walking, we enter a common area that isn''t too dissimilar to ours. There are probably even more people from the 8th round than usual, hanging around to watch the people entering their territory. There are cars here as well, along with some modern tents. And is that a fucking tank I see, and what about that helicopter on the edge of the clearing? I also notice multiple drones flying high in the air. Both of us walk along the clear path set out for us, and approach the edge of the common area where we find ourselves looking up at a huge white tent. I observe the inscriptions around it and identify them as those meant to block sound, wind, and something to clean the air? I quickly locate the item they are connected to: some bottle with liquid inside. I activate my eyes and look at it more deeply. The inscriptions seem to be meant to dissolve whatever liquid is inside. Is it some kind of poison? Or a hallucinogen perhaps? We enter, and the first thing I notice is the pleasant scent of lemons and freshly cut grass. Oh. Its a goddamn scent diffuser. In the middle of the tent sits a single circular table, quite a large one at that. Ten chairs have been arranged around it, and there are already a few people settling in. They look up from the table, focusing on Vic and me as we make our entrance. Right off the bat, I spot Derick, Baek, and Jean, along with the redhead woman from the 2nd round. Each spot at the table has a number from 1 to 10, arranged in a counterclockwise manner. I sit down beside my number, and Vic sits as well, on my left side. Derick smiles at Vic and looks toward me, I''m glad the two of you decided to attend. No problem. Ive decided to give you a hand. It takes him a second or two to catch on, and I make sure to remember the expression he makes afterward. That''s what you get. Chapter 564: Ten Kings Chapter 564: Ten Kings It takes a few minutes longer, but gradually all of the 1st tournament winners begin to gather. Instead of joining the conversation, I listen with one ear and let Vic handle the pleasantries while I observe them one after another. First up is Jean. And there really isnt much more to say about the guy. With Vic complimenting him and me observing him even now, I consider him among the very top people in Earths tutorial. Tacita would probably have an easy time with him, but with whom wouldnt she? Her build is just that oppressive against human-sized opponents. How about Jean versus Savant? I dont know, really. [Dawn] is pretty busted in its own right and could easily poison Jean beyond any hope of recovery. Savant might be more talented and strategic, but Jean can be weirdly smart when it comes to combat, and with his incredible base, Id still give him a slight edge over Savant. Its totally not because I like Jeans personality more. Nope. Then there is the red-haired woman from the 2nd round. Her name is Klara Novak and, apparently, shes from the Czech Republic, having introduced herself without the least bit of concern for doxxing herself. While her avatar from our 1st tournament wore the armor of the Fallen hero, shes upgraded to a different, even more powerful set. On that armor, I recognize the techniques lumorans like to use, which leads me to think it came from the 7th floor. She is young, probably somewhere around Vics age, and has blue eyes that, like Jeans, flick from face to face, giving her a slightly bored look overall. Then there''s the boy from the third round, a child even younger than Isabella. He has short, wavy brown hair and incredibly piercing blue eyes. According to the information Ive been able to gather, he combines some kind of shadow skill with primordial void energy. He is from Russia and his name is Maxim Sarov. Unlike most of the others, he sits attentively in his chair and listens to everything said. Even though hes a child, he stays focused without seeming to rely on concentration skill, in truth, it just seems to be part of his personality. The fourth and fifth rounds are obviously the best overall. Yup. To my right sits the 6th rounds King, a man who goes by the name Hector Valdez in the Community. He doesnt seem too happy to meet me, though he doesnt seem to take it personally or let his anger control him like some second rate villain. I would never be able to do that. Im sure I would''ve done some petty shit already if I were him, but this guy, it would appear, has a much better hold on his emotions. The intel weve managed to collect says hes from some country in South America, and rumors claim he and his group are part of some kind of cartel or union of drug dealers. The wilder rumors even say they were smuggling drugs on some kind of homemade submarine. I really want to ask if its true. The representative for the 7th round is a man whos about as tall as I, though his body is much wider. I wouldnt say he looks like hes overweight, just solid and strong. Not in a muscular way like Jean, but strong in his own way. His skin is very tanned, and he has long, wavy hair and a light stubble of a beard, and introduces himself as Monte. All indications say he comes from Spain or one of its neighbors, and rumor has it that hes a shapeshifter. Out of all of the people here, he appears to be the oldest, somewhere around 55 years old, but who knows, he could just as easily have been 70 before he found himself in the tutorial. Speaking for the 8th round is the organizer of this meeting, Derick Kelley, rumored to be from Northern Ireland or the United Kingdom. He talks more than anyone else and tries to keep the conversation civil. Poor guy. Though in my opinion, extroverts like him deserve whatever comes their way. The 9th King is a woman Im meeting for the first time. Shes Chinese, tall and slim, with a calculating demeanor. Her black hair flows neatly over her shoulders, and she wears a set of expensive-looking clothes with inscriptions woven throughout. She appears to be somewhere around 30 years old. Her real name is unknown, but she goes by the alias Yama. r?a????OE?s?? Curiously, even though she is a tournament winner, she doesnt claim a chair, opting instead to stand behind it like some sort of bodyguard. Rather, a Chinese girl, probably around 18 years old, has taken that place, sitting upright in a set of clean, well-fitted clothes. She listens attentively, but she seems weak, her skill rating Normal to Hard difficulty at most, but even so, her bodyguard doesnt seem to mind and treats her with a great deal of respect. And last but not least is the Korean guy Ive already met. Baek currently appears to be sleeping, resting his head on his hand, as he slumps over the table. If Victoria wasnt here, I could probably sleep as well. My observations made, I turn back to the conversation. Yes, we are willing to trade information as much as the systems censorship will allow. Even though this tournament is competitive by design, I do not believe it is intended to turn us into enemies, Victoria says. Derick quickly agrees, Thats true. We might fight and compete to show our strength, especially with the way this place prevents us from dying, but the true enemies we need to worry about are outside the tutorial. These 5 years are just the beginning of the centuries Earth will spend in the system. If we wont destroy ourselves before we get that far, says the 11-year-old Russian boy, speaking for the first time. He seems to shy away for a moment as all eyes turn to him, but he tries to hide it nonetheless, and he does it well. Thats true, Derick says, We have already seen a number of scenarios that could come to pass, especially on the more powerful planets, those steeped in ambient mana far more dense than anything on our delicate Earth. On Earth, there are currently multiple countries with atomic bombs far more powerful than anything used during either of the world wars, yet we are still here, the Chinese lady acting as bodyguard says, her voice smooth and soothing as she speaks; almost as if she thought through each word with care before speaking. Ha! Jean snorts but doesnt say anything else. He returns her gaze easily as if challenging her to do something about it. It is very likely we will get to that point as the First Generation as well. But do not forget that humans can be highly emotional and illogical at the best of times. It is not unreasonable to expect that some of them may become irrational or begin to act like tyrants once they attain these powers, Victoria answers with methodical slowness. She and that Chinese woman exchange a glance, and the other woman nods in agreement. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Given what weve seen, it generally falls to the Absolute to ensure that such people do not cause too much damage. And further that such tasks should be handled by a powerful Champion until an Absolute can be appointed. Yama says. And what if our future Absolute becomes one of these tyrants? Derick asks. Unbothered, Victoria answers, Then we would have any number of options to consider, one of the simplest solutions being killing such an Absolute. Jean interrupts, And what about you, are you saying you dont want to become our Absolute? Once again, she answers without the slightest hesitation, Currently, I see no need to become Absolute, but it is entirely possible that I may change my mind depending on future circumstances. Decide to become one? Yes. Fucking crazy. Lets go fight! I apologize, but I cannot do that at the moment. You can send someone my way to ask again later. I do not mind the thought of dueling you once I have a bit more time. It should be possible sometime in the next day or two. You, fight me. Jean turns to me this time; he doesnt shout, and he seems to be lacking energy in his voice. It must be hard to be constantly rejected. Victoria answers on my behalf, Mister Jean, for a certain reason, my brother is very busy during this tournament. If you really have to, we can spar right after this meeting, if you will have me instead of him. I can live with that. Thank you, but allow me to give you a warning. This time, I have decided to step back because of the promise my brother made and because I would prefer to have a good relationship with you. I consider you strong and someone who keeps his word, valuable to keep around. But there are limits that I have. If you decide to push this any further despite my warning, I will react appropriately. It takes a moment for Jean to process the threat. And the way Everyone around the table looks at Victoria makes me want to slam the palm of my hand against the table just to see if anyone jumps in fear. Please, let us keep this meeting civil, Derick says. Even though we all have our own goals. Some might just want to be left alone and enjoy the luxuries our abilities might afford us, while others might want to influence the trajectory of their country or have their names written in history. But in the end, were all in this together, especially if our planet finds itself caught up in a Pairing. And weve seen how dangerous that can be. The First Generation must be willing to work together. Klara asks, From what weve seen, Pairings only seem to happen to planets with Absolutes and Champions. If early Champions appear five to twenty years after the tutorial and Absolutes take decades, shouldnt that mean we have plenty of time? Its very likely, Derick agrees. But imagine if we all cooperate. Hell difficulty can take disciples from the lower difficulties or teach the most talented from Earth. Hard difficulty could train large numbers of people. We can create a system to strengthen our planet or even find a way to travel to others and join a Coalition to help us face our first Pairing. Ask me again closer to the end of the tutorial. Ill know then, Klara replies. For now, this is all too theoretical for me. I will, Derick promises, but its clear his words are meant for everyone. Following this, the conversation moves. It seems like it is the Hell difficulty attendees custom to remain mostly quiet to collect information before acting and to avoid accidentally insulting someone powerful. A skill you need to gain in the tutorial if you dont want to end up splattered against the wall by someone strong. Most of them are quiet. Yama, Monte, Baek, and even I are among the quietest of all. Most of the conversation is carried out by Derick, Victoria, Jean, and Klara. So many new names, but I make sure to try to remember them all. These people should be among the strongest in the Earths tutorial and future Champions, so its worth it. While they converse, I turn to Hector on my right and ask quietly, What the hell was that spear of yours? He glances at me, leans closer, and lowers his voice, I found it on the 6th floor. Low Arcane? Yes, your sword? "Mid Arcane." Bullshit. Im not lying. Where did you get the spear? Somewhere further north? Mind Mage City? Mind Mage City? We didnt go anywhere near that cursed place, but yes, it was up north where the snow started appearing. There were ruins of an old castle, and we found a huge labyrinth beneath it. Damn, that sounds cool. I never went there. There are a bunch of places we missed out on. What was that skill that fucked up my mana control? It even disrupted my internal mana, it shouldnt be possible to do that easily. I brute forced it. I wont tell you the name, but it started as [Disruption] and went through a few evolutions and skill combinations. Look, man, I know its a shitty feeling when someone disrupts and takes over your mana, so I recommend making a greater effort to defend against that sort of manipulation, even if you have to spend months working on it. Its worth it. I guess, Hector says, looking around as the conversation continues around us. For a moment, I listen and then hear Derick speaking to the people around the table, There is a goddamned lynthari moving between the camps and bothering people. Shes even been taking a bunch of smaller Earth items from people in the lower difficulties. How is it even possible for a lynthari to be here?" I filter it out and ask Hector, And get rid of that invisibility bullshit. No. He replies, grinning and returning my gaze. So, he has chosen death. Klara from the 2nd round also raises her voice, We also had an incredibly quick woman enter our camp. She stole a lot of blankets and a bunch of daggers. She even tried to take one right off my waist. I noticed it before, but Klaras voice is energetic and has the tone of a great singer, a mixture of energetic liveliness, contained laughter, and confidence. I ignore the content of her words and turn back to Hector, Is it true you used to be a drug dealer and that you guys made your own homemade submarine? What the fuck are you talking about? I ran an Import and Export Business, he says with a deadpan expression. Someone shoves me from my left, and I turn to Vic, who is making no attempt to hide her actions. Looking up, all eyes are on us. Yes? I ask her. Derick was asking what our plans are after the tutorial. What did you say? I said I cannot be sure at the moment, given all the ways things might change by the end of the tutorial. I also made it clear that I wont go out of my way to interfere in geopolitics or spark major conflicts without a very strong reason. Oh, I see, I nod and address the rest, I plan to take an island for myself. I don''t mind stealing it from some rich guy after threatening him. Maybe Ill make a moon base or create a floating island or something. I fully intend to use my power and that of my group to get some nice things. If we decide we need to keep things legal, our healer could shave a few decades off a billionaires age for an easy hundred million or two, and we could live off that. The others sit in shocked silence, and it''s Klara who laughs first, before asking with a big smile, Do you really think things wont change too much for it to be that easy? You''re probably right, but a man can dream. If that moon base happens, count me in for a visit. I want to see the view. No girls allowed in my secret base. She laughs again, and Derick takes over the conversation once more. Chapter 565: A Matter of Control Chapter 565: A Matter of Control Derick shakes his head and says, We can assume there will be more tournaments if the system continues to follow the current schedule. It would be wise to wait until some of us have gotten a bit closer to level 400 to start making promises and laying out our rules for our return to Earth. The damage we can cause without even actively using skills is far too great to ignore. Even if you arent a mana-based build, just releasing your mana could easily hurt or even kill a normal human. Victoria listens, then leans forward slightly, resting her elbows on the table. That depends on whether we actually agree on what the limits should be. Or if we decide we want them in the first place. Jean scoffs, Now you sound like some kind of greasy politician. "I am being realistic," she replies. You cannot expect groups of people thrown into the Hell tutorial, and forced to fight for five years, just to stay alive, to come back and simply follow a set of self-imposed rules because it would be nice. Her gaze sweeps across the table. Whether we agree then or here and now, how many actually mean to honor it once they make their way back to Earth and realize how much weaker everyone is? Klara hums, Thats why nuclear treaties worked. It was mutually assured destruction. If one country used them, others would retaliate. The threat and possible consequences are what kept everyone in check. But were not nations, the Chinese tournament winner, Yama, interjects. No government can force us to disarm. Not the ones who survive the Hell difficulty tutorial, and certainly not the ones from Beyond. No military can keep us in check - at most, they get lucky and kill some of the more careless ones. Even if we wanted a treaty, who would enforce it? Derick exhales through his nose. Thats exactly the problem. Theres no higher authority keeping us in line. If someone decides to wipe out a city because they got pissed off, who can stop them quickly enough to matter? The Absolute, Yama speaks again, her voice composed as ever. Or our first Champions, at least. The countries that get one first will be the ones to decide the direction our world takes. Of course, only if such people decide to uphold their nationalities and help their countries. If you dont seize control or make an effort to cooperate with those who have, then the control will be imposed on you by force. Thats what history has proven over and over again. The conversation is getting interesting, so I make sure to listen carefully. While she is saying that, her words seem inconsistent given that she is standing while someone much weaker than she sits in her chair. At the same time, I get the feeling that she would do exactly as she saidimposing her will on us to control us if we proved ourselves the weaker. That''s a nice way to describe ''tyranny'', Jean says as he leans forward in his creaking chair. "A form of tyranny that ensures our survival. If youre not the one enforcing it, you risk having it imposed on you," she counters. This is all theoretical, Victoria says. None of us knows exactly what kind of power levels we will be dealing with. Not to mention how many of us will walk out of here capable of, say, vaporizing entire cities by accident? Derick grimaces. More than a few, I''d say. By the end of the tutorial? Could be dozens. Its not just about a few assholes. Even some of the so-called good people are dangerous. Some will be walking nuclear bombs, and unlike the current models, we dont need silos or launch codes. As she speaks, something about Klaras tone sounds almost amused. For a moment, the table falls silent. Then, Hector exhales and grins. Regulations, restrictions... I dont like the sound of that at all. His words also seem like a subtle threat. He doesn''t seem like the kind of guy who would like being oppressed. Jean tilts his head. So what are you all suggesting? Some kind of mutually assured destruction pact? Break the rules, and everyone hunts you down? That sounds fun. Klara chuckles. Id rather not see Earth change too much. Things aren''t perfect, but with what we have, we can still get a big piece of the pie and live more than comfortably. Going around fucking with countries, blowing up cities, thatd just turn everything into a mess and mess everything up. Id rather keep my luxuries than have some asshole wreck everything and drag me into a war. And I dont know about you, but Im not looking to inherit my countrys bullshit or let them turn me into a pawn for their power grabs. Baek lifts his head from the table and yawns, Just don''t come to Korea and I''m all good. Are we splitting kingdoms now? Jean snorts. Each of us gets our territory, and the others agree not to interfere? Though I could see myself in charge of Canada. There is a lot of good we could do, Derick says, with our power, we will have a lot of influence, we could easily use our abilities to get the things we want, or use our healers to win favors. Yama looks at him in an amused manner, That kind of thinking is incredibly naive. None of us has experience when it comes to politics or understanding the balance of power, trade, and geopolitics. And do you think you will be able to control all of the people from your round? The people from Hell and Beyond? What about the people from Easy and the other difficulties who return there before you? Shes right, Klara says. Ive already seen and heard plenty of people from my group planning some wild shit. And if a few strong Beyonders team up, they might still be able to take you down, King or not. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. And what stops us from grouping up as well? Derick asks. I don''t want to, Jean smiles at him. Looking around the table, the Chinese King, Baek, the Russian boy, and Vic don''t seem all that interested either. Derick groans in annoyance and leans back in his chair. Its perfectly simple, I say when no one else is talking and they turn to me, if you make yourself strong enough, they will listen, or they will be very dead. They still remain silent, so I stand up. Thirty minutes and two seconds have passed. See you during the second event. I wave them off, and when Vic stands as well, she places her hand in mine, and I teleport us away. The fancy scent diffuser someone put so much effort into vanishes too, all thanks to the [Ley Line] I quietly hooked to it. The quiet hum of the workshop feels almost too still now that Ive stopped. Half-finished projects sit untouched, tools lie scattered where I last dropped them, and the lingering heat from my skills fills the room. I lean back, staring at the ceiling for a moment, letting my mind wander. Maybe theres still time to squeeze in a little more training, just a few more minutes to refine things, but I already know thats a lie. With an annoyed sigh, I push myself up and start putting the last of my things away. As the time ticks down to the start of the second event, I let out an annoyed groan and put an end to all my training, and put the last items away. For a minute, I sit there and think, looking for excuses. When I find none, I teleport through one of the Ley Lines Ive stretched out into the first round''s zone. Locating Jean''s signature, I make sure hes alone and send another line his way, carefully avoiding the defenses these guys have set up around their zone. After teleporting, I find myself in the middle of a clearing where Jean sits and trains. Even though he is not visibly moving, his muscles seem to twitch and spasm. His skin stretches and tears under the strain, and I could just about swear I heard the snapping of bone. He doesn''t even notice me until I step within his quick strike range. At that point opens his eyes and tilts his head. The fuck do you want? he asks. In that moment, I almost change my mind, but I force myself to stay and sit on the grass right in front of him with my legs crossed beneath me. I jump in before I can change my mind. I broke my word. Well, technically not brokemore like I ignored it. Actually, its not even my fault. A lot of things have been happening, and you can be annoying as fuck. I dont know, blame the system or something. He laughs out loud with a confused expression, but doesn''t say anything. What an asshole. I bet he is doing it on purpose just to make this harder on me. I can''t even be mad; I would totally do the same thing. That probably says something about me, but that''s a thought for later. Simply said, I rejected your challenge when you came to our area and later during the event, even though I promised I would face you anytime. That''s true, Jean stops training. So, given that thats the case, I have to wonder if I should keep my own promise? You have every right to do so. You are really bad at this. Yes. Jean laughs, moves closer, and looks at me with curiosity, Tell me what happened. Your group is missing that blonde of yours, and there are so many rumors making me curious. I don''t want to. If you do, I won''t hold your rejection against you, just this once. For a while, I just stare at him while he returns my gaze, his smile growing ever bigger. Asshole. I would totally do the same. She has a mimic inside her, but Ive been offered a way to save her. To do so, I have to do something I cant really tell you about, given the way it might influence the outcome. So long story short, I''m busy and not exactly in a good mood at the moment. I see. I have noticed. But enough of that, how many times have you died during our conversation? Huh? Twice. I died thrice, Jean smirks victoriously. How many times since the start of the tournament? I ask. I don''t know. Likely multiple dozens of times. I stopped counting. That surprises me. From what he says, he seems to be handling it pretty well, better than anyone from group 4, other than me. He lifts his arms over his head and stretches with a long yawn, Tell me a story about that girl. The first thing that comes to your mind. Don''t ask why. Surprised once again, I think for a second before I start talking, We were both younger back then, on Earth, and met for the first time just a few days before. Back then, she didn''t really know how to officially make friends. She had never made friends before and didnt know how it worked, so she tried to force it with logic. That memory flashes before my eyes, One day, she just handed me a list. A handwritten list of reasons why we should be friends. It had bullet points. Some of them were ridiculously formal, things like "Good compatibility score" and "Both have high intelligence, subjectively speaking". I kept that paper. Jean laughs out loud for a while, shaking his head, then stands up and gestures for me to do the same. Reaching out with his huge hands, he claps them over my shoulders, almost crushing them in the process, a few times, You aren''t such a bad guy after all. Let''s just say I can''t kill that mind mage of yours here, so challenging you to get to her wouldn''t make sense, right? No promises have been broken this time. Got it? I do. I think about it for a moment and add, "Thanks." Chapter 566: Start of the 2nd Event Chapter 566: Start of the 2nd Event Coming back from a meeting with Jean, all of group 4 gathers in the living room. The two boxes with thermonuclear warheads are piled on top of each other and pushed into the corner. Someone even threw a blanket over them so that they could be used as seating, funnily enough. I sit on the couch beside Dennis and Aaron and ask, Are you still stealing stuff from the other rounds and collecting information? Dennis lowers his voice, You bet. You two seem to be doing a good job. Not many people seem to have noticed you. The only people they mentioned in the meeting were Myrra and Tacita. Hehe, did you know Sophies been finding a number of spies from the other rounds, then pointing them out to Lily, so that she can hunt them down? It''s fun to watch. That does sound fun, I confirm. Looking around, I notice that the mood seems to have improved since the start of the tournament. For the moment at least, even though theyre still worried about Tess, they seem to trust me. That makes me wonder how their mood wouldve changed if I had stumbled. That feeling of helplessness would suck ass, I''m sure. Did you change your mind, or are we sticking to the plan? We help you locate the boss monsters and then do our own thing? Sophie asks, moving closer together with Izzy. I nod, Yes, as much as possible assuming the setting doesnt screw us up. You could also keep an eye on the other groups, just in case they decide to go after one of the boss monsters. I will attach a [Ley Line] to each of you, and we can all watch one of these monsters while hunting the weaker ones so you guys get some points too. And Victoria? To be honest, I don''t know. If I asked her, I''m sure she would go around and hunt down everyone who could try to take a ''kill'' from me and not mind the placements, but that could annoy Lissandra. So I didn''t ask her for anything, and Victoria can decide what to do on her own. Speaking of, have you seen her lately? Lissandra? Not really, she just moves around and does her stuff. Myrra said she is busy examining this floor and instance, and trying to grasp how it''s made. It should help her escape. I also think she uses inability to die here to level up her skills. I dont think she likes me, Sophie says. Well, no surprise there. For some unknown reason, everyone seems to hate you. She looks me in the eyes and, without a smile, says, Haha. Haha, I reply. Whatever. Do you need help fixing Fracture? It doesn''t seem to be in a very good state. Does it ever? And no. I don''t think it will survive this tournament, and chances are, I only get one or two uses out of it at most, and another patch job wont help. Its base is too deteriorated. Aaron seems a bit dejected when he hears that, A damn mid arcane weapon, soon to be gone just like that. You think you can sell it before it happens? I would like to think yes and will try it for sure after I use it and before it fully breaks, but the system is cheap. I don''t think it will be so easy to trick. Dennis also reaches and taps the sword still hanging at my waist, We can make a better one later, right? Yes, I confirm. I already have a name in mind. Why do I have a feeling I know where this is going? Sophie asks, but despite her grousing, she waits. Dennis smiles and looks at Aaron. I bet these two brainstormed the names together. Fracture-er, he says. No, I refuse right away. Re-Fracture. Hell no. Splinter Supreme. What the fuck. No. Fracture MK 2. No. The Throngler. No... wait. Why? I read it somewhere, Dennis smirks. Some dude said that you don''t want to be on the wrong end of Dark King Grutmore''s Edge of Eternal Torment, but you really don''t want to be on the wrong end of something called The Throngler. And I really liked it. I mean... it sounds weirdly logical, I hesitate. See! Dennis seems happy with my agreement. But in the end, I really like Fracture, and the name was given because of the effect, right? If we do the same again, the name could be the same. Or you can just call it Fracture, the same way you plan to call your war armor Regalia. I liked Ardenyx, Praxion, and Exoria as well, Aaron says from the side. The troubles you three get into a few minutes before the event, Sophie shakes her head and stands up, turning to me, Good luck during the event. I nod. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Aaron and Dennis continue to talk about items, war armors, and names while I think about Sophie''s wish of good luck. As the timer starts ticking down, I clear my mind and [Focus] once again to stabilize my emotions. And even in [Focus], I come to the same conclusion I did before using [Focus]. Luck has nothing to do with this. As always, we find ourselves being teleported to the event location. A few notifications pop up in my view, but I only glance over them: the usual warnings and flood of unimportant information. I send my senses into the area but fail to detect any presence nearby. No one from group 4 is anywhere near me. It seems everyone has been split up. Continuing to use my senses, I redeploy my [Mana Crown] and start storing my excess mana as I walk through the trees. Their bark is similar to that of birch trees, and the leaves seem normal, too. The only difference is that these trees are bigger, much bigger. Their crowns thoroughly obscuring the sky from view, leaving the space beneath them noticeably darker than their surroundings, only allowing the odd beam of light to pass through the gaps. Its also quiet. There are no birds, no wind, no monsters or animals screeching. The air has a weird scent that I find hard to describe: a mix of the usual forest smells combined with the fresh sweetness of fruit. The scent hangs so thick in the air that it feels almost tangible. I try to open my notifications, but there''s nothing to see. No kill updates, no points, nothing. But at least this time, there are no rules from Lissandra, at least for now. I boost myself into the air and, through the branches, fly between the leaves and exit the forest, flying high into the air. A vast forest stretches below me, a sea a few miles in the distance, and the humongous floating islands grab my attention first. The weather is currently sunny, but there seems to be a mass of dark clouds rolling in over the sea and, within them, constant lightning keeps flashing. That storm stretches miles and miles wide. For the first time, I also detect signs of mana use and fighting in the forest below me, and I notice a few of the signatures flying toward me. I look in that direction to spot a pterodactyl-like monster with the wingspan of a small airplane, exiting the caves carved into the sides of these floating islands. Three javelins weave next to me, and I shoot each of them with an added oomph of kinetic energy. Each of the javelins hits and tears a hole through the head of a beast, causing their red blood to spurt into the air as the lifeless bodies start falling back into the forest. There is no notification, which only worsens my mood. I can''t help but wonder if this setting is designed to put pressure on the participants. I boost myself further until I reach one of the floating islands, which turns out to be farther than I estimated. Up close, it''s even bigger than I expected. The Skyhold Bastion I saw on the fifth floor doesn''t even compare in size. Each of these floating islands is large enough to host a city with populations in the hundreds of thousands and still have plenty of space left. The vibrations of mana I sense from its "engine" send shivers down my skin. The sheer amount of energy needed just to keep it floating is hard to grasp. There''s likely gravitational primordial energy involved, so I hope Min-Jae is taking notes. Up close, I get a better view of the formations I spotted from a distance. Ancient-looking structures, now crumbling, cling to the bottom of the floating island. The island itself is shaped like a half-sphere, with a flat top. From what I saw, the flat top is covered in forest, not dissimilar to the one below that overgrows the ancient-looking buildings. As for what keeps it afloat, I can see a single humongous purple crystal protruding from the bottom of the half sphere, along with the remains of these structures and similarly huge roots of some tree or plant. A few more flying beasts notice me moving closer and fly toward me with the same murderous intent as their predecessors. I kill them the same way, flying past their falling bodies as I reach one of the larger caves. Something inside emits a series of screeching sounds, and I hear the sound of hard claws scraping the floor of the cave as they rush to get out. After sending out a pulse of energy to scan for the presence of other attendees, I throw a compressed thermal orb inside and seal the exit with a barrier. In the following seconds, dozens of notifications continue to ring. Yet there is no event kill feed, no placements. I dislike it. I hate it, and even though I am in [Focus], I feel a wave of frustration trying to wash over me. Shoving these thoughts away, I fly toward a similar opening and repeat the process a few more times. Only when I still sense life inside one of the caves after bombing it do I enter and reseal the exit with a barrier. I do not use light to guide my way; instead, I use thermal, kinetic, and mana senses to navigate the huge, dark tunnel. The dark, oddly enough, doesnt make me nervous, rather, it feels calming. Gradually, I pick up speed until I''m running, adjusting as I grow accustomed to the feedback my mana provides, telling me about the structure and paths around me. I sense an attack forming, a primitive but powerful mana structure of a skill activating and reaching a threshold of mana required to activate. Quicker than the caster can process, I reach toward that structure, take over, and twist a part of it. Then I add my mana to the mix and activate it. An explosion shakes the cave as the lightning attack the beast was trying to use, explodes in its throat. The flapping of a huge set of wings fills the cavern, and I weave a javelin out of denser threads than before, making it bigger. Just big enough to handle the monster, whose tattoo-like symbols start glowing across the surface of its skin and lighting up the cave. In a flash, the pale blue javelin pierces the monster''s chest and embeds itself deep in the wall behind it. The beast takes a few more wobbly steps before the light of the tattoos begins to fade and the cave turns dark again. The [Ley Line] tied to the javelin activates, and the javelin teleports itself back to my side. I shoot it again, but this time it fails to pierce the skin of the beast. I dodge to the side, and laser-like bursts of lightning continue to track me, crackling and sizzling as they hit the walls and explode, sending chunks of rocky shrapnel flying through the air. I immediately sense the destructive power of the attack and know that it could easily cut me in half. The javelin teleports back to me, and I use [Knitting] as well, making it even denser as I repair any damage the beasts tough skin may have caused. For a second, I release a burst of thermal energy, lighting up the cave in its entirety with a brilliant flash of light. The beast attacking me screeches, its lightning striking wildly as it jerks its head away from the sudden burst of light. My javelin erupts into the air again, and a blast of kinetic energy pushes me back as the weapon pierces the beast through the chest and pins it to the wall behind it. The beast thrashes a few times in an attempt to escape or launch a new attack, but it fails to do either. With a Wraith Dance, I reach its corpse and examine the creatures skin. Even though I boosted the javelin and made it extremely durable, I notice the weapon has taken damage and still failed to completely skewer the beast. What an incredibly durable skin and body for something that could fly. I scan my surroundings again, but sensing no new signatures, I turn and head back outside. Chapter 567: Frustration Chapter 567: Frustration I exit the cave and propel myself higher into the air, rising toward the top of the floating island before coming to a stop near its edge. Gathering a large amount of mana, I unleash a powerful pulse, sending it as far as possible in an attempt to detect any wayward beasts. I detect them, along with several signatures of attendees, mostly from Hard and Normal difficulty, along with a few from Hell. As for the beasts, I find thousands of them, tens of thousands, but most of the signatures feel weak. Flying into the air again, I collect more mana. It swirls around me and compresses into the shape of an orb that quickly cycles through shades of pale blue, dark blue, and purple, before hovering on the edge of destabilization. I create a few more and compress them further, turning them bright white. Each of them shoots ahead toward where I sense groups of monsters and no attendee signatures, and I boost myself toward another island with notifications about kills following me. Even though this time I find stronger beasts, there are still no Special grade ones, so I repeat the process. Though at some point I grow tired of this, opting instead to raise myself high enough to look down over all of the floating islands, letting the humongous area of the second event stretch out below me. I activate Mana Wavelength Iris and then compress my mana to the point it collapses into that oppressive, mana-devouring black. I use it to strengthen my body and power my trait. The pressure becomes incredible, even with my mid arcane passive protecting my mind. I take in all the information my trait can provide, all those mana signatures, fluctuations, and movements. I quickly activate [Focus] to filter the information, narrowing it down to mana signatures. My thoughts race at such incredible speed that the outside world feels sluggish. I locate Savant, then Myrra. I find Jean, and I pinpoint every member of Group 4. My eyes take it all in, and I track every one of them. But best of all, I locate three out of five of the Special grade beasts. I gather all the black mana coursing through my body and force it out, shaping it into a javelin. When I stop using kinetic energy to keep myself afloat, I begin freefalling through the air. The wind whistles past me, pressing against my body. I feel it in my hair, whipping against my face, and slipping between my fingers. Only when I''m close to the treetops do I boost myself forward, passing through them and into a space that barely qualifies as a clearing. The ground is broken, the trees are scorched, and pools of lava bubble across the landscape. The air here is blistering, an effect of the heat radiating from the beast nestled in the crater, partially submerged in lava as its body melts the surrounding rock. It shifts, waves of heat rolling off its form. Its obsidian horns pulse, with the glowing veins of magma coursing through them. The ground beneath it cracks, molten rock clinging to its hide. The Emberhorn Behemoth is a massive, bull-like creature with a thick, cracked, dark hide traced through with glowing veins of magma. Jagged obsidian plates run along its back, radiating intense heat. Its broad head sits low to the ground, crowned with two massive, curved horns pulsing with molten energy. Its deep set eyes glow dimly, and smoke rises from its nostrils. Finally seeming to notice me, it shifts, dragging itself from the lava, its hooves sinking into the half melted ground. With each step, sending a spiderweb of smoldering cracks spreading in my direction as the ground buckles beneath its weight. The heat distorts the air, making everything waver. Its horns pulse brighter. I don''t wait. The black javelin I created streaks through the air and drives deep into the beast''s neck. Compared to its massive size, it looks insignificant, but I know exactly how much mana I poured into it. With astonishing speed, the javelin starts absorbing the beast''s mana and breaks the structure of the skill it was already moving to use. My Mana Wavelength Iris allows me to see how normal mana reacts to it, revealing just how oppressive the black mana is. Another projectile forms near me, this time forming an [Empyrean Lance] with its core of white and gold glowing brilliantly. Threads of luminous energy weave themselves together, layer upon layer, condensing into a single radiant lance that hums with the immensity of the compressed mana contained within. And just as before, the lance pulses with the heartbeat of a star. It shoots forth, hot on the heels of the first, and the beast senses it. It stops trying to pull the black javelin out of its neck and instead turns to the new threat. A deep, loud roar vibrates the air, and the lava in the pools surrounding us begins to ripple. The heat, already overwhelming, intensifies as a concentrated wave of energy crashes into the lance. It sizzles against the surface of the lance; it burns the mana within and dims the glow of the lance. Even so, whether due to the oppressive nature of the skill or the black javelin lodged in its neck, the beast fails to destroy it completely. The lance pierces through its side, then tears through its entire body, exiting on the other side in a geyser of burning blood that quickly evaporates under the weight of the heat. The wound scorches itself closed and shivers with the heat as the bleeding comes to a stop. When its enormous eyes turn back to me, they are full of anger. Then I teleport, reappearing just over the beast as I step through the [Ley Line] attached to my [Empyrean Lance]. Right away, the heat crashes against my body as the beast lunges, jaws snapping at me. Each movement cracks the ground, sending splashes of lava through the air. r?A???s? The heat radiating from its skin isn''t thermal energy or even a fragment of eternal fire, rather, its a purely mana based skill or trait pushed to the extreme. The beast intensifies it even further, causing the lava around it to rise and flow through the air toward us. [Redistribution] works overtime as I absorb the heat around me and store it in an orb hovering nearby. Simply handling it, absorbing it, and taking control with [Redistribution] converts the heat into thermal energy instead. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Half of my mental capacity focuses on just that to keep myself from being burned alive. The heat surges to an extreme as I ignore the pain of the beast''s scorching skin as it sears the soles of my bare feet and move to grab the black javelin, yanking it free. The weapon having grown vastly stronger than the one I originally fired, having absorbed such vast quantities of mana. I mold and reshape it, forcing it under my control with effort. Then I modify its structure to absorb more mana without destabilizing, and transform it into another orb. Within a blink, all the heat reaching me vanishes, reverting to mana as the black orb absorbs it. Like a whirlpool, the orb pulls everything inside, breaking the skills structure to restore it to its original form, mana, which it then devours. The flames and heat from the beasts skill vanish, leaving only a few pathetic remnants behind. Despite its power, the beast is slow, relying on its durable body and the flames and heat it can create. Even the lava it tried to move crashes to the ground, unable to be controlled without mana. I leave the black orb where it is and I teleport again, reappearing in front of an eye, which is easily twice my height. Its pupil dilates as it turns toward me. Then I grasp the golden orb of absorbed heat, freshly converted to thermal energy. I punch my hand through the eyes surface and release all the heat within the orb. The pupil widens even further, its surface blistering and warping in an instant. A sharp hiss pierces the air as the eye sizzles, bubbles, and then bursts apart, spraying me with scalding liquid. The thick, red hot fluid clings to my skin, but I barely register the sensation before the true destruction unfolds. The heat surges past the ruined eye, racing through the creatures skull and deep into its brain. Flesh sears, nerves rupture, and boiling fluids expand until the entire mass collapses inward, cooking the brain from the inside out. The enormous body spasms violently, limbs jerking before locking in place. Then, with a final shudder, it topples, crashing into the crater with enough force to send molten rock spraying high into the air. It twitches once more, then goes still, steam rising from the smoldering corpse. One of the special grade beasts has been defeated! The remaining Special beasts have sensed the Emberhorn Behemoths fall. Now more alert, they will grow increasingly aggressive toward any perceived threat! And that''s it. There is no telling how many points I have gained at this point. Even in my current state, I cant help but deeply resent it, as if another layer of control has been stripped from me. Not once before now has the system done something like this. Even during previous events, the system has shown us notifications and point totals. And just now, its decided it doesn''t want to. With anger, I teleport and surround the black orb with [Eclipse] and [Mana Domain]. Then I activate the Mana Wavelength Tyrant. The mana around me freezes in place, all of it, even the ambient mana in the air, along with the beasts lingering energy, and my own. It all stops and waits. The black mana resists more than the rest; the more it absorbs, the more difficult it is to control. But it hasn''t reached that critical point yet. I grab the black mana orb and change its shape, turning it into a spear longer than I am tall, and fly into the air, further boosting myself to increase my speed. After landing on the floating island I visited first, I locate the remains of the ruins I saw with my eyes during the scan. As I reach the area, some beasts rush at me immediately, but a concentrated pulse of kinetic energy blasts them away. Then I [Focus] once more and stomp, releasing waves of kinetic energy in a series of modified vibrations. It ripples through the surface. The ground splits open, and rocks push through the dirt to the surface. I repeat the process several times, releasing more and more. I continue to do this until, in a moment of frustration, I release too much, causing the area around me to explode in a shower of debris and fragmented ruins. Lighting up a single thermal orb, I jump down and blast away more of the bedrock, and enter a tunnel made out of stone. Its walls are covered in long dormant inscriptions, obscured by roots and an assortment of greenery. There are beasts, all of which feel ethereal and spread an incredible chill as they move through the air. Just a bit of the first seal peels away, and I don''t bother trying to hold the thermal energy the Ignition Heart generates; instead, I let it immediately seep into the air, blazing through the tunnels and filling them with gouts of golden flame. The beasts, incapable of resisting or escaping, die even as they rush to flee. I send multiple pulses of mana through the ruins and locate what I was looking for, confirming what I saw before. A [Ley Line] stretches out, rushing in the direction I want to head, and I teleport, only to reappear just a step away. The black mana spear I hold interferes with the teleport, disrupting it as the black mana eats into the skill. So I don''t bother making another attempt. Changing my direction, I run through the tunnel until I reach the metal door and blast it away; the metal is as thick as my torso, starts to creak and bend, groaning audibly until it finally gives in and splits, creating a long, ragged split in the once solid barrier. I step through and release another wave of thermal energy, killing more beasts along the way. A bit further ahead, I spot another door, much larger and thicker this time, but without mana powering the inscription, it lacks strength. They resist my blasts of kinetic energy, so instead, I grab hold of the thermal energy and release it in a thick stream, then narrow it until it forms a beam thinner than the width of my pinkie and focus it on a single spot. The metal around the spot begins to melt and sizzle until, a few moments later, the stream of thermal energy pierces through. Then I move it, carving a circular hole halfway through. Then I stop and release a blast of kinetic energy, bending the half cut metal open like a can. I enter the massive ruin and find a similarly huge pillar in the middle. It''s crystal white and transparent, and inside of it, a heart is located, surrounded by incredibly intricate inscriptions. There are also circuits filled with a substance that resembles blood, sustaining it. That heart inside is still beating and generating all this incredible amount of mana needed to keep this enormous island afloat. There are inscriptions taking some of that mana and using it for healing in some twisted way, using pieces of flesh and a cut off hand, also in the pillar. Other inscriptions supplement the heart with something else, pale blue liquid contained in a nearby tank. There are even secondary inscriptions intended to kickstart the heart if it stops beating, and who knows what else. That heart isn''t even human. It is easily half the size of my entire body. I glance over the room and take in everything that might be of use, all the inscriptions I can remember. Then I lift the spear made out of black mana and, with a burst of kinetic energy, drive it into the pillar. The spear pierces through the crystal and stabs itself into the heart, immediately starting to hungrily absorb the immense amount of mana. The mana that keeps the island afloat doesn''t vanish immediately. Other failsafes and mana stores act as an emergency supply, preventing it from falling. But not for long. The system doesn''t want to tell me how many points I have. Fine. Ill collect so many that no one else can even come close to first place. I wonder what an island''s worth of beasts is worth. Chapter 568: This could work The black spear pierces the heart, drawing in its mana. Slowly and almost imperceptibly, the heartbeat weakens, but the heart survives, continuing to feed the spear. The heart produces more mana than even I can generate right now. The spear pulls mana from farther and farther away, including the nearby mana batteries and the pillar on the opposite side of the room containing its own, smaller heart. At this point, I''m sure I wouldnt be able to retake control even if I wanted to. I watch the spear pulse with a grim rhythm, twisting the mana around the dying heart, and the thought of trying to wrest control from that makes my skin crawl. I stand there for a moment, taking in the ominous display, and realize that this mana was never meant for my hands. It is a sign of a power that exceeds my current understanding and something I never could have gained if so many things hadnt come together. I clench my fists, steady my breathing, and decide to step away. I leave through the same door and hallways as before and reach the surface of the island. Flying high into the air, I dedicate part of my mind to keeping track of all attendee signatures and then stretch Ley Lines into the area with the most of them. Following that, I tie one Line to a javelin that I launch down to the surface miles below us. Then I teleport through the [Ley Line] and appear near a Normal difficulty attendee. He doesn''t even notice me, fighting for his life against the beast before him. I steal his kill and use Wrath Dance to reach him. I put my hand on his shoulder, and a pulse of mana breaks through his defenses before he even notices me, and I teleport him through the [Ley Line] I stretched down to the surface. There is no need for me to collect negative points for killing the other attendees. I teleport again and appear in front of an Easy difficulty woman wearing glasses and holding a spear in her hands. I... I know you, youre that psy... Before she can finish, I reach her and, with even more ease than before, send her to the surface. The next one I reach is a man from Hard difficulty. He turns to me as he detects my presence, and as I take a step towards him, he steps back. Hey... what you... stop! Stop! he shouts and swings his mace at me. I let the mace hit me, and a small trickle of mana flows into my reservoir as my unique passive activates. As with the other two before, I disrupt his mana and teleport him away. I repeat the process with 39 more people, taking only a few minutes to complete the process, during which I also kill any monster that enters the range of my detection. Even so, thousands of beasts remainsome of which are hidden deep inside the cave system, as well as those lurking in the ruins, and the ones sequestered in the caves at the bottom of the floating island or in the forest. Before leaving the island, I look with Mana Wavelength Iris towards where I left the black mana spear. The place seems like a whirlpool, pulling mana from an ever growing area. And the island is already starting to tilt. I''m sure that when it falls from its place, hanging in the air, most of the beasts will die. When the black spear destabilizes itself later, it should cause an additional explosion. And I made sure to modify the spear in a way that should cause this sooner or later. Flying through the air, I quickly check the timer. We have somewhere around 9 hours left of our 10 hour time limit. I move towards the sea, and the storm on the horizon continues its advance: a dark wall of clouds and constant lightning. Passing over trees, blanketing the rocky plains, and overtaking a beach full of light red sand. And its there that I find another special grade beast calmly waiting for me. The Onyxscale Hydra sprawls across the pale red sand, its massive body shifting with slow, deliberate movements. Its deep black scales have a faint sheen, like volcanic glass, their jagged edges resembling sharpened stone. Thick muscles ripple beneath its armored hide, each movement sending a dull grinding sound through the air. Seven heads rise from its body, each distinct yet eerily similar, their horns curving in different patterns. All of them share the same facial features, differing only in the color of their eyes. Waves crash against its tail where the sand meets the sea. Lightning arcs through the water where it comes into contact with the beast. In the distance, a storm stretches for miles, its lightning splitting the sky. The Hydra remains still, its heads twisting in perfect sync, waiting for something or someone to challenge it. Landing on the sand, I slow to a walk and reach a group of people standing at the edge of the forest, observing the beast from two miles away. Yo, Maya says, being the first to greet me. Hey, I reply. Youre bleeding from the eyes, she mentions. Stolen story; please report. Rather than respond, I just wipe the blood with the sleeve of my shirt and ask, Why are you guys just standing here watching? I gesture a greeting to the young Korean girl who fought alongside Baek, along with a few people from Hell difficulty, judging by their signature, and the presence of my old friend BenDover, who moved behind the trees the moment he detected me. Maya shrugs, The hydra knows about us, but the fucker is too lazy to attack. We came here just in time to see how it destroyed a group of 5 people from Hell difficulty, right, Kang Jiwon? Maya puts her hand on the head of the young Korean girl and ruffles her hair. Kang Jiwon watches her with an emotionless expression but makes no attempt to escape. Miss Knight, please stop, she says. That only makes Maya ruffle her hair more, and she turns to me, Are you ok? Yes, no problem. If you need any help... I know. I will ask. Damn Na... Noname, you know how much I hate this situation, right? I can imagine. Anyway, the woman in the yellow shirt is your sister''s right hand, Maya says, pointing at the woman listening to us. Her signature is one of the stronger ones here. Maybe a Beyonder as well? No, I pause. Shes clearly a Beyonder, she''s just hiding her mana really well. Around 25 years old, she is short, just slightly taller than Lily. Her eyes are blue, her hair is raven black, and a thin choker rests around her pale neck. I recognize it as an enchanted item, and there are a few more similar items hanging on her wrists. There is no weapon on her, and as Maya said, shes wearing a yellow shirt. And printed across the face of the shirt is a print of a black cat with a grumpy expression holding a cup of coffee. It''s safe to say that the shirt is from Earth. My name is Gloria, she greets me. Hello, I greet and turn back to Maya. You should leave this one alone and collect as many points as you can instead. Ive attached a [Ley Line] to you, so pull on it if you need help or if someone attacks the beast. You aren''t going to kill it now? I shake my head. "It''s probably too strong for me to kill quickly, at least without making sacrifices. I''ll return to it later after I check on the other beasts." Before leaving, I take a mental note of the battlefield layout as I survey the group, then I lift off again after sending a small thermal orb in BenDovers direction. A blast of golden flames erupts, and he immediately dashes deeper into the forest without stopping or looking back. The Hydra is strong. Much stronger than the beast I just killed. The entire time, at least one head watched me, its eyes never leaving my form, not even for a moment. No one here other than Gloria has sensed it, but the Hydra has been constantly scanning us, watching our mana signatures, and estimating our power. And I don''t like the fact that it hasn''t attacked yet, even though, according to the system message, it should be more aggressive now. I don''t like that deep intelligence in its eyes. While in the air, my eyes rise to a massive island suspended high above, different from the one I came from. It is floating almost right over where the Hydra is. I see. This could work. An hour later, I leave the ruins inside the floating island, using yet another black mana javelin to destroy the power source. As with the previous one, now it starts absorbing all the mana in the area and gradually destroying whatever mechanisms keep it afloat and their failsafes. The first island I did this to is still in the air, but where it previously floated smoothly, it now rocks from side to side, and the enormous crystal point from its bottom has cracked. I estimate that it should be another hour before it crashes. A few minutes before it does, I will need to clear the landing area of attendees as much as possible. The island isn''t that high in the air, so the impact likely won''t be too strong, but it should be enough to kill a lot of the tens of thousands of beasts living on it. It''s highly possible I won''t get as many points as I would if I killed them myself. There''s also a chance I won''t get any points at all, though I doubt that. The system rewards people based on their performance, and it uses that exact phrase pretty often. It knows how to split the experience when multiple people work together to kill monsters. Even so, this isn''t the tutorial floor. Its the tournament, so it might work differently, and it would be foolish to rely on that. I blast away another beast, a long snake-like creature with a dozen pairs of legs, which seems to like phasing into the ground and attacking from below. And whenever that king of beasts finally materializes once more, it takes a moment before its defenses reactivate. Creating a short but very fatal moment of weakness. I reach the side of the floating island and jump off it, flying along the bottom and weaving my way through all the roots piercing the base, seeking out one of the huge crystals nearby. On that side, I form a thermal orb that I stabilize as much as I can and start filling it with thermal energy through just a slightly peeled off seal on the Ignition Heart. I embed that orb into the rock around it, which starts to melt, and knit a series of heat resistant threads to anchor it to the wall. Then I start layering mana threads around it in the form of inscriptions, not dissimilar to the dissipation nodes I have on my palms, soles, and my back, the ones I made in case of extreme buildup of thermal energy inside my body because of the Champion''s heart. I make this inscription powerful enough to last at least a few hours and add some simple controls. Lastly, I set up defenses around it and barriers to hide its signature, and for a few minutes, I continue to pump thermal energy into the thermal orb and then lock it, to top it off later. I pause, observing what I''ve done. The setup is crude but effective, and after a few more checks, I look down at the ground far below, at the pale red sand, the sea with its growing waves, and the black hydra nestled there. Then I lift off and head toward where I detected the third special grade beast. Chapter 569: Hunt continues The third beast I managed to detect is the Stormscale Basilisk. It is serpentine, as the name implies, and its about the size of a building, and yet its impressively fast despite its mass. Its serpentine form carves through the forest, shimmering scales flashing with every movement. Each motion tears into the earth, splintering roots and crushing the undergrowth beneath its weight. Trees bend and snap as its coiling body smashes through them, sending broken trunks to the ground. Lightning crackles along its hide, leaping outward to strike nearby branches in sharp, blinding arcs that always seem to reach farther than they ordinarily should. Leaves shrivel and blacken, with their edges curling from the raw force of the lightning surging through the air. The ground trembles as if nature itself were being torn apart. And the beast is currently fighting. Explosions of fire, mana projectiles, trees bending and trying to hold it, ground around it moving to grab it. There is also a huge golem made of earth in its path, and around that golem, black smoke surrounds it. Sophie, Gareth, Savant, and Klara are there, fighting it, along with a bunch of guys I do not recognize, but judging by their mana signature, they must be Hell difficulty at the very least. A burst of orange light suppresses the lightning and attempts to poison the beast. Sophie and Blackie controlling her golem. Gareth, with a silver crown over his head, enduring the incredible attacks of the beast. And Klara, clad in armor, lashes out at the beast with a big axe coated in sticky red light. Every time she cuts into the beast, some of that red light, smoke, or whatever it is, remains and lingers in the wound until the Basilisk envelopes itself in a burst of lightning to burn it away. Sophie immediately reaches out to me through the link and shouts, (Don''t look into its eyes!) Just in time, I look away. The Stormscale Basilisk destroys the trees in its path, throws aside the golem, and charges at me only to be stopped by Gareth, who stands in its way, silver armor and huge shield in his hand, blocking the lightning. The Basilisk tries to strike him, but a silver bubble surrounds Gareth. The beast crashes against it, and instead of breaking or pushing him away, the building sized beast bounces back. It attacks again with the same result, and the barrier refuses to budge an inch, though it doesnt seem to make sense. It should be torn from the ground and tossed aside with Gareth inside. (It has some sort of mana based poison that spreads through its gaze, causing your own mana to paralyze you. And it can do the same thing with its domain to a lesser extent,) Sophie explains. Klara approaches the beast from the side and leaps onto its back, swinging her ax as she does. All the lightning crackling there channels a path through her armor, and several arcs of lightning lance through the blade of the ax, heating its surface and causing the metal to glow red from the heat. The red-haired woman swings it down, only to make the huge beast spring forward, crashing through a number of trees until it finally shakes her off. Sophie''s mana rises up, and the trees around us bend, extending their branches and trying to grab the beast or slow it down. Her golem shrinks, the dirt falling to the ground, as it abandons its rough humanoid shape into the form of a snake that slithers toward the Basilisk. The golem coils around the Basilisk, which keeps moving, tearing up chunks of earth in its rage, as it opens its mouth to release a powerful, stream-like barrage of lightning that sets the surrounding trees on fire and carves chunks out of the ground. Savant places himself in the beasts path, surrounding himself in the orange light of his domain, and lifts his sword. The broken blade glows with the same orange light as it extends, radiating increasing levels of mana. The light around Savant expands, forcing Klara, Gareth, and the others to move back as it collides with the beast''s domain. Lightning crackles and fractures upon reaching deep into [Dawn]. I could join in and get the last attack. I could probably just hunt the other beasts in the meantime and let the others do all the work, just to killsteal this one later. But at the same time, I know Lissandra is watching, and this is not what she had in mind. Even if I did take first place with that strategy, she would not accept it. I know because, in this, our thinking is the same. Just as I''m about to leave, I detect a presence. Tacita appears out of thin air, standing within Savant''s [Dawn]. She smiles widely, untouched by the orange mana radiation that once seemed to cause her so much trouble. Her modified field shields her, countering its effects. Savant detects her and shifts his body, moving with incredible speed for a moment, just fast enough to counter. But Tacita accelerates further, circling him with a playful grace that feels almost taunting. Her dagger flashes several times. Savant loses one of his legs below the knee and is about to lose his arm at the shoulder, but he shifts, and her dagger sinks into his forearm, unable to pierce the bone. I''m sure that bone is not the same as other pieces of his body. [Dawn] shrinks, and he changes frequency. Just a moment is enough for him to grasp Tacita''s field, and with an incredible show of skill, he modifies his domain on the spot to counter her. But Tacita knows it as well; as a final goodbye, she stabs her dagger with a green blade into his side and slaps him across the face before disappearing. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. The Stormscale Basilisk seizes the opportunity, and its lightning presses against the weakened [Dawn] and almost hits Savant, who just barely manages to absorb part of the attack, before Gareths silver bubble surrounds him, deflecting the rest. Gareth groans and rushes against the beast in tandem with Sophie''s golem, which begins to grow in size as they charge. I track the shifting air and glance to my left just in time as Tacita appears nearby. Noticing that Im looking exactly where she planned to appear, she falters briefly, then shakes her head and disappears. Before leaving as well, I send a message to Sophie, (Jean is approaching from your right and will be here in a few minutes. On your left is the Chinese tournament winner, but shell arrive after Jean.) After delivering the message, I teleport away into the air and use kinetic energy to fly higher. So that means that the Nightshade Stalker, Witherclaw, and Onyxscale Hydra, for which I have something prepared, remain. Killing two out of the five Special grade beasts should get me first place, combined with all the other kills. But there is also a chance someone will killsteal the Stormscale Basilisk and another beast and push for the 1st spot. My decision not to killsteal the Basilisk only puts more pressure on me, but I''m sure I know how Lissandra would feel about that. I boost myself to the ground where I estimate the first floating island will crash. The first attendee I meet is some Hell difficulty guy; he turns his gun and points it at me. It reminds me of a sniper rifle, made out of materials I recognize as endurium and arcanadium. I also sense a bit of voidsteel, likely used for the bullets. I wonder what hes using to replace gunpowder. Or, for that matter, if he even needs it? If he has telekinesis, he can make it bounce inside the rifle or store momentum to launch the bullet at speed. Maybe there is some inscription that handles the acceleration. Kinetic energy could work here, too, or even some kind of fire skill that would serve to create a small explosion. I shake my head to put these thoughts away and say, "The floating island will fall soon. I would leave this area if I were you." He follows my finger as I point at the island. "It seems like it," he says. "I have noticed that fucked-up amount of mana up there. Someone pulled some crazy shit up there..." Before he can finish, I teleport away. Moving forward, I come across a pair who feel like they are from Easy difficulty. They dont even notice me before I teleport them away. I dash further to the right between the trees and boost myself onto a branch. A Hell difficulty kid, around 15 years old, notices my movement as I pass through the leaves. He shoots lightning at me, and I swing my hand, deflecting the lightning with a barrier I quickly create around my hand, and make it hit the nearby tree. Before he can do anything else, I punch him in the belly to break his concentration and then teleport him away. I continue doing so for the next 10 minutes, cleaning the area of everyone I can, and only then do I lift back up into the air. Just then, the first floating island plummets, not gradually, but instantly, like a dropped stone. Whatever kept it aloft is gone, taking all the support systems with it, including the fail safes and backup mechanisms. Even from here, I can see the monstrous pull on the surrounding mana from the island''s center, the black spear already on the brink of destabilization. The sky rumbles with the weight of whats coming. The floating island, vast enough to hold a city, begins to fall in a sudden, violent plunge. The sheer pull distorts the wind, sending shockwaves outward and bending the clouds around it as if the sky itself were being torn open. From below, it looks like the sky is collapsing. The forest on top of the island writhes as the falling mass picks up speed. Trees sway violently, some are uprooted in their entirety, their massive trunks flung into the air like twigs caught in a storm. The ruins, weathered stone structures half-buried in moss, begin to fall apart, the force of the fall shaking them apart before they even reach the ground. And then there are the beasts. Tens of thousands of them. Some leap from the edges, trying to escape. Beasts of all kinds, including serpentine, winged, and phantom abominations, all desperately seek the sky. Others, either too stubborn or too oblivious, remain on the island, roaring, screeching, and howling. As the island plummets closer, the pressure of the air around me changes, so intense that it feels as if the atmosphere itself is being crushed beneath its weight. The ground below begins to react, tremors rippling through the area even before the island reaches it. Then there is the impact. The ground erupts on contact, in an explosion of dirt, stone, and raw energy blasting into the sky like a volcanic eruption. A shockwave filled with debris erupts outward, leveling everything near the impact. Trees find themselves obliterated, their remains scattered into the wind in clouds of splinters, leaving a significant portion of the forest altered in an instant. In addition to the beasts on top of the island, more on the ground find themselves caught in the destruction, reduced to nothing as the sheer force of the impact tears through them. Those lucky or unlucky enough to survive are thrown through the air, with their bodies broken and limbs twisted. And at the center of it all, the remains of the floating island lie half buried in the ruined landscape, shrouded by a massive dust cloud. It looks like it''s all over, but deep within the shattered ruins, something stirs. At the island''s core, the black spear finally destabilizes. For a brief moment, everything goes silent, even the screeches of the beasts around it are cut off. Then it erupts. The blinding white light fills the ruins, followed by a massive mana disruption pulse tearing through the forest. Everything within a mile or more is affected. Magic flickers and dies. Inscriptions collapse. Another shockwave hits, a violent blast rips outward, sending debris in every direction. The nearby beasts that survived the impact are flung like ragdolls. Chunks of rock the size of buildings are sent flying through the air, crashing into the trees of the forest and rolling still further. Some even fly through the air and fall into the sea, sending geysers of water erupting into the air. The heatwave follows, a wave of searing air that scorches the land and ignites portions of the forest. The following implosion pulls everything into a vortex of crushing force. Dust, flames, even the very air twists and vanishes, pulled into the vacuum. For a moment, there is again nothing but silence. Then comes the final release. A concussive blast that carves out a deep, empty crater where the ruins once stood. And the hunt continues. Chapter 570: Special grade beasts My mana keeps regenerating, and plenty remains. After the first event, this abundance feels almost unusual. Finally, I manage to locate another of the three remaining beasts, just as the Stormscale Basilisk dies, fallen at the hands of multiple Beyonders. Yet even there, no one can be sure who got the points in the end. I''m sure I''m not the only one who deeply despises the lack of information. Flying over the beach and out to sea, I eventually come to a small island. Its close to the wall of thunderstorms currently on course to buffet the mainland within the next hour or two. I''m sure that when these lightning storms hit the mainland, the powerful wind and thunderbolts will wipe out most, if not all, Easy and Normal difficulty participants. And the storm isnt weakening either, on the contrary, its growing stronger by the minute. At some point, given the system, Im certain it will even be capable of killing a few of the people from Hell difficulty. Here, on this small island, with the lightning already striking the sea around it, I find Lissandra. While the wind churns the sea and tears at the foundation of the island beneath her, the area around her remains eerily calm. There is no barrier that I can sense, but when I land beside her, it feels as if the storm never existed. Sounds are muted, the tornado like wind outside fades into a gentle breeze, and no lightning even comes near. Yet, I do not feel or see any mana. I absolutely cannot see how she does it. In her usual calm manner, she makes no move to stop me and observes my reaction while she sits on a nearby boulder. Next to her stands what I assume to be the Special Grade beast, the Witherclaw. It''s not tied up or held in any way; it just stands there, scared for its life and not moving at all, only glancing her way when it thinks she may be distracted. It shows a hint of aggression when I appear, but Lissandra makes a dissatisfied noise, and the Witherclaw immediately cowers, ending all resistance. The beast is tall and thin; its body is frail and stretched, with pale, almost sickly skin clinging to its bones. Its arms are long, ending in sharp, splintered claws that look ready to snap at any moment. Its dark, hollow eyes stare ahead, empty and unreadable, though its tense body does give some hint of the emotions it might feel. It is so weak in comparison to the other Special grade beasts I have met so far. So? I ask Lissandra. I will be keeping this one for now, Ill release it thirty minutes before the end of the event. Why? Because it is getting stronger the more time passes, little pup. One hour before the end of the event, it will be stronger than any other Special grade beast, she says, with a bit of disdain, as if she considers that naming silly, and thirty minutes before the end of the event, you will have five minutes to kill it before it becomes strong enough to kill everyone here. And what happens if I don''t? Well, ten minutes before the end of the event, it rises to Champion grade, and thirty seconds before the end, it will be Absolute grade. So, little pup, tell me, don''t you think this is a fun little setting the Rulers have prepared? No restrictions for me this time? None this time, she confirms. Do whatever it is you want to do, little pup. But save some energy for this one. She waves her hand, and my teleportation activates against my will; I find myself being sent through one of my Ley Lines as I appear back on the mainland. As I rise into the air, even with [Focus] , I can''t ignore my curiosity and the questions racing through my mind. Most of all, how long will it take for me to learn how to do what she does? Before the second floating island finally starts falling, I see Sophie die at the hands of one of the remaining Special grade beasts. A black panther, that seems to have shadows instead of fur, steps out of one of the nearby shadows and bites into her neck, ripping out her throat and dispersing her into a cloud of fine particles. Then it disappears again, avoiding a barrage of attacks from Min-Jae and Maya, who immediately rush the beast. Even I can''t track it when it disappears, so I''m sure none of them can either. I hadn''t even sensed it appear before it got to Sophie. The Nightshade Stalker then starts picking off more and more of the people whove gathered to observe the hydra. It appears again and snaps at Gareth, piercing through his silver armor with ease, tearing into his leg and leaving deep scratches. Some of the people gathered use fire or light skills in an attempt to erase all the shadows in the area, and despite the bright lighting they produce, they can''t fully prevent shadows from forming. There''s always one or two that survive, and the beast is fast. And once too many people gather to defend themselves, it vanishes. For a few minutes, there is an almost eerie silence. Some of the people lower their defenses, thinking it must have moved somewhere else. These die first when the beast returns. With the second island beginning to fall, I dont really have time to try and stop it, and I already sense multiple Beyonders coming to the area, organized through the various communication links theyve made. Some manage to deploy barriers, fields, or arrays. Others try to mark the beast and hunt it down. There are even dexterity specialists who make an attempt to match its speed. Vic is approaching the area as well. It''s the fight I would otherwise like to watch just to learn about the others'' abilities, but I cannot. I teleport into the air next to the island. As before, it starts plunging toward the hydra, but just as I expected, its not quite close enough. When I activate the inscriptions I placed on the side of the island, a huge burst of flame erupts from the thermal orb, narrowed into a cone reminiscent of the flames emitted by a jet engine. Things break, and I start noticing imperfections or mistakes. The output also isnt ideal for what I intended. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. On the spot, I make the required change, straining my mind in the process and slightly lifting the seal on the Ignition Heart. The stream of flames shifts, growing more focused and extending further. As the island falls, it gives it just enough of a push to steer it over the beach. After confirming that its going in the right direction, I teleport back down and quickly use Wraith Dance multiple times in succession; my control during the series of quick deployments slipping ever so slightly, and the movements and kinetic energy itself damage my body. The Onyxscale Hydra waits there, turning three of its heads toward me, while two turn to watch the attendees nearby, and the remaining heads observe the sky and island as well. The beast is annoyingly intelligent and seems to have noticed. I use [Eclipse]. It expands into the area, crashes against the beast''s own domain, and pulls the colors out of everything but the mana hanging in the air. As the seconds tick down and the island looms ever larger in the sky, the beast remains unfazed, showing no sign of worry or hesitation. Slowly, all seven heads turn toward me. Then one of them starts bleeding from the eyes, its skull twisting and bulging until it bursts apart. But the beast pushes through my [Eclipse] and continues to drive my skills back. Another head starts twisting, its eyes rupturing under the pressure as the beast strains to counter me. I push even harder, channeling a massive amount of mana through my body to fuel my skill and keep the beast from escaping. [Eclipse - lvl 28 > Eclipse - lvl 29] [Eclipse - lvl 29 > Eclipse - lvl 30] And then another head follows; both of them explode in the process of countering [Eclipse]. The beast is pushing its brains to the extreme, overclocking itself just to counter my skill. The falling island seems so close now that I can feel the pressure and heat generated by the falling mass of rock and dirt. Just a few more seconds. Then two more heads explode, and all my Ley Lines are torn apart. I find myself glued to the spot and unable to move an inch, even as I deploy countermeasures and begin running through a number of methods to break away every second. The sixth head of the Hydra bulges; both eyes explode, the neck cracks and twists, and the head bursts open. Then the hydra teleports away. Seeing a way out, I resonate with the beasts mana; I take over and try to follow the monster through the rift. There, I meet its own countermeasure like a brick wall. A wall I cannot break with my current skill or pass around. I glance at the island that is about to crash into me, and the entirety of my mana roars in a tricolored display as I start stacking barrier upon barrier around me. Then the island falls on me. POV Channeler I barely throw myself to the side as a massive rock slams into the ground, as a second massive flying island crashes into the ground, and for a moment, I feel like the entire world is shaking apart beneath my feet. The heat that follows is suffocating. It rolls over everything like a living thing, igniting the trees around us in an instant. The battlefield erupts into action. Someone raises walls of earth to cover us. Izzy and her massive snake absorb the worst of the heat. Kim fires at the monsters without hesitation. Even Knight charges in, blade flashing. Then the shockwave hits. Its like stepping off a cliff. Every skill I have vanishes in an instant, my passives flicker out, and my mana twists in a way that makes my stomach churn. My control is gone. And even when everything settles, a few seconds later, my mana control still feels sluggish. And then I see it. The Onyxscale Hydra. It wasnt there a second ago. Now it is, towering over the battlefield, its monstrous body writhing. Its remaining head standing tall as the remaining six begin to regenerate. The moment they return, it moves and starts teleporting around, each relocation causing one of its heads to turn into a bloody mess of flesh, scales, and bones. It shoots fire, it shoots lightning, and it creates barriers around itself. Within just a few seconds, it kills dozens, and among them are a number of the Hell difficulty people Ive come to know. The beast doesn''t slow down either. Second after second, its skills grow stronger, with more of its heads rupturing and regenerating as attendees try to stop or kill it, only to be killed in turn. At that point, the black shadow panther appears as well, and things devolve into one huge mess. The panther is incredibly fast and impossible to detect. The Hydra, between its teleportation, which bypasses all attempts to stop it, and its relentless attacks, begins pulling heat from the air. That alone kills any Easy or Normal difficulty targets in the area, almost regardless of distance. But then I watch as Victoria appears. Out of nowhere, she stands there as if she had simply sprung up from the ground. Something about her must have attracted the attention of the panther because it quickly appears beside her and bites into the left side of her body, tearing off her entire arm and most of her chest. More than just a gruesome sight, it sends shivers down my back that she just stands there and watches the panther tear her body apart. The spooked beast vanishes into the shadows, only to reappear a moment later, crashing into the ground. With something moving inside its mouth. The severed pieces of Victoria''s body begin to grow, forming a copy of her body right inside the beast''s mouth. Even so, it is not enough, and the beast''s body is too strong, and it closes its mouth, crushing the little that had managed to grow there. Then I see the most incredible sight. A hand claws its way out from inside the beast''s mouth, followed by another. It tears off a finger and throws it deeper into the beast''s throat. Then it tears off another finger, and another. The panther thrashes, its claws still cutting down anyone who gets too close, but its losing control. It tries to roar, but the sound is wrong. Wet, choked, bubbling with its own blood. It doesnt stop moving, but its slowing down. Yet it does not stop. I keep seeing more fingers torn off and thrown into the beast, where a new body attempts to grow from each one. Piece by piece, Victoria forces her way out. Tears begin to form on the panther''s neck, and its mouth stretches open so wide that its jaws dislocate. A sharp crack echoes out, and the beast goes still before collapsing. Its body starts shifting, accompanied by the disgusting sound of tearing flesh as it continues twitching even after death, with the sort of lifeless movements that I am sure will stay with me forever. Victoria climbs out, drenched in blood. She wipes her face, barely looks at the corpse, and moves on, vanishing from my sight before I can even register where shes going. In the space where she once stood, the hydra crashes to the ground and rises with its six heads lifting into the air. It roars, bursting my eardrums, and I feel warm blood flowing from my ears. Two heads move hungrily downward and start tearing the panther apart, devouring the body within seconds. Then one of the heads turns to me, and its mouth opens, lightning crackling loudly as it advances. Out of nowhere, that mouth snaps closed, and all of its heads turn in one direction: toward the fallen remains of the island in the distance, where the sea meets the pale red sand beach. Something detonates, sending debris high into the air. Even from here, I can feel the massive surge of mana engulfing the area. In some ways, it feels even more dangerous than the seven headed beast. A second later, he floats there, right where the hydra is looking. Clothes torn and burnt; wounds covering his body; and blood flowing from the side of his head. His crown floats above his head, and golden circles surround his pupils. Victoria appears by my side, You are Channeler, right? My brother mentioned you. The way she talks so casually, even in this situation, makes me nervous. Y-yes. I am glad I remembered you correctly, she says, looks up, and calls to her brother, Do you need any help? I already know what he will say; I know him too well to be surprised. And as expected, he answers with that same unreadable, infuriatingly calm expression, as if the world itself couldnt shake him. This one is mine. Chapter 571: One hour remains My mana reserves are much lower now; that is how much it took to survive the island''s landing, along with the explosions, especially the one caused by the black mana destabilizing. Still, I''m grateful to the monster for showing me what I can survive, and I thank it for reminding me not to underestimate my opponents, no matter how capable I believe myself to be. As the hydra has proven, I should be assuming that everyone has a trick or two up their sleeve. One of the heads bursts open under strain as the beast overclocks its processing. The earth beneath it bulges and launches a barrage of stone javelins. I don''t even attempt to block it; instead, I teleport, appearing closer. Another head bulges as the hydra attempts to use that skill to disrupt my ability to teleport and hold me in place, but this time, Ive come prepared. The attempt washes over me and does succeed in restraining me, but I expand my [Mana Domain] and pull [Eclipse] tight against my skin, breaking through to teleport once again, reappearing right in front of the hydra. Another head explodes, and it teleports again. Three heads remain, but another one regenerates in the meantime. I watch it; I estimate the regeneration speed and observe the order in which it happens. I also note that, for some reason, the Hydra does not want to let me get close. I follow it on foot, using Wraith Dance multiple times as I weave between the trees, attendees, and the attacks raining down on me. Lightning, stone spears, ice, and flames. All are massively destructive, ripping the forest apart and killing anyone who gets too close, but the hydra keeps moving further away. It sacrifices multiple heads as it reaches the rough sea and begins to slither across the surface. Lightning from the storm cracks through the air nearby, and rain begins to fall, accompanied by hurricane force winds. I form a suit of armor around my body, normal sized this time. I deploy the stored structure and compress it, all the while keeping my eyes on the hydra. I watch every move the beast makes with its mana. As we face each other, the hydra teleports again, deeper into the storm, and I follow. Lightning strikes my armor, the wind tries to hurl me through the air, and water crashes over me. I can barely see the hydra through the shadow of the dark clouds covering the sky and the torrential downpour of rain that falls in their wake. But finally prepared, I charge using Pulser Stance, advancing in a series of small leaps as I evade the beasts attacks. The hydra harnesses the lightning above and directs it at me, then compresses the water around it into laser-like streams to cut me apart. I move unpredictably, stepping between attacks and extending the reach of [Redistribution] toward the storm. Everything within the spherical area of my influence grows still. The winds cease their rampage, the air growing dead still, while the surface of the sea settles, smooth as glass, serene as a mountain lake on a windless day. It becomes quiet, and the hydra roars. Two of its heads twist and break apart as it tries to hold me in place again. But this time, I break through immediately, moving closer, taking a series of quick steps that don''t so much as stir the water around us. It tries to teleport, but I release a burst of kinetic energy I had been gathering from the storm''s turbulence. This burst strikes the nearest head, which shows signs of being wounded, causing the teleportation to fail. I send two more bursts, detonating the second head with one while the beast fends off the other. [Redistribution] surrounds the beast, and I amplify it with black mana. This time, I am the one holding it back, nullifying all of its movements. Three heads remain, and I already know which one to target. Before it can react, [Empyrean Lance] pierces through another head. My armor expands to match the size of the beast, and I release my grip on the storm. Rain starts falling again, and the wind howls as waves tear through the surface of the sea when I crash into it. I grab one of the two remaining heads, my heart racing as it converts mana into kinetic energy. I squeeze tightly, crushing the head until it bursts like the other. Then I grab the last head, but before I can do anything, it explodes on its own. Blood sprays over me, sizzling as it burns through my mana, even as the rain begins washing it away. It reaches my body, searing my skin and disrupting my mana. My shoulder and back burn as the flesh melts away, exposing bone. It would have spread further, but I disrupt the mana within the blood and break down the structure of the skill. The blood returns to normal, reverting to a simple, if hot, red liquid. I sense movement behind me and strengthen my armor. Taking advantage of my distraction, a jet-like stream of water slashes diagonally across my armor, barely stopped by the final layer before it manages to cut me apart. The regenerated hydra head bites into me, sending constant bursts of lightning through the armor. The storm fuels it, with bolts striking the hydra, surging through its body, and pouring into me. Locking eyes with that piercing blue gaze, I reinforce my armor. I continue to knit and weave my mana, using Ley Lines to form new layers to redirect the lightning. More kinetic energy builds within me. At that moment, my mind is clear and calm, leaving no room for anything but single minded focus on continuing the fight and managing my abilities. As the tail strikes toward my breastplate, in an attempt to skewer my body, another arm grows from my back and catches it, holding it in place. My other two hands reach for the hydra''s head, gripping it from both sides as I begin to squeeze. The lightning intensifies, surging from the hydra''s mouth as it blasts against my armor and reaches for my head. Layers crack and shatter one after another until only the final one remains, barely holding against the assault. I don''t even blink. The beast''s red blood continues to spray against my mana, eating into it and sizzling despite the fierce wind and heavy rain. The lightning intensifies, as the hydra strains in desperation, striking me again and again as I rebuild my defenses. Control slips from the hydra, and lightning tears into its body. Desperate to escape, it tries to pull away, but I hold tight, squeezing even harder. Its skull cracks, and the feedback of the kinetic vibrations it creates reaches me. One of its eyes bulges out and bursts open. With one final push, I power up the armor and slam my hands together, the skull bursting open between my palms in an explosion of flesh, brain, and blood. Even with its heavy demands on my concentration, I slightly lift the seal around the Ignition Heart, letting it beat a few times. Each heartbeat unleashes a surge of thermal energy, golden flames erupting around me. They fuel my healing passive, evaporate the water collecting on my skin, boiling the sea below me before finally crashing against the hydras body, scorching the stumps of its seven severed heads, rolling off the creatures onyx scales time and again before finally breaking through. The fourth special-grade beast has been defeated. The remaining special-grade beast has sensed the death of the other four. It will know who killed them and their locations at all times. I teleport away in a short series of leaps, as the storm hits the beach and continues onto the mainland. Even the islands floating in the sky find themselves forced to move under the oppressive winds. I check the time and confirm the state of the countdown. Then I take a break from hunting the other monsters. Instead, I fly to the top of one of the islands and, repeating my previous strategy, break into the vault containing one of those huge hearts. Once there, I anchor another Ley Line and make my way back outside, then I continue stretching it over to another island, at which point I make my way to a similar room. The two Ley Lines connect, and I continue to stretch that line. I start teleporting between the two locations, setting up inscriptions made out of Ley Lines or threads of mana that I weave and knit if I need more flexibility. I even break apart parts of the room and melt the mana-conductive materials, using them to add to the web of inscriptions I''m assembling. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Every few minutes, I check the timer until Lissandra releases the last beast, and at the right time, I create two javelins made of black mana, each of which pierces one of the hearts, only to start absorbing the mana once again. My inscriptions temporarily prevent it from eating into the web I just made, and the black mana instead targets an easier source: the mana generated by the heart. A bit over one hour remains, and Im sitting inside one of these rooms, examining the process: taking notes on the way black mana absorbs other mana, the difference in how it affects me with Mana Wavelength Tyrant on vs. how it affects me when its off, and the way black mana reacts with the current iteration of [Ley Line]. I examine the inscriptions making up the room as well: the ones around the heart, those around the hand, and the set empowering the hand to heal the heart. The two sorts of liquid pumped into the head, one pale blue and the other as red as blood, capture my attention. There are plenty of materials I don''t really know yet, and pathways carved in ways I never imagined. It''s something I''m sure I could spend days, even weeks, examining and experimenting with. At some point, I sense a familiar presence approaching, so I stay where I am. It doesn''t rush, taking its time to reach me. It enters the tunnels, passes through them, and sometimes stops for a minute or two to curiously examine something new it finds. There is even a point where it gets distracted and follows the beasts that appear, just to observe them. After a while, it seems to get bored and turns to head right for me. When it gets close, I switch to my normal sight and watch Myrra enter through the hole Ive made in the metal door. "Hello, feral one!" "Hello, Myrra." "You don''t seem to be having a good day." "It could be worse. Are you here with a message, or are you just here to mess around?" "Hehe, I would say its more of the latter. Is it safe to come closer?" She gestures at the pillar with the heart and my spear piercing through it. "If you stay close to me." "Got it," she says, moving quickly in nimble, long steps, and sits on the ground next to me. For the next five minutes, she stares at the pillar, the black spear, and the huge heart. Her yellow eyes are wide open, as her tail sways from side to side. "You never asked me for my subclass, feral one." "Ive heard from a reliable source that it''s super rude to ask that sort of question." "But you are rude." "... What is your subclass, Myrra?" "It''s greed. Maybe that''s why she likes me, if you could call it that. You don''t have to tell me yours; I already know." She flashes me a smile, placing her fangs on full display. "Okay." I nod. Her hand moves up, and with the tips of her fingers, she carefully touches the scar that runs horizontally across her nose and a small part of her face, something I''m sure she could have removed if she wanted to. In the light down here, the surface of the scar glistens in stark contrast to the rest of her skin. The light making it appear deeper and redder. "I''m sorry I didn''t tell you about Tess." "I understand." To my surprise, the response only seems to annoy her, the motions of her tail betraying her emotions. "I hate it when you use that concentration skill." She stands up swiftly. "I will see you after the event, and, feral one... good luck." After that, she forfeits the event and disappears to watch from the outside, possibly under Lissandra''s instructions. Her words feel off... as if I missed something important. Three. Two. One. One hour remains, and for the first time since the start of the event, I receive a notification from the system. Congratulations! You have survived until the final hour of the event. One hour remains. The following beasts have been defeated: Onyxscale Hydra Stormscale Basilisk Emberhorn Behemoth Nightshade Stalker The special-grade beast Witherclaw has managed to survive and will now rapidly grow in strength in step with the events settings! Thirty minutes before the end of the event, its strength will grow rapidly. Ten minutes before the end of the event, it will attain the rank of Champion and beyond! Current points awarded for defeating the Witherclaw: 15,000. Points will increase by 500 per minute until the 30-minute mark, then by 1,000 per minute. At the 10-minute mark, they will increase by 5,000 per minute. At the 1-minute mark, they will increase by 10,000 per second. At the 30-second mark, the point value of Witherclaw will increase by 100,000 per second. I reread it a few times before I look at the other notification. It is now possible to see the rankings of the second event! Then the current rankings start to appear in the holographic window before me, listing placement after placement. 10th - 5,401 points - Brainiac 9th - 6,120 points - Grumpy 8th - 6,580 points - Tacita 7th - 6,751 points - Renji Hayakawa Five more placements appear, including a few names I don''t recognize. I know not all of the "Kings" are suited for hunting groups of opponents, but it''s good to see a Beyonder in the rankings. It clearly means that the top dog of the round isn''t fixed, after all, every round should have at least a few people competing for the top spot. 6th - 6,940 points - Maxim Sarov That Russian boy with shadow creatures and void energy is interesting. I hadnt expected his abilities to be quite so effective against large numbers of opponents. As more names appear, I find myself thinking of trivial things to distract myself. 5th - 7,050 points - Agni Another new face. 4th - 7,888 points - CarrotCake I expected him to be at least that high. 3rd - 16,300 points - Victoria So it was probably 10,000 points for the special-grade beast, but then that would mean Victoria earned the rest from the normal beasts? When the second place appears, I feel myself calm down. 2nd - 19,700 points - Yama Good. The last name spot appears. And next to it is a single-word name. But it''s not mine. 1st - 37,600 points - Hadwin And one more. My placement 26,576th - 0 points - Noname Chapter 572: Witherclaw Staring at the window, I let a chuckle slip from my lips. Another follows, building until it turns into full-blown laughter. I keep laughing for a good ten seconds before finally stopping. [Focus] I open the notifications again and start doing calculations. Thirty-eight minutes from now. Twenty-three minutes before the end of the event, the Witherclaw should be worth somewhere around 38 thousand points, enough for me to secure the first spot. Even though Lissandra said that 25 minutes before the end, the beast would become strong enough to kill anyone here. That means it needs to survive for at least eight minutes from the moment she releases it until I can kill it. I let out a long sigh and rest my back against the wall, tilting my head up to stare at the ceiling absentmindedly. Out of curiosity, I press the tips of my index and middle fingers against the contours of my neck, tracing a path along my windpipe to feel for my pulse. Its quick and erratic, mirroring my heartbeat. Another chuckle escapes me as I lower my hand. Then, I close my eyes and clear my thoughts. When it''s close to thirty minutes to the end of the event, I stand up and teleport outside, positioning myself on the cliff at the edge of the floating island. The strong wind immediately pushes against my body, and the view unfolds below me. The sea is nearly gone, obscured by dark clouds and a wall of rain and lightning that has already begun its bombardment of the trees in its path. Some of them catch fire only to be extinguished by the rain in the next instant. All of the remaining islands I can see remain in the air, receiving their own constant barrage of lightning strikes. With the storm comes a flood of stronger beasts. From behind it emerge, hawk-like creatures, their piercing screams cutting through the air, lightning trailing their wings. New beasts crawl from the water, floundering their way ashore and diving straight into battle with the attendees. Yet the worst is still to come, waiting for the moment the timer reaches Lissandras appointed moment. As that time arrives, a powerful mana signature emerges from deep within the storm, and I activate my eyes, tracking it as it moves. The Witherclaw runs like a wild animal, sometimes on two legs, sometimes on all fours. It pierces through the wall of rain, dodging lightning all the while, and then delves into the forest. Immediately, explosions go off and powerful bursts of mana trigger an array of defenses the attendees have set against the storm and beasts. I strengthen the shield around me to avoid taking damage from the storms lightning and continue to observe the beasts progression. It exits the treeline, holding a man by his leg, and begins looking around and sniffing. The raindrops splash on its pale skin, making its thin, fragile looking body glisten in the air. The man being held channels mana and launches a swift, cutting attack at the beast, but the Witherclaw just takes one more step, yanks the man back, and swings his body against a tree. Blood sprays from his mouth, and I am pretty sure his spine cracks, yet he still doesnt die. The Witherclaw lets him go and moves closer, settling beside the man and staring at him with its empty black eyes as he lies there, dying. The attendee tries to speak, but only frothing blood escapes his mouth, until he finally remembers he can forfeit with his mind, dissolving into pale blue particles. For a moment, the Witherclaw watches the spot where the man died. Then, it rises and turns directly to me, as if it could sense my eyes watching. Its figure is not that much different from that of a human, though it looks very fragile, pale, and with thin, long limbs. It has a slightly larger head than its body would normally warrant, and its mouth isnt really all that big, but when it opens, I can see multiple rows of sharp teeth. Yet its black eyes remain empty. The beast senses movement nearby and, instead of hiding, charges at a group of ten attendees, a mix of people from Hell and Hard difficulty. The Witherclaw moves quickly, switching between bipedal and quadrupedal strides. No stun, disruption, or hold type skill seems to work on it, and the special-grade beast is nimble and perceptive enough to avoid most attacks. Its claws now glow pale red as it easily pierces through the barriers, items, and skin of the attendees. Even though it looks fragile, the beast is incredibly strong, and its strength and speed continue to increase. With every fight, the beast learns, adapts, and modifies its movements. And it likes to play with those it hunts. It almost never kills its opponents outright; rather, it cripples them, severs limbs, breaks bones, and leaves them lying in the dirt while it takes its time with the others. Then it watches as they twitch, struggling to fight back, or slowly die. If someone seems like they might be able to stand, regenerate, or escape, the Witherclaw turns its attention back to them and breaks a few more bones, in a careful manner that seems almost gentle. Sometimes, it even looks up at me while doing so or while taking a bite from attendees who hesitate to forfeit. Seeing that behavior from the beast, many of the remaining attendees simply forfeit and vanish, causing the beast to pause. It stands there looking almost sad. Then it opens that mouth full of sharp teeth and lets out a sound I have never heard. It is not a screech, nor does it fit with any other sound I recognize. A low, guttural chuff rolls out, rough and dry, followed by a rapid series of sharp, clicking barks. The sound carries a strange, uneven rhythm like a broken pattern of short, exhales forced through a narrow throat. A deep growl follows, vibrating low in its chest and rumbling just beneath the surface of the beasts flesh. Then it emits another burst of chattering clicks, each one sharp and deliberate, almost like the controlled rasp of bone scraping against bone. The sound is aggressive and carries the edge of something predatory. Only when Jean exits the forest does the beast stop. Fittingly, Jean grins and slams a fist against his chest, the impact sending vibrations I can feel even from up here. The force scatters the raindrops around him, making the rain pause for a brief moment. The Witherclaw moves faster than before, and both the beast and the man collide in a shockwave that uproots the surrounding trees. Another attack follows immediately after, and the beast goes flying, launched through the air, unable to withstand the incredible strength that Jean possesses. It crashes through dozens of trees and quickly picks itself back up, shaking its head. But before it can do anything else, its already being pulled through the air into Jeans huge hand as he grabs its neck and slams its entire body against the ground in another explosion. Jean moves to do it again, but suddenly comes to a halt mid motion. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The beast is no longer there. Instead, it lands a short distance away, damaged but still functional. Holding the ragged remains of Jeans hand, it looks at him and takes a slow, deliberate bite, tearing off one of the thick fingers and starting to chew. Unsurprisingly, the huge man smiles brightly, the predatory gleam in his eyes almost rivaling that of the beasts. The pressure around him rises with an audible thump, sending a burst of powerful vibrations through the air. He takes a step, and the earth explodes; from the air, he grabs stones and hurls them at the beast. The Witherclaw drops the hand and moves, nimbly skirting the radius of the explosion. Even though its body remains unaffected as Jean strains to pull it, the beast charges at him all on its own. They clash again, and this time, the Witherclaw comes away wounded as well. The beast is thrown aside with a dislocated arm, and in the process, it leaves a deep set of lacerations across Jeans face. Fully ignoring his wounds, Jean charges the beast again, only to reach its position and not find it there. He looks around, confused and preparing for an ambush that never comes. I track the Witherclaw, watching it retreat like a coward. It cradles its broken arm and lets out a series of short, sharp, distressed barks with a deep vibrating undertone. At this point, I leap from the island, extending [Ley Line] below before teleporting, just in time to disrupt the dangerous strings of mana reaching toward the Witherclaw. The beast notices the strings too late and would have fallen into the trap. With its empty eyes, it scans me, tenses its body, and prepares to charge, but then changes its mind. Instead, it bulldozes its way through the dozens of corpses of dead beasts that have risen and been forced to fight. Undead creatures, their eyes glowing with a mixture of blue and green light. I disrupt another wave of dangerous threads not unlike my [Ley Line] and stand to face Yama, the 9th-round tournament winner. "Incredible. So far, only two attendees have been able to see my strings, but neither could disrupt them with a simple glance," she says calmly as she steps out of the tree line. Behind her, the corpse of Stormscale Basilisk moves with the same blue and green light in its eyes and huge, gaping, bloodless wounds marring its body. Even though it is weaker than when alive, it still feels impressive. "Thank you, I have also noticed you observing my lines," I answer. "I couldnt help but admire them. Theyre different from my own, and yet theyre still impressive in their own way. Now I want to ask you, why have you stepped between me and that beast?" "It''s mine to kill," I say simply. "It belongs to whoever kills it first," she counters. "It''s mine." Then, just as she does, I raise my mana. Her strings swirl in a huge circle around us, each vibrating at a slightly different frequency, but I know that in the mere moment, I would still be able to disrupt them. After glancing in the direction where the Witherclaw went, I turn to Yama, "Your group?" "Yes, along with some friends I made. While I hold you here, they should..." Instead of letting her finish, I disrupt all the strings reaching toward me, and rather than using the [Ley Line] that I''m sure she tampered with, I use Wraith Dance to reach her. The undead basilisk and a few of the other corpses rise to attack me, but I maneuver around them and make my way over to the woman. Her strings are even denser around her; she uses them to move her body, increasing her speed as she pulls and yanks. She does the same with the corpses, which, without the strings, would appear to be pulled by invisible leashes. I hear the Witherclaw''s screech and change direction again, targeting the source, deploying [Eclipse] for a moment to eliminate anything she might use to slow me down. I blow away a few of the undead monsters jumping in my way and duck under the Chinese man swinging at me with a dagger in his hand. I continue to run as he follows behind me, tall and slim and sending the familiar vibration of kinetic energy rippling outward from his body. I absorb my momentum and lean to the right, only to have it absorbed again. A burst of kinetic energy surges through my body, and I execute a movement that would normally twist my ankle but instead adds momentum as I absorb the recoil. The man falters, confused by this series of movements, finding himself thoroughly unprepared as I approach him from his left instead of his right. Even so, he still raises his weapon and blocks the incoming attack with his arm, but is too late to notice the Needle Point I use to break his kinetic barrier and the follow up that shatters his feet. As he loses balance, I punch him, releasing more kinetic energy and sending him rolling through the forest. Lightning from the undead Basilisk strikes my former position, and I use Wraith Dance three times in a row to reach a clearing with the Witherclaw standing trapped at its center. The beast is surrounded by half a dozen attendees, each one of them at least Beyonder or Hell difficulty. There is a cage made of pale white polished stone around it, further strengthened by the surrounding field. The man using the stones wears a stone ring on his finger, the signature of which catches my attention. Meanwhile, the Witherclaw tries to escape. Its left arm remains broken, but it uses its fangs to tear at the cage, which quickly regenerates before it can fully break free. Three members of the group move to attack me, and at this point, I am sure they are all using something unseen to communicate. Instead of fighting them, I raise my mana even further, flooding the air with its raw power. The sheer intensity overwhelms their senses, forcing the three men to step back in shock. Then I form [Empyrean Lance] and shoot it through the cage, the lance tearing through it as if the stone were made of paper. Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Witherclaw swings its claws once more at the damaged spot and breaks free. Panic ensues, but before they can react, the swift beast, now free from the trap, leaps at the man with the stone ring, tears out his throat, and continues to gouge his face with its claws until the man disintegrates into a cloud of blue particles. Without the trap, the men and women stand no chance against the Witherclaw as it tears through them. With nothing to slow it down, no one can match its speed or withstand the swipes of its claws. Seeing Yama appear, the Witherclaw lets out those predatory noises again and lunges at her. Its speed surges, and with a single swing of its seemingly fragile body, it blows the basilisk''s head clean off. Before it reaches her, Yama attempts to teleport, but the Witherclaw uses its mana for the first time. A flare of energy erupts around its body as it reaches for Yama in the middle of her teleportation. The mana destabilizes her escape, snapping the threads she was trying to use. She reappears from the failed teleport, her side twisted, torn, and shattered by the attempt. At that moment, the Witherclaw fails to notice the string coiling several times around its neck. Even in her wounded state, Yama hides it well as she slowly starts pulling, trying to behead the beast. And she would have succeeded if I wasnt there. I disrupt her attempt and return her cold gaze. The Witherclaw realizes what happened, but the emptiness in its eyes remains unchanged. Ignoring a few weaker mana-based attacks, it swings to kill the undead beasts charging at it, then grabs Yamas leg and leaps onto a branch of a nearby tree. Even as Yama struggles, trying to strike or injure it in any way she can, the Witherclaw doesn''t react. Its immense mana blocks most of her attacks. Still staring at me, it takes a bite of her leg. It reaches for another, but Yama vanishes into a spray of particles, likely having forfeited. Jumping down from the branch, the Witherclaw steps toward me with the same predatory movement. I hold my ground as it closes the distance. When it reaches arms length, the usually hunched beast straightens, standing several heads taller than me, its lanky, fragile-looking body looming overhead. It opens its mouth, releasing a deep, grating snarl while pressing down on me with its mana. In response, I unleash my own. It surges outward, crushing the air with its weight as it engulfs the area and slams into the Witherclaws mana. My mana pushes against it, threatening to tear through and completely overwhelm it. This time, I take a step forward, and instinctively, the Witherclaw steps back, ever so slightly hunching back down. "Fuck. Off." It hesitates for a few seconds before turning away and running toward more signatures. I check the timer to confirm when I am allowed to kill it and follow behind. Chapter 573: Hope it’s worth it I help the Witherclaw break free from another trap set by Leticia and Lunas group. As it charges forward, Monte shifts, growing to twice his height. Dark green scales spread across his body while his face stretches into a lizard-like shape, his movements turning sharp and predatory. I disrupt their attempts to help their tournament winner as Monte clashes against the beast. Leticia calls out to me in surprise, but I ignore her call and step aside as Luna, now the size of an elephant, snaps at me with her teeth. The huge golden retriever continues to attack me while Leticia supports her by spreading a web across the area and attacking from a distance. During the fight, I tear down the web and deflect any projectiles aimed at me. The clash lasts barely thirty seconds. In that time, the Witherclaw grows noticeably stronger. Its mana expands and it begins using it much more naturally, at which point it begins disrupting skills, and applying pressure to the others, even as it strengthens its body with the excess. Monte, in his current form, has strength nearly equal to Jeans. The green scales covering his body resist mana to an impressive degree, and I can even feel the ambient mana bouncing off of them. The forest ends up being reduced to a crumbling wreck in the wake of his battle with the Witherclaw. Trees are uprooted by the shockwaves, and huge craters mark the ground wherever they land. Both the shapeshifted man and the beast display remarkable physical strength. In the end, its the Witherclaw who wins. The beast grows stronger as its mana surrounds it, and it begins to move faster than before. With a sudden attack, it drives its claw through Montes green scales, and his head falls to the ground. Then the Witherclaw turns to the rest. It passes by me as it heads to attack Luna and Leticia. Its body remains fragile and its eyes are still empty, but its figure stands taller now, almost as if it had grown during the fight. Leticia, Luna, and their group die soon after despite all their effort. So do Baek and his group, and all through the fight, the Witherclaw learns increasingly better ways to control its mana and begins using it more in its fighting style. Klara, who tries to face it alone, manages to wound the beast a few times. A group of Beyonders try to attack with rifles and bows from a distance. Hector, with his invisibility and arcane spear, gets in one powerful attack and even poisons it for a moment. But the beast uses its mana to expunge the poison and attacks the man with the same extreme cruelty as before. Maxim, using void energy and creatures formed from shadow, cuts the beast off from its mana, forcing it to rely only on its physical abilities to track him as he teleports from shadow to shadow. In the end, the beast breaks through the disruption using a method I know I couldn''t replicate, tracks him down, and, with a single blurred movement of its arm, removes him from the event. Derick and the large group he has collected also fall to the now too powerful beast. Every time I let the beast fight, only stepping in when necessary. During these last few minutes, the Witherclaw would have undoubtedly died multiple times without my help, that much is clear. But gradually, I find myself needing to intervene less and less. The beast adapts quickly. Its strength grows, its mana expands, and it uses everything it has far more efficiently. Mere moments ago, the beast got scared during the fight with Baek and Klara and ran to me for help while letting out those creepy cries. Now it doesnt really bother, slowly realizing its potential and learning to control the immense power it possesses. But at the same time, as the Witherclaw grows stronger, it becomes increasingly arrogant and more inclined to torture anyone weaker. It likes to wound people and watch them die. It likes to bite into them while they are still alive. We eventually run into Savant, who stands rooted in place, orange light radiating from his skin. The green dagger I saw Tacita use is still lodged in his side. Sweat beads on his forehead, and I wonder what kind of dagger it is and what effect it must be having on him. But even seeing the state Savants currently in, the Witherclaw hesitates upon seeing him. It sniffs the man surrounded by that orange light and growls. Savant glances between me and the beast. Absent-mindedly, he reaches and touches the handle of the dagger in his side. His expression contorts in pain from that simple touch. As if he just confirmed something, he straightens up and looks at me. Unlike somebody here, I know when pushing back is useless, he says. After that, he disappears into yet another cloud of pale blue particles. Barely six minutes have passed since the beast emerged from the island where Lissandra held it. That means only two minutes remain until I can kill it. Instead of hunting for more opponents, the Witherclaw stops and turns to me. It straightens its tall, lanky figure looming over me and opens its mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Has it already decided its strong enough to kill me? So you havent noticed her? I ask calmly. The beast tilts its head in confusion, and its pupils expand. It raises its arms in front of its chest just in time to block a dagger aimed straight at its beating heart. Appearing out of nowhere, Tacita lets go of the dagger without hesitation and pulls out another. She jams it into the Witherclaws leg and leaves it there, then she pulls out another dagger and circles the beast to stab it again. After getting over the initial confusion, the Witherclaw reacts quickly and matches her speed. A pale red light glowing around its fangs as it clashes with her attacks. Tacitas messy, blown hair turns her into a blur, but the beast matches her speed. While Tacita runs on wild instinct to maneuver her body at high speed, the beast brute forces it with mana. They clash across the battlefield, each one gaining the upper hand for moments at a time before the other inevitably catches up. But gradually it becomes clear that Tacita is reaching her limit while the beast only grows faster. In the wake of one of their clashes, the mute woman suffers a deep wound. Quick to react, she cuts the Witherclaws Achilles tendon before leaving. By the time the beast begins to regenerate, shes already gone. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it After regenerating the wound, the Witherclaw takes a step to follow her, just as I release my mana. The beast halts mid-step, turning to me while letting out more of those unsettling noises, then drops to all fours and unleashes its mana. Even crouched, its head sits well above my own. One last time, I scan the area. I locate Jean far away and sense no one else nearby. I''m also fairly sure that Tacita won''t interfere once I start, and I make a mental note to repay her. Then I tap into the Ley Lines connecting me to two of the remaining floating islands. The crown over my head turns black as I take over the black spears at their cores and absorb all the mana theyve gathered into my crown. The inscriptions Ive been etching into my skin over the time Ive spent following the Witherclaw activate. My entire body has been interwoven with them, and they etch themselves deep into my skin and flesh. I watch in slow motion as the Witherclaw moves to attack me. It charges on all fours with mana blazing around its body. A small part of me watches the timer tick down as I wait, holding out for as long as I can. At this stage, the Witherclaw is not only stronger and faster than I, but it also has more mana. In a few more seconds, I may not even be able to kill it anymore. This is my only chance. I dont do anything fancy, and I don''t attempt to use my skills. I rely on my physique, my circuits, [Mana Manipulation], and all the experience Ive gained in my two years of using Mana Cycling. All that collected mana blazes through my body at once. No other attendee from Earth can channel this much. That, I know for certain. When it comes to channeling huge amounts of mana or any other energy, I am one of the best. That is my talent and my gift. In a single burst, much like the ones Lissandra used to train me on the 5th floor, just with a vastly greater amount of mana, I unleash everything I have at the Witherclaw. The blast rips forward, erasing everything in its path. The ground shatters, it ceases to exist, torn down to raw nothingness. The air distorts from the sheer force, rippling outward. The Witherclaw vanishes in an instant, erased without resistance or struggle. It is unable to gather enough mana quickly enough to defend itself. One second, its there. The next, its gone, leaving nothing behind. The destruction doesnt stop with it. The blast carves a deep crater into the battlefield, like a raw wound stretching far beyond. Dust and debris fail to rise, having been consumed before they can even form. Then there is silence. All my internal and gathered mana are gone. Even the crown over my head cracks and disappears. Before me lies a ruined wasteland. The ground is torn open, jagged, and uneven, laced with deep scars where the blast carved through. All that remains of the trees are blackened stumps and uprooted trunks scattered across the field of devastation. The air is thick with the fading hum of spent mana. As I stand there, a single thought occupies my mind. I glance at the rankings. 2nd - 37,600 points -Hadwin And above that is a new placement 1st - 39,001 points - Noname Standing there even [Focus] deactivates because of my nonexistent mana reserves. These reserves start slowly filling up, but I do not bother reactivating the skill. I dont even try to defend myself as the ever-present lightning strikes closer. One of these strikes hits me at some point and, as many of the other attendees have already experienced, turns me into a fine dusting of pale blue particles. I find myself outside with these people in our common area, watching the huge screen showing the rest of the event. Not feeling like moving, even with my now restored mana reserves in both body and crown, I simply find a nearby bench and sit down. C-Congratulations, the man I sat next to whispers. It surprises me. I lift my head to face him. What? You won... so congratulations. I am sorry if I said anything rude. I do not speak the word aloud, silently mouthing it instead. Won. I guess I really did win, but that was always the point. Thanks. I take note of the way the simple answer calms him down and even makes him smile for a moment. He is just some guy I have never seen before. I choose not to use my mana senses or try to estimate his level through his movements, so he could just as easily be from Hell as he could be from Easy difficulty. That was cool as hell by the way! My son would probably call it something along the lines of ''absolute cinema'' or whatever silly thing the kids are saying nowadays, he laughs briefly, gesturing wildly. It looked like you were going to steamroll the event, and then the rankings appear, and your alias is nowhere to be found! What even happened? How could that even be possible? I even asked around, but no one seemed to know who that Hadwin guy was. Did he steal your points or something? Something like that, I confirm. What a dick. Indeed. I don''t know about you, but doesn''t that make things so much more interesting? All these twists and people with their own goals. Well, any other day I wouldn''t mind it at all. But not during this specific tournament, I shrug. Its a girl, right? he asks out of nowhere with a surprisingly honest smile. Everyone else around us is focused on the screen, watching the final groups of people trying to collect more points. Mainly Jean, who, as always, manages to put on an extremely impressive performance. Most of the others are so busy talking to each other that it feels almost like the two of us have been forgotten entirely. Girl? I ask. People your age usually have one of two problems. Money and girls. I don''t think I''m that young. I believe most people have a whole different set of problems now, I retort, gesturing at our surroundings. The tutorial, the tournament, the floors, their new powers, pairings, skills, rules, and more. So it''s not a girl? I mean... I knew it! Now, how about some unsolicited advice from me? Why the hell not? Go on. Most things arent nearly as serious as they feel in the moment. I exhale slowly, letting my head rest against the back of the bench. The guy says nothing for a while and just watches the event play out on the massive screen. Then he chuckles. Damn, I sound like an old man. You do. He glances at me. Theres something in his expression, perhaps curiosity... or perhaps something else. I am guessing youre the kind of guy to take everything on himself, huh? Even when you dont have to. I do not answer, and I dont need to. He just nods. Well, good luck with that. He grins and stands up, stretching. Hope its worth it. With that said, he leaves me with a quick goodbye and leaves to find his son, who apparently wandered off to bother some Hard difficulty guys he admires. Chapter 574: Unofficial event I watch the man leave. Once again, I feel the urge to probe for his level, but I stop myself and let it be. I turn back to the screen and continue watching the rest of the event with the others. Small groups have formed around the area, and a few players from hard difficulty move about, taking the last bets or paying out the finished ones. A few minutes before the event ends, I stand and teleport over to the fourth round''s zone. Victoria is still inside the event, but I decide to wait for her there. When I arrive, a few guards notice me, but, realizing who I am, they let me pass. I then head toward her place. It is a flat area near the forest with a few small houses and a larger workshop in the center. Victoria''s group is there as well, with an incredible fifteen survivors out of the twenty-five who started in her Hell group. Most are women from the prison Victoria was being held in, but there are also a few men and at least two kids who were visiting their families when they were all pulled into the tutorial. Some are still participating in the event, while others have already gathered outside. Ive seen some of them before, and Victoria even introduced me to a few, though many still watch curiously. I can''t help but feel a strong sense of admiration. Isn''t my sister the best? Fifteen people in one group from Hell difficulty survived and made it to the eighth floor. There are even three Beyonders. Victoria, Gloria, and another girl with a weird name who apparently isn''t here right now. There are also a few of those fancy nuclear warheads that Vic keeps stashed away somewhere, maybe under the mattress or in some obscure room hidden behind a bookshelf. Part of me has to wonder what the women in her group must have done to end up in prison, but another part thinks it hardly matters when it comes down to it. "Hello," Gloria says, stepping away from one of the gathered groups with an easygoing, if slightly bored air about her.. "Yo," I reply, noticing that shes no longer wearing the yellow shirt with a grumpy cat drinking coffee. Instead, she wears a gray one with a goose holding a knife in its beak. "Are you staring at my tits?" she asks as I look back to her face. "What tits?" I reply, irritated by her tone. Taken aback, she blinks a few times before clicking her tongue. "Cold. You really are her brother," she remarks. I raise an eyebrow. "Because I insult people?" "Because you don''t bullshit them." She leans in with a smirk. "So what were you staring at then? My incredible fashion sense?" I nod and gesture at her shirt. "The goose." She looks at it and then back at me. "It represents chaos." "Fitting." "I thought you''d approve." She stretches her arms behind her head. "So what now? Are you just going to stand around looking impressed, or did you actually come over here for a reason?" "I came to see Vic, but I have a question." "Go ahead." "You seem to have a lot of earth clothes. This is the fourth or fifth set I have seen you wearing. I want to buy some." Gloria smiles again. "If you want my used clothes, all you have to do is ask nicely." I roll my eyes. "I meant clothes in general, not yours specifically." She chuckles while rocking back on her heels. "Yeah, I figured. Just messing with you. But I do have a stash. I bought a few from groups in the lower difficulties, and a few of my girls have more." "I want to buy some," I say. Gloria hums while crossing her arms. "I expect youll be paying in items?" "Yes." She watches me for a moment, then gestures for me to follow. "Alright, come on." I follow her toward the storage building. I pass by a few of Victoria''s people; some glance at me, but most return to what they were doing. The place feels oddly relaxed despite everything. Once inside, Gloria kicks open a crate and starts rummaging through it. "So what kind of look are you going for? Tactical badass? Mysterious wanderer? Luxury brands? Tank tops? Crocs? Sweatpants? Sweaters? Underwear? Socks? Fanny packs?" I shrug. "Something comfortable. And... crocs, Ill take a pair of those too." She smirks and pulls out a plain black hoodie, tossing it at me. "I knew it. Don''t forget to put them into sport mode. Start with this hoodie. You want pants too?" I glance down at the pants I got on the sixth floor. They aren''t as stretchy as I would like. "Do you have sweatpants? Also, some shirts and more hoodies. Oh, and if you have a set of pajamas that would fit me, Ill throw in a little extra." Gloria whistles. "Pajamas too? Fancy." I shrug. "Might as well be comfortable." She rummages through another crate and tosses a pair of black sweatpants my way. "These should fit. Got some shirts too. Pick whatever you want." I glance at the pile she is making, a few simple t-shirts, a couple of hoodies, and a pair of pajama pants covered in images of a cartoon lizard. I stare at them. "What is that?" She grins. "It''s a gecko." "Why does it look so angry?" She shrugs. "Maybe it didn''t get enough sleep. Fitting for pajamas, don''t you think?" I consider it for a moment and nod. "Fine. Add it to the bill. Ill be taking all the shirts. Actually, you know what? Ill just take everything." This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "Didn''t think you were the type to wear women''s clothes," she teases. "For my group," I reply. "Sure. But I cant really sell you everything. This is my pile, so Ill be keeping my favorites, but I should be able to sell you whatever you need. One of our normal difficulty groups got teleported here with an entire mall, so they have a ton of stuff. If you want, I can hunt for more." "Sounds good." Gloria snickers and stacks everything together. "Alright, I''ll take a few mid-epic items and one upper epic item for the whole lot." "Tell me what kind of item you want and Ill commission something from one of the crafters in our round." "Oh? How nice of you. I heard you guys have Tent Creep and Miwa, so I expect quality work." "Of course." "In that case, since it is personalized, I want one upper epic item and two mid-epic items, and Ill work on getting more clothes for group four. What do you think?" "Works for me." "This oughta do," she says as she tosses me the clothes. "Pleasure doing business." I grab them and nod. "Yeah." As I turn to leave, she calls out, "And hey, are you sure you really don''t want my cloth..." I ignore that last sentence and make my exit while radiating a bit of mana, which I shape into threads to tie the stacks of clothing together. Indeed, I remain the most normal person here. I leave an hour later, having enjoyed the short break, I allowed myself to spend a bit of time with my sister. As before, all of my rewards from the second event have been added to the final tournament reward. While walking back toward our zone, I reread the notification that appeared after the second event formally ended. The third event, Chronicle of the Past, will start in 48 hours. In the meantime, you have the option of participating in an unofficial event called Clash of the Disciples! Participating yields no rewards, and the event is limited to participants from Hell difficulty. Hard, Normal, and Easy difficulties will have different unofficial events. If you decide to participate in the Clash of the Disciples, which will start in 10 hours, your disciple will receive an invitation and may choose to accept or refuse. The event will begin right after the disciples join the tournament floor and will last for a maximum of 14 hours. After the event ends, the disciples will remain for the next 24 hours, at the end of which the third event will begin, giving you time to pass on your teachings. Do you wish to offer your disciple participation in the event? Yes/No When that notification appeared, I remember pressing Yes nearly immediately. Now that Biscuit isn''t here, I need my Emotional Support Minion more than ever. Plus, seeing her bulldoze through other disciples, how could I miss that? Returning to our spot, I find Group 4 scattered across the property. Maya is sparring with Lily while Sophie is engaged in some kind of experiment with Izzy in the workshop. I meet Min-Jae and the twins in the living room and drop all the clothes onto Noodle, who is already resting on the cushions. The pile of clothes slowly moves and shifts as the pearl white head of the snake pokes up with green eyes full of betrayal. I remember my angry gecko pajama pants and go through the clothes again, piling the ones I don''t like on Noodle. In the end, I find a set of pajamas, some sweatpants, two hoodies, and a few shirts that should fit me. I even take some comfy-looking socks for myself. And of course, I dont forget to separate out a pile for my minion. "You can choose a few things for yourselves if you think theyll fit," I inform the boys. Min-Jae eyes the pile skeptically and glances at the twins. "I''m not wearing anything with cartoon animals on it." The twins, on the other hand, dont seem quite so picky. One of them starts rifling through the clothes and pulls out a hoodie with a faded logo. "Doesn''t matter. I missed wearing Earth clothes, that feeling of stretchy plastic against your skin, turning yourself into a walking billboard for some random brand after paying them for the privilege. How could I not miss it?" Noodle slithers his way out from under the pile of discarded clothes and flicks his tongue at me as if he were deeply offended. Min-Jae sighs and finally picks up a plain black t-shirt, giving it a quick shake before nodding. "Fine." I glance at the notification still floating in my vision. Eight hours until the event starts. Plenty of time to squeeze in some training with Whitey, whos honestly been acting uncharacteristically strange lately. Once again, I find myself waiting in the common area. There are plenty of people from Hell difficulty waiting for the unofficial event to start. I notice some people are missing. Most are those who either decided to pass on having a disciple or those who lost theirs. Neither twin is here. Dennis disciple died, and Aaron gave up on the disciple-master relationship in support. Overall, there are 269 people from the various rounds of Hell difficulty participating in the tournament. That means there should be somewhere between 100 and 150 disciples. I lean towards the lower end because Ive heard there are still people in Hell who chose to remain on the 4th Floor after dealing with The Colony and live on as adventurers in Virelia. There are also quite a few people from other difficulties waiting for the Hell difficulty unofficial event to start. Many are curious about the disciples theyve heard of, while others have either lost interest in their own events or have already completed them. Just as the timer counts down its final digits, huge screens appear across the common area showing a new environment. An empty city made up of beautiful towers and well-kept gardens. The city is nestled in the hollow of a mountain with a huge lake at its center, with a ship made of pearl white wood sailing its waters. The only sign of life is the disciples as they begin to appear. There are many humans, feyliths, and lynthari. Less common are vyssari, thylarin, and velnar. I also see a few less familiar races, and among them, demons seem to be on the rare end of the scale, featuring relatively few representatives. All of the disciples seem to be around ten years of age, most are even younger. Children like Vega, saved from the brink of death by the system, offered disciple status and summoned to the 5th Floor of the tutorial. Finally, I spot Vega. She appears near the lake and immediately moves to make herself a harder target to track while scanning the area. I really like that reaction and keep a close watch on her. Then a notification interrupts me. Your master has decided to participate in Clash of the Disciples! Your location has been identified as the tournament floor, indicating your agreement to participate in the unofficial event. You will now be transferred to the event area. I feel a pull and suddenly disappear, reappearing in the city in the center of one of the gardens. Opposite me, a young lynthari boy freezes in place. He looks at me with wide eyes and a very, very bristly tail. Looking at that scared little guy, a thought I often had when I was younger, back on Earth, flashes through my mind: How many five-year-old kids would it take to beat an adult man? Chapter 575: Uselessly handsome man Staring intently at the young lynthari disciple, I lift my hand high with my palm open. Above my hand, a golden thermal orb forms from flames of thermal energy blazing across its surface. Energy floods into it until it expands with an audible thump. It grows from the size of a golden ball to that of a baseball, a football, and finally, a beach ball. Then it continues to grow even bigger. It floats above me, scorching the air with its presence as it emits a faint cracking noise and enough heat to make the air shimmer. In my most ominous voice, I say, "I''m sorry, little one." I step forward. The lynthari screams. I declare, "I forfeit." Before I disappear, I pull all the heat back into my body in case it lingers and ruins the event for the little one. Ignoring the commotion in the common area and the questions being thrown my way, I send out a pulse of mana to scan the area and succeed in locating her only because she allows it. Finding her to still be in the common area, a bit further away, under the trees, I teleport over to Lissandra. "You must be thinking that was so damn funny," I say as I stand beside her and turn back to watch the screen. "Was it not?" she asks from the side. I decide not to answer and focus instead on watching my minions battle with one of the few other demon disciples. It''s almost as if she did it on purpose; out of all the signatures near her, she chose to fight the other demons first. And damn if my little half-demon isnt kicking the poor guy''s ass. "Which one is yours?" Lissandra asks. "Half-demon girl, red eyes, light brown hair. Primarily a user of kinetic energy and mana." "Found her," she answers as she continues to watch with me. After my minion defeats the guy and he dissolves into pale blue particles, appearing in the common area next to his master, I ask, "How did you get all my points during the event?" "You really don''t have any idea, or is it just that you don''t want to believe it, little pup?" "The latter? I mean, at first, I thought you tampered with my notifications because I didn''t see any, but then I thought about it and dismissed that idea." "What conclusion did you come to?" "You cant tamper with the system directly. I dont even think the Rulers could. Besides, you are still considered partially fake and inside of the tutorial, which should make it even more impossible for you to pull something like that off. Any tiny nudges applied to the system around you are done by the Rulers. Some might be doing it for the sake of messing around, others may want to help, while some do it to hurt you." "Correct." "So the only option left is that, somehow, from that little island in the sea, you were able to kill-steal all the monsters before I killed them. All the special grade, all the small ones, and all those killed when the island fell. You killed thousands of monsters in a single millisecond before my attacks could reach them, without me even noticing the movement of your mana." "Correct," she repeats. I look at her to see if she has anything else to say, but the distant smile on her lips tells me she will not elaborate on the subject. Turning away from her, I can only think about what a monster this woman is, achieving that even in her diminished state. Actually, at this point, is she really that weak? Isn''t it possible she is using inability to die here for some kind of extreme training? Maybe she has already died thousands of times. "How far away from Champion rank was that beast at the end?" I ask instead. "Very far." Hearing excited shouts from the common area, I look at the screen again, just in time to see Vega boost herself into the air and crash into a feylith floating above her. The feylith girl''s hair and eyes turn blue as she struggles to stay aloft with Vega hanging on to her; both find themselves being pulled to the ground. After landing, the feylith lets out a painful groan. My minion absorbs part of the impact and lands with a somersault to cushion the rest. But she doesnt stop there. The moment she comes to a stop, she charges the feylith. Getting to her feet, the feylith raises her arms and fires a blast of flames at Vega. Instead of dodging, Vega steps into the fireball and stomps. A shockwave of kinetic energy ripples out from the epicenter and erupts, blasting away the weak, unfocused flames. Before her opponent can regain her footing, Vega rushes in, slams her fist into her face, and immediately drives a dagger into her chest, piercing through her defenses. She shows no hesitation, and part of me wonders if she ever considered that she might be killing these disciples for real. But I don''t really want an answer to that. "Little pup." "What?" "Soon after this tournament ends, little kitten and I will be leaving." "What do you mean?" "We will prepare and depart for Beyond, where I will have my only chance to leave the tutorial. There, I will either succeed or fail. So tell me, which outcome do you wish for?" The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Isn''t that obvious? I want you to succeed so that Myrra gets out, and so I can find you later to deal with you for all the things youve done. But why leave so early? Don''t you want to get stronger? Use the system shop to regain some of the power you lost?" "As frustrating as it is to accelerate my plans, I have no choice this time. Each time the little kitten and I pass through an instance of the tutorial, we risk being erased. I have also been warned that more Rulers are watching this instance than would be normal. At most, we have a few weeks." "How poetic. You''re being screwed over in the similar way youve been screwing me over." "Amusing, isn''t it?" "Indeed," I agree. As she looks at the screen, I glance at her profile, and thoughts race through my mind. Part of me wonders if she isnt pushing me so hard so that I can be her legacy in case she fails. Shaking off that silly thought, I turn away from her and focus on the screens. In the end, it doesn''t matter. Her reasons don''t change the way I see her. She chose to be the villain standing in my path, and she succeeded. I don''t ask if she truly believes she can accomplish what the other versions of her in prior tutorials, likely numbering in the dozens, could not. I''m fairly certain those other versions had much the same thoughts she does now. Lissandra carries herself with such certainty that failure is not even a concept she would acknowledge. POV Miwa Channeler, despite being weaker than me, is respected by everyone in Easy and Normal difficulty. Even those in Hard and some in Hell difficulty show him some degree of respect. The reason for that is simple. What Channeler says often represents the words of Group 4. What we once thought to be one of the strongest groups in our 5th round now seems to be one of the strongest groups in the entirety of Earth''s tutorial. Group 4, sometimes also called Angry Kittens. It wasnt long ago that I even heard someone whispering with respect, "Hes one of the kittens." It was a guy from Hard difficulty talking about NotAaron. Or maybe it was NotDennis? After my last question, Channeler sits quietly and continues to stare at the screen, sitting on the bench next to me. I take the moment to reflect further. Group 4 has Grumpy, the strongest healer Earth currently has, as rumored after people visited zones from other rounds. She is someone I saw regrow the arm of a Hell difficulty man from the 2nd round in a few seconds. The arm belonged to someone specialized in physical stats, which should make healing much more difficult, and he lost it back on Earth, so the tournament ?s healing aura didn''t restore it. There is also a rumor that she can cure illnesses once considered impossible to treat on Earth or destroy a crippled leg to regrow a perfect one before the healing aura of the tournament activates. I have spoken to a healer from my group, and even she said such feats should be impossible at our current level, at least without risking harm to the patient or killing them outright. That single person makes Group 4 extremely influential, and I cant help but wonder how many people on Earth would do anything to receive Grumpys services, offering their entire fortunes just to cure their ailments or extend their lives. But it doesnt stop with her. Theres also StrongestOne; even with his silly name, he is someone who can fly, a feat that only a low percentage of even Hell difficulty can accomplish. Not to mention his [Telekinesis], with which he is able to lift entire buildings. Theyve got Knight too, known for her speed and huge suit of mana based armor. There are even rumors that shes been recognized by Baek, the tournament winner of the 10th round. Soph, though she hasn''t used her ability much lately, can manipulate people, an ability that easily earns its place among the most terrifying, it possibly even qualifies as the most terrifying. Then theres Izzy, with her flames that melt through mana and everything else in their path, and her frankly enormous snake. The Twins can do something many people from the lower difficulties have generally considered to be impossible, namely, taking over your skill and using it against you while creating lifelike illusions that even those in Hell difficulty have trouble distinguishing them from reality. And of course, Sset, with her primordial lightning and the ability to kill people from miles away without you even realizing it. I spoke with her a few times during the first tournament and found her truly deserving of admiration. So the question is: Should I accept Noname''s offer and work with them? They are clearly one of the strongest groups, but they do not hesitate to use force against others, as Noname clearly demonstrated during the last event. In response to his actions, the other rounds will likely band together to oppose him. Channeler finally answers as I remain lost in thought. "I think you should join," he says. "Can you give me a reason?" "I can. As you said, Group 4 has a lot of conflicts, but who doesnt? Many groups keep their intentions hidden and wait for an opportunity, but Group 4 is, for the most part, transparent and fair." Channeler lowers his voice, "And for the record, Miwa, I dont think that Noname even realizes how his actions affect other people most of the time, not to mention the way he tends to scare them." He glances around before leaning in. "I talk to many people from all difficulties, and even those from Hell often do not understand some of the things he does. Barely anyone can fly, yet he does so with such ease and speed. I have heard of groups forming that try to devise ways to counter his mana disruption; they just cannot understand how he can pierce through natural barriers so easily and disrupt their skills. He can also teleport in a way that barely anyone can track or interfere with. And he combines it all with such powerful attacks." I hesitate, carefully considering his words. "Shouldnt the other Hell attendees figure out how to do that as well, even if it does take them a while? Plus, he has a lot of mana, so it makes sense that he''s powerful." Channeler smiles, and for a moment, I wonder if he is laughing at me. But instead of feeling insulted, I remind myself that his amusement is more likely to be directed at the absurdity of the situation than at me. "A lot of mana?" He asks, looking at me with a big smile. "Everyone knows that Noname is an Amplificator, but saying that he has a lot of mana doesnt even begin to cover it. The most talented people here that I have met usually go for one point of Constitution for every three or four points of Mana, even with the bonus they get from the Amplification upgrade. And no one knows how many stats Noname has pumped into mana." "Please explain it to me. I rarely talk to Hell difficulty attendees, so I dont quite understand just how impressive that is." "Sure. Simply put, he should be dead several times over. For your body to hold that much mana, youd need to have a specialized trait, which the others already suspect Noname does have, but that alone would not be enough. You need the Constitution to support it; otherwise, you disrupt the balance, and the mana will constantly tear away at your body. The amount of mana Noname holds, according to most estimates, would only be possible above level 350, probably higher with the ''proper'' stat allocations. There is no way hes even close to that level." I pause, weighing his words carefully. "What are you? President of his fan club?" I ask, shaking my head. "I understand that hes powerful, and so is his group, but what worries me are his tendencies. As I said, I need to think about it a bit more." "I''m glad to hear that," Channeler straightens up again and smiles. "I would have thought youd be happier if I agreed right away." "That''s a reasonable thought, but to be honest, Miwa, your careful consideration makes it clear that this decision is important to you and that you dont want to find yourself changing your mind in the future. Dont you think a person like that would be better to work with?" For a moment, I look at him, and he remains unshaken, smiling. I find myself recalling Nonames words that day when I observed his work. As he said, Channeler is, indeed, a uselessly handsome man. Chapter 576: Clash of the disciples The minion event, or rather the unofficial event, ramps up gradually. And even though some of the little guys have been ejected from the arena, there aren''t many given the size of the event area. Gradually, monsters start appearing too, and weather changes begin to influence the battlefield. Now the sunny day has been replaced by a blizzard that causes the lake''s surface to freeze over, allowing a grand melee to break out across the ice. Some disciples fight their way through the buildings while a smaller group has decided to band together to fight off the monsters and other participants. Yet slowly but surely, more and more disciples join groups to avoid being ganged up on or to hunt stronger monsters. Vega isn''t one of them, but her senses are among the best, so she does a good job avoiding the larger groups and doesn''t seem to mind playing dirty or ambushing those she catches unaware. I might be biased, but I would say that shes clearly one of the strongest. Rooted in place, I continue to observe the event, even though Lissandra has already left. Watching the little guys give their all, pushing their abilities to the limit, and using their cute skills to cause minor damage to the buildings is exciting. I know Ive said it before, but scenes like this make me understand how so many people become sports fans. I find myself glued to the screens every time one of the favorites get into a clash, whenever someone takes on multiple opponents, or anytime a minion turns out to be a clever little shit. These situations spark shouting throughout the common area. Theres a rush of betting, and even fights starting to break out when people start taking offence on behalf of their favourites. When only half of the disciples remain, the weather changes once more. The blizzard comes to an end, as if it never existed in the first place, only to be replaced with a sandstorm. The remaining snow melts, the ice cracks, and the city and its surrounding areas start filling with yellow sand, which gathers in massive drifts that lean against the buildings. The sun shining in the sky seems to grow larger, and droplets of sweat run down the little guys'' foreheads. The previously wild fights begin to cool off, growing more stealth focused as most of the combatants start retreating to the refuge offered by the buildings. It''s amusing to see parts of the crowd fall silent and hold their breath as their favorites sneak through the dark past a larger group of disciples or when a similar group passes by a spot where some lone disciple is hiding. Myrra joins me during one of the less eventful moments. She watches the screen, and when she realizes that it''s still a parade of minions sneaking around and searching for opponents, she, to no great surprise, turns to antagonize me. Like a typical extroverted lynthari. Maybe the true Hell difficulty is the extroverts we meet along the way. "Feral one." "Yes, that''s me." "Your performance during the last event was straight gas, it just hit different. Mad heat and high-key goated. On god, no cap, fr fr." "Myrra." "Yes?" "What the fuck." "Hehe." "Twins?" "Yes! And the red-headed boy they call Brainiac." "Ive said it before, Ill say it again, youre way too easily influenced by this kind of thing, you should really avoid those three." "Wasn''t it you who started it back on the 5th floor? I think you called yourself a cooked goat or something..." "And there isn''t a day I don''t regret it. Sandra told me that you guys were planning to leave." "Aww, do you miss me already, feral one?" "It''s sudden. And I was just getting used to your annoying face." I reply. Mischief in her eyes, she leans closer instead of answering. Her fangs show every time she experiences a spike of emotion, and her tail sways. As always, it makes me want to grab and pull it. One day for sure. "It''s fine. I''ve already reconciled myself with whatever will happen. Of course, Id prefer if we were to succeed and Lady Lissandra and I make it out, but even if we fail, Ill understand. I''ve already gotten more time than I should have, and it''s all thanks to you, you know." "I see." "Feral one, why are you looking away? Are you feeling shy? Show me those beautiful eyes of yours, let me try and read your emotions. If you want, I can try and force you. Let''s fight, no mana or other bullshit, just our bodies like in the tunnels when we hunted the First One." "Myrra." "Yes?" "Wait here a moment." Checking the screen, I quickly teleport to my place and rummage through the pile of shirts until I find a black shirt with a particular print. I teleport back and hand it to Myrra, "For you." She glances down at it and then back to me, her ears constantly twitching. Then she ties up her white hair, all the while keeping her golden eyes on me, and throws the shirt on over the one shes already wearing. Looking down at the drawing, she asks, "What kind of animal is this?" "A possum. It''s from Earth." "It''s screaming." "Yes, it is." "And the red text below?" "It says ''Aaaaaaah.''" "Are you hinting at something, feral one?" "I wouldn''t dare." "You little shit, let''s..." She stops when I lift a finger and point to the screen. On the screen, Vega finally manages to sneak up on a group of three other minions: two vyssari, who are adorably tiny, and a velnar who towers over them both. The trio is unaware of her and have begun to argue so vehemently that it seems like a fight is about to break out. Vega readies her dagger and uses more kinetic energy than she can handle. Instead of moving fluidly, her body crashes into one of the vyssari, and they both roll across the floor. My minion is the first to regain her bearings, and her dagger, coated in mana, comes down, stabbing her opponent until a cloud of shining blue particles burst forth. She boosts herself again and crashes into one of the walls with a loud thump, but it allows her to avoid a lightning strike from the remaining vyssari. Rising to her feet, the little half-demon smiles with her red eyes glowing dangerously in the darkness of the room as sand covers most of the windows. A little light filters through the dust and sand particles start falling toward the floor. Theres blood on the side of her head, but she doesn''t seem to notice. A golden circle flashes around the pupil of one of her red eyes, and she charges. Even though the remaining two put up more of a fight, she still defeats them both. She first takes down the remaining vyssari with a well-timed mana projectile and then defeats the velnar in a one on one physical fight, even though the velnar clearly should have higher physical stats. While Myrra finds herself engrossed, shouting curses at my minions opponents and praising the devious little shit, when Lily appears by our side. She tries to hide it, but the vibrations from her regenerating muscles tell me enough. Is this maniac trying to mimic my Wraith Dance using only raw physical power? Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Surprisingly, Myrra, despite her spicy language, doesn''t so much as try to provoke Lily when she suddenly appears. I guess that''s what a constant regimine of getting your ass beat by little miss "Iwanttobeabuldozerwhenigrowup" does to you. "Vega is doing super well!" Lily smiles at me. "And you did well too, Nat." "Thank you. Which one is yours?" "Pallius is the feylith in the black suit with the adorably serious expression. Hes in a group with two thylarin." "Found him." As Lily said, the little guy has an arrogant, serious expression and, even after so many weather changes, his clothes remain nearly perfect. Only one of his small wings is slightly damaged, but its healing, and currently, both his hair and eyes have taken on a pale shade of red as the trio walks on the stairs. "Do you know if Victoria has a disciple?" Lily asks out of nowhere. That interrupts my train of thought, and after a pause, I answer, "I never asked." "What would you guess?" "Knowing her, she surely does." I pause as I notice a few presences from group 4 moving closer. "Did you notify others of our location?" Lily doesn''t even try to hide it and nods swiftly, "So we can watch the event together." With a sigh, I throw one of my Ley Lines into the distance and prepare to teleport away for some time alone. Before I can leave, I feel a touch on my hand and look down to find Lily holding it. "Please, stay with us," she asks softly, then lets go just as quickly, leaving the decision fully up to me. I watch her for a moment longer. She meets my gaze without hesitation, without so much as a blush, and smiles. Instead of leaving, I create a manabloc chair and sit in it. Only to find myself immediately being pestered by Myrra, so I create one for her too, and then it feels a bit wrong to leave Lily standing, so I make one for her as well. Once I sit down, I glance to my right at Lily, who stares at the screen observing her disciple, and my thoughts begin to wander. I can see why even her grumpy cat eventually warmed up to her. Dennis and Aaron do not join a minion murdering event watch party, and Izzy stays with them to offer her support. The reason is obvious and unspoken. There are friendly bets, bickering over whose disciple will win, and even some silly banter. Myrra seems to fit in with group 4 surprisingly well, and the others seem to treat her almost like one of our original members. Later, even Channeler and a few of his friends decide to join in. A group of useful men and women from all difficulty levels who seem happy to listen to him, each of whom I lovingly refer to as members of Channeler''s harem. It''s still amusing to watch guys from Hard difficulty who could kill Channeler with the wave of their hand be so friendly with him, all the while clearly acknowledging him as a leader. And Channeler himself doesn''t even seem to think of it that way; hes friendly with everyone and has a seemingly limitless social energy. Must be some kind of trait or upper arcane passive. It''s also amusing to watch the expressions of the harem as group 4 starts betting some of the upper epic items theyve collected through the floors. For Hard difficulty, even a low epic item is a highly treasured resource. Upper epic items are something very few of them possess. As for Normal and Easy difficulty, even rare items tend to be highly valued. Situations like this always serve to remind me just how skewed our perspectives are, especially when Maya, with a sigh, gives a low epic protective pendant to a Normal difficulty woman after losing a bet. The woman spends a few minutes constantly asking if she can really take it and only stops when Channeler assures her that its fine. It''s unexpectedly endearing to watch the 50-year-old woman wrap the pendant in cloth, her hands trembling as she hides it from view. That scene reminds me of a similar situation from my childhood. After our first apartment burned, our father lost his job, and we had to move; my mom came home and called Victoria and me to happily give us our first laptop to share. It was something she bought second-hand with what little money she was able to save. Back then, I didn''t think much of it. That''s just how children are. Sure, I was happy, and Victoria and I thanked her, but I hadn''t realized the struggle. I might have overlooked the sadness on her face a few days later when she asked how we liked the laptop. Maybe she was hoping to bask in our excitement, to relive the joy her gift had brought. Such a small detail I had overlooked, and surely just one of many. Its for that reason that for the rest of the event, half of my focus is on the event while the rest observes the people Channeler brought here. I read their mana signatures, I examine their bodies, and the items they carry. Even the slightest movements of the mana in their bodies, the energy they emit, and the kinetic vibrations surrounding them are enough to suit my purpose. It''s easy for me to do, something I can manage even while observing the event. It costs me next to nothing. Slowly, I tailor something useful for each of them. A training method, a bit of information, advice on development, things like that. I inscribe these ruminations onto a few mana stones, which I then hand to Channeler and inform him, through our communication link, that he should give it to them later. All of this happens just as the unofficial event slowly comes to its end. The weather is calm now, and the sky is dark. A blue moon shines in the starless sky, and the remaining disciples stand at the bottom of what used to be a lake, the water having evaporated during one of the weather changes. The bottom of the lake having revealed itself to be covered in pale white mana crystals that emit a gentle light. Five minions remain. A demon, a half-demon, a thylarin with six arms, a lumoran girl, and a girl of the same race as Beatrice, the archon''s daughter, back on the 6th floor, remain. The girl has pink hair and skin, white freckles, and eyes that are a mix of blue and green. The half-demon is obviously my minion. The thylarin and lumoran attack the demon boy together while Vega fights the pink-skinned girl. Even now, tired and sluggish in her movements, Vega shows no hesitation. She moves with exactly the same aggression and hunger she showed at the start. For someone so young, the pink-skinned girl shows an impressive degree of control over her mana, which she uses to launch a series of ranged attacks in the form of striking projectiles. But in the end, she cannot defend herself against Vega, who resorts to using her kinetic energy to get close and break through the defenses in her way. The fight is soon decided, and in that moment of victory, Vega indulges a bad habit she never quite managed to shake. Overcome by the feeling of victory, she glances at the space the pink girl once occupied and, for a moment, stops checking her surroundings. Her reward for the lapse is the young demon crashing into her and sending her flying, having already dealt with the thylarin and lumoran minions. He doesn''t even bother to pursue the attack and stands there with a calm, calculating expression. He looks to be around 7 to 9 years old and, unlike Vega, his horns are longer and curl slightly, reaching toward the back of his head. Even though his hair is every bit as white as that of most of the demons Ive seen, his eyes are of a different color. Theyre both purple with a white circle around the pupils. The common area erupts in commotion as people start shouting. Some curse the guy while others cheer at the screen for Vega as she gets to her feet and wipes the blood from her face. The demon charges her again, and Vega is sent flying through the air and crashes into the crystal nearby. She stands up again, but before she can recover, her attack is being blocked, her guard is opened by a well-timed punch, and she finds herself being thrown back once more and left lying there with the wind knocked out of her. Taking a few slow, deliberate steps, the young demon walks toward her, confident in his own victory, but for a moment, he hesitates as Vega climbs to her feet again. She looks intensely focused now, staring him down as blood covers her lips and streams from her forehead into one of her eyes. Instead of waiting, she charges at him. It''s not the wobbly movements of the wounded and exhausted. No, she flies through the air like a rocket boosted by kinetic energy. The demon barely has time to lift his arms in defense as both of them are sent rolling. Vega tries to stab him, but he disarms her and breaks her arm. Vega screams and smashes her head down, breaking his nose with her forehead and causing the first wound hes accrued since the start of the event. The entire common area roars in excitement, but the noise cuts off as Vega is blown away by the guy''s impressive strength. She crashes onto a nearby glowing mana crystal, its surface covered with splashed blood. An explosion erupts, but not at Vega. It comes from the demon on the ground, triggered by the orb of compressed kinetic energy she left on his body before being thrown away. Rubble is sent flying as the blast tears through the ground, scattering blood in every direction. When the dust clears, the young demon remains, his body ravaged by deep, gruesome wounds. He staggers slightly, but his glaring expression is every bit as calm as it was before. And he still hasnt been declared dead. The blood dripping from his body stops and is pulled back instead, and his wounds start regenerating slowly, the more blood he absorbs. He even takes a step and touches Vega''s blood where its been scattered across the ground, and it seeps into his body and heals him further. Finally having recovered, he turns to her. Rather than approaching, he calmly grabs a stone from the ground, weighing it in his hand as he prepares to throw it. The first stone flies toward her head, but as it approaches, it slows down and gently brushes her forehead. The same happens with the next three stones, no matter how much energy he puts into the throws, each of the stones is directed at her head with cold calculation, but Vega stops them with her kinetic energy absorption. Vega shouts something at him, making him pause. He answers and shakes his head. Unable to move but having already gathered enough kinetic energy to break free, Vega boosts herself toward him. This time, though, he expects it and steps aside before she can launch herself forward. Her body flies past him, and he simply watches, expecting her to crash somewhere in the direction she boosted herself. But Vega absorbs her movement and stops midair as if she hit a brick wall, just an arm''s reach from the demon. The mana dagger in her hand extends as she slashes at him. Even then, his face betrays no sense of surprise. His hand moves, redirecting her force to deflect the attack. With a motion that feels both unnervingly slow and startlingly fast, he steps in and lands multiple strikes. The final blow shattering Vega into a cloud of blue particles. Someone in the crowd curses loudly, while another bursts into excited laughter, and both are quickly drowned out by the continued chaos in the common area. Chapter 577: Demon without heart When Vega finally appears beside me, she looks up while I look down at her. Lily stands nearby with her disciple at her side, seeming hesitant. She and the others watched my minion lose in the finals, so she probably thinks Vega will be upset. Perhaps they expect me to say something to the disappointed little half-demon to ease the sting of her defeat. None of them knows her as well as I do. My minion shows no hesitation and doesn''t even try to mask her expressions, not in front of me. She smiles brightly and lifts her arms, waiting for me to lift her. It almost feels nostalgic as I do so, and she snuggles to rest against my chest. "I will get that fucker the next time!" she declares right away. As she shifts, her tiny horns poke the bottom of my chin. Vega has grown slightly taller, so it is more difficult to hold her in her favorite pose. "Language, minion; people who cant control their language or actions are no better than animals." "But I''m a half-demon." "No exc... huh... that''s true," I pause for a moment and finally declare, "It still applies." "Okay! Where did you read it, master?" "Read it? Do you think I''m not smart enough to come up with my own?" "No! I would never! It''s just that Master clearly likes to curse a lot. Do you remember when you told me about that cowardly guy you fought? You cursed a lot then." "Minion." "Yes?" she asks innocently. "Talk back to me when youre stronger than me." "I will, and then youll have to call me Master Vega!" She closes her eyes and listens to my heartbeat, tapping my chest with her finger in sync with its rhythm. At some point, her eyes widen in surprise, and for a moment, I almost expect her to gasp in shock. Vega closes her eyes again and starts tapping my chest with her finger. Then, she adds another finger, matching the rhythm of my second heart. When she stops, she looks up and says, "I want a second one too!" "Two hearts are for tournament winners only, minion." "That''s not fair. Master is an asshole, and I will beat the shit out of that guy next time." "Yup, I''m an asshole. Also, language." "Ill totally beat that guy next time! And Master is still an asshole!" "Yup, I''m an asshole. It''s still early for you, but one day, who knows, maybe we''ll get you a fancy second heart. For now, will you eat with me, minion?" "Gladly!" I turn to the others, who give me a variety of looks, "We will join you later." I glance at some of their disciples who have also arrived, suspecting that Vega might have killed one or two during the event. I''m curious about them, but my ESM takes priority. After that, I teleport both of us over to one of the nicer spots Ive found while looking for spaces to train. Once there, I put my minion down and jump up. Without using kinetic energy, I climb a tree to grab a basket with all the things Ive prepared, mostly food I bought from the other attendees. I jump down from the tree and move to a spot where the grass is shorter and all around more pleasant to sit on. Reaching into the basket, I pull out a clean square cloth and lay it on the ground before I start arranging the food. Vega, excited and silent, sits down and crosses her legs. She watches patiently as I unwrap a chocolate bar. I open a can of soda and pour it into a wooden cup, then take out some smoked meat prepared by an ex-pit-master from Normal difficulty. I would rather not know which animal he used from the tutorial. Finally, I add in some fresh pastries made by another attendee, served alongside a jam-like spread. In keeping with our custom, my minion waits and sniffs curiously. She even twitches a few times as she hears the bubbles sizzle in the cup. Only when it''s done do I gesture for her to take the first bite. She grabs the cup right away, and, being the asshole that I am, I let her have a true first experience. She takes a big gulp, and of course, the bubbles nearly sizzle up her nose, making her eyes water and sending her into a coughing fit. Even while coughing, she keeps the soda from spilling and eyes the cup suspiciously. She sniffs the soda, then leans in and listens to the bubbles fizz. After that, she takes a cautious sip, letting it sit on her tongue before going in for another. "More?" I ask. "Yes, please!" I pour more soda into the cup, and she sips it again before carefully placing it next to her and starting to devour the food in front of her. I watch her wordlessly the entire time, not touching the food at all. I simply pour myself a soda of my own and sip it slowly. Only twice do I stop her so she doesn''t try to eat the wrappings as well. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. When all the food is gone, Vega takes the cloth, carefully removes the crumbs, and folds it before placing it back into the basket with the other things. She then moves closer and shamelessly rests her head on my legs, her face turned up toward me. She wears a big grin, so I reach down, pinch her nose, and tap the pointy part of her horns with the tip of my finger. "Pizza was better, master." "Liar." "Im not lying! We made the pizza together, so obviously it would be much better!" "Sure." "Hehe, did you see me fight? I used everything Ive learned from the stone you left me." "I watched the entire time. You did very well. There were some small mistakes, but we can talk about them later." "Next time, I will do better." "I''m sure of that. Do you have anything interesting to tell me?" "Yes! A lot! Some red haired woman with yellow eyes keeps bothering me. She keeps talking about an envious guy and calls herself the greediest person who ever lived." "Oh, does she now? Did she hurt you or anything?" "Not at all. She just appears out of nowhere every once in a while. At first, I thought she might try to steal my food, but she never touches it." "Biscuit... uh, I mean Minion, most people aren''t as normal as I am, so be careful around her and don''t trust her too much." "Is master being careful too?" "... sometimes?" "So I will also be careful sometimes!" I poke her horns a few times and pinch her nose, cutting off her breath. She doesn''t even try to push my hand away. Instead, she holds her breath and looks at me with a clear challenge in her eyes. Such a cute little maniac. Defeated, I let go of her nose so she can take a deep breath and start absentmindedly tapping her horns while checking the time and planning her new schedule. Looking into the tall grass in front of me, I ask, "Do you not have a disciple of your own?" My minion looks up at me, confused, but quickly catches on and looks in the same direction. Tacita, still sitting there, moves the grass in front of her to reveal herself and shakes her head. Her expression is hard to read, so I can''t even guess what the reason might be. Vega, who seems to remember the incident from the first time she met Tacita, stands up, awakening her inner self as the most powerful shin kicker. Tacita makes a swishing movement with her hand that turns it into a blur, and all the tall grass around her falls down, cleanly cut apart. Standing there without even raising her guard, she stares down my minion, who obviously chooses to accept the challenge. A dagger made of mana forms in her hand, and with a burst of kinetic energy, she charges at Tacita, who playfully moves to the side and smacks the back of my minion''s head as she passes by. Unable to control these bursts or properly absorb her inertia, my minion takes a few steps to slow down and attacks again, this time running. They clash time and again, much the same as they did back in the previous tournament. With each failure, Tacita taps on my minion''s horns or gently kicks her in the shin as revenge for their first meeting. Sometimes she even kicks my minion''s butt when she makes a big mistake. She treats all of this like a playful bout, occasionally showing my minion how to hold a dagger properly and how to move while wielding two. When Vega attacks from a bad angle or positions herself poorly, she shakes her head. As before, Tacita lacks patience. I''m sure she wouldn''t make a great teacher, given that even she doesn''t fully understand how she does some things. It''s her instinct and talent that let her move the way she does and read the fight. So, just as a year ago, Tacita gets bored after around thirty minutes. She gently kicks Vega''s shin, ruffles her hair, and taps her horn one last time before disappearing. My minion and I eventually find Victoria and her disciple in the 4th round''s zone. As expected, theyve set up in the training area, and the little guy is just sitting there and carefully listening to her teachings. "It''s him," Vega hisses in my arms. "Seems like it. Minion, but like I said, this is my sister, and he''s her disciple, so don''t make me hand you over to Myrra for the rest of your time here. I already saw the way she was looking at you. It wouldn''t end well for you." "Can I kill him if hes rude?" "No killing." "What if I just cripple him?" "Minion." "Punch him?" "Only if he is rude, and minion don''t try to be tricky with the definitions. I mean, rude from a normal point of view, which, for the record, is mine, not yours." "I would never!" "Sure, sure." Noticing our approach, Victoria and her disciple stop and wait for us to arrive. Vega jumps down and walks by my side for the remaining distance. It looks like the winner of the unofficial event is Victoria''s disciple, a young demon with white hair and purple eyes, each featuring a white circle around the pupil. Demons generally tend to be born with something that is later acknowledged as a trait when they join the system. It''s often the heart, but as Ive heard, some are born with special eyes, physiques, or similar attributes, usually something connected to primordial energies. The young demon in front of me is a perfect example. He was born with eyes but, surprisingly, lacks a heart to generate one of the primordial energies. In a demon society, where hearts are highly valued, that alone would put him at a huge disadvantage. It''s amusing that I have a half-demon as my disciple while Victoria has a demon without a heart. From some point of view, it seems rather poetic and might actually say a lot about the two of us. "Nathaniel, this is Velis. Velis, greet my brother. I want you to show him the same respect you show me." "Yes, master," he nods toward her and then turns to me and bows quickly, "I greet my master''s brother and his disciple. My name is Velis." "Hello, my name is Nathaniel. This is Vega," I say as I tap her shoulder. She flicks her eyes toward me, then back at them. "I''m Vega. A greeting for my master''s sister, but not for this coward!" And here we go. Chapter 578: Half-Demon’s Master To my disciple''s disappointment, Velis doesn''t react to her provocations. Likely owing his poker face to a combination of natural inclination and the concentration-type skill he almost certainly possesses. Part of me wonders how rare concentration-type skills are in demons. So far, all the demons Ive met have been on the more hotheaded side. Vega tries to say something provocative again, but I halt the movement of her mouth by absorbing kinetic energy. Congratulations on the win, I tell Velis. "Thank you very much," he says, bowing again. His tone is polite, but there''s still a distance to it. I glance at Victoria, who just shakes her head and turns to Vega as I let her go so she can talk. "I really liked your determination during the event, Vega. It reminded me of Nathaniel. He was much the same when he was younger, though I suppose he hasnt changed much." Glancing at me, then back to Vic, Vega nods excitedly with a smile. "That''s just the start! One day, I''ll be stronger than Master!" Oh, will you now? Victoria''s eyebrow arches up a bit. What would you do if you became stronger? Then I would force Master to call me Master Vega and have three meals a day with me! And I would make him carry me everywhere! Wouldn''t that be difficult when you grow taller? Victoria asks. At that moment, Vega looks shocked, as if the thought had never occurred to her. With a hint of panic, she glances at me, then at her hands, before looking back. What do you plan to do? I ask Victoria, all the while letting my minion experience her moment of existential dread. I plan to train with Velis for a while longer before I hand him over to a few of my group members who will cover the areas I lack. Lastly, I might organize some sparring sessions against some of the other disciples or spar with him myself. "So, the same as me. I would also try packing some items to send back with him. The system might block them from going with him, but it might not. I already thought of that, Victoria says as she looks between Velis and Vega. I thought they could spar together, but your disciple seems too emotional to do it efficiently? Master, did your sister insult me just now? Minion, if I were to let you spar with Velis, how would you behave? Before you answer, you only have two options. Would you spar with the intention that both of you learn as much as possible, or would you spar with the intention of hurting him? Both! I look back at Victoria. I agree with your assessment. Ill do some training with her and then Ill probably take her to meet my group and their disciples. Understood, Ill see you soon, Nathaniel. It was nice meeting you, Vega. It was nice to meet you too, Master''s sister!! A few goodbyes are exchanged, and I watch Velis as he turns to leave to follow Victoria. His purple eyes meet mine before he turns around with that emotionless expression thats so similar to Vic''s. I think a lot of people might be disturbed by that, but it is something I am very used to. Looking at the half-demon by my side, I ask, Minion? Your sister was very pretty, Master! You two seem alike. It''s unfortunate she got such a crappy disciple, he doesn''t even seem to have a proper heart, so it probably makes sense that he is so weird and cowardly. He did have pretty eyes, but yours are prettier, especially now that one of mine is similar. Are you trying to act all cute in the hope of avoiding punishment for being a little jerk? Master. Yes, minion? Didn''t you say that it was better to be an asshole rather than let people take advantage of you? Did I really say that? Ehm, something similar? I sigh and offer her my hand, which she quickly grabs, and I teleport us. "Let''s train for a while, then pick out some clothes for you before we meet the others," I say, reappearing at my favorite training spot deep in the forest. Do we have to meet with the others? Minion, you would say I''m your master, right? Yes... she says carefully. The two of us share a bond, a very powerful one: the bond of master and disciple, which even the system seems to hold in high regard. Y-yes. "So, minion, we laugh together, we spend time together, we eat together, but we also suffer together. Exactly as the system intended. In short, you''re coming with me to draw some of the aggro away from me." Damn it. Even though she complains, as we walk, Vega moves ahead of me, spinning once on her heel before bouncing back to my side. Theres no tension in her, no frustration. If anything, she looks like she''s enjoying herself. Master, I had a thought, she says suddenly. "Lies. In fact, it''s been scientifically proven that minions are incapable of independent thought." This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. She grins. "That''s not true! And it was a good thought." Well see about that. Vega leans forward slightly as she walks, I was thinking... if I tell people I''m your disciple, do you think theyll be more scared of me or less? I glance at her. Why would they be scared? Well, you''re scary, aren''t you? It''s a good thing! She tilts her head. You don''t smile a lot, you don''t talk too much, and you make people nervous just by looking at them. So does that mean they''ll be scared of me too if I do the same? I hum in thought. Depends. Do you want them to be scared? Vega shrugs. I don''t care. But if they are, it''ll make things easier. Easier for what? She grins again. For getting them to fight me, obviously. Of course. I exhale through my nose. Fear doesn''t always make people fight. Some people avoid the things that scare them. Vega clicks her tongue. That''s annoying. Poor little you, minion. She thinks for a moment, then brightens. Then I''ll just make them mad instead! If they''re mad, they''ll fight, right? I glance at her. That''s your strategy? It works, doesn''t it? she smirks. It worked on a few of those chicken wings when they were flying out of my reach. Am I to take this to mean that Vegas growing into a professional trash-talker? Though she''s not entirely wrong. And if it doesn''t work? I ask. Then I''ll just fight them normally, she says as if it were obvious. I don''t need tricks, Master. I just think they''re fun. I shake my head. You''re a menace. Vega grins wider. But I''m your menace. She moves ahead again, bouncing on her feet a bit before turning back. So where exactly are we going? Nothings changed, were going to train and then well meet up with the others, I remind her. She groans. Fine. But if they''re boring, I''m leaving. No, you''re not. She huffs but doesn''t argue. Instead, she spins on her heel and continues walking. Master? she calls after a moment. What now? I bet I could make at least one of them mad enough to fight me. I sigh. Please don''t. POV Lily Chen Nathaniel and his disciple arrive a few hours later near one of the tall trees where we''ve set up with our disciples, only the twins are absent. For some reason, Nathaniel and Vega are wearing matching pajamas even though the fake sun on this tournament floor is still high in the sky. While Nathaniel doesn''t seem pleased by it, Vega seems very, very happy, so it''s easy to guess whose idea it was. The pajamas are a set: a long-sleeved shirt embroidered with angry gecko faces, paired with loose, airy black pants patterned in red, gray, and white lines. "Master, is that Nathaniel?" Pallius asks, standing by my side. Yes, why? Before I can stop him, he takes a few steps towards them and comes to a stop in front of Nathaniel and his disciple. I''m Pallius from Teryth! My father became Champion a few weeks ago and is one of the candidates due to become shadow to the Grand Healer, one whom even our Lord Absolute holds in high esteem. I have decided to let Master Lily become my shadow, and for that, I need you to let her go. Nathaniel looks down at Pallius, then at me. His gaze lingers, and for a brief, irrational moment, I wish I looked a little more composed. I can only grimace apologetically. Lost your tongue? And do you have no shame? What are you wearing in the presence of my master? Are you not concerned about the way that will reflect on her when she associates with people like you? Even the youngest of children on my planet learn how to dress for events and... I see, Nathaniel says as he waves Pallius off and then taps his disciple on the back of her head. Minion, take care of this. No fighting. Without engaging him at all, he walks by Pallius, who tries to stop him, only to be shouted at by Vega, You, chicken wings! I have killed hundreds of your race during the event, so how dare someone as weak as you try to steal one of my Master''s future underlings, future minions who will one day serve under me? "Huh? There were barely two dozen feylith during the event." Pallius momentarily forgets about Nathaniel and asks, looking confused. Y-You counted them? Obviously, I would, as much as I could. Each race has its strengths and preferences, so tracking their numbers allows for better optimization... Pallius shakes his head. Why am I even talking to you? I have to talk to that guy and stop him from using Master. She is too nice and innocent to see that she is being used. Nathaniel reaches me, glancing at our disciples as they face each other, hurling insults. I hear Vega shouting something about my disciple having a chicken heart, a weak heart, and more besides, all the while Pallius grumbles about maniacal demons and brutes. I should probably step in before this escalates, but for the moment, I stand by and watch. Nathaniel does the same, his expression giving nothing away. Is he still going on about the shadow thing? Nathaniel asks. "Yes, and he keeps getting pushier," I lower my voice. "I think he''s become more determined since his father became Champion." Silver spoons. Hes a good kid, hes just a bit... eccentric. Why are you wearing pajamas? My minion is a tricky creature and doesn''t have the least bit of respect for me. I had to make some sacrifices to secure her cooperation. "It looks good on you," I say, unable to hold back a small smile. Though his face gives nothing away, there''s a slight stiffness in his movements. Its unexpectedly cute, even more so because he did it for his disciple. Sure, he snorts, it''s just for one day, so whatever. Lily, if anyone laughs, I want you to remember their faces and names. I will find them later. Of course, I answer. Do you want to meet the other disciples? "I guess I might as well since I came here in the first place." He turns around and calls out, "Minion, don''t think I haven''t noticed you getting ready to punch him. Get over here." Vega, who clearly looks ready to attack Pallius, immediately turns away and reaches Nathaniel in a short series of long jumps. On her way, her eyes meet mine, and the joy and gentleness that she shows when looking at Nathaniel are gone. Instead, a pair of deep red eyes stare at me in a way that suggests she considers me nothing more than someone she endures, no matter how innocent she acts in front of her master. When I asked Pallius about the other races, Pallius told me that this wasnt exactly unexpected behaviour for demons. They tend to be a race that values strength and the establishment of a clear hierarchy. Competitive by nature, they constantly fight for the position of strongest. However, once they acknowledge someone as superior, they become highly obedient and hold that person in great regard. Of course, that only applies when they believe the person in question is stronger than them, but the moment they sense any hint of weakness, their attitude shifts. That is also one of the reasons why their Champions and Absolutes are considered to be such menaces and amongst the most powerful within the system. Chapter 579: An offer Chapter 579: An offer POV Nathaniel As Lily leads me towards the others, I notice Myrra start sneaking closer, her tall figure looming over the two unsuspecting disciples trailing behind us. Well, it had to happen. I hear Pallius shout at the catgirl to leave him alone while my minion starts kicking as Myrra squats in front of her and rubs her cheeks, calling her something silly like Minithaniel. I think I''m starting to dislike the frequency with which my name is being twisted into random nicknames. The first disciple I meet is someone I know, a young lynthari boy. And damn, I think Id probably recognize that bristly tail anywhere. At least act like youre ashamed, Maya berates me, and, in support, she puts her hand on her disciple''s shoulder. I did nothing wrong, I defend myself. You never do anything wrong. But, and sorry here, Enan, it was funny as fuck. A little bit, I agree, but don''t mention that it is saved as one of my precious memories. That expression the young lynthari made was glorious. Anyway, this is Enan. He is a bit shy, but hes a hardworking little guy, right? Maya ruffles his black hair and scratches his color matched ears. The lynthari''s bristly tail sways from side to side as he lets out a grumble of protest, his face flushing. Maya lets go, He doesn''t talk that much, though, such a silly guy. Now tell me, what''s with the pajamas? I lost a bet. Instead of asking me again, Maya turns to Lily and raises her eyebrow in question. He did it for his disciple: I watch in real time as my hard-earned notoriety is destroyed piece by piece. But at least the pajamas are comfy. Curious and thinking it might improve the look and help me regain some lost dignity, I reach through one of my Ley lines and summon my [Mana Crown] I had left floating in the living room The instant giggle from my side tells me it didnt work. But it''s too late to take it back, and sending it away now would look even lamer, so I decide to keep it. I lower myself, bringing my eyes level with Enan''s, and look at him with what I like to think of as a friendly face, reaching out my hand toward him. My name is Nathaniel, and thats something I only share with a few people, but you are a disciple of one of those people, so I may as well tell you as well. But try to keep it to yourself, okay? His gray eyes dart from side to side, seeking out Maya before responding, and only when she nods does he look back at me and nod as well. I will. My name is Enan. He reaches his hand toward me, and I shake it. His voice is very gentle and soft, yet it has a nice firmness to it when he introduces himself. I stand up again and call out, Myrra, bring me my disciple, please. In the blink of an eye, shes standing next to me, holding my minion in her arms. It almost looks like shes forcing poor Vega to listen to her heart, probably because Vega called it weak when Myrra started bullying her. Minion, this is Enan, and he is Mayas disciple, I say. Master, that''s too many names! Vega complains without missing a beat, which makes Myrra giggle and snuggle her even more. Feral one, Ill buy your disciple from you. Shes just way too cute. It''s exactly the way I would have imagined you when you were young. A cute and devious little jerk. Myrra offers. I won''t be sold to someone with such a weak heart! Vega calls. Minion, I fixed it for you: ''I won''t be sold,'' I correct her. That''s true. I won''t be sold at all! Suuuure, Myrra says, ignoring the bursts of kinetic energy being thrown at her, either enduring them with her strong body or deflecting them with flashes of Aurora Glass, And what is up with your clothes, feral one? I''m going through a phase. I see! How about I take Vega, Pallius, and Enan and make them talk things out? Ill make sure no one gets hurt, she offers. That''s very suspicious for you to offer that, but let''s first get Izzy''s, Sophie''s, and Min-Jae''s disciples, and let Izzy take some pictures... Okay then, Ill be holding onto your disciple until then. Master, help. Sure, keep her until then, I answer to Myrra. Our weird group moves to the workshop, where we find Isabella and Sophie waiting with their disciples. Izzy spots Vega and immediately grows curious, joining in. Hello, I''m Izzy, in case you forgot since the last tournament. It''s nice to see you again, Vega. By the way, Nathaniel talked about you a lot. He did? Vega asks curiously, still trapped in Myrra''s arms. Yes, he did. Would you eat with me later? I want to talk to you. E-eat with you? Vega seems a bit confused, as if suspecting something bad might happen. Should I do it, Master? Why are you asking me? It''s up to you. And, for your information, minion, I wouldn''t bring you to people I thought would hurt you, got it? Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. Vega nods, and Izzy looks at me with a big smile. As always, she tries to connect with me to read my feelings, but I deflect her attempts. Even so, I know she can still sense them on a superficial level. What an evil ability. This is Seneca, my disciple, Izzy introduces her disciple. Seneca, though shes probably just around 10 years old, is still a bit taller than Izzy. I don''t recognize her race, but as Izzy said before, Seneca has blue hair that reaches down to her shoulders. Well, it would. But instead of hanging down her back, her blue hair floats around her head in a movement reminiscent of a flame. I feel no heat from them; they simply float without falling onto her face or blocking her view. Otherwise, Seneca is slim, her skin a warm, sun-baked shade of bronze. All of which is complemented by her pale eyes, which shine a strikingly beautiful shade of blue. Seneca puts her arms around Izzy from behind and looks at us with those piercing blue eyes, Thanks for taking care of Izzy. Maya snorts, Sometimes I have a feeling it''s Izzy whos taking care of us. That makes Seneca hug Izzy even tighter. It''s an unusual sight, especially since Izzy is so much stronger than Seneca, and given that they''re close in age. Are we introducing our disciples again? Sophie asks, stepping in from the side while pushing her disciple forward. This is Deva. Her disciple is a thylarin with six arms, which brings a familiar question to mind. I glance down as she uses one of them to tuck her black hair behind her ear, and this time I actually decide to ask, Why do some thylarin have six arms while about 95% of the others only have four? Deva doesn''t even wait for Sophie to respond. Instead, she speaks for herself, confident and completely unfazed. It probably has something to do with an ancient Genetic Lineage, rumored to have been inherited from a long-forgotten ancestor. From before the system? Possibly yes. How did that ancestor travel between planets before the system? That is something even our greatest minds and historians have yet to uncover. But it''s an intriguing question. One of our Champion researchers has plans to visit other planets and seek out older beings for answers. Meeting a Ruler is likely impossible, but there are others who might know. The Magi, The Last Elf, or perhaps even The Warden of the Parallax Eyes would be among the few with that knowledge. Oh, Kyralon? I wouldn''t be surprised if he knew. For the first time, Deva opens her orange eyes wide and takes a step towards me. All six of her arms grab my shirt, and I almost expect her to shake me. You know him? Yeah, I met the guy. Velnar, locked away in a tower, all mysterious. Nice to talk to but also an asshole at the same time, you know the type. H-how! Youre just a second or third year tutorial attendee. Beyond quest. This time, she does try to shake me. And while my body isn''t all that strong, theres just no way I would be swayed by this kid, so it doesn''t move me at all. "There''s no way the Warden of the Parallax Eyes would need something from you." Well, he did, I say, seeing how starstruck she is, and deciding to tease her a bit further, He even poured me a drink and answered a few of my questions. Once again, she tries to shake me. That pretentious control is completely gone, replaced by a childlike impatience. For a moment, she seems less like the composed figure she tries to be and more like an eager kid struggling to hold herself back. Do you realize that there are Absolutes willing to trade entire planets just to have one question answered by someone like The Warden of the Parallax Eyes!? I also chose not to ask one of the questions I was allotted. And she attempts to shake me again. At this point, Im starting to wonder if its not some sort of special attack or something. Before the poor thylarin can do anything else, Sophie grabs her from behind and pulls her away with a firm grip. Deva flails in protest, blubbering something about me being completely insane, her six arms twitching like shes trying to argue her case. Meanwhile, Sophie keeps nodding, looking like she agrees with everything her disciple has to say. At that same moment, my minion keeps shouting something at Myrra, telling her to let her go so she can punch that handsy blue halfwit. Seneca giggles on the side, Enan watches in silence, and Pallius tells Lily to leave me alone. He insists that someone like me would never have a chance of meeting the Warden of the Parallax Eyes and that I shouldn''t be trusted with my lies. I let Sophie deal with her disciple, and while my minion keeps shouting for Myrra to let her go, I join Lily, Will you take care of Vega? Just make sure Myrra doesn''t bully her too much. Ill be back soon. Sure, no problem, Lily answers. I stop in front of Pallius, whose dark blue hair and eyes momentarily lighten with a mix of yellow as he stares at me. What does being a shadow mean? Is that something like a bond? He shakes his head slightly. On my planet, the position of Shadow is a formal title granted by members of powerful families. Its not a heavy chain like a bond; its more like a chosen follower. It means you willingly walk by that persons side, learning and growing with them. If both allow it, it can become as strong as a bond, but at its core, its about following, not guarding. So, it''s not like a bodyguard? No, he replies. It''s a role of trust and choice: a follower, not someone who hides in the background or simply protects. I see. Well, see you later. With these words, I teleport away and then use Wraith Dance to move further. There, at the edge of the forest, I find a man waiting for me who has recently made his presence known. As always, Savant looks composed, judging by the way his green eyes watch the area. His now long black hair is tied at the back of his head and falling down. He doesn''t seem like he even minds the waiting he had to do; he just patiently waited for me. I also had the opportunity to take patience as my subclass, but I don''t think I wouldve liked it. While I understand his behavior, it constantly irks me, and there are a lot of reasons behind that. What? I ask. I came to make you an offer. I''m listening. There are three things I need help with. It''s fine if you decide to help me with just one or more. For each, I''m willing to offer a trade, be it items, materials, knowledge, or something else. I have a question first. Do ask. Don''t you have a disciple? I do not, I have rejected it. I see. So what are these three things? First, I need you to help me with the Sword of Aeons. Theres something Ive been wanting to do, and I''m currently incapable of doing it myself. Seeing the weapon at your waist, you or your group should be able to help me. Hmm, not gonna lie, I wouldve agreed even if all it got me was the chance to look at the sword. Still, as I said, I''m willing to pay. The second thing is this, he lifts his right hand and shows it to me. It looks normal, though maybe the shade of the skin is a bit different. It''s the hand of a lumoran Champion that I absorbed, but I failed to complete the process, and now Im having trouble with it. What I need is for either you or your healer to help. And third? "Third, I have learned by observing you and by using my skill to absorb kinetic energy. You seem to be the most proficient among Earth''s tutorial participants, so while I plan to do things my own way, I want to gather more information from you." He says this without a moment of hesitation, hinting at his skill and capabilities while also throwing it in my face. Thats quite a shameless request. It will cost you. "I''m confident that I can offer you a fair trade." Chapter 580: Brave After working out the details with Savant, I don''t return immediately. Instead, I move to my room, where I sit down and enter my mental space. Whitey waits there, as he always does. This time, he chooses one of these enormous salt mines we have on Earth. The air is thick with the sharp, dry scent of salt that clings to the throat with every breath. Massive pillars of untouched rock salt stretch toward a ceiling lost in darkness, supporting the vast, excavated chambers. The walls glisten in the dim artificial light. Their rough, uneven surfaces carved by years of work and the passage of machinery. Distant machinery hums, alongside the steady grind of drills and conveyor belts echoing through the tunnels, even though I''m sure theres no one here, outside the two of us. And every now and then, a faint tremor runs through the ground. The floor is uneven, coated in fine white dust that clings to our boots and drifts lazily through the air with each step. Whitey is currently wearing a set of work gear. Stiff coveralls coated in salt dust, heavy boots crunching against the ground, and thick gloves that seem to make everything feel just a bit clumsier. A miners helmet sits firm on his head, its built-in light casting a narrow beam into the darkness ahead. And I still have the pajamas on, as for some unknown reason Whitey has decided that I won''t have the same clothes as he does. Asshole. "You do know, Ive never actually been in a salt mine before," I gesture around, "Yet this smells and sounds real." "It''s all from your memories and imagination. I wouldnt be surprised if it''s fairly far off from reality," Whitey says as he sits on the ground. I reply, "That''s true. What do you think of my disciple?" "She is just a half-demon," he snorts, "but her ego is bigger than some of the demons Ive known. Just like her master." "Was that a compliment?" "Compliment your face against the wall." "After you." "Her heart isn''t all that strong, but it could certainly be worse. Supplementing her shortcomings with mana might help her, too." "That''s the goal. I don''t think either of us will ever have a proper demonic kinetic heart capable of generating the output a proper demon could, but supplying it with mana should work. And what do you think of Velis?" "How the fuck would I know? Ive never met a truly powerful demon without a demon heart. He has demon eyes that are likely tied to one of the primordial energies out of the common five, but I have no idea what it is." "That healing based on absorbing blood seemed nice." "Your healer can already heal herself without needing to do something as convoluted as absorbing blood." "That''s true, but she might be a special case. I also suspect that Veliss eyes might not be his only trait; he might have some kind of rare physique as well." "Without a proper heart, he needs to grow very strong, or no demon will ever accept him. Hell, I knew some who would kill him right away while calling him a cripple." "Personal experience?" Whitey smirks, "What do you think? Funnily enough, no one called me that more than once." He stands up in one smooth movement, "By the way, that fossil came here and spoke to me while you were with her and watching the disciple event." Starting to stand up, I freeze mid movement and look up at Whitey. He sees that reaction and smiles even more brightly, "I also didn''t think she could come here without you present. Want to hear what we spoke about?" "A bit." "You fucker, I can see the curiosity killing you. A bit," he snorts. Taking a few steps back, he puts some distance between us. "She came here to antagonize me, trying to make me push you more while pretending she was after something else. That bitch might think she can hide it, but she can''t escape my senses. I saw it in her movements. And I know she thinks I have no chance. To her, I''m just a tool, not a person." Kinetic energy rises around Whitey, his crippled heart generating more as his damaged body channels it. He uses this energy to move at all times, compensating for his injuries. I know this. I''ve learned a lot from his memories, our conversations, and our sparring matches. And even though hes not showing it, Whitey clearly dislikes the situation hes been put in. There are only two choices left to him. He can either attempt to kill me and take over while relying on Lissandra to help him survive, or he can just disappear. Nothing more, nothing less. But as many times before, I say nothing. I let kinetic energy build within me, charge at him, and let the fight wipe these thoughts from our minds. After the fight, I open my eyes and glance down at the pajamas I''m wearing. I shake my head and stand up to check myself in the mirror. Leaning in closer, I observe the reflection of my eyes and move a strand of hair from my face. Then I take a moment to breathe deeply, before teleporting into our living room. The screams and noises hit me immediately like some sort of sonic attack. Trying not to stick out too much, I move to my corner and quickly sit down, masking my mana, thermal, and kinetic signatures as much as possible. There is a young human boy to my left who has also taken refuge in my secluded little corner. He looks almost startled and fixes me with big brown eyes. He is very thin and his curly brown hair is messy. "Im guessing that Min-Jae is your master?" I ask quietly. He nods twice and keeps quiet, making no attempt to continue the conversation. What a good boy. Feeling more comfortable with a kindred soul, I cross my legs and observe the room. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Myrra is at the epicenter of everything. She and Maya are currently organizing a vicious, illegal minion fight club. It''s all done over the table in the middle of the room where the little guys are being forced to fight for the amusement of group 4 and the golden eyed catgirl. The minions are currently being forced to arm-wrestle. Curiously, it is Maya who explains the rules and makes sure the minions do it properly so as not to get their bones snapped. Sophie has even created and strengthened the wooden table, and Myrra is organizing it all and setting up the matches, all while hyping up the contenders. There is even a nurse in the form of Lily, ready to heal any wounds that might occur, while Izzy and Min-Jae mess around in the background. I notice most of the group members are engaged in some form of training. Min-Jae is making his body heavier, Izzy is moving the flames of her Fragment of Eternal Fire through her veins, and Sophie is training with the mana orbs I taught her to use, which are floating nearby. It''s something I also do and continue to do, even as the world around me turns black for that split second before the system heals my wounds. During the illegal minion fighting matches there is an incident where Deva uses more than one arm and complains about rules being set against her race; a part where my minion kicks Enan''s shin under the table to gain a quick advantage; or a part where my minion gets into it and trash talks so much that Sophie has to stop her; or the incident where my minion breaks her own arm as she gets into an unorthodox position; or the part where my minio... Hah. Whatever. Enan and Vega seem to be the favorites thus far, given that they have somewhat similar physical stats, and while Vega focuses more on dexterity, Enan prefers to lean a bit more into his strength. Even Deva sometimes surprises me with unexpectedly decent body strengthening based on mana. As I watch the sparring, I create a mana arm that is nearly invisible, made from as little mana as I can, and use it to sneakily take some food off the table. I start nibbling on the snack from the bowl and even offer some to Min-Jae ?s disciple, who carefully takes and slowly nibbles away beside me. "I''m Nathaniel." "Irwys." I nod in acknowledgement, and the pleasant conversation ends there. After the arm-wrestling tournament, Maya and Myrra organize a few more illegal events. They move outside for tug-of-war; they do bottle flipping, which Myrra really seems to like for some reason; and at one point, they even have a potato sack race. At first, I find myself thinking it might be a waste of time, focusing on all of this instead of more training, but after seeing the disciples so competitive and happy, I decide to let it go. They slowly relax and stop acting as cold toward one another. Even Irwys joins in after they keep trying to pull him in. And of course, Izzys the one driving it all, and seems to have found a way to manipulate Myrra into doing her bidding. And it all hinges on a simple strategy: she just tells her about fun stuff, and Myrra, excited to try new things, does it without even seeming to think about it. But maybe, at least in part, Myrra does it for herself as well, to take her mind off things, the things bothering her. As for Vega... well, even though shes still competitive, she stays more distant than the other disciples. She smiles, but never too much. Even so, she competes to the end and doesn''t cheat. Well, not much at least. Slowly, though, our allotted time comes to an end, and the start of the third event draws closer. One hour before Vega is forced to return to her planet and the event begins, a notification pops up. The 3rd event, Chronicle of the Past, will start in 1 hour! Everyone will have the opportunity to engage in a 1v1 combat challenge with one being from the database of the Earth''s tutorial: beings such as natives from the already completed floors. Every participant will be given 1 challenge, so choose wisely! Challenged beings will be Avatars, possessing no memories other than those required for combat. They will not possess emotions or the ability to talk, and have no motivations other than defeating the challenger. Vega is still being held by Myrra and forced to pose for photos, and she even coerces her into cycling through the many sets of clothes Ive given her. Myrra even goes through the pile I got and tries to find a matching set for herself to stage her photos. I myself have barely escaped and now sit far away to the side when Lissandra appears nearby. "Little pup, during..." She halts her words, and I follow her eyes, looking at my angry gecko pajamas, "Little pup, I have the person you will challenge during the 3rd event." "Who is it?" "Absolute Candidate Ruby." "I see. Wasn''t she still under level 300 when I met her on the 2nd floor?" I ask. I still remember her class and the text I saw back then over her head. [Phase Warden - lvl ??] "Yes, but do not let that mislead you. She spent years honing herself under my guidance. If you go easy on her, Avatar, you will not get the chance to correct your mistake." She turns to leave when Vega, who apparently made her way over at some point, calls out, "Master, is this the person whos been bullying you?" "Yup," I confirm. Lissandra halts and lets Vega step closer until theyre just an arms reach apart. Vega, wearing a daring expression, looks up at the silver-haired woman. Her tiny heart pounds in her chest, but she refuses to let it show. She stares defiantly at Lissandra, holding her gaze even as she begins to tremble. Her heartbeat is like that of a frightened little bird, and though her hands shake, she clenches her fists and lifts her chin higher. Droplets of cold sweat run down her forehead. With a quiet surge, Lissandra expands her presence and mana, letting it spread throughout the space. The weight of it presses against Vega, causing her to stumble back with a strained breath. Yet, she clenches her fists, plants her feet, and meets Lissandra''s gaze once more. Her heart races as if its about to explode, and tears well up in her eyes. Then, after a few more seconds, Lissandra smiles and says, "Good." With that, the pressure vanishes, and Lissandra along with it. I catch Vega before she can collapse, then teleport us back to our training ground. Sitting down against a tree, I hold her trembling body as she starts sobbing, shaking from fear and the experience. I dont say anything and just let her feel that Im here. It takes a long time, but eventually, she calms down. Sniffling, she wipes her snotty nose on the sleeve of my angry gecko pajamas. Just this once, I let it slide, watching with equal parts amusement and disgust. "Ill get her next time," Vega whispers in an uncharacteristically quiet voice. "You better hurry. I already called dibs on her." "I will!" Vega grins at me and hugs me tighter, taking the opportunity to wipe her teary face on me again. For the next few minutes, I give her some last-minute instructions and supplies I prepared. Nothing so powerful that it might slow her growth, but enough guidance and mana stones to help. Some of them might not be allowed to leave with her, but theres nothing I can do about that. Theres also plenty of clothes, Earth food, and other things I or Group 4 got through trading. Finally, I extend a hand to her. "Now give me the things you stole." Vega opens her mouth to protest, but, upon seeing my expression, gives up. Theres not a hint of shame, just disappointment at getting caught. She hands over a small upper epic dagger that Dennis found on the 6th floor and seemed to like because it looked cool, a few orbs made of some kind of mysterious metal Min-Jae uses to train, a bracelet Maya wears sometimes, a beanie with a cute teddy bear Izzy got for herself, and a few more items. Only when I have them all do I let go and glance at the last few seconds remaining. "Hopefully, Ill see you in a year, minion. So dont go dying to some loser or weak-ass monster." "I wont! And if I do, it would be the coolest death ever!" "I bet it would." One last long hug, and I reach out, wiping away the last traces of tears from her face with the sleeve of my pajamas. "You were very brave." "Yes!" she beams, opening her mouth to ask something. But then she seems to realize something else and glances at me, then down to my pajamas, then at the sleeve I just used to wipe away her tears. Her eyes widen. "W-was... WAS THAT THE SLEEVE IC" I interrupt, already feeling my lips twist in a smile. "Yes." "AsshoC" She doesnt get to finish before disappearing and finally returning to her world. Chapter 581: Start of the third event Chapter 581: Start of the third event The third event is going on in the same way as during the 1st tournament. Each common area has dozens of dedicated viewing spaces, each centered around its own huge screen. Its a bit chaotic, even more so than before, due to the many challenges happening all at once. And yet the influx of people gathering around the screens doesnt slow, as groups claim their own spaces at the tops of the surrounding hills, waiting for the more notable participants to take on their challenges. Such attention is primarily reserved for individuals from Hell difficulty. Whenever one of them steps forward, groups gather round to watch like hawks. Often, it''s simply curiosity and free entertainment. In other cases, it might also provide satisfaction, as individuals from Hell difficulty tend to challenge much stronger opponents in an attempts to learn something new. Watching them get severely beaten is something I find entertaining, and many from lower difficulties share this opinion. For me, at least, its fascinating. There are groups of people keeping track of the aliases of everyone from Hell difficulty. They even have something akin to cards with notes, and copies of these cards are made to be shared, often in exchange for items such as a common dagger or an uncommon cloak. One of these cards even made its way to me, loaded with details on Swordmaster from the 8th group called TheGuild. According to the card, Swordmaster''s level is estimated to be somewhere around 250, and his stat distribution is estimated to be something along the lines of 3 parts dexterity, 2.5 parts strength, 2 parts constitution, and 1-2 parts mana. Its even been rumored that he possesses an upper epic sword and cloth armor. His attribute upgrade is estimated to be for mana potency, and there are even guesses about his skills, such as [Sword Manipulation], [Quick Step], and [Swish Swoosh]. It is clear that people from lower difficulties have been having some fun with it, but it also shows that when it comes to skills that they dont tend to have the same understanding of the system. Even in Hard difficulty, people tend to have skills like [Water Bullet] or [Fire Wall], while a person from Hell would have something more along the lines of [Water Manipulation] or [Pyrokinesis]. There are a few rare people from lower difficulties, the talented ones, who, through concerted effort, manage to acquire skills similar to Hell difficulty. But thats just another place where the difference in capability becomes apparent. For them, these skills tend to be much more difficult to control and level. Their minds and bodies arent quite as attuned to them, and they generally lack our intuitive use of these abilities. It is something I am sure they could work on, given time. They can learn, study, develop their own theories, and vastly improve. Given enough time and resources, their abilities could develop even further. I am sure there will be theories to be discussed, knowledge traded, and disciples to expand upon them. They might even establish schools to exchange and share knowledge, fostering a deeper understanding of their skills. Meanwhile, in Hell difficulty, it is just like "I just feel it, bro." People, especially from Hard difficulty, are busy forming theories on mana and other energies and the nature of their influence on reality, or thinking about the ways teleportation twists spacetime. Some have already proposed that subtle shifts in ambient mana density could alter fundamental physical laws, potentially allowing for entirely new interactions between mana and matter. Meanwhile, we from Hell smash sticks and rocks together just to get a spark out of it. Just as the system intended. During the hours leading up to the event, I find myself being joined by Dennis and Aaron, who hand me a card that seems to contain a rough estimate of my abilities. When I look at the two of them, they simply say, "Just read it. It''s funny as hell." And so I do as Im told. Community alias:Noname Appearance:Slightly above average height, black hair, heterochromia C the right one is brown and the left one is gray. Heterochromia possibly existed before the tutorial, though it may still be some kind of fancy trait. His eyes are rumored to sometimes have a golden circle around his pupils. Note: Calm expression perhaps part of a concentration skill? [IDGAF], [Punchable Face], [Concentration]? Attribute upgrade:Mana Amplificator. Note: 100% for sure; the man literally shits out mana. Note: Lol, yeah, maybe that''s how he flies. Estimated Stat allocation:5 mana, 2 constitution, 1 strength, 1 dexterity? Very confusing; it could be more skewed towards mana, but his physical stats almost seem too strong. Trait? Skill? Passive? Possible transfer of mana into physical stats? Note: No shot this is natural; he''s definitely cooking. Traits:Eye based trait, possibly indicated by a golden circle around the pupil C theorized to be related to mana. Second trait:roughly theorized to be something to do with mana. Note: No shit. Active skills:rough guesses: [Mana Manipulation]. Note: No shit. A concentration skill or a skill allowing for expanded mental capacity, and something enabling flight. He is rumored to possess primordial kinetic energy, which he uses to fly. Note: two people from Hell difficulty shared their expert opinion, noting how fucking hard it would be to fly that way. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Often uses orbs of fucking destruction C multiple varieties and strengths. Sometimes uses fire skills. It is believed to be another primordial energy. Two guys from Hell difficulty were unable to confirm whether it is possible that Noname has two of them - very rare if true. Teleportation over long distances C often even a mile or more. Shown to have a moderate capacity for regeneration. Note: prefers to replace his missing body parts with mana based prosthetics. Note: wtf Long-range mana projectiles observed C anyone below Hell difficulty is unable to block them. Disruption confirmed C capable of piercing even the natural barriers of Hell difficulty attendees. Black mana observed C absorbs all surrounding mana? Disruption based skill? No more information. Passives: Highly likely to support body and mind. Something turning mana into physical stats? Level: One of the highest in the earth tutorial, based on capabilities of large-scale destruction C possibly (while unlikely) over 300. I look at the two of them and ask, "Who are these two guys from Hell difficulty who got asked these questions?" "No idea!" "I thought so," I say as I hand them the card back. "There are a lot of people watching you, and even if these guys were just making these cards for fun, I''m sure people like Samuel and those from the other rounds have much more detailed information, especially after seeing you fight in the events." "It could cause trouble during the 4th and 5th events," Aaron adds. "Yes," I confirm, "Ive already noticed a few people from the other rounds snooping around; theyre probably collecting information." "What, really?" Dennis asks, surprised. "You dumbass," Aaron shakes his head, "Sophies got a few guys doing the same thing for us." "I wasn''t surprised about that! It''s just that I didnt even notice." I point them out to the two, "The guy on the bench, in the yellow shorts and black beanie. The woman in the group of our Easy difficulty, wearing jeans and a white shirt, the boy under the trees eating a snack. And a few more." "How do you know?" "If I had to say, its because theyre trying too hard to suppress their mana, theyre probably from Hell difficulty, but I dont recognize them as anyone from our round. Theres probably more mixed in with the lower difficulties, not to mention the ones who arent even bothering to hide their mana." I shrug, "Honestly, theres not much we can do about it." "We could send Lily after the ones we find," Dennis observes, regarding the people Ive just pointed out. "You or Aaron could take them out yourselves if you really want. I''m also fairly confident that Sophies detected a few more using the web shes woven around our zone, so go ahead and have fun if you want to." "Will do," Aaron says, grabbing Dennis by the shoulders and pulling him away, "Later, Nat, and good luck; if you need anything..." "I will ask, of course. See you later." Left on my own, I observe more fights while refraining from training for now. At this point, Ive thoroughly tested my limits. I know how far I can push myself before my heart bursts and/or my brain melts. I have tested it in so many ways and explored every possible application of nearly all my skills. So, for the moment at least, Im focused on coming up with new ways to push myself further, to drive myself past that limit. Perhaps a slightly different rhythm of my heartbeat, just a slight delay between pulses to prevent my body from burning. Maybe I could sacrifice a bit of efficiency and channel my mana through a more durable pathway to allow myself to channel it for longer, with much more force. Where at the start I just did whatever came to mind, Ive steadily grown more deliberate. A small part of my mind serves to take mental notes of all the things Ive tested. And every few tests, I review those notes and either continue or change my objectives. Im not generally a fan of those methods, but its going to be necessary to get as much as possible out of this tournament. Especially now that more and more people are getting to know my abilities and working to come up with ways to counter them. From Victoria, I even got information that a few rounds are working together to take her and me down. Vic, Jean, and I are all considered wild cards. Jean, maybe to a lesser extent, given that he often listens to people from his round, who have shown themselves to be more reasonable. Victoria has full control over her round, with it being entirely under her command through her power and the power of her group, which has the most members left out of any Hell group in the Earth tutorial. Each of these group members is someone capable of surviving 7 floors and is currently on the 8th. So it''s no surprise her round is rated as very dangerous. Our 5th round is also considered threatening. Tacita, for example, was given one of the highest threat ratings, and the same goes for Savant and Sophie. Tacita, Savant, and Lily are each considered to be at the level of kings, and Sophie, in certain situations, can be considered one of the most dangerous people in the tutorial. There is just so much information being leaked or uncovered about the attendees, and I suspect this might be one of the system''s intentions behind the tournament. Considering that, I continue observing the Challenges. Savant goes in and challenges the same man he did during the first tournament, and just like before, Champion Tristan handles him effortlessly. The only difference is that Savant endures the attack for a fraction of a second longer. Lily steps up against a Greater Mimic, immediately activating her mantle and blocking its attacks with her bone axe. The fight is impressive, and I watch as she takes damage, only to regenerate in an instant and continue facing down the powerful monster. She combines an incredibly durable body, near-instantaneous healing, and possibly the strongest offensive skill I''ve ever seen. Her disturbingly high potential is clear. Numerous paths are open to her, any of which could transform her into something extraordinary. The rest of Group 4 steps in as well, and almost all of them choose to face a Greater Mimic. That makes me realize that theyre using this as a training opportunity and preparing for our return to the seventh floor. Only Sophie faces a man who I assume is an Archon from the sixth floor, as he resembles Beatrice, while Maya challenges her lynthari teacher, just like in the previous tournament. Each of these fights is carefully scrutinized, and I notice the dark expressions on the faces of some of the people from Hell when they see certain members of our group fight. It grows especially interesting when some from the 5th round''s Hell difficulty begin challenging the winner of their round''s first tournament. Myself. All four who attempt it lose. My Avatar from a year ago tears through them. Injured or damaged, it continues to bite, spit, sacrifice parts of its body, and willingly tanks powerful attacks just to land another strike. The last two challengers are especially fun to watch. Both rely on mana, and they get obliterated almost instantly. However prepared as they might be, the power of my Avatar''s disruption takes them by surprise, and when that isn''t enough, the black mana it creates leaves them helpless. And as the timer ticks down, I make my move. Reaching one of the platforms, I look at the screen and declare, "I want to challenge Absolute Candidate Ruby." Chapter 582: Absolute Candidate Chapter 582: Absolute Candidate Ruby is just as I remember her. She looks barely over twenty, with long red hair and yellow eyes marked by a strange sort of complex pattern. Her skin is slightly paler than the average person, and she wears clothing similar to the sort of things Absolute Lissandra of the 2nd floor used to wear, sleek, suit-like attire more suited to men than women. Like all the avatars I''ve seen, she shows no emotion. There''s simply no life behind those eyes. The moment both of us appear, my eyes flare into full activation, and I trigger all my passives and prepare my defenses against someone 50 levels lower than me. Absolute Candidate Ruby moves first, even as I set up my defenses. She manipulates her mana with seemingly incredible ease, and her skill activates before I can grasp its structure, seemingly further powering the domain shes deployed. That domain presses in against me, greedily enveloping my mana and stealing it away. It only stops when my own [Mana Domain] seeps past the borders of my skin and Mana Wavelength Tyrant activates, claiming the surrounding mana for myself. But the pull remains, ready to take my mana the moment my concentration slips. My mana surges as an unseen attack hits my barrier, shattering it in an instant. It slices into the side of my neck, nearly severing my head. Ruby herself vanishes from where she stood. I track the leftover mana to locate her and succeed in following its trail. However, she isnt there. Its a fake signature meant to confuse me, and so are the others shes created. Without any warning, something hits me from the left, breaking through my layered barriers and sending me rolling across the ground. I use Wraith Step a few times and try to rely on my mana senses again, but I quickly realize a field surrounds me, spreading a jamming effect meant to throw them off. It feels like trying to find a feather lost in a hurricane. Switching to kinetic and thermal senses, I move across the battleground, doing my best to dodge her attacks until I finally pinpoint her location. My Ley Lines spread through the area, and [Eclipse] erupts, pushing against the field and draining the color from everything nearby. I reach out to teleport to her, but all of my Ley Lines fray into nothingness as if they were fuses bursting into flame. Ruby, standing a mile away at the top of a hill, creates a huge number of mana projectiles and sends them flying out in front of her. The air itself in front of them weaves and twists, and the projectiles teleport through and re-materialize about an arms length in front of me. [Eclipse] hums with the mana powering it, and I barely manage to tear through the swarm of projectiles. With great effort, I expand it as far as I can, finally breaking the field surrounding the area. I boost myself high into the air and then further boost myself to fly toward where Ruby is. She takes a step and disappears, reappearing two miles away. I locate her immediately because she has a huge amount of mana gathering over a lifted hand. Flying in that direction, I observe the structure and prepare my countermeasures. Instead of Ley Lines, I create a set of marks on my mana projectiles and launch them in all directions. But even now, I dont have enough time. Ruby finishes her attack at blinding speed and waves her hand. And nothing happens for a few seconds. During that pause, I reach her and she doesnt move away, likely to avoid overusing her skill and preventing me from understanding her methods. I radiate more mana from my body as Mana Wavelength Tyrant presses against the area, bending the mana particles within to my will. My heart thumps, strengthening my body and gathering kinetic energy for a possible escape. I weave an [Empyrean Lance] and shoot it ahead while deploying [Eclipse] in her direction. Even so, she allows it to proceed. Just before my lance would pierce her head, she activates her skill; the space in front of her wavers, and my lance appears at my back, flying at the same speed, nearly piercing me with my own attack. I barely dodge it, and then the skill she used earlier reactivates. The remnants of her field in the distance change and implode in on themselves, creating an audible pop followed by an immense pull that uproots trees, destroys the nearby hill, and still manages to have an effect on the two of us from a mile away and warping our surroundings. It creates a small dark center around which the space itself seems unstable. With all my strength, I push against it and teleport away, but the process gets disrupted as the landing point is forced into the center of the collapsed field. I force my mind into overdrive, and my mana bursts out. At the cost of damage to my heart and brain, I manage to shift the direction of the teleport mid-cast. Even then, Ruby is already there, waiting for me. Up close, a barrage of projectiles slams into my barrier, dissolving into mana particles as I disrupt them. She gathers the particles and moves them like drifting sand caught in a storm, sending them crashing against my barrier in steady waves. They swirl and grind away at it until I release a powerful burst of kinetic energy to force them back. I charge at her, but she teleports away again, and I track her more quickly than before, covering the remaining distance with Wraith Dance. I launch a barrage of projectiles in her direction along with two tricolored orbs, yet once again, the air in front of her wavers, and all of them reappear at my back. Even now, I cannot grasp the structure of the skill shes employed. Protected by my barrier, I launch myself away from the explosion and soar high into the air. As I rise, I extend more Ley Lines throughout the area, firing projectiles marked for teleportation. For a moment, I look toward the area where she collapsed her field. A mile wide patch of forest has been totally destroyed, with no tree left standing and no hill untouched. Ruby gives me no time to rest, keeping up the pressure with skills that activate almost in an instant, paired with the constant, shifting flow of her mana. Her eyes study me just as I study her, and she counters with an ease that can only come from many thousands of hours of practice. Her projectiles shatter my barrier, a wave of disruption hits me, and I am certain that without my passives and skills, she would have completely disrupted my mana or stolen it all away. Each attack is fast, precise, and hits with force. No matter how much mana I pour into defense, she keeps pushing me back, causing serious problems, all while using only a fraction of what I''m spending. I pull all my mana back into my body and send some of it through my heart to convert it into kinetic energy. At the same time, I allow the seal around the Ignition Heart to lift slightly, and golden flames begin to surround me. They crash out from my body, from the exhaust nodes on my palms, the soles of my feet, and the one on my back. These flames gather under my control, forming a circle of rotating fire behind me. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. Ruby moves again to put distance between us, but I continue to track her even as she sets up fake signatures to misdirect me. She weaves them in a second, yet each of these signatures is more accurate than anything the twins together could hope to perform. I catch up to her, launching a laser-thin stream of flames in her direction. A single pale blue barrier forms in front of her, and the flame stream strains against it. I maintain the flame and continue to increase its output; the point of contact causes the barrier to heat up, taking the color from pale blue to light red as the heat spreads outward. Yet, the feeble looking barrier still holds. I let the mana in my crown destabilize, and a disruptive attack explodes through the area, breaking the barrier as the stream of flames continues toward her head. But once the main force of the disruptive attack fades, she weaves another barrier that stops the flame in the same manner. I repeat the process, and so does she. A few barriers finally break, even as she continues to refine them as I focus on my own disruption, until the flame lies stopped, just a hands breadth away from the center of her forehead. Nevertheless, she continues building up another skill in the background, and so do I. This time, though, I dont bother to disrupt the barrier. Instead, I release all the flames I had been collecting and move them around me as they pulse out in waves toward her, turning trees to ash and the ground to lava. Ruby then disappears through her teleportation, but this time Im successful in tracking it and look up, finding her standing high up in the air. After all that preparation, a single mana projectile floats over the palm of her hand as she lifts it high. A transparent, pale blue lance shoots toward me. It glitters in the air as it heads down, gradually increasing in speed. The mana I had gathered inside my body compresses and seeps out, touching my [Mana Crown], which turns black and immediately demands all my focus to maintain control. I shape more of that mana into a black orb and send it flying out ahead, along the path of the pale blue lance. The world quiets, and the colors lose their vibrancy as the lance reaches the orb. The lance cuts through it with ease at first. It nearly escapes the pull of the orb before the orb begins to tear apart. But the black mana left behind swirls and consumes. It spins, and its pull drags on the pale blue lance, slowing it down until it stops completely. Blue particles peel away, drawn into the orb until the lance breaks apart entirely. The black orb expands, growing to the size of my fist, constantly compressing and expanding as if it were fighting to devour the mana around it. Behind me, Ruby appears, and the palm of her hand moves to strike my back. Tearing my muscles to move faster, I react by coating the palm of my hand with black mana to meet her blow. That black mana absorbs the deadly attack she hurls at me, but even so, the bones in my hand crack, and some of the attack pierces into my body. She tries to teleport away, but I empower [Eclipse] with black mana, fully draining the colors from the area in an instant. For the first time, her teleportation fails. Using kinetic energy, I launch an attack at a speed Im sure wouldve even caught Tacita off guard. But Ruby reacts in time and ducks with a swiftness I never thought she could possess. She uses her mana to strengthen her body with such precision that I start to wonder if facing her at close range was the more dangerous option. But I can see the cost, the tears in her skin, and the twitching of torn muscles. Her red hair floats through the air as she dodges my series of attacks, only to be caught off guard by Needle Point piercing her foot and causing her to stagger. Even though my [Eclipse], powered by black mana, disrupts all mana outside her body, that monster still manages to form a skin-tight barrier just in time. It holds against the full force of my golden flames and the blast of kinetic energy that rips through the forest like a living thing. Trees are torn from the ground and flung aside like broken spears, their trunks split and scattered through the winds. The blast churns up the soil, carving deep gouges into the earth, sending shattered roots and debris flying in every direction. The heat rolls out in waves, warping the air and reducing everything in its path to scorched ruin. And still, at the heart of it, she stands untouched. Her body isnt even damaged, nor has she been moved so much as an inch, and she moves with incredible speed once more, tearing more of her muscles in the process. She touches my hand before I can react, and a pulse travels through my body, disrupting my mana and deactivating all my skills for a moment. She uses that moment to teleport away, leaving behind a tricolored orb on the verge of destabilization and ready to explode. And I note that she managed to recreate it after seeing me use it just once. I know that if I let her escape now, things will only grow more dangerous. I am certain she will deploy countermeasures to prevent me from closing in again. My Mana Wavelength Iris activates to the highest degree. One of my eyes almost popping like a squeezed grape as I read the remnants of her teleport and all the countermeasures or traps she left behind. I resonate with it and pull as much mana into my body as I can. I break through some of the traps while ignoring others, trusting that I will survive their impact. I follow through and appear on the other side, the black mana I sent ahead absorbing Ruby''s attack. Still, a few projectiles slip through before the black mana can consume them, piercing my body as if my defenses, combined with Mana Wavelength Tyrant and disruption, werent even there. Regardless, I strengthen my body, even as blood spurts from my torn chest and back. I grab the black mana in front of me and form it into a dagger. With all my effort, I stop another attempt at teleportation. Even with a 50-level advantage, I have to use the full force of my mana to pull it off. Then, I drive the black dagger into her arm. Up close, the pattern in her yellow eyes glows as her face moves slightly closer to mine. Feeling a sharp pain, I glance down and see her hand coated in pale blue mana piercing through my chest and exiting on the other side. In that same hand, she holds my Ignition Heart, its heat burning her hand until only the bones of her fingers remain. But she sends a pulse of mana into the heart and squeezes. It destabilizes as the seals unravel beneath her mana, and a moment later, the heart explodes. As if in slow motion, I watch the flames surge toward me. A roaring mass of heat and fury, intense enough to erase everything in its path. A force neither of us can survive. She tries to teleport away, pushing against the black mana to some extent. She nearly activates her skill until I add disruption to the mix, barely managing to stop her. I strengthen my body with that same black mana, lean back, and then swing forward to smash my forehead against hers, literally exploding her head. I can only breathe out slowly, feeling my skull crack and blood flow down my forehead as I reach toward the flames erupting from the heart. Even though I know I dont have a single chance of stopping them, I attempt to do so. With my eyes wide open, I watch as parts of my body gradually vanish in the heat. It doesnt even burn; there are no ashes left in its wake. Anything it touches is simply gone. The flames burn so intensely that they melt mana itself. My [Focus] consolidates and nothing else matters with all my attention driven to that single task. And for the briefest split of a second, I succeed. The heat and the flames slow down for the shortest moment, and notifications ring in my head just as they did during the fight. For that short, beautiful moment, I can think of nothing but that huge ball of thermal energy. But then the moment is gone, and the flames surge to devour me. "Stop." A single word sounds, and the flames halt. A field forms around me, and the sensation of being completely cut off from the outside world sinks in. Then, in a blink, my body is fully restored. The sealed Ignition Heart is back in my chest, my mana returns, and the area around me repairs itself. And yet I''m also cut off from the tournament floor, and Im certain now that no one is watching my challenge anymore. Rubys avatar body, which should have disintegrated into particles the moment I defeated her, stands back up despite its headless state. Her head regenerates, just as my body did, and the avatar stands a few steps away. And that same avatar, meant only to defeat me and never show emotion, smiles. Then she says, "Its quite rude to headbutt a lady, Nathaniel." Chapter 583: My master Chapter 583: My master I look at her for a while before asking, Ruler of Greed? I would prefer that you call me Ruby. The Ruby I knew died, you aren''t her. That''s true, but I like the relationship you two had. I want it too. So greedy. Exactly. She smiles at me. Your disciple is cute, you know. I made a promise to your duplicate, so I''m making sure Envy doesn''t hurt her. He even sent one of his vessels to kill her, but I dealt with him. Thank you for that. If possible, I will pay you back. There is no need, I''m doing it because of the promise I made and because I want to, she says as if remembering something, oh, and Envy also sent one of his vessels to Earth. My train of thought stops there. What? Isn''t Earth supposed to be protected while were in the tutorial? Some of the lumorans also mentioned theres a non-attack phase for 10 years after the tutorial starts. Thats true, but the vessel Envy sent isn''t on Earth. Instead, it sits on your moon and observes the planet. He is a very childish man, isn''t he? I can only agree. And since I have you here, I may as well take the opportunity to ask you something. Please do so while we wait for her. Is there a way to transfer Whitey''s memories out of my mind? She understands immediately but shakes her head, The rules have already been twisted too much. There is no way to make that happen. As youve been told, the only way is for the remains of the lurker to take over your mind, only to end up the same way as her and that lynthari. But... But? I ask. I like to be honest sometimes, so Ill tell you something: even if there were a chance, I wouldnt do anything to help. Dont ever think of me as an altruist. I know. Good, she nods, still smiling. So we are waiting for her? Can she even get here? Yes, I left a way in, so she should be able to make it. Id be very disappointed if she didnt. Just as she says this, a tear appears in the air. It is long, black, and jagged. From one end of it, the black blade of a dagger sticks out after cutting it open. And a nauseatingly huge amount of mana seeps from within, so dense that it begins to twist the air. R?A??o??E?? Like some sort of monster, Lissandra forces her way inside, stretching the tear open. Her mana constantly fluctuates, surrounding her like a flame refusing to die in a blizzard. She steps through, and the hole vanishes with an audible thump, leaving the air charged, like a forest after a storm. Lissandra looks at me, but then her eyes move over and stop at the Ruler of Greed. You are late, fake one. The Ruler of Greed says, with the same smile plastered across her face as she addresses Lissandra. You''re calling me the fake one? Ruby once called me Master, Lissandra states calmly, entirely unshaken by the situation. And for the first time, the Ruler of Greed shows a negative emotion. The smile on her face cracks, and underneath it, anger appears, a deep, red-hot anger with a strong dose of hate. My master died millennia ago in the greatest battle this system has ever witnessed. She fell to the most powerful Ruler of Pride that ever lived, and no one else couldve matched her at her peak, she pauses, greater hatred radiating from her and twisting the space around, but be sure I will kill that man, and I will do anything to make that happen. And you, fake one, you are nothing but an inferior imitation. A pathetic shadow of Master Lissandra''s great self. So no, I won''t call you my master. Hoo? Lissandra seems amused, and while the Ruler of Greed shows anger, she remains confidently calm, Here I might agree with you. The disciple I knew is also dead. I ended her false life by my own hand rather than let her continue to live as a shadow. All of you are just imitations, the Ruler of Greed pauses, yet, even masters imitations used to be so powerful. Fake one, I remember well the day the other Rulers and I tore down the old tutorial floors and raised the new ones in their place. Even back then, Lady Lissandras imitations began to sense that something was wrong with this place and with themselves. They tended to slaughter all the attendees. In other cases, they broke free from their floors and tried to escape the tutorial itself. To prevent that, weve had to modify the second floor countless times. The Ruler of Greed smiles. She does so proudly, with memories flashing behind her yellow eyes. The others wanted to change Lady Lissandra''s imitation, to modify it, strip away certain memories, and limit the abilities she possessed. After a few decades, I gave in and agreed, after she came close to breaking into the thirteenth floor. But you know what happened when we modified her imitation? Those altered imitations would simply sit and watch the attendees, and every time, they ended up destroying themselves while causing as much damage as they possibly could. We lost hundreds of tutorials that way. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. She lets out a short laugh, her smile twisting into something almost unsettling. It took a lot of attempts to come up with a version that would be even somewhat cooperative. We even changed the second floor itself. We built a setting with gods she believed were real and blocked her knowledge of the Rulers, along with a few other restrictions. And yet, even after all that, she still goes on a rampage from time to time. The Ruler of Greed looks at Lissandra. Back then, I truly wanted to see her again. Maybe I even hoped she would escape when I chose the setup for my floor. Did I hope to have her by my side, or did I want to see her fight and kill the man I still cannot defeat? Did I want to give her a second chance against him? I was so young and foolish back then. But the more I watched, the more I realized that my master is gone. My master, with whom I spent so many years. My master, with whom I traveled the system, fought wars, explored planets and our abilities, faced the most powerful Rulers and Absolutes, and caught glimpses of beings older than the system itself. So I was curious what I would feel, meeting you like this. But you are just another one of those pathetic imitations. All high and mighty, without the slightest understanding of your place. A disgusting worm wearing my beloved master''s form. Lissandra nods and asks simply, Do you know what subclass Ive chosen? At that, the red-haired woman meets Lissandras gaze and nods. Lady Lissandra used to be Pride, but yes, I know what youve chosen this time. Lissandra takes slow steps towards the red-haired woman, staring at her intently, And do you know why? Because you want to kill me, oh, fake one? The Ruler of Greed spreads her arms wide in a slow, deliberate gesture of challenge. A hint of her true mana leaks into the air. The ground trembles beneath it, and the space around her strains, as if the very fabric of this place were on the verge of tearing apart under the weight of her presence. Yes, Lissandra nods, I will kill a disciple of mine who is not truly a disciple of mine. I will punish her for what she has done and for allowing even an imitation of her master to be used this way. That makes the red-haired woman burst into laughter, but even that doesn''t make Lissandra hesitate. Her determination doesn''t waver at all. The entire time, I sit there ignored, exhausted from the event, and with the confirmation of my fears: the impossibility of helping Whitey. Yet these two ignore me, facing each other down with animosity clear in their actions. Lissandra, who took Tess''s life hostage. The Ruler of Greed, whose smile I saw when she was talking about Vega. She knows how much I dislike the fact that Vega has been left at her mercy, and even if she did leave Vega alone, that would probably just allow Envy to kill her, and I see how much she enjoys that. Just as Tess was taken hostage by Lissandra, Vega has been taken hostage by the Ruler of Greed. The more they talk and bark at each other, the more I feel that anger well up inside me. An anger thats been there ever since the start of the tournament, ever since the 5th floor, where I had to endure all this. And even now, with the Ruler of Greed merely using this as a chance to speak to Lissandra, something begins to snap as they hurl insults at each other. "Do you ever stop?" I mutter, mostly to myself. But as they keep talking, I finally snap, my voice rising. "Cant you just shut the fuck up?!" The conversation ends in a blink, and both of them turn to me with evident surprise as I continue, my voice rising with every word I don''t know how you guys or that huge, starry-eyed hikikomori asshole in his tower make oaths under the system, but this is mine. If you continue to threaten me or the people around me, I swear I''ll dedicate my life to being a dick and doing the exact opposite of whatever either of you wants or hopes for. I don''t give a single flying fuck about how I look right now, I dont care how childish Im being, or how petty it might be. If anything happens to Vega, I swear I will make sure that Pride dickhead lives forever. You said you want to kill him, right? Yea, no fucking chance. I will dedicate my life to keeping his ass alive; hell, I will become his best fucking friend, I will learn his favorite colors, and I will call him on the weekends just to spite you. And you, fucking cockroach? Oh, we are not done yet. You have your word to keep, and I don''t care how unfair it might be or whether it''s your fault; if anything happens to Tess, I will make sure you pay. Because fuck you assholes. Breathe in, breathe out. Good? You understand? Great, fuck you. I''m tired of this bullshit. I''m done here. Bye and Fuck you. I destabilize my mana, and it runs rampant as I allow it to happen and even help until it blows off my head. Then I find myself back out in the common area, feeling no less angry about the whole thing. Feral one? I hear a worried voice ask next to me. Myrra stands there, her Aurora Glass creating a barrier around both of us, glimmering. Only then do I realize it''s my mana seeping out into the air. The mana I raised to the extreme just to endure the pressure radiating off the two women, even as they simply stood there. Beyond Myrra''s barrier are dozens of unconscious people and hundreds more dead and regenerated by the system. Even though I can''t hear anything through the barrier, I see some of them crying, while others shake or writhe on the ground. There would be more of them, and only the Aurora Glass barrier around us stops my mana from passing further, and even that barrier has begun to crack. With a single thought, all that mana stops and freezes, taken back under my will. Then I pull it all back inside myself and start using Mana Cycling again to move it through my body, preventing it from passing beyond my skin. Your face too, Myrra says. I reach out and touch it, feeling my twisted expression of anger. This time, I don''t bother using a skill to limit my emotions, refusing to take the easy path for this. I simply take a shallow breath in and force myself to calm down, shoving those emotions back beneath the surface. Myrra smiles, and her barrier disappears, letting in the sound of people screaming, coughing, and crying, but she forces my attention back to her, It''s back to normal. Do you want to spar, feral one? I do not. I will be working on some items. I hesitate and then ask her, Want to watch? Feral one, is this like when a human invites you in for a cup of coffee late at night? What? No. Where are you even getting all these things from? I''m fairly popular, you know, and people teach me a lot when I ask. I lift my hand, and she places hers in mine. I teleport us away. The sounds of the crowd vanish behind us, but my bad mood lingers. We start walking towards my workshop. Myrra doesn''t ask any questions, she just follows me, with her tail slowly swaying from side to side and a gentle smile on her face. "This place, these people, the system. All of them are very intent on fucking us over, aren''t they, feral one?" At that, I can only agree and nod. Chapter 584: Roadtrip Myrra stays with me throughout the entire twelve hours I spend creating items. Shes curious, but also unusually understanding when I need to focus. A few hours in, I even start talking a bit more, at which point she responds with a barrage of questions. She even burns her hands a few times while poking at some of the items Ive been working with. To her surprise, even using mana to defend herself doesnt stop the burns. Thankful for her presence, I repay her by creating an item to her specifications. It is a simple bracelet made out of a mix of endurium and voidsteel, and I even put effort into making it look as good as possible. Though I''m still not all that great with the details or working on the finer parts, such as the links I have to string together to make the chains, but I do my best, and Myrra seems to be happy with the result. The item is only low epic grade, but I don''t think performance is what she cares about. She leaves when I''m almost done with my work, and I find myself alone in the workshop, which now looks so big and empty. I put the pieces of the arcane item for Channeler back into the box, which I lock up and secure with a set of heavy defenses. Then I open the skill level up notifications. [Mana Manipulation - lvl 64 > Mana Manipulation - lvl 65] [Perception - lvl 60 > Perception - lvl 61] [Mana Domain - lvl 59 > Mana Domain - lvl 60] [Mana Crown - lvl 53 > Mana Crown - lvl 54] [Ley Line - lvl 50 > Ley Line - lvl 51] [Ley Line - lvl 51 > Ley Line - lvl 52] [Eclipse - lvl 30 > Eclipse - lvl 31] [Eclipse - lvl 31 > Eclipse - lvl 32] [Eclipse - lvl 32 > Eclipse - lvl 33] [Empyrean Lance - lvl 18 > Empyrean Lance - lvl 19] [Knitting - lvl 30 > Knitting - lvl 31] [Knitting - lvl 31 > Knitting - lvl 32] Nearly all of my skills leveled up over the course of that short fight. It barely took a minute, and yet I had to use nearly everything I hadall against someone 50 levels lower than me, and thats with the possibility that she wasnt even at full power. Just as Whitey''s lurker was weaker than his "true" self, I think the avatars are weaker as well. Even with all that, I cant even say I defeated her properly. I just killed her a split second before I would have died anyway, but I guess that is an Absolute candidate for you. With Lissandra being the one behind that declaration, it is safe to say that among the Absolute candidates, Ruby was at the top. It is further proven by her now being the Ruler of Greed. What a mess. Especially since Lissandra wont tell me if Ive fulfilled her requirements. It just adds to my already shitty mood. I add more items to the system shop and then withdraw all the shards I have made and check my current balance. Shards: 499,663 Then I check the passive I want to buy, and confirming that not much remains, I close the window. I watch the timer and, as expected, the notification for the 4th event appears, 12 hours before the event starts. The 4th event - Avatar''s Gauntlet will start in 12 hours. Everyone participating will be moved to the Great Labyrinth of Xyphos. All participants will be randomly placed throughout the Labyrinth, the paths will be littered with countless traps, each presenting a threat all its own. Each trap may be defused in a number of ways, giving each attendee a chance to bypass, destroy, or avoid it entirely. At the same time, the Great Labyrinth of Xyphos will create an Avatar for every person who enters. These Avatars will also be placed randomly within the Labyrinth and will hunt the people invading it. There are 3 ways to gain points: - Escaping the Labyrinth - The first person to escape will gain 10,000 points, the second 9,000 points, the third 8,000 points, the fourth 7,000 points, the fifth 6,000 points, and the sixth 5,000 points. After that, the points will decrease by 100 for every subsequent escape. - By finding the treasures randomly placed throughout the Labyrinth -Each treasure is an item that can be used over the duration of the event, points will be awarded upon acquisition. There are: 5 low arcane items - each worth 2,000 points 50 upper epic items - each worth 300 points 100 mid epic items - each worth 100 points 200 low epic items - each worth 50 points Note: Points for acquiring an item are awarded only once and will not be awarded upon subsequent acquisition. - By defeating the Avatars: Beyond difficulty Avatar - 1,000 points Hell difficulty Avatar - 500 points Hard difficulty Avatar - 100 points Normal difficulty Avatar - 50 points Easy difficulty Avatar - 10 points Note: You gain no points for defeating attendees. Note: The duration of the event is set at 24 hours. As always, I reread the notification a few times before moving to the corner of my workshop and settling in. Then I close my eyes, concentrate, and find myself in my mental space. Whitey waits for me there, but for once he looks confused. It is because this time our surroundings and clothes were chosen by me. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Were standing in the middle of a desert area. Nearby, theres an old asphalt road, a rundown gas station, and a rusty Toyota Camry that looks like it was made sometime around the year 2000. Cicadas scream in the background, a sound I remember Whitey somewhat enjoyed. Both of us are wearing casual clothes: shirts and shorts with crocs. It is uncomfortably hot in the setting Ive created, reducing our stats to those of normal humans. Both of us are already sweating, and the air is difficult to breathe. Of course, this asshole still manages to look cool. With his long white hair tied up and a random red pattern on his shirt matching his eyes, he cuts an impressive figure. I gesture for him to follow and enter the gas station. I pull my wallet free of my pocket along with a few thick golden coins, mana crystals, and some billion-dollar bills. I toss them onto the table near the cash register, even though no ones there. I reach the corner of the shop and open the fridge to grab some chilled sodas, tossing them all into a plastic bag that I also take. Then I throw in some snacks I used to enjoy, along with some other stuff. Whitey watches me and does the same, picking up anything that looks interesting. Once were done here, I head outside, open the car door, and get behind the wheel. I glance up, shrug, and open the sunroof. I pull down the sun visor, and sure enough, the keys drop out. I slide them into the ignition, and the engine roars to life. I lower the window to look out and call to Whitey, "Get in, loser." He stares at me intently, likely trying to read my memories to get some idea of what I might be planning, but he cant. Ive blocked them all. With a groan, he throws his bag into the car, and it smacks me in the head. In fact, its surprisingly painful, sending a burning pulse through my eye. After getting in, he slams the door closed and looks ahead, avoiding eye contact with me. I shift into gear and drive us away from the gas station, pulling out onto a long stretch of empty road that disappears into the horizon. I reach to turn on the AC, but of course, it is not working, so I just lower both windows and turn on the radio, at which point some old-school road trip songs begin to pour from the speakers. When I try to focus and listen to the words, it always turns into random babble, probably because my mind doesnt remember the exact lyrics. But as long as I dont focus, the music just plays in the background. Its an extremely strange feeling. It is only getting hotter outside, and the passing air only helps a little, forcing me to drive faster. It is just one of these disgustingly hot days. Whitey, by my side, takes out one of the chilled bottles and presses it against his forehead for a while before trying to cut it open with kinetic energy. But he is unable to do so, given that neither of us can use our primordial energies or mana at the moment. "Motherfucker," he curses and throws the bottle out of the window. Then, just a minute later, he curses again, takes out another bottle, opens it normally, and takes a long sip. I do the same as we ride toward a structure a few miles in the distance. A space shuttle launch pad. It squats there like an old beast forced out of retirement, all faded white with black scorch marks along the base. It is not one of the sleek, polished sci-fi ships; no chrome, no curves. This thing looks like it was built by a set of stubborn engineers who cared only about functionality. The shuttle is a fat white hulk, with an orange fuel tank leaning against its side like its started to rust into the ground, its paint is sun-faded and dull. The black nose points upward, and the windows are dusty and cracked. Burn marks streak down its body like someone tried to scorch it out of existence from orbit. The name "Fuck the tutorial" is etched in peeling paint across the side, barely visible beneath a layer of grime and heat distortion. A set of rusted stairs leads up to the side hatch, swaying slightly in the wind. Whitey squints at it. "You fucker, knowing you, you want to fly that thing." "Yup," I say, then press the gas. Dust kicks up behind us. The radio is playing something that sounds like "Country Roads, Take Me Home," so I increase the volume, which gets me another look from Whitey. Knowing I hate it, he starts eating snacks and chewing loudly, scattering crumbs everywhere. He even wipes his oily fingers on the cars tape deck, leaving visible marks. "You''re eating chips? In my car?" I call out to him with disgust. He lifts and licks the salt off his fingers and then, while looking at me, opens a soda and pours a little of it on the floor. I slam the brake, and, not having a seatbelt on, he moves with the inertia and his head smacks loudly into the dashboard. While I awkwardly shift gears and get the car running again, he slowly gets back up into a seated position, red eyes shining from beneath the white hair covering his face. Theres also a small wound on his forehead, from which a droplet of blood slowly flows. "You fucking son of a bitch," he says calmly. "No, you." "Motherfucker," he exclaims as he attacks me, punching me in the neck and driving a fist into the side of my chest right against my ribs. Neither of us has any mana or kinetic energy available, so the fight is awkward as I defend myself while he attacks, all while the wheel swings and the car moves from the paved road to a side path made of dirt and dry grass. "Were going to fucking die!" I shout. "Its flat fucking ground, motherfucker! Theres nothing to hit!" Whitey screams, punching me a few more times for effect before leaning back once more, his hair falling over his face. With frustrated movements, he brushes the hair from his face, ties it up, and sits up straight, looking ahead at the road. I almost let it go, but then he snorts, "Bitch." So I slam on the brakes again, and he smacks his head against the dashboard once more. The tires screech against the scorching asphalt as the Toyota Camry jerks to a halt, the entire car rocking from the sudden stop. The moment the car stops moving, I release the wheel, raising my arms in defense. "I stopped because were here now!" Barely containing his anger, he looks out at the space shuttle that is still about half a mile away. I use that short opportunity to exit the vehicle, and a water bottle comes flying my way and hits me in the back of the head, sending me staggering forward, but I take it like a champ and continue walking. Then the second bottle hits my head, making me let out a painful groan as I rub the spot it struck. Whitey doesn''t say anything. He just joins and walks up next to me, his crocs crunching over the dry grass and cracked dirt. The two of us move forward, side by side, following the faint trail that winds between patches of brittle weeds and sun-bleached rocks. Heat radiates off the ground in shimmering waves, and every breath feels like dragging in air from an open oven. Even though Id complained earlier about the cars lack of onboard cooling, and the way it was just blasting hot wind into our faces as we drove, I quickly come to realize just how much worse it is on foot. Theres no shade. No breeze. Just the relentless sun beating down on our backs and the distant hum of cicadas buzzing in the silence. But I was the one who picked this setting, so I act like nothings wrong. This was exactly what I wanted. Not that it will do anything to trick Whitey, but it will atleast allow me to retain some shred of dignity. Whitey wipes the sweat from his brow and mutters something under his breath, but keeps walking. Neither of us has the energy to argue anymore. When we finally reach the space shuttle, we see a woman standing in front of it, dressed like a pizza delivery driver. A scooter with a thermal box is parked on the road beside her. Shes wearing a red shirt with a company logo, a matching cap, and black shorts. Shes something I created from my memories, and twisted to the extreme. I used my experience with Logic Core and my imagination to shape her exactly as I wanted. There is no mind or feeling, only a puppet reacting to its surroundings in the way I programmed. Within my mental space, at least with Whitey here, that much is possible, though it did take a lot of effort and preparation. But it was worth it. The woman has silver hair tied back in a ponytail, a red cap on her head, and brown eyes. Her expression, however, doesnt quite match. She looks shy and nervous. The real Lissandra would never make a face like that. "Y-your pizza, sir," she says while handing us two boxes of pizza and looking down at her feet. I come closer, take both boxes, and open one of them, taking a sniff as I do. "You call this pizza! I clearly said garlic crust! How could you mess this up!? Even a random Lady''s pet would be able to remember that!" I shout at her. "I-I''m sorry! I don''t know how it happened!" Taking a piece, I start eating it and offer the box to Whitey, who also takes one and bites into it. I turn to the silver-haired delivery woman again, "You call that mana manipulation? Ive seen kids with better control of their mana." "What, sir? Excuse me, I do not understand," she says, sounding almost as if she is about to cry. "Of course you dont. Something, something, you will never become an Absolute; something, something, your limit is Champion." "I don''t understand," she sobs, her voice cracking as tears stream down her cheeks. Her hands tremble at her sides, fingers curled slightly like shes trying to hold herself together. "Blah blah." She lets out a sob, followed by a shaky sniff. I take a step closer, remove her cap, and place it on my own head, turning backwards as I do. "I ain''t paying shit; that pizza is cold." I burn my finger as I take another piece of pizza and blow on it to cool it down before taking another bite. Next to me, Whitey chews with his mouth open. He takes a step toward the scooter, opens the thermal box, and steals all of the boxes inside, holding them in one hand while using the other to feed himself more pizza. After watching her for a moment, Whitey carefully places the pizza boxes on the ground. Then he grabs the open thermal container from the scooter, a bulky thing big enough to hold a full stack of pizzas, and sets it over her head. Drifting out from inside, we can still hear her muffled sobbing. "There. Now you are thinking inside the box. That is more your level," Whitey says. We leave NPCandra behind and head toward the shuttle. Chapter 585: Dumb Human, Dumb Demon As we walk up the metal stairs and head toward the elevator, Whitey lets out a little laugh. Just one, and then returns to stuffing his mouth with more pizza. We reach the elevator and I press a single red button, which slowly brings us upward. The higher we go, the better a view he has of the shuttle and the nature of the land surrounding it. Its a dry, mostly reddish, dust covered, rocky area. And somehow it still has a rough beauty to it. The elevator shakes, creaks, and finally comes to a stop, and the door opens to a metal mesh ramp. We walk across and make our way into the space shuttle. Even on the inside, everything looks a bit worn, made in a style others from Earth might call NASA punk. There are a multitude of white, leathery, cushioned panels covering the walls, and numerous important-looking buttons and monitors with green screens displaying white text. Theres also a barrage of chimes, beeps, and alerts, and the air is filled with a nostalgic smell. I glance around, noticing scratches and faded stickers plastered randomly across the surfaces inside, some peeling at the edges. A few handwritten notes are stuck next to an array of buttons, containing warnings and hastily scribbled reminders. Loose wires stick out from cracked panels at our feet and have been hastily taped over with silver tape. Some buttons are labeled with yellow sticky notes bearing words like "Don''t press," "Maybe press," or simple question marks. This place feels chaotic but wonderfully alive. I close the door and lock it just as I would lock the door to my house, with a key and everything. Surely, there had to be places where my imagination took the easy way out. We continue to the cockpit and take our seats, lying horizontally in the pre-launch chairs, reclining in the chairs, and looking out through windows that are probably larger than anything a normal shuttle would have. Neither of us bothers to buckle up, and then the countdown starts out of nowhere. Biscuit''s voice counting down for us, emanating from the loudspeakers around us. (Ten.) (Eight.) (Nine.) (Seven.) (Four.) (Six.) (Five.) (Three.) (Three.) (Two.) (One.) (Food!) And I cant help but to say, "Damn, I miss that corgi." The space shuttle shakes wildly as we start off, defying logic and physical laws. This is merely an imagination, glued together from memories of movies, random facts, and videos from the internet. We launch, and our bodies press into the chairs as the shuttle gathers more and more speed. The vibrations seem to pound at us through the air, until I can almost feel my bones shaking as if everything around could break apart at any point. Outside the windows, the sky quickly darkens, fading from a pale shade of blue to near-black, briefly streaked with fiery oranges and reds. Clouds vanish below us, replaced by the dizzying curve of the planet, creating an image thats both vast and impossibly small all at once. My grip tightens instinctively on the chair''s armrests, my knuckles turn white, yet somehow I feel a thrill instead of fear as if my body had already accepted that this isn''t quite real and has chosen instead to enjoy the chaos. It should probably take longer, but in a mere 30 seconds, were already in space, where the vibrations stop and the fuel tanks fall off, left to their scorching re-entry. I get out of the chair as a feeling of weightlessness hits us, and we find ourselves floating in the cabin. The shuttle slowly drives itself toward the moon, which honestly seems much closer than it should be. Hitting the wall, I push myself toward the boxes tied to one of the chairs, take one of the boxes, and start eating the still hot pizza. I toss one of the boxes over to Whitey, who catches it. For a moment, I allow myself to float in place, fascinated by the surreal quietness broken only by soft hums and creaks echoing within the shuttle''s metal bones. I turn slowly, spinning once, then twice, and taking in the messy and somehow comforting sight of boxes and crumbs floating alongside us, already forming a miniature solar system of pizza debris. Whitey floats by one of the massive circular windows that shouldn''t exist, staring out at the empty space and the Earth below us while taking slow bites. After a few minutes, he says without looking in my direction, "My name is Lioren." "Thank you for telling me, Lioren. My name is Nathaniel." Looking ahead, the moon grows rapidly larger, and its surface details sharpen: craters, mountains, and mysterious shadows become visible even from here. Then silence ensues until the moment we crash into the moon''s surface. The front of the shuttle hits it, and the shuttle jolts upward, throwing us against the walls. Gravity, though not as strong as it would be on Earth, hits us again. The shuttle slides for another dozen seconds, hitting rocks, bouncing off bumps in the ground, and emitting a series of loud screeching noises until it comes to a stop. Lioren steps out first as the door opens, and I follow, jumping down onto the surface of the moon. Neither of us even bothers to wear a spacesuit. Once outside, we can see a flag firmly planted in the surface, an American flag, in fact. And not far from that is a lunar car and a lunar module. Nearby, an astronaut is sitting on the edge of a small lunar cliff, legs dangling over the drop. I walk up and take a seat beside the figure. The astronaut is dressed in one of those old-school Apollo suits, bulky, white, and covered in the lunar dust. The gold visor reflects the curve of Earth and the black void beyond. Tubes cross the chest, and gloved hands rest quietly in the lap. "Do you know a good pizza spot?" I ask. The astronaut doesnt answer, just slowly lifts their right arm to point off toward the horizon. I follow the direction of the gloved finger. And of course, it''s pointing straight at Earth, glowing like a marble against the blackness of space. "Oh, you must think you''re being funny, asshole," I mutter, smacking the back of the astronauts helmet with the back of my hand. "I''m sorry, sir," comes the muffled voice from inside the suit. Its NPCandra, and she begins sobbing quietly, her voice barely audible through the thick helmet. I''m a bit disappointed to get the same reaction as before, but I guess it makes sense. It''s not like I have the experience to program anything more elaborate. This is just an imitation, a looping clip of a scene from my imagination. Lioren walks by without stopping, casually slapping the top of her helmet as well. Then he plops one of the empty pizza boxes on it and says, "Youll have to balance it here for ten minutes, or Ill cut off your air." "N-no! I''m sorry!" she whimpers, her voice cracking as she tries to hold still. We keep walking, leaving her behind, arms stretched slightly for balance, the pizza box wobbling on top of her helmet as she sniffles and struggles to keep the box from falling. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. We walk away in silence, the moon''s surface stretching endlessly around us. Each step feels slow and weightless, our bodies drifting slightly before settling back down, the low gravity turning every movement into a floaty sort of dance. The only sounds are the faint crunch of dust beneath our boots as the Earth hangs in the black sky, distant and quiet, as if it were watching over us. After a while, Lioren begins to slow down. He stops beside a small slope, brushes some of the dust away with a boot, then lowers himself to the ground. With a soft motion, he spreads a piece of white cloth over the moons surface and looks up at me, "Would you eat with me?" "Gladly," I say and sit down. I patiently wait as he sets his feet on the ground. In front of us lies a pizza box, a few cans of soda, some sweets, and pieces of fruit that I recognize as the ones he liked as a young demon. Above us, the Earth hangs bright, impossibly vivid with its swirling clouds and blue oceans, almost glowing in the darkness. It feels strangely comforting to see it from here, like finding something familiar in a dream. I glance at Lioren, noticing how calm he looks, watching me closely as if he were committing this strange picnic to memory. Then, while he waits, I devour all the food. When its done, I look up and see Lioren smiling. Then he kicks me out of our shared mental space, and I find myself back in my workshop on the tournament floor, knowing that if I leave things up to him, this will have been our goodbye. In the last few hours leading up to the 4th event, I sit alone in my room and think. I think deeply and methodically, running through everything I know about Lissandra and her behavior. This time, even though it''s not something I''m great at, I try to predict how shell react to what I plan to do. But in the end, I stand up, open the door, and walk downstairs to the living room where some Group 4 members are waiting, especially Izzy. "Izzy, do you have a moment?" I ask her. With her green eyes, she looks up at me from the laptop, where I know she is often editing the videos that she made with the others. "Sure!" She agrees without hesitation, and as she always does whenever she speaks to someone, her senses reach out to me in an attempt to connect to my feelings. It''s something she does almost instinctively, and its pretty hard to notice. There are probably only a few people in each round who would even be capable of doing so, and even fewer who can detect her surface scans. I''m not one of those people, even though I''m aware that that kind of thing even exists. Izzy acts a bit surprised when I allow her to connect, but she follows me out of the house and into the garden. I sit down with her and explain everything, then I ask about Lissandra. She listens closely, nodding a few times. I then receive my answer and an unexpected hug. "If you need help..." "I know, Ill ask," I confirm. "It''s fine." The 4th event starts, and Im moved into the Great Labyrinth of Xyphos along with thousands more. It appears to be underground, with a wall made of smooth red rock imbued with white crystals that emit light. The walls are made of a pure, and stunningly smooth gray stone, as is the floor. Other than that, I find myself in a single huge room, big enough to easily fit the hundreds of attendees currently surrounding me, and the ceiling itself rises as high as a two or three-story building. Then theres the door; there are no knobs or inscriptions, just a single huge slab of black wood. At its lowest point, within reach of a normal human, theres a glowing white handprint. I ignore the people around me and shut my eyes, forcing my way into my mind space despite a number of attempts to stop me. This time, it is dark and empty here, and Lioren stands opposite me in the same clothes his lurker once wore. "Fuck off," he greets me. I smile at him and sit down patiently. He stares me down, "What the fuck are you planning?" "Ive known since the start of the tournament that you were planning to disappear at its end," I say. "So what?" he shrugs and sits down. "It''s my decision to make." "Why only after the tournament, and why not try to take over my body?" "It''s up to me if I want to cut things short, not the tutorial. I''ve shown you everything I could. Your untalented ass will have to figure out the rest. And look, Nathaniel, you''re a fucking mess right now. Disappearing in the middle of that would just be a dick move." "I''m fine." "Sure," he snorts, "the real question is, why the hell are you here?" He avoids answering the second question, unsurprisingly. "It seems I have to be the mature one here," I sigh. "So, to say, you could always take over my mind and do it at any time. It would be easy, and the other option for you is to die. And yet you never did. You thought about it, I saw those memories, but you never did it." "I just didn''t feel like it." "I know," I smile, "but I''m a dumb human with a weak heart and a pathetic talent for kinetic energy." "Sounds like you." "So, in my human idiocy, I always took it as a token of friendship, the greatest you couldve shown." Lioren snorts, "Dumb human, indeed. You know I''m just a fake created by the tutorial." "Where you came from doesnt matter to me. Now let me finish. Youve got a few days left, but Im an asshole, so Im asking you to die today." He watches me intently, "How cruel. Explain." "As much as I dislike it, I know I cant change your mind or convince you to stay longer. Ive seen enough of your memories to respect your decision. But to explain myself, compared to some things, my life doesnt mean all that much to me. So, Lioren, to show just how stupid I am for calling a random demon hallucination trapped in my head a friend, and to show just how much I actually trust you, Im going to give you something I value even more than that." I look straight at him. "I will put the life of my friend in your hands, and I will give you an opportunity to go wild one more time and crush the fourth event. I made some preparations, even as we speak, a part of my mind is deploying the arrays and inscriptions to modify my mana and kinetic flow. "She won''t like it." "Im aware. Thatll be something for me to deal with. It will be fine." "What was that human saying, famous last words?" "Indeed. Ill be taking a step back, so please, one last time, show me the proper way to use kinetic energy. You have my permission to break my body in the process." "Craziest fucking human I have ever met." "I hear that a lot." POV Brainiac The huge room with hundreds of attendees is full of sound as they party up, plan out things, and examine the area around us. Not many notice the white palm on the massive wooden door, but I think it might be the key to opening it, possibly leading to another room or the labyrinth proper. It is not something I worry about too much. Most of my attention is on Noname. He stands in the middle of the room, eyes closed, mana seeping from his body. I can follow it much better now than I could during the first tournament, and it''s not like he''s trying to hide it, but damn, if it isnt wild. The asshole moves his mana around himself, carving inscriptions into his own body, tracing them over his chest, across his hands and arms. The crown on his head flickers until it vanishes. The pressure of his mana builds, and he starts making even crazier changes I can barely follow. Since he''s not hiding it, though, I can see more now. The way he moves his mana is chaotic, but there''s a clear purpose in it. It flashes, it beats, it moves, pulling into threads, and the space around him begins to feel oppressive. It flares up only to die off and send pulses of weaker mana through the area- I don''t think I''m that bad at handling mana, but the guy in front of me is batshit crazy. A single slip-up, a single mistake, and the amount of mana he''s using would tear him apart. On top of that, he''s even suppressing the waves around him so he doesn''t kill anybody who might be below Hell difficulty. Then his heart starts beating audibly, and more of his mana seeps into the area, forcing those from the lower difficulties to move away from him. That mana fills the room and bounces off the walls before returning to him. His mana gradually fades as the dense inscriptions across his chest glow briefly before vanishing. I''ve never seen anything like them, not even on low arcane weapons. All of his mana vanishes, followed by an audible thump. Then another, and another, until I realize it''s his heartbeat. But that heart doesn''t generate mana anymore; it generates something else, using all the mana to do so. His black hair, drifting around his head in rhythm with his heartbeat, begins turning white at the roots until it''s completely bright white. Noname opens his eyes as their color shifts from gray and brown to a vivid shade of red. To my surprise, Noname smiles brightly and hops in place. He moves his arms and legs like hes testing them, then a satisfied expression spreads across his face. He taps his chest over his heart and nods, smiling even more. "Such a ridiculously insane output," he says. "Fucking dumb human brute." Chapter 586: Not Noname POV Brainiac He is gone in a blink, and I couldnt even hope to track him. Theres no movement of mana, no vibrations flowing through the air. Something Ive even started to notice with Tacita at times is not even slightly present here. I hear shouts and look back to see Noname now standing in front of the door with his hand on the white palm symbol. The door starts shaking, dust and dirt falling off the edges as it opens to reveal a similar room. Inside, a single person stands on a small island surrounded by glowing, pale blue water. The huge, square room has the same gray walls, but this time, there are three massive black doors marked with identical white palms. Symbols cover the area, painted in subtly different shades of black, along with other markings that probably hint at which door to open next. The person standing on the island floats into the air, and translucent, bird-like wings glow behind her. Her skin is slightly grayish, the same as all of the avatars, and her face holds that empty expression. I recognize her as a Beyonderone of the top three from the second round. Noname and the woman disappear from my sight again, only for both of them to crash against the ceiling. The wings on the avatar''s back change and turn into dozens of long arms that reach toward Noname, who pins her against the ceiling, neither of them falling, as if unaffected by gravity. All of those arms freeze mid-air, and the woman''s head bursts open before she disappears into a shower of blue particles. I can barely keep up as Noname suddenly reappears on the ground, right by the first door. He opens it without a single damn concern for any traps there might be or whether its even the right one. Then the mana obsessed buffoon with, why the fuck not, white hair, does the same to the remaining two doors, and all of them start to open at once. One of the doors reveals a cluster of fifty attendees, all trapped within the blazing ring of a firewall. The others swing open to reveal rooms packed with avatars, easily a hundred in each. From where I stand, I can already feel the pressure radiating from Noname like a tidal wave. Then he moves. No hesitation. No pause. He charges straight in, ripping through them like paper, completely unfazed by the other members of Hell difficulty or their numbers. POV Rafael Vaughn - Channeler The room is massive, enclosed by the same four gray walls as the last one, but this time we''re standing on a vast grassy field. Towering pillars, each as thick as a sequoia, stretch upward, nearly touching the ceiling. Two avatars face us, walking toward us at a steady pace. CarrotCake and Klara, both of them winners of their first tournaments. All five Hell difficulty fighters on our side are already down, and the rest of us can only watch and wait for it to be over. The two avatars, on the other hand, remain completely untouched. Then a huge door to the right opens slowly, and a single figure steps through the massive entrance. The white hair and red eyes are the first things I notice. Then comes the expression, strange enough to throw me off, just long enough for the realization to hit me too late. I know this person. Nathaniel Gwyn does not wear his usual calm, distant expression. Instead, he is smiling with a strange, eager intensity. Even his movements are different. Every shift of his body sends a warning straight to the primitive core of my brain. There''s a predatory energy in the way he moves, something sharp and unnatural. It feels wrong, almost like no one should be able to move the way he does. There is no crown, no mana, no projectiles, no orbs, no golden flames. Nathaniel simply steps into the room without deploying any of his usual countermeasures, even though he must know hes up against two of the best physical fighters in Earth''s tutorial. And he attacks first. I do not see any movement, but out of nowhere, hes standing in front of me, and CarrotCake is gone. Then Klara disappears as well. A split second later, two of the pillars explode as their bodies crash against them. "Damn, I knew his output was high, but what is this shit?" Nathaniel says. The voice is the same, but the tone, pronunciation, and rhythm are very different. When he turns to me and I see those red eyes, its all I need to confirm that this is not Nathaniel, it has to be someone else. "I know he keeps comparing us, but I''m more handsome than you," he says after examining my face. A pair of shockwaves ripple out from where the ruined pillars are, and both Klara and CarrotCake appear in the air in front of him, stopped mid strike as if they were being held there by an invisible force. CarrotCake is frozen mid-punch, and Klara is swinging the gladius in her hand. Nathaniel moves with a speed I cant even begin to follow. One moment hes there, the next hes already confronting the two Beyonders, striking before they can react. The moment they clash, all of them burst into motion, and the space around them erupts with force. The two avatars and Nathaniel vanish without warning, only to reappear seconds later in a blur of motion, then they vanish again before anyone can react. Their battle rages across the entire field, too fast to follow, too violent to contain. Pillars as thick as trees are shattered like glass in their wake. The ground is torn apart, rent asunder by their stray blows. Even the attendees caught near their clashes dont stand a chance, some are killed outright, reduced to nothing just for being too close. It all happens in a matter of seconds. Then Nathaniel is standing beside me, the gladius Klara once held now resting casually on his shoulder. Shes gone with no trace of her to be seen. Only CarrotCakes avatar emerges from the smoke. One arm is missing, his body has been torn through, leaving him riddled with ragged, bloody holes, and half his face has been reduced to little more than blood and ruin. But he still strides forward without hesitation, each step heavy enough to make the air around him hum. "Do you like it, you asshole?! It''s not fun when your opponents dont use mana, right?" Nathaniel shouts at the avatar. Then he vanishes again, leaving only an echo behind. For a split second, I catch sight of Nathaniel standing right in front of CarrotCake. In one smooth, brutal motion, he slams the flat side of Klara''s gladius against CarrotCakes chest, unleashing a shockwave that sends even me tumbling until I crash into a tree. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. I lift my head with the taste of blood thick in my mouth. Nathaniel is already gone, leaving no trace. CarrotCakes avatar remains standing for a moment longer, chest ripped open and heart completely destroyed. Then he collapses. His form unravels and dissolves into streams of pale blue particles, rising into the air before scattering like fading embers. POV Samuel The room were in is filled with motion-activated traps. Even the slightest movement causes mana to gather around the crystal floating high above, and a crystalline projectile shoots out almost instantly. I saw one pierce straight through the barrier of a Hell difficulty attendee from the first round, and another break through the shield of a Beyonder from the eighth round, even though it was an upper epic shield. Even talking sets it off. Fortunately, a few of the remaining Hell difficulty attendees, like me, have noticed the inscriptions etched into the stone floor and have begun channeling their mana into them. As in the previous rooms, this one must also have a solution; we just need to proceed carefully. But I have a strong suspicion that if you find a solution, it will only apply to you and exclude you from movement tracking. I suspect this because even the avatars here with us stand unmoving, working through the same process. At this point, it is a race to see who regains the ability to move first. This does not mean there are no fights. The avatars and attendees can still use their primordial energies or rely on skills that dont require movement to pepper each other with attacks. Both sides are defending and attacking at all times. That''s when Noname appears in the middle of the room, caught between two fighting factions. For some reason, his hair is white, and his eyes have turned a dark shade of red. "Damn, what a bunch of losers," he says simply. Three crystal projectiles shoot at him, only to freeze mid-movement before they can pierce his body. He tilts his head with curiosity, and three more shoot his way, all of them stopping in the same fashion, just an arm''s reach away from his body. He moves and touches the tip of one of the crystal projectiles, and each movement causes more and more projectiles to rush his way as dozens of them start collecting around him. Taking one of these crystals into his hand, he twists his body and throws it. The crystal projectile disappears from my sight, leaving just a blur in its wake. One of the avatars crashes against the wall, a crystal stabbed through its chest. Even that movement causes a few more projectiles to form and hit him on the ground, turning him into a mist of fine particles. Around Noname, there are already dozens of crystal projectiles, and he snickers deviously, taking them out of the air and throwing them at the avatars. Beyonders, Hell difficulty, even Easy difficulty, he doesnt leave anyone unscathed, and quickly clears the room. He disappears, and the rain of projectiles trails in his wake, slamming against the ground, but theyre still too slow to catch up. The next time I see him, he puts his hand on the white glowing palm on the huge wooden door, which immediately begins to open. Before he leaves, he turns back, and I can feel his red eyes locked on me. Around him, a hundred crystal projectiles hang frozen in the air, with more forming every time he moves. He mouths something I cant hear, and an invisible force pushes against me just enough to make me stumble. The last thing I see is a dozen crystals speeding toward me from the crystal floating high above. A moment later, I find myself outside, in the common area. I glance over the area at the crowds already outside the event, watching the screens. Some of my men are already here as planned, the ones who gave up on the event early just to record the fourth event using the cameras we set up. "Hows it going?" I ask as I step up to one of them. "Its a mess. We havent been able to locate that silver-haired woman yet, but Noname is on a rampage. Hes already hunted down dozens of Hell difficulty avatars and several of the avatars of the tournament winners. We also tried to track Victoria, but just like during the previous event, shes been holding back. Its tough to properly estimate her abilities." "Continue then," I tell him, and move to my spot to watch the screens. On them, I see Noname tearing through another room, jumping off the walls to dodge attacks and tanking close-range hits from another physically powerful avatar. I remember the time his mana destabilized in the common area and wiped out hundreds of attendees. And I wonder if someone like him should even be allowed to set foot on Earth. But at this point, I have to ask myself if there is anyone who can stop him. POV Sophie Martinez Ive seen Nathaniel fight time and time again, and over time, Ive come to agree with something he himself admits, though many of the others would say the same. Nathaniel is not among the most talented people here; he is not a genius like Savant, Tess, or Tacita. Still, out of everyone Ive met, out of every attendee, hes the one I want to mess with the least. That guy is harder to kill than a cockroach, and his mana output only seems to increase as a given fight progresses rather than running out. There is just too much bullshit he can throw around. The last fight against Absolute Candidate Ruby was proof of that. That red-haired woman was one of those rare, talented fighters and beat the shit out of him for most of the fight, but in the end, he still technically won by managing to die just a split second later. I saw the expressions of people in the common area during that fight, as well as the reactions of spies from other rounds, and it is obvious that the countermeasures theyve been preparing against him will only increase in number. To put it simply, Nathaniel is someone I absolutely do not want to fight or have as an enemy. Yet here I am, standing against his avatar. Our group of a hundred attendees is positioned across the massive square room. It has the same gray walls and red ceiling lit by the same white crystals as the other rooms. The rest of the enormous space is filled with buildings reminiscent of the ones the lynthari on the fourth floor seemed to like. Theres even a fountain in the center, and the area is large enough to host a small city. There are four beyonders I know: Kang Jiwon from the 10th round, some girl from Victoria''s round, Leticia, Luna, and one more guy from Jean''s round. Then we have 10 Hell difficulty attendees, and I don''t even bother to count the lower difficulties. It could be said that the collection of people here is impressive. Still, Leticia, standing by my side, whispers, "Should we run?" Luna, beside us, growls, now at the largest size Ive ever seen this golden retriever reach. Her fur stands on end, and her massive teeth are bared. I look in the direction Leticia has been looking. Nathaniel''s avatar hovers in mid-air. A pale blue crown floats above his head, and the gray tones of his form make the crown''s glow and the golden circles around his pupils stand out even more. Leticia grabs my arm. "Why isnt he moving?" He really isn''t. Nathaniel''s avatar just floats there, dead center of the battlefield, with no attacks, no skill activations, nothing. And yet everyone feels it; the air thickens, and the ground trembles under our feet despite the lack of movement. I swear I saw Kang Jiwon take half a step back. Just half. Enough to mean something. His crown pulses once, and mana rises up around him. Someone shouts, and defenses fire up and activate. Left with no other choice, I activate what I have prepared and stack it up around us, and prepare to fight. My attempt to pierce into his mind is deflected as if I were slamming my head into a steel wall. Again, pressure around him increases. Ten people disappear. No screams, no impact, just gone, vaporized, or maybe something worse. Luna lunges forward before I can react. She vanishes. Leticia shouts and attacks. And all I can do is reach for my mana and hope the next attack doesnt come for me. Chapter 587: Two monsters POV Isabella Martinez One of the doors stands wide open, but the other hasnt moved at all. The floors clear like glass, and whenever we step on it, mana underneath swirls and ripples, almost like water. Surrounding the open door is a barrier that only lets people in. Once you walk through, youre stuck. You cant leave. At the moment, there are about 50 of us in the room. Some people are still looking around, trying to understand the situation. A few sit in the corners, clearly exhausted or hurt, whispering to each other. One guy with a broken arm keeps glancing at the barrier like hes debating whether or not to continue his attempts to break through. A few of the others are walking around the edge of the room, checking the walls and looking for clues or hidden triggers, even though it''s obvious that nothings going to work unless we solve the mana part. Some are just standing still, watching Yamas group with the kind of focus youd expect from the sort of people with no backup plan of their own. I spot one girl slowly etching lines into the floor with her dagger, probably some kind of inscription, but judging by her expression, she doesnt really know what shes doing. Theres tension everywhere. Not the loud kind. The quiet, crawling kind that builds with every minute that nothing happens. No one else from group 4 is present, but Yama has already grouped up with some of the attendees from her and gotten to work on opening the locked door by deciphering the movements of mana under the floor and trying to manipulate them to unlock it. I dont feel movement. Its more like a strong emotion. Whoevers controlling Nathaniels body stops next to me and looks down, and I look up at him. Thats when what Nathaniel asked me to do suddenly makes sense. I can feel the emotions from the thing inside him, and I remember what he told us earlier about the lurker in his mind. "What is your name?" I ask, not wanting to call him Whitey. He gives it some thought and smiles brightly, "Nothaniel." I can only sense a kind of smug satisfaction from him over the lame joke, and I think I understand why Nathaniel would accept someone like him. Even though I can sense a lot of dark emotions radiating from him, the prevailing emotions for the moment are beautiful and pure. Excitement radiates from him in waves. Along with a heavy responsibility that he is happy to bear. Slight annoyance blended with amusement. The bravery of walking toward his death, mixed with something so beautiful that it nearly brings me to tears. "He hates it when people twist his name like that," I tell him. "Yes," he admits, smiling even more. That expression is so unusual on Nathaniel''s face it takes me aback. "Are you having fun?" I ask while sitting down, and he sits next to me. "You already know that, and I won''t even try to hide my emotions from you. Did you know that you scare Nathaniel sometimes?" "Yes, I do." "Do you wanna hear some of his deepest secrets?" "Yes! I mean, no! That would be rude." "Are you sure?" "I...n-yes! Don''t tell me anything." I can hear your heart and feel your blood and muscles move. So why bother lying, you nosy little thing? But fine, have it your way. Why arent they unlocking the door? "It''s very difficult, and theyre having trouble deciphering mana locks or something." Nothaniel stands up and stretches, enjoying each of these movements. At the same time, Yama finally takes notice of him as she looks away from the inscription that she and her group have drawn on the floor. He gives her a wave, which leads her to furrow her brow. "Thank you," I shout to him before he can leave. It causes him to stop, and he looks at me with those beautiful eyes, "What for, human?" "For being his friend and refusing to turn on him. He still doesnt know how to ask for help, and he keeps trying to carry everything on his own." "Hes a mess, I know, but that doesnt mean he needs anyone fixing him. Dont underestimate him," he says with a nod, then freezes as I grab his hand. It''s a warm and strong hand, and he looks at me with a flash of awkwardness quickly replaced by surprise and annoyance. "What?" he asks impatiently. "Im sorry he couldnt help you, and that the rest of us never got the chance to know you." He snorts and pulls his hand away from mine. Then he gently taps on the floor with his foot. The mana swirling underneath gets pushed aside as if his foot were causing an invisible explosion. He repeats it, but where there was a single shockwave before, now there are five, each one entirely different from the others. The mana under the surface crashes against itself, battered by the shockwaves and swirling in beautiful patterns until it stops entirely. Then the formerly closed door slowly creaks open. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I look away from them and back to him, but hes already gone, and now standing in front of Yama. She teleports away, only for him to appear in front of her again, wearing that same smile and just staring. Her strings spiral, move, attack, form defenses, or swing, but he avoids them all with the slightest movements of his body. Every time she teleports, hes already there, within arms reach, just watching her with that smile. He tracks her constantly, even as she sets up fakes. The attacks she sends his way stop mid-air, explosions frozen as if time itself had paused, flames refusing to burn and simply hanging there. None of the people from her group can move. Ever since the beginning, theyve just stood there, unmoving. In the end, even Yama ends up the same. Shes frozen in place, not a single strand of her hair moves. Her annoyance, which flared into anger and surprise, now barely masks her unease and growing tension. Nothaniel steps closer and taps her forehead with that devilish smile of his. "Know your place," he says. Then hes gone, and she just stands there, staring at the spot where he vanished. Her face remains calm and composed as always, but I notice the faintest blush on her cheeks and feel her confused emotions. POV Dennis Dalton This room is the size of a small city. It has the same cube shape, gray walls, and red ceiling, but the floor is covered in ankle-deep water. In addition, there are floating droplets of water, thousands of them all throughout the room. Each of these droplets explodes on contact, with a force capable of killing even a Hell attendee. And they are impossible to perceive with any sense other than sight. For the last five hours, the event has gone pretty well. Aaron and I were following Derick and Hector, the 6th and 8th round tournament winners, having been lucky enough to have been thrown into the same starting room. So, obviously, we decided to stick to them. Who wouldn''t? Together, they dealt with the Korean King''s avatar and a few of the Beyonder avatars. Sometimes it''s hard to see because Nats always beating the shit out of these people, but they are pretty strong in their own rights. Of course, we still do our part. We even created a few illusions to confuse avatars so that the invisible Hector could snipe them down with his poisonous, self-guided spear. We also created a communication link between the strongest members of our group. That got us a surprised look, and I think it''s because we did it so easily without any need for an anchor, and because the connection is so stable. It''s something that group 4 considers normal at this point. We even have countermeasures against people using a similar connection to take advantage of them in combat, and secondary connections hidden below the main one to ensure that the enemy thinks they got rid of everything. It would be funny to mention to them that between us and Nat, were probably a few years away from the possibility of sharing mana through that connection and a decade or two from sharing vitality or something similar. So yes, we did well, things went well, and weve already cleared a few rooms. Some of them werent easy. One room had shifting gravity and reflective surfaces that kept bouncing our attacks back at us. Another was filled with some kind of thick fog that messed with sound and made it impossible to judge distances. We worked well together. It hasnt been perfect, of course, but we arent just some random group anymore. We were starting to feel like a real team. Maybe even the best team. Friends for life. Angry Kitten Slayers! Then Tacita''s avatar appeared, and Derick and Hector died within seconds, both of them. For the first time, I understood why Nat is scared of her and why he kept telling us that when it comes to fighting attendees, Tacita is likely the most dangerous person in Earth''s tutorial. Holding a dagger with a gray blade in one hand and one coated in blue mana in the other, she calmly steps toward us. Pale blue particles still shimmer around her, the last remnants of the two Kings. There are a few dozen of our illusions, but her eyes never leave the spot where Aaron and I are. I use [Haste] and she disappears. I can''t even follow her movement, but the moment she is gone, I exchange places with one of my illusions through [Connection]. When I start looking for her, she isn''t there, and in a panic, I do it again, and so does Aaron. Every time, just for a faint moment, I see an attack slash through the place we once stood, but shes quick to catch up, and already weve been reduced to a handful of illusions. After a quick message, we both prepare, relying on our [Connection], which is much stronger than anything we can create alone, especially in combination with Aaron''s dexterity. Its not perfectly efficient, so some of it gets wasted, but in that moment, my speed increases dramatically, and I use [Haste] on my mind. Aaron disappears, exchanging locations with the illusion we left far behind, and only now do I barely see Tacita''s avatar. Every surviving attendee moves in slow motion, but she still moves incredibly quickly. The water under her feet barely splashes, and shes already far away from that spot. I barely lift my dagger to block a single attack, and I swing my short sword at her, only to watch my severed arm go flying through the air. Then I realize she hasnt even been going all out against me and Aaron until now. What a freak. Her dagger aims at my heart, but then she freezes, the blade just barely touching my chest. And behind her, stands Nathaniel, just an arm''s reach away. He is smiling demonically. Only then do I see his red eyes and white hair. He mouths something, but the air around Tacita''s avatar flickers, and she turns around and swings at his head. She doesn''t even bother finishing or attacking me, fully focused on him. Nathaniel dodges her attack with these erratic, impossible movements that look even more confusing than usual, and Tacita keeps avoiding attacks I cannot see that send shockwaves through the water or cause the water behind her to explode into geysers. They move all over the place, slipping between the attendees without so much as disturbing the surface of the water. Even with all the effort Ive put into overclocking my perception, I can barely track them. But I notice that even as quick as Nathaniel is right now, he can barely match her. She even seems to be faster than he. At first, it seems to annoy him, but the annoyance is quickly replaced by a vivid grin. In a burst of motion, he sends her flying backward, and she slides across the water''s surface before coming to a stop. She tosses aside both of her broken daggers and pulls a new one from her clothes. Its dark red, its glowing tip leaving a trail in the air with every movement. She takes a stance. Nathaniel mirrors her, taking a stance unlike any Ive seen from him before. A deep thud erupts from his body, shaking the massive room and causing all the floating water droplets to explode. Several bursts near Tacita forcing her to dodge. He appears at her side. Despite moving at incredible speed, he stops so abruptly that the deceleration alone wouldve killed any normal person. The red dagger slices through the air, its glowing tip carving a line that just barely misses him. Then he regains momentum and crashes into Tacita with the same force he had before stopping. Chapter 588: Lioren POV Lioren Ill never understand humans. They''re strange and tend to be weak, but every now and then, one turns out to be crazy enough to surprise even a demon. Adrian used to be like that. He had his own rules, rules I could never understand. Following them, he broke through Beyond floors at a speed that left even the handlers speechless. Nathaniel is similar. He also has that spark that makes me want to destroy him, but even more so, I want to fan it further just to see how brightly it will burn before dying out. Sometimes, I saw his disciple telling him something, but Nathaniel didnt seem to understand. Especially when that little girl acted more like a demon than many full demons I once knew, and every time it happened, he just seemed confused. Perhaps he just thought of it as a funny quirk, a simple eccentricity on the part of his disciple, but just as I do not fully understand him, he does not fully understand us demons. But out of all the humans whose minds I couldve ended up trapped in, this petty little shit was not that bad. Theres one thing Ill never tell him or let him see in my memories, but sometimes I think he could be more terrifying than any demon Ive ever known. And yet, there are moments when hes so soft it makes me want to punch him. But isnt that why little Vega and I didnt mind becoming his friends? What drew us to the light he keeps hidden inside? Demons like us arent used to that. We hate those kinds of feelings. But like everything else among us, strength decides everything. And if hes going to be the strongest, then no demon would ever speak against his rules or behavior, no matter how soft they might seem. Because the strongest have that right. Funnily enough, I am currently much stronger than Nathaniel. I have access to more kinetic energy than Ive ever held. That disgusting amount of mana is transformed into it immediately, to the point that I have trouble using it all and feel a constant desire to use it wastefully. My body is healthy and moves the way I want without requiring constant infusions of kinetic energy. And I dont have to worry about my heart breaking apart every time I channel a bit more kinetic energy. His physical stats are not as high as mine used to be. His strength, dexterity, and constitution are pathetically low, and I have to rely on kinetic energy to enhance them. Even a single hit could be dangerous to me if I were to let it pass. If it were anyone else in this situation, they''d be in trouble. But not me. Im someone who became a Champion candidate barely a few months into the tutorial, even with my fucked-up body. Im someone multiple Champions said could have become an Absolute candidate, were it not for my broken body. Using kinetic energy is something I can do very well. And his body helps too; it almost instinctively channels these huge amounts of kinetic energy without breaking. Every time I reach for more, I do it with hesitation in the back of my mind. I expect something to break or tear. But it does not happen. I ask for more kinetic energy, I channel it, and I get it. My skill, along with the instinct of this body developed over two years of stopping his insane level of mana from breaking it apart, makes that possible. He always says there are geniuses he couldve never matched without discipline and effort, and he genuinely believes that. But he also believes that if he puts in the work, he can achieve whatever he sets his mind to. Until now, Ive been fighting that mute, nimble girl using only what Id be capable of even without Nathaniel. But the longer we clash, the more I watch her move, the faster my heart beats. She pushes her speed until I can no longer track her with my eyes, yet another monster from this tutorial. So I stop relying on sight. I dont even try to follow her movements. I focus on the space around me, on the vibrations and their absence in the areas she passes through with her field. I move to the side, I dance around her blade, I slow her movement with a spike of restrictive force, and attack in turn. She ducks, she jumps, she spins. Her perception turns out to be exactly what youd expect from someone so new to the system. Its still lacking, and she barely manages to predict my attacks. But she has something else. Instinct. A kind of pulse that tells her to move before her mind can catch up. Its hard to pull off, but shes one of the rare people who can. I trail her movement and follow behind her, weaving paths between the gathered attendees. Waves of kinetic energy explode out from me, detonating the droplets in her path to direct her movements, and I use even more of that immense kinetic energy currently being channeled through my body. And that body handles it. So I use more. And more. I catch up to her. I dodge under her attacks. My needlepoint pierces where her head was mere moments ago. More. I appear in front of her. She seems so slow that, for the first time in my life, my body and my kinetic energy move quickly enough to match my senses, one of my best qualities. I grab her left arm and tear it off. Something to amuse that guy, Im sure, is watching. Her avatar swings at the same time I do. I catch her hand before my other one strikes, punching a hole through where her heart should be. Even then, she rips herself away, leaving her right arm behind in my grasp. Armless, she drops low and charges with incredible speed, nearly headbutting me before I switch to Breaker Style and completely destroy her avatars body. I expand my senses and move again. My body pushes me forward, craving more of this feeling. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Rooms flash in front of my eyes as I pass by them. I ignore the attendees, destroy avatars, and make my way deeper into the labyrinth. Each room is different, some are bigger, others are smaller, and each has its own traps. The rooms are indestructible, even to someone of Champion rank. The Labyrinth of Xyphos is a real place that exists outside of the tutorial, something I heard about in Beyond. Then I reach a simple room. No traps, no avatars, just a hundred attendees trapped inside by a barrier that allows entry but not exit. The temperature in the room keeps increasing while they do everything they can to destroy the door that is slightly different from the previous ones. The "test" here is to destroy the door. Landing nearby, I slow to a walk. As if knowing my intentions, the heart beating inside this body increases its output. Each heartbeat sends a huge surge of kinetic energy through me and shakes the air. Its audible. It is raw and makes the tips of my fingers tingle. I wait. More and more energy courses through me, an amount I have never held in my life, an amount he handles so casually and wastefully at all times. Then more of it. I grab it, I move it, I feel it. Its something I feel an urge to do slowly, making sure the guy whose body I currently possess can feel every part of it. So that with his own body, he can remember the proper way to move kinetic energy. Then I release it toward the door. Theres no shockwave. No side effects to hurt the others in the room. All of it is perfectly directed ahead, not a speck wasted. The wooden door explodes outward, turning into a shower of huge shards, spraying into the room beyond. I move in, eager as I sense another presence, but then I halt my movement. A silver-haired woman stands there; the wooden shrapnel from the door is deflected by a short burst of mana. And for the first time, I am thankful its not an avatar. She looks at me with that typical expression, but she does not say anything until I reach the door in front of her. Only then she calls, "I wouldn''t open that. My avatar is in there." I stop moving, and when I turn back to her, shes smiling. "Run, little demon. You unfortunate Absolute Candidate, born only to never reach the true height of your potential. You have three seconds." The moment the words leave her mouth, everything shifts. My body reacts before I can think. I turn and explode forward. Air tears around me. Rooms whip past in a blur. Walls stretch and smear like streaks of paint. My feet hit the ground faster than my eyes can process. I feel the pressure building in my limbs, the force of my speed pushing against my bones. My senses struggle to keep up, and I move on pure instinct, catching only fragments of the things around me. In the first second, I pass by four rooms. In the next second, I pass by seven more rooms. In the final second, I pass by twelve more rooms. And even there, the mana radiation still reaches me. The labyrinth, impossible to be damaged by any Champion, shakes and cracks. A thousand avatars and attendees are wiped out in a split second as the two monsters begin their fight. The sheer pressure blows dozens of doors open. The otherwise impenetrable barriers vanish, and the rooms themselves break. I move away from that place for the next few hours, never stopping for too long, and collecting as many points as possible. I find a low arcane greatsword that I use for a while before throwing it away. I test the avatars of the other Beyonders. And I move my body and use kinetic energy as much as possible. I revel in that feeling, and I teach the owner of this body by letting him experience it all. Then, finally, I find him, an avatar with gray and brown eyes and a crown floating above his head, guarding the labyrinths exit. So we fight. During that fight, I show him every weakness I have noticed he possesses, as well as those mirrored by his avatar. Some are caused by a lack of experience, and some are due to the bad habits hes built over time and will need to change. His avatar is the toughest fight yet, even more difficult than that girl. He can fly, hes difficult to catch, does not seem to tire, and only grows stronger the longer the fight lasts. His eyes and mind analyze the opponent, creating countermeasures using the multitude of specializations at his disposal to face me. But at the same time, its just so easy. So fucking easy. I unleash the full output of this body and channel it with every trick I know. The mana around me freezes as I bring it to a stop. It doesnt matter how much the avatar releases, I shut it all down. His crown turns black, but even that is useless against me, because I do not rely on mana. His speed increases, his reactions increase, and his damage increases. And I go all out; I match his output, and even here I show Nathaniel what it feels like to fight against him. He is, at times, a smart human; he will notice even things I might have missed. In a final spiteful, petty move, the avatar does something Nathaniel had not done until now and fully lifts one of the seals on its Ignition Heart, and the amount of thermal energy he releases matches the amount of mana he currently possesses. The heat fills the room; the air dries up and cracks as if it were about to shatter. The avatar moves that heat and these golden flames around, manipulating them as if they were water. They are reminiscent of waves, seeping out, crashing, devouring everything in their path, including his body. I''m sure that if it were not an avatar but Nathaniel, he would be smiling. I can feel the same smile on my face. I phase through the flames; I even halt their movement for a brief moment, something I did not even think I would be capable of. Then I defeat him completely, leaving no doubt about who is stronger. When I stand there, breathing heavily, I unleash that heart once more. Each heartbeat fills me with more and more kinetic energy. It builds up to the point that even this ridiculous body fails to channel it all, but I am cruel, so I push further. The body finally starts breaking; tears appear on the heart, and the construct etched into it begins evaporating. And all of that kinetic energy moves around me in a way I have been in love with ever since I was a child. Its this energy that saved my life, that allowed me to live normally even with all the disabilities I was born with, and I have never once stopped being thankful for it. "Beautiful," I whisper as I observe that ever so chaotic movement one last time. And in that moment, understanding comes, clearer than ever. With newfound confidence, I reach for it, and as naturally as breathing, I grasp all that kinetic energy like its the easiest thing in the world. Then it all unravels. That vast power collapses in on itself, vanishing in a cascading chain of motion, like a castle of sand washed away by the sea. I think of one last thing I could say to that guy, but only cheap words come to mind, nothing satisfactory. So I just stay quiet and leave behind the memory of a feeling. My memories and my being start to dissipate as I let go, but I don''t hesitate. Without fear, I step toward the door and exit the labyrinth. This past year... was fun. Chapter 589: Gray kitten I open my eyes back in the common area. After glancing over the notifications, I close them all and move the rewards from winning the 4th event towards the final reward. Only one event remains. My body is restored to its previous state, and all the changes I made to it at the start of the 4th event are gone. Only a series of memories remains, along with many things I should improve on. There is also the name of a person I will never forget, safely stored in my mind. Sensing someone trying to get my attention, I turn to see Victoria standing at the edge of the common area. With a single use of Wraith Dance, I reach her and meet her gaze. In front of her, I don''t try to hide anything or pretend. Just like when we were younger, she reaches out, pinches my nose, and ruffles my hair. Coming from her, it makes for an incredibly warm gesture. "Im going to cook something for you, so come to the 4th zone later today," she says. "Vic, you cant cook to save your life, and neither can I." "You always liked the pancakes I made." "And I would prefer eating them over a Michelin-star meal." "So, as I said, come to the 4th round zone later." "I will, Vic." "Good. See you later, Natty," she says as she leaves. I watch her figure disappear into the forest before she uses more strength and moves in a way a superhuman from comics would, something I would consider impossible on Earth. Then a thought hits me: what superhero would someone from Hell difficulty be able to defeat? As I muse over the list, I head towards Savant''s signature, and seeing me approach, he waits for me. There, I create a manabloc chair and take a seat next to the bench he is sitting on, and look at him. He returns my gaze as well. "What do you want to start with?" I ask him simply. He simply answers, "We could start with kinetic energy. Your performance in the last event piqued my curiosity, and I think the process of talking through it will help you understand what you experienced." I look at him, thinking about all he would seem to know, but decide not to dwell on it. "What skill are you using to absorb kinetic energy?" I ask. "Is it required for you to know in order to help me?" "Not really, but I''m curious. And it''s not like I don''t have a general idea, do you agree? One of my skills'' names in exchange for yours?" "I could do that," he confirms. "That''s surprising." "Why?" "I thought you would be more tight-lipped, given how much of a lone wolf you are." "As you said, it''s something you likely already suspect. And you might think I consider you all enemies, but that''s not the case. I try to maintain a neutral position with everyone here; I harbor neither ill nor good feelings for any of you. In the future, we might even need to cooperate in some limited capacity." "So youre building up good relationships?" "I wouldn''t call it that. Things like that require time and effort; all around, its a hassle Im not interested in. As for my skill, it''s called [Absorption]. As youve likely guessed, it allows me to absorb attacks to release them later or to examine, if I''m capable of doing so. A few weeks ago, I managed to absorb a tiny bit of kinetic energy, and ever since the 1st floor, Ive been able to absorb body parts as well." "As you said, our group already had it all more or less figured out. So you have some lumoran Champion''s hand, the forearm bone of some kind of tough monster or person, one of your legs also seems to have been replaced, and possibly some of your inner organs? Grumpy also theorizes that one of your eyes, or at least part of it, has been absorbed." "I won''t answer that." "That''s understandable. Mine is [Redistribution]. As you probably have guessed, it allows me to absorb kinetic and thermal energy from the area around me. I cant quite use it to turn that energy into mana yet, but I also have a way to transfer my mana into kinetic energy." "And that second heart of yours." "Just silly rumors." "Want to hear more silly rumors?" "Why not." Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. "Two hearts, kinetic and thermal, an eye trait connected to mana, likely a wavelength type, an Amplificator, a concentration type skill, and an array of self-made constructs etched into your body," he pauses for a moment, "a stupid thing to do if I have to say so. The mana stone I left with your healer shouldve confirmed just how risky body modifications can be. "Very silly rumors indeed, and I know." "Then theres that black mana of yours. Do you know that during our duel in the last tournament, I absorbed a tiny piece of it and examined it?" That makes my curiosity spike, and I observe him more closely: his heartbeat and the tiniest movements of his body as I try to grasp what he is thinking. He continues, "I suspect that it''s an extremely dense form of mana, the kind of thing you were only able to create because of your high grade concentration skill, talent in [Mana Manipulation], or some higher grade version of the skill, and your ability to channel huge amounts of mana so quickly. But that probably isn''t all; that would just be too easy. At first, I thought it was primordial void energy, but Ive since met users of that primordial energy, and it''s not that. Then I theorized it was a different sort of primordial energy, something beyond the common five, and it still seems to be the closest guess I have. It could also be just a rare variation of mana you were able to gain thanks to a series of fortuitous events." "I bought it in a system shop sale." As before, he doesn''t seem amused, so we continue as per our deal, and I teach him some of the basics of kinetic energy. Some concepts I came up with on my own, and some that I got from Lioren. I don''t try to hide things from him, and I dont worry about the possibility of "giving him a weapon that could be used against me." Everything I show him, he understands quickly. I watch as he catches on, comes to his own conclusions, and attempts to apply them. Sometimes, he even seems to ignore what I''m saying and continues pushing through his failures as he tries to perform the movement or exercise. It never takes him too many attempts. With his sharp, near-clinical sense, he breaks down everything Ive shown him and demonstrates his talent. Ive heard people making fun of his Community alias, calling himself Savant and all. They said hes arrogant, edgy, and all manner of other things. But not once have I heard anyone say that he was wrong. Everyone who meets this guy and sees his understanding and the speed at which he learns and absorbs the abilities shown to him finds it nothing less than impressive. Of course, it won''t stop me from calling him a coward. He might say he''s playing the long game and being patient, but I disagree. After the lesson, I leave so that he can have some time to train on his own for a bit, and I enter the 7th round''s zone. People recognize me as I enter their common area, and the barrier they set puts a mark on me that at least some of the people hanging around can track. Surprisingly, the first one to talk to me isn''t human. "Brother, over here," the childlike voice calls to me. I stop and look down at my feet. Brother, may I have some food?" asks the little chubby kitten at my feet. Its light gray and perfectly round, covered in soft, fuzzy fur. It looks like a fluffy ball with a chubby face and pale blue eyes that hardly seem to blink. "What?" "Have I spoken wrong?" the kitten replies, its mouth moving a beat too late like its trying to remember that mouths are supposed to move when speaking. "Why do you talk like that?" I ask. The gray kitten tilts its head. "There was a young human who taught me these words, brother. He and others always laughed when I said them and always gave me food. Even now, people do that." I squat down. Its hard to tell how strong it is, just like with Noodle. But theres a kind of weight to the kitten, like something heavy is trying to hiding inside something small. It keeps speaking, unprompted, still staring up with those emotionless eyes. "That boy died on the 4th floor. The Black Ant took his insides, brother." Now I notice that no one tries to move closer. In fact, they seem to actively avoid the little kitten. I even sense a hint of fear in the people around me. Wordlessly, I look into those eyes, and as they look into mine, Im overcome with a disturbing feeling, as if theyre trying to pull me in. "Brother, where is the one who marked you?" the kitten asks, and for the first time, its expression changes. It looks eager, but I cant guess the intention behind it, it lacks any hint of friendliness. Instead, tiny sharp teeth make themselves visible for longer than they perhaps should be. "Get away from him!" someone shouts, and I recognize the voice as Luna''s. The golden retriever stands nearby, currently making herself bigger than a horse. She is growling, and her fur is raised as she stares threateningly at the little kitten. Even then, she doesn''t dare to come closer. That gray kitten returns her gaze without so much as being taken aback and instead stands up to slowly walk away. It glances backward at me once and licks its lips before making its way into the forest. Finally, Luna steps closer, "Avoid him, crazy human, that thing is no good." She shrinks back to her normal size and nudges my side until I pet the top of her head. "Is it really a little kitten?" I ask. "No one knows for sure; it''s the only one surviving in its Hell difficulty group. But enough of that creepy thing. What do you want here? Have you come to apologize? Did you know your avatar killed me during the last event? How will you repay me for that?" "You should have killed him before he could." "I cannot fly, unlike your cowardly avatar. How was I supposed to bite him, then?" "That''s true." I pet her again to get another tail wag out of her. "I came to see Leticia." Luna looks at me and squints her eyes before snorting and starting to walk away, and I follow at her side. "You know what they call you?" she asks out of nowhere as we enter the forest. "Excuse me?" "The people from the different zones, I mean. They call you Manahead, Flashbang, The Detonator, Mana Junkie, The Glitch Mage, Mana Daddy..." "Okay, okay, let''s stop there." "Sure. Simply put, there is a lot of talk, crazy human. I heard there was even a small group declaring you a messiah, another one was collecting videos and photos of you, and some of them are planning to kill you, saying that youre just too dangerous to be allowed on Earth." Luna pauses and a dry laugh escapes her, "They all used to talk that way about their own tournament winners, but during this tournament, youve attracted a lot of that negative attention to yourself. I even heard some of the other rounds are joining forces to take you down in the final event." "Is the 7th round one of them?" I ask. She laughs again, "Who knows." Chapter 590: Facade "I came to discuss our next Beyond Expedition. Youre the most sociable person in our little group, so you shouldnt have too much trouble planning everything out with the others. Soph and Grumpy can help, too, if youre willing to talk to them. CarrotCake joining could work as well, but I know if I try to speak with him personally, hell only want to fight me. I would appreciate it if you organised everything and helped us set a schedule," I tell Leticia after Luna brings me to her. The young woman sighs, "And I thought you came to catch up and chat." "I''m busy." "You keep dying, even as we speak." "Why is it that everyone can tell?" I complain. "Not everyone. I''m just that skilled," Leticia smiles. "But I don''t mind organizing things. It is a request from one of Earth''s most powerful, so why not, if only to maintain good relationships." "Sounds good to me. Ill make sure to pay you back for all the trouble." "Well, first, maybe be a bit nicer to us during the events. Luna and I might get traumatized," Leticia says, looking at the golden retriever who immediately starts nodding in agreement, before looking back at me. "Its just a joke before you decide to take it too seriously." "Got it." "You know, you got me all curious. A lot of people know you can use kinetic energy pretty well, but what you showed during the last event... that was something else." "It''s not something I want to talk about." Something in my tone seems to startle Luna. She whimpers softly and, with lowered ears, pokes my side, forcing me to look down at her. She nudges me repeatedly until, with a sigh, I pet her. Luna said she used to be a guide dog for Leticia, who was blind before the tutorial. Still, isn''t she a perceptive little thing? "Well, I won''t press you for information then. Just a warning though: there are already other rounds conspiring against you, and..." "It doesn''t matter," I say as I get up from the chair. "Thank you for the warning, but I don''t even care if they come at me all at once. I''ll see you later." I wave them off and teleport away, finding myself back in my workshop, where I take a moment to think about what Ive just been told. Yes, I don''t mind even if the other rounds gang up against me. In fact, in my current state, I would probably welcome it. Lily, Sophie, the twins, Savant, and I are all sitting in our living room with the Sword of Aeons laid out on the table. The most cowardly guy in the world is acting like everythings perfectly normal, but he still looks completely out of place sitting here. Ive barely interacted with him, and from what the others have said, he rarely speaks to anyone else. Every now and then, he shows up to make a trade, always offering some obscure bit of knowledge or some item hes picked up on the floors. He never gives anything away for free. He never helps out or throws in anything extra, always sticking exactly to what was agreed. I can''t say I mind that. A purely transactional relationship works fine for me. I still have two more two-hour-long lessons in kinetic energy with him, according to our deal. In exchange, I get mana stones with various bits of knowledge, mainly related to inscribing items and the usage of thermal energy he got from who knows where. And were still helping him with the Sword of Aeons as well. He wants us to fix some of the melted inscriptions on the blade. As far as Im concerned, just having the opportunity to work on the best mana battery on Eladore is enough to be worth the effort. Not that Im going to tell him that. Lastly, and this part is mostly for Lily, he needs help with his hand, the one that once belonged to a lumoran Champion. I doubt he absorbed it just for the Champion grade bones and whatever else came with it. From the way he spoke, I have a strong feeling that he did it to make handling the Sword of Aeons easier, though I still dont understand how. Im relying on Lily to figure that out. At first, I thought it might be dumb to rely so heavily on an item, but the more we work and talk, the stronger my suspicion grows. This maniac of a cowardly man seems determined to repair the Sword of Aeons as much as possible for one reason. To absorb it later. What a brilliant idea coming from someone so cowardly. Of course, I''m sure there are things he wants to gain by working with us, beyond the services hes commissioned. The asshole is very, very intently observing everything that happens, and I''m even sure hes planning to absorb bits of Lily''s healing to examine later, the same way he did with that tiny piece of black mana. Hes very shrewd, so I observe everything that happens carefully and maintain communication with the others through our link. I have to keep Lily, Sophie, and the twins from giving him too much after all. If he wants more, hell have to pay more. At the same time, I also try to gain as much as possible from him. I keep my eyes active at all times, paying special attention to every time he uses [Absorption] or some other skill. As for the reward for helping with his hand, I''ll leave that to Lily to decide since she''ll be the one dealing with it. I just need to make sure our silly terminator doesn''t get scammed or choose something that''ll end up being a gift for me later. She is very capable in that regard. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Days pass like this. Its the biggest break yet leading up to the last event, and everyone is training or preparing as much as possible. Lissandra hasn''t contacted me since the start of the 4th event. It makes me nervous, but also more determined at the same time. While I''m sure that Izzy and I understand her properly and she won''t call me out for the way I dealt with the 4th event, but at the same time, both I and our empath are fairly certain that shell punish me for the offense by making the last event that much more difficult for me. Victoria visits often now that both of us have a bit more time. It still feels strange seeing her here, but not in a bad way. I can tell she''s holding herself back a lot. She and her group should be able to do so much more during the events. Other than that, Myrra is spending a lot of time here as well. She trains and spars frequently, revealing more and more of her real strength. Shes stronger than Maya; she can beat Sophie, the twins, and Min-Jae quite easily. Only Lily causes her trouble. One day, Jean even comes by, but not to challenge me. He warns me that a bunch of people from his group have asked him to join forces with them to take down group 4, but he rejected it and decided to do whatever he wants. After saying that, he notices Myrra and challenges her to a fight. Even though it is close, Myrra loses three times in a row because of his ridiculous strength and that physique of his that counters mana users. Surprisingly, they actually seem to hit it off because of their similar personalities, and despite being surrounded by others, they continue to shout their lame jokes and laugh at the dumbest things they can think of. The arcane item Ive been making for Channeler is nearly finished, and as promised, Ive invited Miwa to observe whenever she wants. Shes already committed to working exclusively with group 4, and Channeler simply acts as if it were the obvious outcome. Channeler and Maya are the ones who deal with people most of the time, now that Tess isn''t here. They both turn out to be really good at it, and Mayas taken to calling herself my knight and claiming that she has the ability to summon me. It isn''t even entirely wrong, thanks to the Ley Lines, Ive connected to everyone. Meanwhile, the other attendees avoid Sophie as much as they can, even most of those in Hell difficulty. She doesn''t seem to mind and seems just fine being with her sister and the rest of our group. Tent Creep is still ranked first among crafters, with some guy named Mateo in a close second. Miwa is now in 8th place, probably dropping from 5th because she spends so much time observing my work. But she doesnt seem to regret it in the least. A few times, I try to reach the 7th round zone to find that gray kitten, but I can''t find it. It''s gone, and no one seems to know where it went. I come across a few more animals in other zones: a horse, a hawk, some more cats and dogs, a few rats, and others. Some of them can talk, others can''t, and their strengths vary a lot. A few are on the same level as Luna, but none are as strong as Biscuit or as unsettling as the gray kitten. I also find out from Lily and Izzy that Tacita will likely be cooperating with the other rounds during the final event. It seems she wasnt too happy about us working with Savant. POV Myrra The feral one''s sister sits there in her usual fashion, perfectly straight, with her clothes neatly arranged and her hands resting in her lap as if she were posing for a portrait or simply pretending to sit like a normal human without really knowing how to pull it off. While we wait for the feral one to return from his workshop, the rest of his group seems to be handling her with a sort of awkward tension. They try to make conversation, and she follows along effortlessly. She answers questions, asks her own, always with perfectly measured politeness. Not once does she seem annoyed, upset, or bothered by any awkward silence. I hate it. I hate it so much. It''s a facade I can see right through, even if it manages to fool some of group 4s members. She''s always polite and pleasant, always knowing exactly what to say or ask. Then, as if it were planned, she shifts the direction of the conversation. There is something I felt the need to say if you do not mind. "Sure, you don''t have to ask," says the mindblender girl, as the feral one likes to call her, smiling. "Thank you, Sophie. It is a bit more serious than our normal conversation." Victoria looks around, as if making sure that everyones listening, then nods. "This tournament is coming to an end, and I wont be able to see you anymore, so I want to make sure that things are clear. If I come off as offensive, I would only ask that you not take it as a sign of hostility. I just want to make my stance obvious, and you are free to ask me as many questions as you want to confirm it." She looks around the room again, and the atmosphere grows colder. "While I do respect my brother''s decision to befriend you all, it is not the sort of thing I think will be ideal or optimal for him, but it is his decision to make. Even though I am personally against it, I still like to see him having fun. To me, he is like a child discovering new things, but unlike him, I do not think this," she gestures around, "will work out. Not in this place and not in this tutorial. But it is his mistake to make and his lesson to learn, so I will be there for him when it all breaks down in the end." Victoria adjusts her already perfect clothes, always so composed and logical. "Please do not take this to mean that I bear any ill will toward you in particular. While I think some of you may be using my brother for your own safety and would otherwise be dead without him, I also believe you that you are offering him something he thinks he wants in return. Rather than acting as simple parasites, you are living in symbiosis with him. Even though I still think you may be taking more than you give, my brother seems to believe the opposite, so I can accept that." No one else speaks as she looks around the room. "I do understand that it might come off as insulting and offensive and that your emotions might lead you to dislike me because of it, but I believe its something that needs to be said. Simply put, I want my brother to be happy, even if only for a few weeks or months, and I want him to experience the kind of things he missed out on as a child. But I also want to give you a warning: do not abuse my brother''s nature." She doesnt say what will happen if that were to occur, but the implications are more than clear. Some of the others look at her as if theyre seeing her for the first time. Others glance around nervously as if waiting for someone to say its a joke. One or two, though, seem like they were expecting this. I then remember her interaction with Lissandra when they met just a few hours ago. Even then, Victoria didnt seem to hesitate, not even in the face of that woman, going so far as to say, "No, I refuse to do what you ask me to when it comes to my brother. You might think I stand against you so easily because I cannot die within the tournament, but I can assure you I would say exactly the same thing even if real death were possible." Lissandra said, "I can see that you aren''t lying." "I am not. While I do not wish to die yet, I am not afraid of it. Do not think I have not seen what you have done to my brother. I have overlooked it to a point because I believe it will help him to grow stronger and because he has not asked for my help, but at the same time, I cannot help but deeply dislike you, Lady Lissandra." "I thought of you as a more logical person." "But I believe this is entirely logical. My brother is a person I love deeply. So, is it not reasonable that I would see things differently when he is involved?" "This is something I can somewhat agree with," Lissandra said as if dissecting a theory. "Protecting someone often requires more than words. I am curious. How far does your logic take you when it comes to removing others? How many deaths would you accept to ensure his safety?" And back then, with the same calm tone shes always used, Victoria replied, "I do not count things like that. It suggests there is a limit." She said this so casually that it took a moment for me to realize what shed actually said. Chapter 591: Start of the 5th event Chapter 591: Start of the 5th event 5th event: Tyrant''s Arena will start in one hour! The event will take place in an area selected by the system, tailored specifically for Earth''s tutorial attendees. The event will last one hour. There will only be one winner for this event - the last person standing at the end. Everyone else will have lost. Note: It is possible to forfeit the event by simply thinking or saying I forfeit. Note: At forty-five, thirty, fifteen, and five minutes remaining before the end, the barrier surrounding the event area will shrink rapidly. This event will mark the end of the second Earth tournament. Attendees will then have 24 hours on the tournament floor before returning to their respective floors, where the Floor Quests will continue. Good luck! I close the window, get out of the bath, and dry myself by channeling thermal energy through my body. I teleport back to my room, wondering, as I do, whether or not this is making me a bit too lazy. Still, I create an arm made of mana to grab a set of clothes from the bed and bring them to me. After putting them on, I use kinetic energy to float over to the mirror and use another mana arm to turn it toward me. Looking into my reflection, I see myself wearing an extremely comfortable set of black sweatpants and a similarly comfortable pair of running shoes that Im sure will explode the moment I perform a particularly quick movement. Or maybe not? Perhaps I could use kinetic energy to prevent that from happening? Seems like it could work. I complete my look with a gray hoodie, decking myself out with the clothing I bought from Gloria, choosing the familiarity of Earth''s clothes over the gear I got in the tutorial. The overall effect is weirdly calming and comfortable. I enjoy the feeling of the fabric and its stretchiness. Ive even used one of the scent cubes Lily collected back on the 6th floor, so the clothes wrap me in a fresh, citrusy smell. Another mana arm reaches out to open the door, and I continue to float just slightly above the floor as I make my way out of the room. Near the stairs, I run into Maya, who stops in surprise, shakes her head in disbelief, and says something about a friggin ghost. As we have many times before, we all gather in the living room. Everyone goes through their last-minute checks and takes the opportunity to go over our plans and countermeasures one last time. As the time grows close, I feel a growing sense of relief. Soon, it will all be over. Even the passive I bought yesterday, the moment I finally gathered enough shards, seems to have mostly taken effect. It cost 580 thousand shards, more than my Mental Attunement Loop, so it better be worth it. Once again, I reread the description. Subdermal Combustion Weave (Mid Arcane) -Beneath the surface, the users body directs thermal energy into precise micro-combustion patterns. These patterns purge infections, neutralize toxins, and repair tissue through focused heat. Powered by primordial thermal energy, the passive grows stronger the more primordial energy it draws. Harmful substances are broken down before they can spread, and injuries are healed cleanly, leaving no lingering damage. Only total destruction can stop the weave. Ever since the event was announced, Ive had a role planned for this passive, and it should play a major part in the final stage. It works especially well with Ignition Heart. Of course, nothing comes for free, and there is a drawback to this passive, but it''s something Im willing to endure. As the final minute ticks down, I stand up. A memory of Lioren that stayed with me flashes through my mind, along with the determination he showed as he walked toward his end without a hint of hesitation. I would like to think I would be the same, faced with my death, and I take a moment to wonder if thats not how my Duplicate felt back on the 5th floor when he challenged the Gaiathra. With that feeling coursing through my body, I look at the other members of group 4 and say, I know my sister and I''m sure she said some wild shit. Their expressions confirm that, even without words. Victoria was always like that. I only have one thing to say to that: if I didn''t want to be here, I wouldn''t be here. As simple as that. Take it as you will, I tell them. I check the timer once again, the last seconds ticking down, and say, But for now, let''s kick some ass. All the asses! Dennis cheers, leading his brother and Min-Jae to join in. Maya shouts something that sounds suspiciously like, Fuck Victoria, I ain''t no parasite. There are a few more shouts, and then we disappear, pulled into the event. I expect all of us to be separated again, but this time we stay together. We find ourselves surrounded by empty streets and cars, with skyscrapers rising on all sides. The final event seems to have taken inspiration from a city on Earth, or maybe it took features from several of them and created the Tyrant''s Arena zone from scratch. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Feeling the connection to my mind, I let it in and accept it, connecting to the web that the twins set. At the same time, I start working on the things Ive planned and begin surrounding my Ignition Heart with a series of pre-prepared arrays made of Ley Lines. I redirect a bit of my mana and most of my [Focus] to managing that while keeping some reserved for detection arrays and defenses. The rest of the group prepares as well. I share some presences through the link, and Min-Jae floats into the air, tearing off some road signs and pieces of the buildings with [Telekinesis] to kill these people right away. Dennis, Aaron, and Sophie get to work on the web. Noodle expands in size until his body is twice as long as a bus, and slithers into one of the skyscrapers, where he crashes into more people. Izzy, Maya, and Lily stay nearby, ready to defend the others. I continue with my preparations, and once weve cleared the surroundings and had a quick conversation, I teleport all of us to the top of a nearby skyscraper, then move us to the tallest one I can find. Theres nothing else to see, just buildings upon buildings, stretching onward, toward the barrier miles away. Roads, parks, shopping malls, cars, and more fill the space. It looks like a city on Earth, eerily empty and slightly distorted. There are too many skyscrapers, the layout stretches out too far across an unnaturally flat landscape, and something about it all feels off. Of course, the fights are in full swing with smoke rising between the buildings and multiple skyscrapers already crashing down. Lightning, fire, mana projectiles, and poisonous smoke fill the air. (Lily, Beyonder, on your eight oclock; physical stats focused. Maya, two Hell difficulty and five Hard difficulty on your six, mage types. Izzy, down on the street, a group of a dozen Hard difficulty enemies; Kim, theres a group, about a mile away, setting up to observe us.) Sophie continues sharing information. Each target is quickly dealt with, and once thats done, my companions settle in to wait for more. Soon, the twins complete their part of Sophie''s web, so they start working on their own with the help of [Sensory Deception] and then join in on the hunt as well. During this time, I work on peeling away the seal on my Ignition Heart. The thermal energy inside me keeps combusting, passive activated by the wounds I inflict on myself and the heat seeping into my body in a truly twisted cycle. As I lift the seal further, more thermal energy floods in and harms me, but that also strengthens my healing, allowing the cycle to continue. The only problem is that it hurts. It hurts like hell. I don''t know if it''s because my [Focus] isn''t high enough to handle this kind of damage, or if it''s because the energy is purer now that I''m lifting the seal to this degree. It might also just be how the passive works, a price to pay for tapping into primordial energy at this level, for embracing a form of power that existed before the system. Of course, it''s something I can endure, even as the pain threatens to cloud my mind. I keep going, and more thermal energy gathers inside my body. Meanwhile, most of my mana is being saved. One reason it hurts so much, and why the thermal energy is causing this much damage, is because I''m holding back as much mana as possible. (Theyve found us,) Sophie says out of nowhere, and I can see her manipulating the air in front of her to create some sort of telescopic effect. At the top of another skyscraper, quite far away, stands a group of people. Derick, Maxim, Klara, and Hector. In total, four of the tournament winners. Each is accompanied by at least three people, likely powerful Hell difficulty attendees, most of them probably from Beyond. (You got them?) I ask. (Sure, just focus on your stuff.) Sophie answers absentmindedly and continues to give orders. So I do just that while keeping a small part of my mind focused on the things happening around me. Sophie''s shadow seeps into the area as she deploys her arrays and Logic Cores while activating the Golem Heart. Pieces of the skyscraper weve placed ourselves on twist and bend; metal, glass, and concrete forming into the shape of a huge spider with long legs. Blackie seeps into it and then jumps onto the roof of the building next to us. Min-Jae floats into the air and leaves with both of the twins, who combine their efforts to hide him. (Maxim has the weakest mental defenses, so Ill try to get to him before he can use his void energy. If that can be used to defend against my attacks, Ill switch to Hector.) Sophie quickly sends, (Don''t hold back, Lily; you will have to handle at least two of the Kings. Maya, focus on defending; Izzy and Noodle will help you. Meanwhile, the boys are going to do some sneaking around.) Just as we make our preparations, the other side does the same. Not many more people arrive, but even though their group numbers around 20, theyre likely the best they have to offer, each one coming equipped with information detailing our capabilities and strategies. But we also came prepared, and their problem is that theyre likely well prepared for me, but not Group 4 as a whole. Sophie attacks first with a cruelty she hasnt shown since this tournament began. The 11-year-old Maxim hesitates for a moment and then lifts his arm. From his side, a huge, shadowy wolf steps out and then bursts open before anyone can react. An impressive disruptive wave washes over the group, and a whiff of it even reaches us where we are, carrying the weird feeling of primordial void energy. Some of their preparations fall apart, and Maxim raises his hand, drives his fingers into his neck, and tears out a large chunk of flesh in a spray of blood. Hector shouts something, likely a curse, and slides into a pose to throw the spear in his hands at Sophie. But at the last moment, the anger on his face disappears, and his expression falls blank. He twists and instead launches his spear at Derick at incredible speed. Derick dodges smoothly, and the spear shoots through several buildings in an instant before slamming into the ground. He then avoids Hector''s follow-up attack and grabs him in a chokehold, his forearms glowing brightly for a moment before Hector''s expression returns to normal. As he dies, Maxim lifts his arm one last time, and a dark serpent coils its way from his shadow, slipping past defenses and disrupting mana in its wake. It kills three Beyonders who can barely fight back without their mana, focusing especially on the two trying to heal him. A few projectiles reach us. Segments of the Web Sophie set up ignite with bursts of light as they intercept the attacks, while a swirling flame barrier of green, blue, and purple flares up, burning the rest mid-air. Then, like a meteor crashing from the heavens, a firetruck plummets toward Derick and the others. Threads of mana lash out, wrapping around it mid-air before slicing it cleanly apart. The shattered pieces rain down, flung aside by a force that feels a lot like telekinesis. Another truck follows, but it''s redirected in an instant. The attackers adjust, shifting their focus to a distant zone where Im sure the twins have scattered decoys to hide Min-Jae. A quiet moment stretches. The wind shifts slightly, carrying dust across the rooftop. I let some of my thermal energy seep out of my body, shaping it into a thick, rotating halo of fire that settles into the air above me. It turns slowly at first, pulling in more heat as it moves, the motion steady and controlled. With each rotation, the pressure builds, and the space around it starts to warp from the heat. Theres no urgency, just a lingering sense that things are starting to fall into place. Chapter 592: Gwyn siblings Chapter 592: Gwyn siblings Half of the approaching group splits off and starts heading directly for us. Five of them stay behind to pelt us with ranged attacks while their companions maneuver to flank us from behind. Just before their vanguards can close in, gray mana blossoms into existence on the roof where the ranged attackers have posted themselves. It seems that the twins used the [Disintegration] orb stored in the box, they follow up with attacks of their own. Min-Jae joins them too, effectively cutting off their sniping. Led by Derick and Klara, the melee attackers finally get in close. While Group 4 continues exchanging messages, Blackie, now in a spider golem body made of glass, concrete, and metal, jumps off the roof and crashes into an unfortunate woman. As they fall, his eight legs tear her apart. Pieces of him explode, and a few legs break, but the golem spider rolls upon falling onto the ground, crashing into another building, which it breaks, collecting more material to repair itself with. Then the huge monstrosity pierces its legs through the glass and into the skyscraper to start climbing up the side at an impressive speed. Maya surrounds herself with mana, and a huge suit of armor grows around her. Its color darkens as she uses her [Boost], and a shield grows on one of the huge arms she uses to block attacks. Even a few arrows made of primordial lightning shot by Noelle. Lily, with [Disintegration Mantle] floating around her, jumps off the roof to another one, and her huge bone axe smashes against one of the men attacking, who tries to block it with his shield. Gray mana swirls around the blade of the axe, and it pierces through easily, and then through the man as well. A barrage of attacks strikes out at her, but her mantle swirls around her body defensively, disintegrating them all. Lily disappears with a movement reminiscent of Wraith Dance, and Klara dodges an attack from her. There are tears opening up on Lily''s body from the impact of her own movement, but theyre already beginning to visibly heal. And she isn''t even using her skill; thats just her natural regeneration. Lily disappears again and swings her axe, while Klara ducks under and, in an impressive display of agility, runs Lily through with her short spear as that red, fluid, smoke-like substance blazes around the tip. Lily, however, simply increases her speed and ignores the wound while continues to attack. Vines pierce through the roof, trying to slow her down, but she just tears them apart with the strength of her body. Flames surround her, burning her, but her body restores itself almost instantly. I notice Derick cursing as he changes direction and heads over to help Klara, but as hes jumping from one roof to another, Noodle explodes from underneath, now as thick as a car and impressively long. Noodle bites at Derick, who twists mid air and avoids the bite, only to continue running across the scaly body. Green, purple, and blue flames, fragments of eternal fire, surround Noodle, and Derick''s shins start to glow, as they become enveloped in that disruptive magic, only for the flames to ignore it entirely and burn the man regardless. More Beyonders join in to assault Noodle, and even Derick''s wife Noelle begins to form a huge arrow out of primordial lightning to shoot at him. But at the last moment, she finds herself forced to move, and an explosion of flames the same color as Noodle''s proceeds to melt a huge part of the building around the place shed been standing, causing it to begin tilting and falling. Izzy stands there with flames blazing around her. She holds a bow made of the same flames, with a cloud of arrows floating around her. She grabs them from the air and begins firing them at the woman. A constant barrage of attacks hits our building, but Sophie and Maya manage to redirect or destroy the most dangerous ones before they can land. Sophie even finds time to get into the mind of another Beyonder whose projectile made of light pierces the roof where Lily, Derick, and Klara are fighting. Sophie redirects the attack into their melee without any hesitation, and after the explosion, Derick and Klara step out, singed and facing the direction from which the greatest force of the attack came. Lily steps out with her body wounded and burned, but she still regenerates incredibly quickly. Her hair shortens, and she disappears again, smashing her axe into the ground where her opponents once stood, and the entirety of the building''s windows explode from the resulting shockwave. Noodle coils around it, the flames surrounding him melting the falling glass into liquid. At times, he consumes the mana-based attacks that hit him while continuing to fight off those who come at him. I hear a telepathic message exchanged between Min-Jae and Lily, and she nods. Her body cracks further as she slams into Klara. Even at the cost of having her neck pierced by the gladius, the redheaded woman holds. Lily grabs her, and blood bursts from her mouth as Derick dodges her mantle and hits her in the side, likely turning her insides into liquid. Lily moves her arm in a way that shouldn''t be possible. It twists, elongates, and gains more joints as it grabs Derick and holds him still. Her mantle flickers around, forcing her opponents to strain to avoid it. Some attacks come out of nowhere, likely from a free Beyonder, and slash through the air, cutting off Lily''s head. A third arm grows from her back, grabs the head, shoving it back onto her neck, giving it a moment to quickly reattach. Then the air starts shaking, and everyone looks up. An entire building is floating there, with chunks of debris raining down. Then the building implodes, compressing into itself, forming a dense ball that starts falling down right at where Lily and the two others are. Their attempts to free themselves escalate, as do Lily''s attempts to kill them. But neither side is able to act quickly enough. Klara''s red liquid smoke surrounds all of them, and Derick shouts in pain as the redheaded woman goes all out in the attempt. But Lily holds on, and the huge ball crashes into them. It doesnt stop at the roof. The impact rips through the structure, obliterating the top floors in seconds. Concrete, steel, and glass are torn apart as it drives downward. Floor after floor gives way, collapsing under the pressure. The sound is deafening, a deep, grinding roar that rolls across the city. The compressed sphere punches through the base of the building and crashes into the street below, carving a straight path through everything in its way. The road cracks and caves in. Cars flip. Pavement peels back. Water and steam burst from broken pipes, filling the air with steam and heat. The shockwave spreads out from the point of impact, shaking the nearby buildings. A number of the Beyonders on the rooftops in the area look down, only to lift their heads and see Lily standing there with her axe and a gray mantle surrounding her. They curse immediately and begin to reposition, but the twins step out from behind a chimney and strike. They both choose to attack the same man, moving fast, stabbing him repeatedly before cutting off his head. Without pausing, they shift their focus to the next target. When attacks reach them, they disappear, exchanging places with another set of their illusions, and the illusion of Lily they created disappears. Izzy''s flames hit the buildings, and Maya herself jumps through without fear as they momentarily part in her wake. Maya lands with a crash, her armor snapping into place as dark blue mana armor forms around her body. Her weapon shifts in her hand, cycling from glaive to dagger to greatsword in moments. Flames from Izzy swirl around her, only to be caught up and redirected by her movements. A barrage of radiant spikes shoots toward her from the left. She raises her arm, and the armor thickens, absorbing the impact with a burst of heat. A chain of metal flies down from above, trying to bind her limbs, but she slices through mid-spin, her weapon stretching into a multi-hued spear. The spear contains three different colors of mana: dark blue, blue, and wisps of purple circling inside. It cuts easily through another barrier. It extends to three times its length and stabs into a woman nearby. It then shifts into a shield. A concentrated flame crashes against it, dark blue with a white core, roaring as it tears through the air but failing to pierce the tricolored shield. Gravity shifts beneath her feet, mana pressing down to hold her in place. She surges forward instead, slamming her shield into the nearest attacker and crushing them into the opposing wall. Another steps in, black mist coiling around their blade. Maya pivots, deflecting the strike and driving her shield, turned sword, through his chest. A whip of molten steel snaps at her neck. She ducks, parries, and counters in one motion. Her expression stays focused. Calm. The same one Ive seen in the mirror. And the enemies, trying to surround him, start taking steps back. Then she dies, her head separating from her body, as Tacita stands over it. That fragile-looking and thin figure with messy brown hair. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Izzy''s flames rage around to attack her, but the air itself seems to flicker around Tacita because of her field, she takes no damage. She moves again, and one of the twins'' illusions disappears, and Min-Jae sends a barrage of attacks at the spot where she stood, only for her to reappear next to him. He pulls himself high into the air with his own [Telekinesis] and then even higher as he attempts to escape her reach, but Tacita''s hand turns into a blur, and a dagger lodges itself in his chest. Right after, Tacita ducks under Dennis''s attack, only for him to disappear as he exchanges places with one of his illusions. The ground shakes, and a huge suit of mana armor walks out from between the buildings. It is much taller than anything Maya can make, but its owner does not seem to be having the least bit of trouble with it. Each step damages the road, and its motions carve a trail of damage into the buildings it passes by. Baek then looks in our direction and then toward Tacita. A sword made of metallic, shining blue mana grows in his hands, and the speed of his armor increases as he swings it at the roof that Tacita is currently standing on. Half of the building explodes as the blade cleaves it neatly in two and starts collapsing. A huge fireball hits Baek, shot from a distance by some random hell difficulty attendee, and a flash of light and heat expands into the area, but when it is gone, the armor remains undamaged, and he moves again. Kang Jiwon, the 12-year-old girl with a concentration skill, crash-lands on a different building, facing Tacita. As before, theres no mana leaking into the air around her, but she moves calmly with incredible speed, destroying buildings as she jumps across their roofs, all the while barely avoiding Tacita''s attacks, which almost seem to be toying with her. Down on the ground, Min-Jae''s projectile, the one that killed two kings, finally cracks, and Lily climbs out. Shes missing one of her arms, and her entire body is mangled and damaged. The third arm she formed from her back disappears in sacrifice, and she regenerates almost immediately. Lily retrieves her axe from the debris and jumps up onto the roof. Tacita locates her and kicks Kang Jiwon away before shamelessly jumping onto Baek''s huge suit of armor, running across the surface, and charging at Lily, who throws her axe with incredible force. Tacita dodges, and the axe lodges itself into Baek''s armor and makes the huge suit stumble and crash into the building beneath it. Then a single bone dagger forms in Lilys hand, and she charges Tacita. Its complete chaos, with people fighting all over the place while I just sit there and do my thing. But I keep at it without a hint of shame. I can guess what Vic must have told them, even if theyre too embarrassed to tell me directly. It works out well for them, too, since Im sure Victoria is watching from somewhere. Group 4 goes all in, every single one of them, only falling when they encounter another monster like Tacita. At some point, constant explosions shake the arena in the distance, and a familiar orange field of light begins to spread across a small part of the city. It looks like Savant and Jean are clashing, too, judging by the number of buildings crumbling to dust, the falling skyscrapers, and the surge of intense mana radiation. Tacita disappears and heads in that direction, with Lily and the twins following close behind. Only Izzy, Sophie, and Noodle stay back, handling the people drawn in by the heat Im generating. By now, its getting hot enough to melt through Sophies web. The top of the skyscraper collapses into pools of lava, spilling down into the rooms below. I use kinetic energy to stay afloat, since theres nothing left to stand on, and the heat around me continues to spread. With each beat of my partially unsealed Ignition Heart, more of it spreads into the area. It feels like a ticking bomb, a countdown leading toward something yet unknown, and the barrier around the arena has already shrunk by more than half. A constant combustion heals the burns inside my body, fueled by the heart, only to burn me once again, feeding into itself in a twisted loop. The first seal on the heart is temporarily but completely lifted, and I begin to open the second one. Just a little. Even that much puts the whole thing on a completely different level than the first. The difference can''t be compared. The amount of thermal energy seeping out of me now is like nothing Ive experienced before, piling onto the huge amount Ive already gathered. The massive, blazing, gold halo above me expands even further. Constructs made of specially modified, heat-resistant Ley Lines barely hold themselves together as I continue to reinforce them and replace the damaged sections. Only [Focus] allows my mind to endure the pain of the flames combusting beneath my skin. Sophie and the others have already moved away, and even the few powerful attacks that do penetrate their defensive lines melt and vanish before they can reach me, consumed by the sheer heat. More golden flames continue to flow into the spinning halo above. I fight to keep them there, spinning, burning, to stop them from expanding further as I strain to estimate just how much Ill need. I ease the second seal open just a little more, and for a moment, everything goes dark. Control nearly slips through my fingers, but I manage to hold it together, just barely. Then my preparations are complete. (Done.) I send. (Well, good luck then), Sophie says and then follows up with, (I forfeit.) (Good luck, Nat! I forfeit!) Izzy says as well. (I will be watching! I forfeit!) Lily shouts in the middle of her fight and disappears after forfeiting. Then Aaron and Noodle disappear as well. Tacita reappears on the roof, looking at me with confusion. Savant is still locked in battle with Jean. The city is being torn apart, piece by piece, as the attendees continue to fight. Entire buildings are sliced in half by wide arcs of mana, the upper sections crashing down on the streets below and flattening everything in their path. Others are vaporized outright, disintegrating into clouds of dust and fire as piercing beams punch through and keep going, carving deep swaths of destruction into the skyline. Massive impacts shatter rooftops as fighters slam into each other in mid-air, sending shockwaves rippling outward to shatter the windows in buildings several blocks away. One skyscraper detonates from within, its core ruptured by a delayed explosion, sending burning debris raining down on the surrounding structures and igniting them instantly. Chunks of pavement are ripped from the ground as shockwaves slam into the streets, tossing cars aside like toys. A swirling mass of elemental energy collides with a defensive barrier and obliterates an entire intersection, cratering the area and snapping support beams in the nearby towers. High above, unstable magic detonates in waves, turning rooftops into craters. Flames race over the sides of buildings and burst from broken windows. The arena is collapsing under the pressure. Too much force, too many skills, too many people fighting without restraint. In a short amount of time, the level of destruction is unreal. Everyone is still far from reaching the level of a Champion, yet the buildings are coming apart like they''re made of paper. I glance at Tacita, challenging her, and she looks like shes actually considering it. The field around her rises, and the air begins to vibrate, almost glitching with the unstable pressure she radiates. But in the end, she doesnt act on the impulse and disappears again, rushing in the direction of Savant and Jeans fight. Something hits my chest and I grab it before it can fall: just a tiny piece of a finger bone, all thats left after passing through the heat around me. I smile. Damn it. Fine. Then I release all the heat Ive stored, and the spinning halo shatters with a sharp crack. Flames erupt in a golden tornado, tearing through the rooftops around me and surging outward in waves. Buildings in its path evaporate instantly, reduced to glowing dust before it can disperse. The fire spreads fast, rushing between structures and down streets. Concrete melts, glass vaporizes, and mana barriers crack and fail. The flames slam into the orange light, held back for the merest of instants. Then they melt through, crashing against that orange light only to extinguish it. For a moment, they are blown back by a shockwave rippling out from Jean. And for a moment almost looks like he might endure. But the pressure keeps building, and after a couple of setbacks, they wash even over him. The golden fire rolls over the battlefield, devouring everything. Entire blocks vanish. Skyscrapers fall, their frames glowing red before disintegrating, and the air becomes impossible to breathe as it grows thick with heat. The few remaining presences try to resist but are overwhelmed, each one disappearing in violent bursts of force coming from high in the sky to join the flames. Whats left of the city collapses inward, twisted steel and stone breaking apart as the last of the fire passes through. Amid that destruction, a figure takes shape high above the ruins. Lissandra descends from the sky into the burning chaos, untouched by the heat, her silver hair drifting weightlessly around her face. I toss the fingerbone to the ground, and in the blink of an eye, Victoria rises from it. She wears those same formal yet comfortable clothes, carrying the same steady, reliable presence. My feet hit the burning rooftop, and she moves to stand beside me as we face Lissandra. The crown over my head turns entirely black, and I pull Fracture from its scabbard, knowing the weapon will break this time. It immediately attacks my flesh, starting to disintegrate and devour it as the unstable forces within it fight to kill me. The effect is even stronger than before, with all the knowledge Ive gained from the Logic core used to make it more deadly rather than improving stability. Lissandra glances between me and Victoria, nodding. "I shall allow it." A loud thud erupts from her, like an implosion, and her pressure diminishes incredibly as she limits herself. "Come then, Gwyn siblings." Chapter 593: 2v1 There are no words exchanged between us. Vic charges first, only for her body to explode into pieces the moment she gets closer. Each of these pieces grows into another person, and five Victorias charge Lissandra at once. She kicks one of the Victorias away, the broken body passing by me as it sails through the air. Another two explode into quivering piles of flesh. One of the remaining ones grabs Lissandra''s arm, and the last one tears off a finger to throw at Lissandra. I use Wraith Dance to jump down and lash out at Lissandra with Fracture. Lissandra ducks under the blade, and a cascading mana attack flows from her hand. Victoria, holding onto her arm, bursts like a bubble. I catch Victoria''s finger midair, pulling it close to protect it as a burst of heat pours from my partially unsealed heart. It scorches everything in the area, leaving the air flickering behind it. Out of the golden flames, Lissandra emerges undamaged with a pale blue barrier flickering across her skin. My kinetic energys hold on her is broken through a sheer burst of force, and a sword made of mana forms in her hand, which she slashes at me. It meets with Fracture, which, incredibly, does not cut through it immediately. The two blades clash. While her sword remains firm and stable, Fracture is beginning to crack, releasing bursts of black and gray smoke. I send a disruptive wave at her, something that wouldve easily overwhelmed anyone from Earths tutorial, but she remains unaffected. Instead, she pushes me back, using her mana to reinforce her body. Circles of flame burst from the exhaust node on my back, tearing through my hoodie. The flames surround me, swirl around my form, and lash out at Lissandra. She steps forward, forcing me back, and the flames closing in on her are blown away by the pressure radiating from her. The finger Ive hidden within these flames behind her begins to expand, and Victoria regrows from it, only to be kicked away by Lissandra, who doesn''t even turn around. Still, Victoria endures and grabs Lissandra''s leg, twisting in an attempt to break it. I seize the opportunity and boost my body to its limit, slashing at her with Fracture once more and finally shattering the sword shes created. For a moment, that familiar pale blue mana flickers across her palm as she deflects the blade by striking the flat. Lissandra breaks free from Victoria''s grip and kicks her again. Then she vanishes, reappearing atop another broken building. I use the mark I left on her to send a tricolored orb through and then teleport behind her using the same mark. But the explosion I expected never happens. Lissandra stands completely untouched. With a viper-like motion, she reacts as if shed seen it coming and grabs me by the neck. She raises her arm to block Fracture, only to realize with slight surprise that it''s not there. Victoria reaches us, holding the sword in both of her hands, which are already more damaged than mine, and slashes at Lissandra, who moves to dodge. I use that brief opportunity to create a nail made of black mana and jam it into her shoulder as she deflects Victorias strike with Fracture. I release a burst of kinetic energy at her, and she lets go of my neck to quickly draw a glowing inscription in the air that absorbs all of that kinetic energy and deflects it back at me, forcing me to absorb it in turn. Lissandra vanishes, even with the black mana nail piercing her, even with the pull of the black mana crown and my attempts at disruption. Her control is so precise that she ignores it all, and I focus on observing how she does it as closely as I can. I grab Fracture as Victoria throws it to me. Meanwhile, Victoria bites off her tongue, spits it out, and grows another duplicate, with arms undamaged by the strain of holding Fracture. Both of us jump over the buildings and follow Lissandra, who continues to put up distance by creating shields and shooting projectiles at us that, though weak in appearance, totally obliterate anything in their path. We chase her across the rooftops as the first projectile lands behind us. The building it touches caves in without a sound, sucked inward before collapsing in a slow, unnatural slumping motion. Windows melt and flow like wax, then burst into steam. Another shot cuts through the street below. The asphalt warps, buckles, then craters inward. Cars roll over and crumple as if they were made of tin foil, their frames folding into each other before they burst into flames. One glowing orange spark flies past my face, and the heat alone singes my cheek, leaving a glowing line tracing across the hood of my hoodie. Behind me, it touches the building and explodes into a fiery vortex. Victoria ducks under another, her hair catching fire briefly before she can snuff it out. Another attack strikes a parked car. It just folds the car inward until it forms a perfect sphere, glowing faintly, then sinks through the cracked pavement like a stone falling through water. All while Vic seems unkillable. She is quick, she is durable, and no matter how much she gets destroyed, a new version of her always pops up. It seems like these versions are becoming tougher with every attack Lissandra sends her way, likely due to some sort of adaptive resistance, passive, or trait shes acquired. Lissandra, even though limited, is far stronger than Ruby''s avatar. Not because of any difference in levels, in terms of skills or stats, but because of her sheer experience and the level of decisiveness she demonstrates. She knows most of my skills and quickly adapts to Vics. Even while holding back and fighting so simply, her style feels like that of someone who had to learn on their own, gathering abilities from different sources and relying entirely on her own personal understanding. The fight slows down as she retreats to the streets, giving us a few seconds to regroup. Victoria joins me at my side, throwing down a few pieces of herself that grow into new duplicates. They start walking in from the side and surround Lissandra, who lets it happen without so much as turning to watch them. Fracture vibrates in my arm, breaking, cracking. No cheesy one-liners are spoken, and I attack. Reaching through a stretched Ley Line, I teleport, only to appear somewhere entirely different, I wanted, coming out somewhere high in the air. I send a pulse of detection and fly in that direction, altering my course and heading straight for Lissandra, who is locked in battle against Victoria''s duplicates. I crash down like a meteor, with Fracture slicing past Lissandra, mere inches from her body, as she twists out of the way. Immediately, I boost myself with black mana, both in body and mind. The barrier around Lissandra''s body flickers as my black crown starts absorbing it, and Victoria moves faster than before and grabs her from behind, locking her in a chokehold as she jams one of her fingers into Lissandra''s eyes. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. My Mana Wavelength Iris observes Lissandra and the mana moving around her body, and she easily returns that gaze with her one remaining eye. Everything feels slowed down, and I move as if wading through mud, my body struggling to keep up with my perception. Lissandra increases her speed to match mine. The fading mana around her skin flickers, and she deflects Fracture by striking the flat of the blade with her hand and directing it into the ground. In one smooth movement, she throws Victoria off her, by breaking and twisting my sister ?s arms. I boost myself further. I recall the way Lioren moved, and even though I lack his grace, I try to recapture a portion of it, if only for a moment, moving faster, raising Fracture, and thrusting it toward Lissandra. In response, she slams her palms together, catching the blade between them. Fracture halts just a palms width from her chest. Even then, it releases bursts of gray and black smoke, tearing into her hands and leaving a series of gaping wounds across her chest. The same force hits me as well, and Im forced to redirect my mana to avoid damage to my circuits. Lissandra moves to twist the blade out of my hands, but Victoria''s punch hits her blind side and sends her flying through the air, rolling across the asphalt and finally coming to a stop against the side of a bus. Victoria doesn''t stop there, though, and charges her, sending the bus rolling across the road as she slams into it with her shoulder, but Lissandra is not there anymore. Feeling a movement behind me, I release a burst of mana in that direction, a portion of the huge amount Ive collected over the course of the fight. Lissandra, standing there, slashes her arm through the air, and the burst of energy parts, passing by her sides and tearing into the street and buildings behind her. She walks forward, her gaze locking with mine. Mana spirals across her body in a pattern far too complex to be random. My currently activated Mana Wavelength Iris catches it for a moment, then falters. Pain surges through me, and my grip on my mana breaks from the overload of the information. Even then, I force myself to make an attempt to absorb the kinetic energy of her punch, but I fail and am sent flying back, crashing through the glass window of a small shop nearby. I boost myself back up only to see Lissandra holding my black crown, which she must have grabbed when she kicked me away. She smiles and throws it far into the distance, only to take another punch from Victoria, who appears nearby. The hit lands, but Victorias body instantly detonates under the force, torn into flying chunks of flesh and blood. Another Victoria grows from one of the scattered pieces. She moves the same way, landing a second hit before her body disintegrates mid-strike from the strain. For a brief moment, she''s as fast as Tacita and nearly as strong as Jean. The impact sends Lissandra crashing through buildings, and the shockwaves push debris and vehicles down the street. Once again, from the pieces, a new Victoria appears, charging at Lissandra with her shoulder and sending her into another building that collapses as well. The structure groans under the impact, walls cracking and supports giving way. Before it can fully collapse, however, it erupts in a violent explosion, launching debris in every direction. Lissandra steps out, with pale mana flickering around her and remaining nearly undamaged. Victoria charges again in the same reckless fashion, and I try to read her trajectory, predicting where her punch will send Lissandra. I move to intercept, ready to swing my sword as she comes flying toward me. I move, positioning myself before Lissandra''s body reaches me, but a spear of mana forms in her hand. She drives it into the road, slowing her momentum and causing me to miss. She then immediately moves and stabs at my neck, chest, and leg before I break the weapon with Fracture and slash it across her legs, wounding her in the process. Thermal energy combusts beneath my skin, healing these wounds nearly immediately, and I throw Fracture aside, where Victoria grabs it. I start channeling more kinetic energy through my body, using mana to strengthen it at the same time, all as much as I can with the entirety of my [Focus]. Thermal energy continues combusting inside me, sending waves of pain through my body while healing the damage I cause to myself. Using my rapidly healing body, I let go of efficiency and devote the entirety of my focus on quickly channeling kinetic energy through myself to match up to my sister and Lissandra. Victoria unleashes short bursts of strength and speed that tears her body apart with each movement. My own body holds together only because it''s constantly burning itself to heal. Lissandra uses some form of overclocking, combined with incredible mana-based reinforcement. What began as a clash of skills and tricks shifts into a pure, brutal melee as we attack Lissandra together. In terms of stats, shes likely only as strong as one of us alone, and yet somehow shes matching both of us combined. Lissandra takes wounds and blows, without bothering to heal herself, and continues to fight despite them. Even with just the physical capabilities we possess, she matches us one-on-two, redirecting our attacks, positioning herself better, or exploiting our lack of experience when it comes to fighting as a pair. We move at speeds that turn my side view into a blur, crashing through skyscrapers and reducing them to rubble. Every step sends cracks racing through the pavement, every missed strike shatters concrete and twists metal. Windows burst from the pressure of our strikes alone, and the ground quakes beneath our feet. An elbow strike from Victoria sends Lissandra flying through a high-rise, her body carving a jagged path through steel beams and office walls. She crashes out the other side, landing in the middle of a street thats already been cratered by our earlier impacts. I follow close behind, my landing punch splitting the asphalt like dry earth. The force of my kinetic impact throws parked cars into the air. Streetlights are ripped from their foundations, traffic signs bend and melt under stray mana discharges. A single redirected kick from Vic blows out an entire building''s facade, raining glass and debris over several blocks. And yet Lissandra remains unshaken. She meets Victorias raw power with ruthless timing, slipping past her charges with narrow sidesteps, punishing overextension. And when she faces me, she reads the smallest shift in my stance and parries with perfect counter-movement, redirecting force instead of resisting it. Her body, though wounded, moves without regard for the injuries. Mana radiates off her like a pulse. Shields flicker and reform between blows. Skills shape and reshape in her hands in fractions of a second. She sends Victoria crashing through an office building, then spins to block Fracture with a blade made of mana. The clash sends both of us skidding backward, tearing up the street in long, burning trails. Fracture devours the air, cuts through the barriers Lissandra forms, and obliterates the mana weapons she creates. But she knows my plan. She locks eyes with me and changes direction to guide me away from the place shes thrown my black crown, a move I had hoped to counter. "Give me 2 seconds," I shout to Vic as I bury my feet into the broken asphalt and throw her Fracture. I release a blast of kinetic energy and shoot to the side to avoid Lissandra, bulldozing through the building. She tries to head my way, but Victoria jumps in front of her, only to immediately fall back as her head explodes. Lissandra tries to pass by, but that body moves, and a hand grabs her, and a piece on the other side regrows as a newly formed duplicate decides to attack her as well. In that brief movement, I reach the crown lodged deep in the side of the building, and it floats over my head, granting me access to the immense amount of mana its absorbed from me and stored all this time. Fracture comes flying, seemingly out of nowhere, and pierces through my leg, pinning me against a nearby wall. Victoria''s body crashes next to me, only for her to stand up immediately and turn to face Lissandra, who slowly walks out from between the buildings. Shes still missing one of her eyes, her face is bruised, and there are wounds on her body caused by either me or Vic, and even a few caused by Fracture. Still, against all logic, this Absolute does not heal herself. She didn''t even put much effort into dodging; instead, she drags herself down to our level. An Absolute, bruised and wounded by two mere Champion candidates, remains uncaring about image or pride. In fact, she almost seems to be enjoying it. "Is that all?" she asks, as her mana rises up around her. Against my will, I let out a short snort. Grabbing Fracture, I pull it out of my leg, redirecting more thermal energy to the wound and nearly entirely burning it, to regenerate it at the expense of great pain. Even then, the damage caused by this weapon remains, and I change the way I channel mana within my body to account for these wounds. Ding, the notification rings. Something as useless as a notice that death is now possible. I wave it off, then the second round begins. Chapter 594: Recognized Victoria jumps in front of me, only to burst into a shower of flesh, and part of me wonders how much longer she can keep going. The attack that was meant to kill me is diminished somewhat, but it still throws me to the side. With cold, detached curiosity, I watch as the next one carves deep holes into the building next to me. I could feel no mana, neither in the attack itself nor in the burst of energy when Lissandra used it. I boost myself into the air and take black mana from the crown and use it to form a barrier in front of me, only for its surface to wobble as it absorbs another invisible attack. Victoria slowly walks towards Lissandra. She rips off her finger and throws it to the ground, where it quickly grows into an identical copy of herself. Keeping an eye on Lissandra, she plunges her hand into the duplicates back and yanks it out in a spray of blood, sending the body collapsing to the ground. In her hand, she holds a pearl-white short sword with a very wide blade, made entirely from bone. She lifts it in front of her, the surface cracking but blocking the attack from Lissandra. Her slow walk turns into a run, and then her speed increases further, each step tearing the asphalt under her feet. I lift another black shield to block the attack and slip the seals back into place over my Ignition Heart. The incredible healing I had until now is reduced to a fragment, but my mental capacity increases greatly by not having to deal with it. The pain also disappears, making me feel almost lightheaded. Then, it''s back to using only mana. A javelin made of black mana shoots ahead, and it pierces through Lissandra''s shield and crashes into the ground next to her, devouring all the mana in the area almost in an instant. Even then, the monster takes a step and disappears. The space in front of her shrinks and waves in the same way it used to when Ruby used her skill. Victoria crashes into the ground where Lissandra stood. Passing by the javelin, she pulls it out and throws it my way. Even before it fully reaches me, I transform it into a shield as another barrage of attacks reaches me. Three, five, ten attacks slam into the shield with tremendous force. Then one gets througha thin, needle-like mana projectile, no thicker than a nail, piercing a hole about the same size right over my heart. With my heightened perception, I watch as another similar projectile flies toward my head. I barely tilt it to the side, then block another one with Fracture before it can reach my heart. Fracture bursts open, releasing all the forces it held: glass made of white sand, [Disintegration], and black mana. All of it surges toward me, and I know I''ll die if any of it hits. Even so, I watch with fascination. Part of my mind registers how many shards I just lost. Another part is amused by the fact. A third focuses on amplifying the effect of my eyes to observe the process. The most reasonable part of me moves black mana around my body, shielding me from the parts of the explosion I can still block. As if in slow motion, I shoot my hand into the explosion. I twist it, take the damage I can endure, and snatch the largest fragment of the shattered blade from the air. I boost myself, crash against the road, then use Wraith Dance two times, three times, five times, ten times. Behind me, the blast zone spreads into something unholy, an eruption that disintegrates everything in its path. White sand grows more charged and pierces through everything in its path, clashing with black mana over the mana in the surrounding air. I stop using kinetic energy and rely on mana to reinforce my body, trying to mimic the way Lissandras been using it. Each movement is faster than the last. I dont think much about it; I just let my body lead, drawing inspiration and trying to combine it with the feeling I had when the coolest person Id ever known had control of my body. Victoria flies towards me, with one of her arms missing, having been severed by the mana disc now floating over Lissandras head. I reach toward her as she passes by, grab her hand, spin around, and hurl Victoria back toward Lissandra. Victoria uses the momentum, lands hard, and keeps running. She reaches into the wound where her arm used to be and pulls out a bone dagger, still slick with blood and strips of flesh. There are no more duplicates. The [Empyrean Lance] Ive formed shoots forward as Lissandra moves her disc to block it. Both vanish on impact. She slips away again to avoid Victoria, but I track her with my eyes, letting more mana flood into my body as I close the distance. Another [Empyrean Lance] fires at her just as I focus harder on disrupting her mana. I pour everything I have into it, narrowing my will to a single point and reaching into the flow of her magic. The effort burns through me. Its like trying to stop a river with my bare hands. I claw at the threads of her mana, pulling them out of sync, twisting them against each other. For a brief second, I feel her falter, something stutters in her casting, but its not enough. She exhales, quiet and steady, and her body moves with impossible precision. One arm snatches the lance from the air, and it detonates in her grasp, but a barrier flares to life, sealing the blast. Both the lance and her arm vanish in the blast. She raises her mana, and I respond in kind. [Eclipse] activates, draining the color from the world around us as we clash. I give everything I have to smother her power. I force my mana into the space around her, try to unravel her focus, try to overwhelm her with raw interference. I scream inwardly with the strain, feeling my own flow begin to fray. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. She pushes back. Calm, steady, unshaken. And she wins. Despite everything I do, she cuts through my interference. I grit my teeth and cross my arms in front of my chest, stacking barrier after barrier to brace for the impact. All of the barriers break at once, cutting into my flesh. The attack breaks through and throws me against a nearby light pole, breaking it, and then into the side of the car behind. Victoria reaches Lissandra, who throws up a barrier in front of her. It shatters instantly under a punch so forceful that Victorias hand explodes on impact. She doesn''t stop. Even with blood trailing behind her, she charges forward. Lissandra slips to the side and delivers a precise kick to Victorias leg. I hear the crack as the bone gives way. Without missing a beat, Lissandra tilts her head just enough to dodge my next projectile, then disrupts another before I can even release it. The mana I had gathered twists in the air, hijacked by her will. It swells with her mana and detonates beside me, the blast lifting me off my feet and slamming me through the air and down the road. Before I can get back on my feet, Lissandra is already in front of me. She kicks with brutal precision, breaking both of my hands and shattering the barrier I had just raised while I push myself up on one knee. This time, I dont get thrown. For a brief moment, I switch back to kinetic energy, absorbing the impact and holding my ground. Standing so close to her, I release everything I have, every bit of mana Ive gathered, firing it at her in tightly packed, concentrated bursts. The air between us ripples and swells as the attack pushes forward, but before it can reach her, it halts. It twists, spins, and reshapes itself into a swirling orb which she catches between her fingers. All that power is now contained in that single, small object. She moves to return it to me, but I reach out to it as well, fighting against her with all my might. While we both hold the orb, her strength floods into it. I dont try to overpower her. Instead, I shape my will around her force. I add no extra energy; I focus on changing its structure. I build pressure lines, create absorption paths, and form layered mana anchors, using everything I can manage in the short time we have to fight over it. She notices. I can tell by the way her grip shifts. She moves to cut off my influence, but I already left my mark. I destabilize it. Not with simple force, but by undermining it from within. The orb flickers, folding in on itself. Her head tilts, and she smiles like shes enjoying the surprise. Not in mockery, but in interest. She laughs and moves to teleport away. While further damaging my broken arm, I move it and stab the remaining shard of Fracture into her collarbone before she can disappear. This destabilizes her teleportation enough to allow me to latch onto it, and the two of us barely manage to teleport away before the orb explodes. The destabilized teleportation, straining to carry more passengers than either of us intended, twists, tears, and damages our bodies. Even the direction is messed up, and we end up in the middle of the road, lying on top of each other. I move my head down to slam it against hers, but she twists and moves, causing me to miss and smash it against the asphalt. With her remaining hand, she punches my chest and releases bursts of mana she quickly collected to throw me into the air. Before she can do anything else, Victoria is there, armless, with a broken leg, and yet she savagely kicks Lissandra in the head, sending her crashing into what once was the wall of a building. The wall that was already hanging on by a thread crashes down, and the bricks pelt her prone form, burying her beneath them. I fan the thermal flames under my skin, the healing fixing some of the damage, but I can barely keep it up. I feel like I could pass out at any moment, and when I try to lift one of the seals, the flames almost burn me without restraint as they flow through me. A mana projectile comes flying out of the mass of fallen bricks and pierces through my shoulder, sending me staggering back before I can try more. It sends a wave of disrupting mana through my body, deactivating nearly all of my active skills. I barely manage to pull it out and throw it to the ground. Of course, it destabilizes as I do and explodes, throwing me back once more. A laugh escapes my lips as I climb to my feet and walk over to Victorias side. Her leg has partially healed, though shes still missing an arm. She flicks her head to clear the hair from her eyes and straightens her posture, standing there like this is all just part of another ordinary day. Out of the rubble, Lissandra also climbs. Terribly wounded and damaged, shes still refusing to heal herself. Even the shard of Fracture remains, lodged in her shoulder; the gray smoke and black mana are surely causing her a tremendous amount of trouble. One of her eyes is gone, her arm is gone, and there are tears all over her body, but she bears the same confidence as always. With a voice that sounds just the same as it always does, she says, This reminds me of a time before I became a candidate. Back then, I was even younger than that empath of yours. She dusts off her clothes and smiles, I miss those days. There was so much to learn, so many mistakes to make, and so many dangers that seemed insurmountable. Lets stop here before I get carried away, Lissandra says, glancing between us with a faint smile that doesnt reach her eyes. This path requires more than just strength or talent. Out of everyone Ive seen in this tutorial, you two have come the closest to understanding that. Her presence increases once again, and her wounds heal as she removes the limiters shes placed on herself. I feel the tingling of the power she radiates prickle across my skin, along with a sensation as if the system itself were listening to her words. Its not just the outcome of this fight either, its everything Ive seen leading up to it. I cannot say whether either of you will reach the end of this path, but there is one thing I can state with certainty. That pressure on my skin increases; it feels the same way it did when she declared me a candidate. So I interrupt her. I refuse. Lissandra stares at me, her mouth slightly open, before she calmly closes it. The faint disbelief in her eyes makes it clear she hadnt expected anyone to refuse her. For a moment, she pauses, as if unsure of what to say. "I dont need you to declare me. I dont need anyone to. By myself, Ill make the system recognize me as an Absolute Candidate, whether it wants to or not." I speak the words, knowing the others can hear. And sore loser that she is, Lissandra disappears. She forfeits the event, but doesn''t say it out loud; it remains only in her mind. Before I turn to my right, I hear Victoria say, I forfeit, and she disappears as well. Standing there alone, it seems that the winner of the last event has been decided. Chapter 595: End of the 2nd tournament So what do you say to tens of thousands of attendees watching you as you stand alone in the ruined area of the last event? You only have a few seconds before the system teleports you back into the common area after your sister forfeited. Well, obviously, in a burst of pride and with adrenaline still rushing through your body, you shout your real name out loud and follow it with a threat. You tell them how terribly you will fuck them up if anyone ever tries to touch someone belonging to you, whether it is your family, the other members of your group, or anyone who might be working with you. You tell them that what they just witnessed was nothing, and that it''ll be child''s play compared to what you will be capable of in the next three years. So go on. Try to act smart, have fun playing around on Earth, and hope I die before I can make my return. Maybe I really will die, maybe you have nothing to worry about, and someone as maniacal as I am will crash against the wall that kills me. But what if thats not the case? Say you get the clever idea and try to find out more about my background. You already know what I look like; you might even have photos and videos. Some of you could probably figure out who I am even before I gave you my full name. But now that you have both my name and my sisters, there cant be many siblings named Nathaniel and Victoria Gwyn. It should be easy. So, maybe you think itll be a good idea to locate members of my family, hide them somewhere, and blackmail me once I get out. To that, I say: I have Earths most powerful healer, and I promise I can keep healing and killing you for years. I can come up with ways to cause you as much pain as possible. Im petty enough to spend months, even years, making it happen. So I ask you again. Would it be worth it? And I say this: try me. Go ahead, if you''re really that confident. "I will fuc" Before I can finish that sentence, I find myself outside. Unlike last time, my mana locks itself back under my control immediately, and not a whiff seeps into the area around me. It might be because my broken body is healed, but it feels lighter as if some sort of weight has fallen away. Even now, I am still strongly convinced I am the most normal one in Group 4; I mean, weve all seen Lily elongate her arms and grow new ones from her back, so there is no debate about that. Maybe Ive always been meant to be a little bit of an asshole. Fitting into that place where I "respect" others and "their opinions" just seems silly at times. Once I locate the presence Ive been searching for, I teleport there and place my hand on Channelers shoulder. For a moment, I consider using his name, but it doesnt quite come to me. Was it Rafael, Raphael, or Ralph? Saying the wrong thing would be awkward. "My man," I say. He shudders with surprise at the unexpected touch but regains control and looks back at me. "Yes?" "I have your arcane item." We gather under the tree in our area, everyone in Group 4, along with Myrra, and Channelers harem, who watch as he puts on the armor Ive made for him. Im much better with swords and weapons, so this one was very difficult. Unsurprisingly, Miwas advice helped a lot, as did some of the things I learned as a lumoran technician, well, assistant technician. The armor covers his entire body, and it isnt even that bulky. Looking at it, you might even expect it to be kind of flimsy. Wrong. The materials I used are top-notch. I used an assortment of metals, alloys, mana stones for the plating, and lined the inside with leather so the raw metal wouldnt chafe and more besides. The chest plate is a deep matte grey, layered with faint lines that pulse dimly when he moves. Those are the mana inscriptions, woven through the armor like veins. It reacts to his movement, strengthens under pressure, and even has the ability to deflect weaker skills without him so much as having to lift a finger. And then there are the mana stones. Theyre embedded deep, locked into the framework of the armor to act like batteries. Each one is charged and connected through its own series of insulated channels. The armor draws power from them constantly; it uses that mana to strengthen the joints, support his muscles, and prevent the weight from slowing him down. It not only makes him faster and stronger, but it also helps him maintain his speed and protects him from exhaustion. In theory. The chestplate is layered with inner supports. Beneath that is a thin core linked to the stones that serves to distribute mana across the suit. Its not really smart tech or anything fancy, it is just built to last and work. The gauntlets and boots are reinforced. He can block with his arms without feeling the shock, and he can land hard without twisting anything. There are no energy channels, nor is there an accompanying glow, just pressure resistance and weight support. The only problem is getting in and out of the armor. It takes a few minutes, and he needs several people to help him, so that might be a slight issue. The armor is also quite heavy, and another big problem is going to be charging it. With his reserves, it would take weeks to charge the armor enough to use 100% of its capabilities even for a few minutes at a time. But Ive already thought of that. I may be an asshole, but at least Im a rich and smart asshole. I went out and bought several extremely high-quality mana stones. Ten of them. And Ive been filling each one with as much mana as possible over the course of the tournament, inscribing them so they can be slotted into the armor and exchanged for a filled one. Each of these mana stones should be able to power the armor for hours. At maximum output, probably for two or three hours, during which time he should be able to wipe the floor with the average Hard difficulty attendee. In theory. With rumors that Hard difficulty will probably reach the 13th floor some time in the next year or two, Channeler should have plenty of time to become Earths apex predator, assuming someone doesnt kill him when hes not wearing the armor, though he seems pretty smart. In theory. As for the description: Manabound Frame (Low Arcane) -Forged from reinforced arcane alloys and lined with mana-reactive channels, this armor consumes vast amounts of energy just to remain active. In return, it grants the wearer unstoppable momentum and an immense resistance to both physical and magical assault. Built to function under extreme strain, it demands constant mana input to maintain full capacity. Without it, the armor becomes dead weight; however, when fully powered, it turns the wearer into an unstoppable frontline force. After putting on the helmet, Channeler takes a few steps toward me and comes to a stop. For a moment, he loses his balance, but the output is currently set below 5 percent, just enough to allow him to move as he normally would without feeling heavy while keeping some of the defenses active. "Nathaniel," he says, his muffled voice drifting out from under the helmet. "Yes?" "How much would something like this go for in the system shop?" "That? Hmm, probably around 200,000 to buy and around 100,000 to sell." "Shards?" "No, pieces of deer jerky. Of course, shards." "You''re giving me something worth 100,000 shards?" "Its probably worth a bit more. It has a nice base, and if I could make it so that it didnt rely on mana batteries and change some things that I had to tweak for someone of your power level, I could probably turn it into a mid-arcane item with a bit of help." "You''re giving me something worth more than 100,000 shards?" "I would like to say I''m lending it to you so that I could take it back once the tutorial ends, but by then, something like this won''t be valuable enough for me to bother with. So yeah, you could say it is a gift. Not for free, of course, you still have to do all the things we talked about and find all the people we mentioned." "Of course, Ill keep my word, Nathaniel. I promise." "Theres no need to be so serious. Also, sorry about the design; I know its a bit rough." "It''s ugly as fuck," Myrra shares her unprofessional opinion from the side. No one from Group 4 raises their voice to defend me, and I make sure to remember that. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. I continue, "But the performance is good. I have prepared a manual as well, so you can get some training in for the few weeks before you return to Earth. Ill even try to charge some training mana stones so you can train and save the ten I gave you. Do you still plan to clear the 13th floor and head back to Earth in the next few weeks?" "Yes, Ive already made deals with a few of the smaller groups, and well be coordinating our returns and make an attempt to organize back on Earth. Samuel was pretty helpful too; he told us a lot about how the army functions and gave us some contacts, so well make an attempt to discuss things with them." He removes the helmet, revealing his uselessly handsome face, though determination is etched on it. "I have a lot of data I can share with them. There are too many people with videos and information on you, so I won''t try to hide your capabilities. I think it would be counterproductive. Not to mention that Im expecting you to grow a lot in the few years well have before you return. In the meantime, Ill be using your name a lot, and people from Easy difficulty are very eager to communicate." "Don''t take in everyone you meet," I reply. "Of course, there will be standards and requirements. By the way, NotAaron said that when we started building our organization back on Earth, we should give it a cool name and mentioned that you would want it to be Angry Kittens." Multiple heads slowly turn to look at the twins. Its likely that only Izzy truly knows which one is Dennis and which one is Aaron, but they show no shame and continue to smile in mirrored fashion. Channeler nods, guessing my answer from the looks we give the twins, "I thought as much; Ive collected a few ideas, and if you" "Angry Kittens will be fine," I say. Just as before, heads turn toward me, one of them with cat ears and a tail swaying from side to side. "Okay," Channeler agrees immediately without further questions. After that, I give him some weapons I made from my mana using Mana Weaving and [Knitting]. Each one should match the level of epic items in terms of sharpness and durability. They dont have any special effects. Theyre just my mana, compressed, woven, and knitted together, and all around made to last as long as possible. Its similar to my manabloc material and the manabloc chairs. Im confident most of them will hold their shape for years before the mana inside starts to unravel. Im also sure theyre tough and sharp enough to handle real combat. There are enough for Channeler and his harem to use, with a few extras left over for trading. And Tess also made some plans for Easy difficulty to get in touch with some scientists once they returned to Earth. Theyd be given items, mana, and other materials to examine and otherwise experiment with. That should bring in a lot of money, either through selling the items or attracting investments. It could help build the foundation of our so-called organization or whatever we decide to call it. Ive never cared much about that sort of thing, but Im sure Sophie and Maya have done their best to make sure its all being handled. As for me, I start explaining the armors hidden mechanics to Channeler. It puts pressure on his body, similar to a restrictive training emblem or burden enhancement inscriptions. The idea is to let him train while wearing the armor, without using up too much mana from the batteries. It might cause a bit of pain, but Ive tuned it properly. Still, I dont like the expression he makes. I was expecting more excitement for such a useful training method, especially one I put so much effort into modifying for him. I point that out, and he quickly shakes his head, telling me Ive misunderstood. So I ask if hes okay with me improving the inscriptions and making a few last-minute changes to increase the training effect. He gives me one of those brilliant smiles, the kind that looks like it belongs in a photoshoot, and nods in a way that almost seems like hed rather be shaking his head. Even though only 24 hours remain, a lot happens in the meantime. My sister is declared the Absolute candidate by Lissandra, who seems to respect her more than me. Unsurprisingly, there is no big fanfare about it since not even Vic wants to make a big issue out of it; she just accepts it in her pragmatic way. Rumor has it that Lucien, also known as Spacepup, even got kidnapped for a few hours by a silver-haired woman who wanted to study a skill he possesses. This incident may have worsened the PTSD the little jerk already had. So sad. Poor guy. I just hope that the woman didnt find him only because someone talked to Myrra and told her to ask the silver-haired woman to check on him. He seemed to be trying pretty hard to stay under the radar. Some people come to visit me, but I dont accept any of them. Derick is one of the more notable ones, along with Yama, who, despite being one of the kings, follows that young Chinese girl, almost like shes her personal guard or servant. Sophie and Maya speak to them briefly before they leave. The deal with Savant is wrapped up as well. The most cowardly, or perhaps the most patient, man in the world leaves, seemingly satisfied with our agreement. This time, I am too. Examining the Sword of Aeons gave me a lot of ideas for improving my future items. After he leaves, Tacita stops by, but only to stand next to Lily and observe her. When Lily shows no signs of resentment or harm from being attacked by Tacita during the last event, the mute woman looks pleased, if only for a moment. Out of everyone here, she seems to like Lily the most. It''s the kind of gratitude an injured animal might show to the human who treated its wounds and fed it while it was weak. That sort of thing. Even though she attacked Lily during the last event, Im fairly sure that if Lily had been in any real danger of dying, Tacita wouldnt have gone through with it. And Im just as sure her mercy would only apply to Lily. After confirming whatever she needed, Tacita vanishes again, but not before drawing an emoji into the air with the tip of a finger glowing with mana. ( ?? ?`) As time runs out, people spend more of it finishing up some last-minute trades and saying their goodbyes. I spend some of that time with Victoria, and we say our farewells away from everyone else. We share a few more pieces of information, advice, and some plans, hoping that we get the chance to meet again in Beyond. I also visit a few other people to make plans for an expedition to Beyond. Neither of us is good at this kind of thing, so we keep it brief and part ways with a promise to see each other in the next tournament, which will probably happen in a year. All that needed to be addressed is taken care of just like that, and the tournament finally ends, and we get our final notifications. Congratulations on completing your 2nd tournament! The third tournament will occur three years from the start of your tutorial. All rounds from Earths tutorial will compete together against another planet undergoing its own tutorial. Congratulations, you have placed first overall in the 2nd tournament of Earth''s tutorial. Your rewards have been improved. Congratulations, you have placed first in the overall crafter rankings of Earth''s tutorial. Your rewards have been improved. You have rejected all event rewards in order to increase your final rewards. Your rewards have been greatly improved. Please choose 2 out of 5 possible rewards: Three active skills combination token Passive skill combination tokens (up to mid-arcane rarity) x2 Passive skill (mid arcane) 500,000 shards 30-day beyond-stay tokens x2 Flashback Tess Hansen Everyone except the little puppy in my arms is gone. And a single sentence hangs in the air before me: Participation in the tournament is not possible in your current state. With a sigh, I sit down on the ground and look at Biscuit. "There can only be one reason I was forced to stay behind, right? Did you know?" The speed of his wagging tail increases, and he licks my face before squirming out of my hands. After that, his size increases until he grows into his "adult" form... obviously, he can do that now. In fact, he probably could have done it before, too, he probably decided to remain a little pup because he enjoyed the attention and had an easier time begging for food. As he settles into his adult form, his fur ripples along the sides of his head, and a tiny set of budding, baby deer antlers begin to grow. (Knew. One of us. Help.) He says. "Aren''t you the cutest little thing?" He wags his tail even faster and moves closer, nuzzling my hand until I pet him. "Im probably not a mimic, or it''s so fucked up that I am one without even realizing it. I think I could probably use [Declaration] to ensure I die the moment the mimic takes over, but if I do that and I''m not a mimic, it might decide to kill me, knowing I have no way to win." (Friend. Still.) "Oh? So youre saying I''m not a mimic yet?" (One of us!) "Your speech is better now. Is it because of these things?" I ask, reaching out to tap his antlers. In response, he woofs at me. "I see. I''m glad to hear that. I promise Ill tell Nat to feed you a lot and pet you a bit more frequently." He barks twice. "Can you promise me something? I don''t want to use [Declaration] because Im afraid itll provoke the mimic, but if it does take over, can you kill me?" (Not one of us. Food.) For that brief moment, Biscuit seems terrifying. "Thank you. Lissandra must have known, and knowing her, shell use it to bully Nathaniel. But Biscuit, who does that woman think I am? Some damsel wholl just sit here and wait for her ex to save her?" (Damsel? Food?) "No, a ''damsel'' isn''t food. It''s the word you use to describe a weak woman who would rather rely on others than focus on saving herself." I lift him up from the ground. Hes a bit heavier now, but he quickly shrinks back to his puppy form, and the antlers shrink dramatically, further adding to the remarkable cuteness of the little corgi. "I think I have a plan, but I might have to do some bad things. I don''t mind, though, and Ill gladly pay the price with my conscience if it means I can see our friends again. And if I fail and die, so be it, as long as its just me, and only me. Will you help me?" (One of us.) He says, as a cheeky smile spreads across his puppy face. (Help. Friend.) "Thank you. Now, let''s head to the second front and find some mimics to talk with." Chapter 596: Not a damsel POV Nathaniel We reappear on the 7th floor, in the same place weve spent these months training, preparing, and relaxing at our beach. And here it sits, entirely destroyed. A crater scars the ground where the lake and the building used to be. The nearby cliff is marred, with a single, enormous, building sized glass projectile piercing through it. There are also bodies of lumorans and mimics scattered all around the place. Tess and Biscuit are nowhere to be seen, and neither of them has responded in the Community. Lissandra stands there with Myrra by her side, surveying the damage with eyes that seem to perceive far more than any of us. Then anger flashes across her face, the kind that only comes from wounded pride and betrayal. The mimics and lumorans had promised no forces would enter her territory, yet everything now lies in ruins. She rises and flies toward the sky, sending a single pulse of mana from her. It is nearly audible and produces a physical reaction in the area. All the clouds disappear, and the sky turns bright white. All the temporary mana webs covering the area are torn and obliterated, and a wave expands outward with a speed and force that makes it seem as though it could encompass the entire planet. Her head turns; she looks into the distance for a moment before disappearing in that direction with an audible sonic boom. Warning! The 13th wave is now in progress. And the Floor Quest resumes. Even though Ive seen it before, I check the number of people in the Community again, confirming that Tess is still there. But she was still there when she first got infected by the mimic inside her. So what the hell has happened? What have you done, you silly blonde? Damn, I hope youre safe. Flashback Tess Hansen Two days. Thats how long it takes me to encounter a powerful Elder Mimic in the body of a lynthari; either a mercenary who came here to offer their assistance or one of those who was taken over on another planet that had been taken over by a Progenitor Mimic. It doesnt seem like it took me very long to find one, and I guess having Biscuit with me helps. I also have a strong suspicion that Lissandra left a mark on me. I know I would do something like that if I were her. Having the mimic inside me likely didnt hurt my chances either. Facing the body of the lynthari Champion taken over by the mimic, I say, I want to make a deal with you. He looks at me in the same way while glancing toward Biscuit and then back at me. Return to your territory, human. I wont violate the terms of the deal we made with that woman, but do not push it. A smile appears on his face, slightly unnatural, as if his true identity were showing despite the mimics perfect memory and its ability to copy the body it took over. It almost seems to be hinting at the mimic inside me as if it were telling me to enjoy the time I have left. I think I can get you to whatever the lumorans stole from your territory on the 2nd front. I also think I know why the mimic inside me seems so special and can hide from the lumorans frameworks. I dangle the bait like Ive rehearsed. The item, the one it hungers for. I dont know what it is exactly, but I know one thing: it wants it more than it wants me. That gives me leverage. And that gets his attention. I have an offer for you, I say. I already know what Im going to do. Ill lead it to what it wants, not because I want to help it, but because I refuse to die with this thing inside me. If its desperate enough, it will jump to someone else. And Ill make sure it does. Days later, back in lumoran territory, I finally get a meeting with Technician Leth, but only after multiple checks, some even performed by a lumoran Champion. They run me through purification arrays that burn through my mana reserves, forcing me to stand still as pulse after pulse of detection magic washes over me. Inscriptions crawl over my skin, searing slightly as they scan for mimic residue. My internal mana flow is disrupted and reset again and again, leaving me dizzy and unbalanced. By the end, Im drained and shaking, barely keeping myself upright. I rely entirely on my connection to that silver-haired Absolute, the one who appeared from nowhere. That status is the only reason they let me through in the first place. Its nice to see you, Tess, but where are the others? Everyone is nervous because that human woman disappeared as well. It just shouldnt be possible after the oath she made, Leth tells me. Hes not alone in the room either; Jareth is there too, Champion Owains disciple, and even Champion Safie, one of the stronger Champions the lumorans have. It could be said that they are interrogating me. I pet Biscuit to keep him from trying anything hotheaded. There are still those tiny antlers on his head, but he is quiet. "She killed Nathaniel and the others, then chose to cooperate with the mimics," I say. It is something I have practiced saying for days. I repeated the lie so often, with such practiced grief, that it became part of my truth. Even the mimic inside me has begun to echo those feelings back to me, almost as if it couldnt be sure what was real anymore. My subclass, my skill, made it happen. Ive already cried over the deaths of my friends more times than I can count. There was an hour when I just sat there, sobbing, remembering those perfect days we spent together. They were the kind of friends I had always dreamed of, people who accepted me despite all my flaws. Each of them had their own imperfections, but somehow that only made them more beautiful to me. As if every flaw only made them shine brighter. And now theyre dead because Lissandra saw them as dead weight, nothing left to gain from keeping them alive. Cooperating with the mimic Absolute will only give her a new chance, a way to improve her odds of escaping the tutorial. I know these things happened as surely as I know my name. When I speak to the lumorans, I put my whole self into the words. I say it with unwavering confidence and intent. And they believe me. Hidden from them, something inside me shudders in a way that almost feels like a laugh. POV Nathaniel The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Hours have passed, and Lissandra still hasnt returned. Warning! The 14th wave is now in progress. Warning! The 15th wave is now in progress. Within that short time, two more waves appear and mimics begin flooding in the area, mainly greater mimics, some in lumoran bodies. They attack us without hesitation, and we fight them in the same way, all the while glancing at the sky in search of Lissandra, who still hasnt returned. During one of the fights, I wonder what Tess could have done and silently scold myself for not thinking of it sooner. I know her better than this; I should have realized she wouldnt simply sit and wait for us to return. Tess can be extremely stubborn when she wants to be. Flashback Tess Hansen It takes several more days. The lumorans panic, and they move me multiple times, each time they check over my mind and body for any sign of mimic infection. Yet they find none. The mimic inside me is just too different; its the spawn of a Progenitor Mimic who used to be hidden deep in the frozen area of the second front, protected by a large number of elder mimics. Ive spent a lot of time thinking about it, and the feelings I get from it confirm that. It explains why it couldnt be found despite all the effort the lumorans put into the process. Im still not sure about the item with chaotic mana that the Ardenyx pilot found and took, but it seems to be important to it. I can feel how much it wants the item as if it were the most important thing in the world. Its desperate to have it. Maybe it is something that will allow it to grow stronger, a sort of sustenance that enables it to reach its full potential. Or maybe it is simply something they cant allow to fall into lumoran hands for any reason. Since I realized that the mimic was inside me, its begun to show its presence more, and I wonder if it was being raised to be implanted into the lumoran Absolute, only for Champion Feroy and his group to ruin it all, albeit at the cost of their lives. I also know the war has started again. With Lissandra joining the mimics and disappearing without a trace, they have no other choice. Especially if shes strong enough to fake her oath, deceive the lumoran Absolute, and leave the area she said she wouldnt leave. But part of me also wonders whats left to live for when all my friends are gone. After that question, only one answer remains. Revenge at all costs. But first, I need to get rid of the mimic. While talking to me, Leth gestures broadly and says, Sorry, I can''t tell you what that item was for, or what Champion Feroy left in me. I barely know anything myself, and it''s considered highly classified information. As always, when he speaks to me, Champion Owains disciple is here, keeping an eye on me with that sword resting on his back. That sword seems almost alive. I force a weak smile, looking tired but thankful, and say, Its okay. I was just curious. Im thankful you guys havent decided to kill me. We wouldnt do that! Leth exclaims immediately and falls silent when he realizes he shouted. Its not your fault. That woman is just too strong. After a silence meant to create the proper impact, I say, Leth, I think you should destroy whatever you brought from the second front. They might be after it. Something inside me swirls in panic, and a sharp spike runs through my head. Through the haze, I hear something and turn to the side. Biscuit is sitting there, staring at me with glowing purple eyes. His low growl rumbles through the air, heavy enough to make the ground feel unsteady. Only then does the pressure in my head begin to fade. The deal I made with the mimics is simple. The mimic inside me can stay hidden only as long as it hasn''t taken control, its special enough that it shouldnt be a problem. So I will behave in a way that either helps it obtain the item it wants or gives it a chance to go after Champion Owain or the lumoran Absolute. If it finds a host as powerful as one of them, it will leave my body without killing me. I think the fact that I knew about it surprised them since the mimic is undetectable even by the lumoran frameworks. Maybe they planned for it to jump from me to a high-ranking lumoran once it got the opportunity. Maybe they were crazy enough to hope it could take over Lissandra through some sheer, incredible stroke of luck. Or maybe it was just supposed to stay inside me, gather information on the lumorans, or try to retrieve the item they stole from the Second Front. Now Im being held by the lumorans, and I dont know how many days Ive been sitting in the room theyve locked me in. It is so blindingly bright white that it hurts my eyes and mind. The mana in here constantly probes my body, making it impossible to use my skills. Something is even blocking my primordial energy. They have separated Biscuit from me and keep asking me questions. Multiple people, different each time, all powerful enough to kill me with a single swing of their arm, keep probing my mind. But my story doesnt change. They see what I have seen: an image of Lissandra killing my friends and leaving me alive as a messenger. They also sense my emotions, the sadness I felt when they died, and the rage I feel towards that woman. Their frameworks scanned me, psychic traces were analyzed, mana flow patterns checked. And all of it aligned with the grief of a girl who lost everything. Even the Champions who doubted me hesitated when they saw no flicker of a lie. Then, I am moved for the last time. A few hours later, I receive an immediate execution order as I sit, held in a cell hidden in a base that seems to serve as their headquarters. The order comes directly from Champion Owain, who has been stationed here to guard the item they took from the mimics. And that item is close. I can feel it; the presence inside me grows more and more desperate as Biscuit and I sit alone in the small room, waiting for the end. It has already sent a special signal that can only be detected by the mimics, but it will take a while for them to get here. The only things keeping it from taking over my mind are its fear of being discovered, the oath I made, and its hope that I will do everything I can to stay alive. Biscuit remains quiet, even with those cute antlers on his head, and continues to keep an eye on me. His eyes grow darker by the second, and with that, their friendliness slowly disappears. Leth comes to visit as well, slipping in alone despite the rules of my containment, just a few minutes before my executioner is supposed to arrive. I can see how much it weighs on him. For a moment, he says nothing. I think Ive played my part well, no matter how disgusting it felt. I took the fondness he had for Nathaniel and the others and used it. I built the image of a broken, unfortunate girl in his mind. I tapped into the grief he still carries from losing Champion Feroy, the one he followed, and the friends he fought beside. In his eyes, Ive suffered the same loss. But now his mana signature is thin, frayed. I make note of how tired he looks, how little resistance he must have. A weak link, maybe. Just maybe. He says, Im sorry, Tess, I know its cruel for them to kill you, but the order came from the Absolute himself. It is to avoid risk and simply remove you, theyre worried about the things that woman could have done with you. Im truly sorry. Its fine, Leth, its not your fault, I say with a weak smile, feigning bravery to mask my sorrow. Slowly, I get to my feet and hold out my hand to Leth for a handshake, saying, Thank you for everything. He hesitates, They told me not to... I pull my hand back with a saddened expression, Oh, I get it, Im sorry. I quickly apologize and take a step, only to let myself fall, seemingly tangled in the chains on my feet and hands. Leth almost instinctively moves in and grabs my hand to help me stand. Are you... His words cut off. "Im sorry. Truly," I whisper. The mimic inside me moves from my body into his and takes over the moment it does so. It destroys the lumoran technicians mind in a blink, and with it, the oath I made to the mimics disappears, its requirements fulfilled. The baby progenitor mimic looks at me with Leth''s face and expressions, yet somehow its different, as it begins settling inside him and trying to hide its presence, which should be much harder, if not impossible, now that it has taken over Leths mind. It can likely still jump into another lumoran, but I dont think it can hide anymore the way it hid inside me, not against serious attempts. Useless human, Leth says. You couldn''t even get me close to the Champion. But as per our deal, no mimic will touch you. The others will be here soon, but I wonder if theyll arrive quickly enough to save you from your lumoran executioner. He doesnt even smile, but I can see the strange cruelty in Leth''s eyes. Then he turns to leave, before the executioner arrives and before its presence triggers any of the defensive arrays. A moment, I call out. He stops and turns around when I say, Biscuit, not a friend. Then I close my eyes. That pressure returns, along with that eerie sensation. I hear a scream I never imagined Leth or any mimic could make, followed by a series of loud crunches, and then silence. When I open my eyes, Biscuit is sitting there, looking at me. He burps and says in my mind, (Friend.) When the lumorans rush in, I pretend to panic and shout about a mimic that had been hidden inside Leth. I warn them about the incoming mimic attack he told me about, and urge them to check the detection arrays. Chapter 597: Reigning dumbass of the 7th floor POV Nathaniel The reward for this floor''s reigning dumbass goes to Tess, who remains unconscious even with all the work Sophie and Izzy have done for her. All we know is that Lissandra found her and Biscuit, then knocked Tess unconscious because the blonde kept trying to kill her, screaming all the while. Lissandra also confirmed that there werent any mimics inside Tess anymore and that she found her deep in underground escape tunnels leading out from a nearby lumoran secret base that had been destroyed. It seems the blonde somehow got rid of the mimic on her own, and thats definitely going to be a story. After I confirm that shes safe and everyone else does the same, we find ourselves being pushed out the door by an annoyed trio composed of Lily, Sophie, and Izzy so that they can finish examining her. They dont tell us anything, but it seems like Tess may have really done something that was probably pretty dumb, even by my standards. That also puts the deal I made with Lissandra in a strange situation. All the effort I put into the tournament feels like it was for nothing since Tess handled everything on her own, with a little help from the best corgi of the 7th floor. The award for best doggo and protector of the dumbest person on the 7th floor, of course, goes to Giga Biscuit. Once again, Biscuit seems to have eaten something again, just like last time when he decided to nom on that creepy deer; however, unlike before when it shrank him, this time its made him as big as a horse. Yup, a corgi as big as a horse. He is still sleeping, and like the dumbest person of the 7th floor, he hasnt woken up yet. Occasionally, he even burps in his sleep and twitches as if hes managed to upset his stomach. Cute. I hope hes ok though. Another cute thing is that even though hes gotten so big, hes returned to his "adult form" and has the same proportions as a normal corgi. And though those proportions at this size should be unsettling, it just comes across as extremely cute. Taking the opportunity, I lean against his belly, which moves gently in time with each breath as he sleeps. Even the other members of Group 4 seem content to climb over him, like they just cannot get enough of this silly corgiant. Everyone is worried about Tess, but after talking to Lissandra and Sophie, I think itll be okay. Sophie probably knows what happened, though she seems to be waiting for Tess to wake up before discussing it further. She also believes that whatever Tess did, she did it in a way that can be reversed by Tess herself, possibly through some sort of double self-hypnosis, or if not by the simple passage of time. In the end, it seems increasingly likely that Tess didn''t need any help at all, and thats created some mixed feelings inside of me. So, although Tess should be fine on her own in a few weeks or months, Sophie and even Lissandra are working hard to shorten that to days. Much of the work is being done by Sophie, while Lissandra helps as much as she can. It is hard to tell since Lissandra keeps her emotions so tightly in check, but I bet its been just as infuriating for her. She made such grand promises, and now everythings gone to shit because of whatever this dumbass girl did. Like everyone else, I can only wait for her to wake up. At least I dont break down crying and hugging her unconscious body like Maya did, or clinging to her like a baby koala like Izzy. Having processed all that, I take the opportunity to clear my mind and check my status for what feels like the first time in a long while. Name: Nathaniel Gwyn Title: Champion Candidate Difficulty: Hell Floor: 7 - Battlefield Time left until forced return: 2y 350d 23h 45m 6s Traits (2/3): Mana Wavelength Iris 2/3, Mana Physique 0/3 Lvl 307 Strength: 240 Dexterity: 231 Constitution: 429 Mana (Stage 1/3 - Vast Mana): 1627 + 1627 Primary Class: Mana Weaver (Unique Arcane) Sub-class: [Adept of Pride] Active skills (10/10): Focus - Lvl 65 Perception - Lvl 62 Redistribution - Lvl 63 Mana Domain (Pride) - Lvl 61 Mana Crown - Lvl 55 Mana Manipulation - Lvl 66 Ley Line - Lvl 54 Eclipse - Lvl 37 Empyrean Lance - Lvl 22 Knitting - Lvl 37 Constructs: Reinforcement Mana Regulator Mana Sovereignty Mantle Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Kinetic Mana Heart Sealed Ignition Heart (Fully Sealed, 3/3) Passive skills (5/5): Mana Kinetic Conversion Reservoir (Unique Epic) Mana Fortified Mind (Low Arcane) Mental Attunement Loop (Mid Arcane) Mana Wavelength Tyrant (Mid Arcane) Subdermal Combustion Weave (Mid Arcane) Tokens: Beyond 3 day stay token Beyond 1 day stay token Shards: 39,631 Im especially happy with [Focus] and [Mana Manipulation]. Even though its been so much harder to level them recently, I still managed to push myself during the tournament. The memory of the numerous deaths still lingers. Its almost like a scar, except the mark has been left on my mind. Every time I think of these deaths, I cannot help but shudder a little. But at the same time, I know I would do it again in a heartbeat. [Eclipse] also gained several levels, especially from the last event. [Redistribution] leveled up, too, thanks to the sheer amount of thermal energy I had to channel back there. I believe I leveled it about three times in a row, which is quite incredible considering the high level of the skill. Of course, [Knitting] leveled up as well, given all the weapons I made for Channeler and the others. But we do not talk about skills with such names. We do not even think of them, because it might normalize the idea, causing me to slip up and say the name aloud. And we certainly cant have that. Regarding my passive skills, on the other hand, Ive been gathering quite a fancy collection: three mid-arcane skills, one low-arcane, and one unique passive. And damn if I dont appreciate that. After all, going by everything Ive learned, I dont think theres more than a few people in the entirety of Earth''s tutorial who can say they even have one mid-arcane passive, and thats if theyre lucky. Which brings to mind the passive skill combination token the system offered me, which would allow me to combine two mid-arcane passives. Using it for anything lower would be a waste. I look them over again and consider the potential combinations, and no matter how I combine them, none of the results seem particularly good. If I chose this reward, I would probably need to purchase another mid-arcane passive specifically for the combination. That would require saving up another 500 thousand shards, and that could take a while. Therefore, I rule out this reward. Next, there are some new passive skill options: one mid-arcane reward passive, valued at somewhere around 500 thousand shards, and another, which is simply 500 thousand shards. Both options are appealing, but they dont really interest me all that much. I dont think Ill be needing the shards at the moment. If I had to pick one, I would probably just take the new passive skill instead. A passive skill reward would probably offer three or five passives to choose from, some of which could be valued closer to 600 thousand shards and would have a fair chance of being tailored to me. However, I already have several new passives to manage and training to consider, which might change the direction of my build. Lastly, we come to the two rewards Im most interested in: the two 30-day beyond stay tokens worth 600 thousand shards. Admittedly, there are significant disadvantages. It would mean being stuck in Beyond for a long time, especially since I doubt anyone from our "expedition party" could afford to stay that long. There''s also a significant risk that Id wind up wasting part of the token and not being able to do anything while I''m there, which would be a huge waste of time. Nonetheless, it attracts me greatly. Ive been wanting to go and spend some time more or less alone for a while, so I am more or less leaning toward choosing this one, but Ill have to give it a few more days for further thought. I might even wait until the end of the floor and see what rewards it brings before deciding. Lastly, we have whats clearly the most insane and probably the best reward Ive seen yet: a token that would allow me to combine three of my active skills into one. Ever since I saw it, Ive been thinking and theorizing, and my mind remains full of ideas. However, like the previous option, it carries a few big risks. Combining three skills means there is a much higher chance of incompatibility. Worst of all, some of my skills may not be available for combination, which would only result in an inefficient outcome, a wasted token, or possibly forcing me to wait years for another opportunity to combine them. But if it works, the resulting skill could be extraordinary. It also makes me wonder just how rare this kind of reward is. I havent seen it anywhere so far, so it might be incredibly valuable. I am quite likely the first person from Earth to get it, while the average Hell enjoyer might never see it. Still, I am a gambler at heart, so I think Im going to risk it. I lean back and bury my head in Biscuit''s fur, enjoying the feeling of his rising belly. After glancing to my left and watching Group 4 fuss over an unconscious Tess, I look away and start thinking again, this time about the way I rejected Lissandras declaration. My logic is fairly simple. There must be a way to become an Absolute without a declaration, possibly even a candidate. Why though? Well, the first generation of each planet can only be declared over the course of the tutorial, and I think it would be foolish to rely on that alone. There might be higher floors where such declarations grow more likely, but I also cant quite imagine a planet going without an Absolute simply because they were unlucky enough not to be declared over the course of the tutorial. To be declared an Absolute candidate, you need to be vouched for by someone capable of such judgment, and meeting Absolutes and surviving the experience seems to be extremely rare. So Im absolutely sure there has to be a way. Another thing, I got a good chance to watch the others during the tournament. Even though I went in with a good bit of hesitation, now that its over, I can say with confidence that I am strong. Really strong. I was better than any of them, and Ive earned that title. Even Lissandra was ready to declare it herself. But I can also say that was unusual for her, especially after all that talk about me only being able to become Champion at best and her declaration that shed be the villain standing in my way. I think she must have lowered her standards just to declare me, since shell be leaving soon, and given that shell either die or escape the tutorial. This is not something I can accept. Some time ago, I would have welcomed the handout, just like when I accepted the Champion Candidate declaration. But now Ive seen what Im capable of compared to others. So why not push myself just that little bit further and do it on my own? That also ties into the last part of my thinking: the rewards. If I can become an Absolute Candidate on my own, before my next primary class upgrade or even before I get my third trait, it could turn out to be something truly special. Ive known for a long time that the system takes a variety of factors, including my past performance, into account. I also know the next primary class upgrade probably wont happen until Ive reached level 450 and the tutorial ends. But for now, I can channel my inner Savant and just be patient. And once everything clicks into place, it will all be worth it. Chapter 598: Nothing I couldnt deal with Chapter 598: Nothing I couldn''t deal with After a few days, Biscuit starts shrinking from his giga form. It''s sad to watch, and I wish he would wake up before he regresses completely, so he could carry me instead of the other way around. But there''s nothing I can do. It seems like he ate something and pushed himself too hard trying to avoid slipping into another food coma, which he ended up in anyway, the moment Lissandra found him with Tess. Part of me suspects hes actually trying really hard to shrink back to his normal size just so he can be carried around again. Tess, and yes, I mean the dumbest human on the 7th floor, is also awake. She''s still adjusting and spending her days with Izzy and sometimes Sophie, in a house that Sophie grew from one of the local trees. There are others too, housing our individual rooms. My curiosity is killing me, and I want to pry all the information I can out of Tess, but I get over it and spend time hunting down the mimics that have been appearing in the area. Currently, it seems Lissandra is letting the weaker ones pass on purpose, not to mention that she disappears every once in a while and does crazy things. Most of the time, I don''t even know what it is, but judging from the wavelengths of mana around her and the structure of the skill she activates in the process, it is some scary, scary stuff. Just trying to decipher it makes me pass out for hours at a time. I think shes still trying to find what exactly happened and searching for the Progenitor Mimic in the process, which is doing its best to hide while throwing everything it can against Lissandra in hopes of distracting her or slowing her down. The waves keep getting stronger, and they''re happening more frequently. But I think it''s only a matter of time, and knowing Lissandra, shes already cut off any means the mimic had of leaving this planet. Even if she''s not as powerful as she was in her prime, I don''t think there''s any Absolute out there who could overpower her. Like us, shes been using the regenerative aura of the tournament floor to train and experiment. So while her passives, stats, and traits aren''t as impressive as they used to be, I think her active skills are close to the level they were back when she was hunting down Rulers. One day, she comes across me while I''m training with my Ignition heart and observing my passive. The way she stands there feels almost awkward, but her words arent. "Ive already spoken to the blonde," she says. "Did she tell you to fuck off?" "Yes, but she was much more controlled about it. Shes perceptive and understood the situation right away when she and your bond stayed behind. Waiting was an option, but she chose otherwise. Her decision was deliberate, driven by a simple reason: her refusal to be a burden. Meant to be a statement that she doesn''t need to be saved or protected, and that she wont be used as leverage against her group, even if it means bearing the full weight of the consequences." I nod, "I should have known that." "Would that have made you behave differently during the tournament?" "Likely not. So what will you do now? We made a deal, and now Ive gotten almost nothing out of it." Not even for a moment does she seem taken aback. "I have already spoken to the blonde and shared some information with her, including a technique that will be helpful to her. Even though much like you, she doesn''t seem to like me, I dont think shes dumb enough to throw it away. As for you, I agree that I still owe you. Im sure youve already thought about it and have something in mind for what you want." "Yes, it''s simple: Save Myrra too." "Little pup, thats something I have already-" At this, I interrupt her, "I know you would throw her away if you thought it improved your chances. I saw you kill your disciple, so I dont have much reason to trust you. I want you to save her, even if it hurts you, no matter the cost. I dont care if it cripples you, or makes things extremely difficult or lowers your chances." Lissandra looks at me for a while in silence, with a thought flashing behind her eyes. "Very well, I promise," she says in the end. At that moment, she looks as if she is tasting these words and examining the effect of that decision. In the end, she tilts her head and smiles as if amused by it all. "Do you know the state youre in?" she asks out of nowhere. I nod, "Yup. I''m... well, my body is dying. It''ll continue unless I increase my Constitution or stop creating new constructs and making modifications to my body. I know it. I''ve learned enough about body modification to recognize the signs and understand what I''m doing." "Yes, but it''s something that can be corrected with enough focused effort. Your constructs and the modifications you''ve made to your body are functional, but theyre still far too unstable compared to the system-generated equivalents. If you continue developing along your current path with the same kind of enhancements, I''d estimate ten to twenty years before the structural strain and mana flow inconsistencies either cripple you permanently or trigger cascading side effects beyond your control. That outcome could be fatal. And that''s already accounting for your current rate of progress, your healer''s improvements, and any external support." "I know," I repeat. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "You won''t change the way you go about things?" "Nope." She shakes her head, and I catch the faintest smile on her face. "Little pup, when you make it out of the tutorial, find a way to survive all this. Then, when you''re ready, come find me on Eladore." "Only if you succeed where every version of you has failed, along with everyone else," I say. "Such a useless thought," she says, with her posture straightening, and as her mana dances across her skin. A few days later, Lissandra leaves to eliminate the Progenitor Mimic she finally managed to locate. The potentially massive pile of eyes, mouths, and tentacles has probably set traps for her, so the extermination could take some time. It might even end with the planet being destroyed, considering the current state it''s in. Put simply, the situation here is not good. Mimics are everywhere, lumorans are few, and the arrays that connect to the other planets have been destroyed, cutting off any chance of mercenary support. Part of me wonders how I would handle these mimics if I were an Absolute. Another part thinks that to reach a certain level of power, you need to be as confident and bold as Lissandra. One part of me keeps training, another scans the area, and the last one watches Myrra as she says her goodbyes. She and Liss will leave as soon as the Progenitor Mimic is dealt with. If all goes well, that will mark a successful end to our floor quest. This floor has been interesting... its a huge mess, and whatever the system wanted to tell us probably went over our heads because of this walking catastrophe that joined us. That also reminds me that I do now have those thermonuclear warheads my sister gave me. Some brothers might get a pocket knife as a gift, but whose sister gives them a weapon of mass destruction? "Nat?" a young voice says, pulling me out of my thoughts, and I follow it to look at Izzy. "Yes?" "Tess wants to talk with you." "Got it," I say as I move past her and head toward the house where Tess is still recovering. There are no signatures aside from her own. I move in, and for the first time in a while, I look straight at herthis time shes not unconscious. This time, shes standing proud with her crown floating over her head and already storing primordial lightning, just in case. I could probably say something about how its not really the best idea to train right away, but something tells me that would just be hypocritical. Otherwise, shes wearing Earth clothes, from the pile I bought from Gloria, which the girls immediately seized and mustve shared with her. Shes wearing a set of gray shorts and an oversized white shirt with short sleeves, as if she just got back from the gym. Theres even some sweat beginning to bead on her forehead as she welcomes me with a smile. And her blonde hair has been cut once more, styled such that it barely reaches her shoulders, hanging in gentle waves of gold to frame her face. "Tess, have you been training?" "Yup. I got rid of Maya and Soph and did a bit of training in secret. I bribed Izzy to keep quiet about it." I nod and create a manabloc chair, and take a seat facing her. My reaction must have amused her, as her smile broadens and she takes a step over to me, reaching out to me as she does so. I grab her hand, and she pulls me up from the chair I just sat in, then, without any warning, pulls me into a hug. With her superior physical stats, she squeezes me quite tightly, and I hesitate for a moment before hugging her back. After a while, I feel like that''s enough and tap her back, giving the universal signal to let go, but she doesn''t. Instead, she continues to hold me tighter. She isn''t crying, and her body isn''t shaking; my kinetic senses don''t detect anything like that. So I just sigh and keep holding her until she starts acting giddy and begins swaying gently from side to side. Remembering that it is something she likes to do, I match her movement for a while until she lets go of me, steals the manabloc chair from behind me, and pulls it under her to sit in. Instead of fighting her, I make a new one and sit opposite her. "I leveled up my subclass to Adept, along with a bunch of other skills. By a lot," she says proudly. "Congratulations." "Thank you. I have heard a lot about the tournament. Sounds like you had it pretty rough." "Nothing I couldn''t deal with. I heard you had it pretty rough yourself." "Nothing I couldn''t deal with," she smiles at me, but doesn''t expand any further. I take it all as a signal that she doesn''t want to talk about it, so I decide to let it be. "I also heard you got to see your sister," she says. "Yes, Victoria is just as lovely as always; the Cockroach even declared her an Absolute Candidate." "I always thought she would manage that. I hoped I could meet her, but I guess well have another opportunity during the third tournament." "She still remembers you and even called you a cutely naive blonde." "Well, I used to be that way back then. Did she bully the others?" "You know her; there is no chance she didn''t say some ''don''t take it personally but you suck'' kind of things to them." "That''s true, but it might also make them push a little harder. Maybe that was her real intent all along." "Nah, she doesn''t care about them. I love my sister, but I have no illusions about how she sees others." Tess nods in response, and for a while, we both stay quiet. The whole time, she keeps glancing at me: my face, my neck, my hands, my clothes. I do the same, studying her in return. The silence stretches on, and I can''t help but feel a bit amused by how strange it feels to face her again after these weeks apart and everything we''ve both been through. "Welcome back, Tess," I say in the end. "You''ll need a lot more than that to get rid of me," Tess says with a smile.